Lower Arm Bushings dealership says?

Tiny
MR1817
  • MEMBER
  • 2017 NISSAN VERSA
  • 45,000 MILES
A mechanic at the dealership says I need to replace both of my lower arm bushings because they are separated. He took pictures. I was hoping to show the pictures to a mechanic to see if the entire control arm needs to be replaced, like the mechanic is saying.

My car is showing no signs of anything being wrong. No vibrations. No clunking noise. I don't drive on rough terrain.
Tuesday, January 13th, 2026 AT 11:28 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 15,606 POSTS
The images didn't make it through, however bushings can be bad without anything like noise or vibration, and just exposure to the air and ozone does more that rough roads usually they will show as cracked through the rubber or torn loose. Some vehicles have replaceable bushings, yours does in this case. However it is actually cheaper to replace the complete arm instead. Why? Overall cost. The aftermarket bushings are about $45.00, then add another $35.00 for a replacement ball joint. So that is going to be $80.00 for the three parts, but you need to add in the additional labor to press out those parts and install the new ones, that usually takes about a half hour. At the rates here that adds $85.00 more. So $165.00 per side plus checking the alignment when done. Or you can buy the complete arm from Nissan #545019KS1C Left and #545009KS1C Right for about $140.00 and the car would be done an hour earlier as well. (Nissanpartsdeal. Com for pricing).
If you want to try again with the images, please do. Then we can see how bad they are.
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Tuesday, January 13th, 2026 AT 1:28 PM
Tiny
MR1817
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
I was able to upload the images. Nissan wants to charge $1600 to replace the arms.
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Wednesday, January 14th, 2026 AT 5:11 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 15,606 POSTS
It looks like they are torn and should be replaced but there is no need to use a dealership for that. Any independent shop can swap those arms out. The process is simple, you jack up the front of the car, remove the rim on that side, remove the outer ball joint from the knuckle, secure it out of the way. Remove the two bolts that go through the bushings. Remove the arm. Install the replacement arm, torque the two bolts to the correct torque, install the outer ball joint into the knuckle, tighten the pinch bolt to the proper torque. Verify that everything is in place, re-install the wheel and put it back on the ground. Check the toe in (toe is the only front adjustment) If you wanted to you could DIY it and just drive to a shop to have the toe checked.
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Wednesday, January 14th, 2026 AT 7:16 AM

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