Ok, here's the deal. Got a 2007 Dodge Caliber, had it serviced today. Mechanics tell me the front lower control arm bushings are on their last legs. They want almost $1000 plus possible alignment to fix. Question is, how easy is it for me to replace them myself? I figure replacing the whole arm would be easier since I don't have a machine press to put new bushings in.
Last edited by Alpheus; 03-31-2012 at 03:44 PM.
Regardless of whether or not you do the arms as an assembly you'll still need to do a wheel alignment afterwards; everything will have moved a bit. Otherwise, I have no advise on that car, since I don't know them well. Get a workshop manual and have a look!
2007 and on its last legs? Watch them pot holes! Only kidding. Honestly, 1000 is a bit much, don't pay it. You can buy the bushings OEM or from an auto parts store for alot less. You could also get a press from Harbor Freight for dirt cheap if you were willing to go that route. I would just buy bushings and have them pressed in somewhere, install, then go get an alignment.Originally Posted by Alpheus
Just my 2 cents. 1k seems a bit excessive IMO. I could get a clutch job done on my truck for 1k and that's alot more work.
Last legs not even, only 66k. I know, but it seems a lot of 2007 Calibers have had issues with the front control arms. I figure I'll just get the whole arm and do it my self, my research indicates that switching them out is not too difficult.
Check Engine light back on -- scanned it, and it's some failure related to the above problem. I'm due for service in a few hundred miles, and so Toyota of Des Moines will be fixing that gratis. Also, some strip between the top of my driver side doors is missing -- weird...
Auto head lights on the stupid snot box Mitsubishi Triton, since day one it has shorted out the left hand tail light (but not the left hand high mount tail light). When we turn the lights on, it works, if we leave them off and rely on the auto headlights it blacks out.
In the last few weeks, it's added a new kink, now when we indicate left, with the head lights on (selected on, not off on the stalk but on with the auto function), as soon as we hit the brake, the reversing beacon sounds...
So I started removing globes and it's the reverse light in that left hand cluster that causes the fault. However when we take it out, pressing the brake pedal will cause the left hand indicator to speed up.
I don't think the unit deserves to be pulled apart to find where the short is, I think I'll just replace it. Or take the entire ute down to a blast pattern, tie it into a shot and blow it up with 100 tonnes of power gel...
Get a Hilux. I wouldn't mind one myself.
My other ute is a Hilux, got about 2000km on it, we got it with 17's, wheel arch spats, it's by far the toughest looking LV on site, the bog stock tyres and rims on the hiluxs look like shit. When I finally get my VHF and UHF radios back with the right frequencies in it, I will flat out refuse to drive the Triton and will hang draw and quarter anyone who pinches "my" ute.
Geez with 2000km on it you havn't even started the running in period yet
Mines got 340,000km on it and still going............ it might be using a little oil
As for the Triton........... blow it up, best thing for it
Going by the hilux we just got rid of, we'll probably be lucky to get 120,000km on it before the lease is up. Hoping that this one is in much better condition at end of lease, the one we just traded would have been lucky to have got $8000 at auction.
My Mazda Protege has had the check light on for the last 100k miles. I have 260k on her and she is a daily commuter.
My old Ford ranger check light came on as well. Stayed on till I sold it a few years later.
Just saying.
The work Hilux had it's light on for the last 6 months of its life. It ran like shit too.
My beautiful little 2 door Mitsu Montero (Pajero to some of you) is in the shop getting it's G54b rebuilt. The headgasket started to leak so I decided to completely rebuild it. The motor was tired but the rest of the truck is in such good shape I figured it was worth it. Besides, in the US at least they are getting very rare and hard to find.
It runs ok considering how much miles I put on it.
Does it have a tow bar? I also think you might be right in suspecting the body control module (as reliable as they are!). There may also be a bad earth somewhere, with a wacky backfeed or something through another lamp filament causing your problem.
I remember a few years ago I encountered a bad stop/tail lamp. Foot on brake made the parkers come on. Narva fail.
Please post pictures of the damaged ute should you decide to give it the power gel treatment.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
