[bauer3]

good old dealer let me a laundry list of **** to fix to the tune of 4500.--
on a truck with 260k?? yeah right. Gonna replace axles myself. new passenger motor mount and rear tranny mount. After that they said compliance bushing are all bad. Truck still drives great and in a straight line. Should I bother changing these bushings? Seems like the hardest job of the list above

thanks gary

 

[S.T.U.V]

Compliance bushings? Control arm bushings maybe?

Those you replace with the whole lower control arm. rockauto has good prices. I got dorman arms. Have had em for about 10k and no issues so far.

 

[Dnick]

To answer your question... unless you have some evidence of "being shot", I wouldn't change them... certainly not without a confirming 2nd opinion.

If it's driving right, no weird tire wear or noises? Make sure it's bad before you yank it out. I never trust dealer's repair recommendations on face value. They usually are very trigger happy to call something bad or in need of replacement.

 

[bauer3]

i have to agree. thats how they make money.

 

[hokiefyd]

At 260k miles, your suspension bushings don't owe you a dime. They're still probably holding the control arms on, but they're probably all sorts of cracked and dry rotted. Heck, both of our vehicles ('05 MDX with 130k and '09 RL with 100k) show lots of bushing cracking when you let the suspension hang, especially those rear control arm bushings on the front suspension. This is a natural part of vehicle aging.

Yes, they probably could be replaced, and you'd notice a whale of a difference. Like the difference (in quiet and isolation) you feel on new tires vs. old bald ones. But MUST be be done? Probably not.

 

[eurban]

Agree with Hokie. You have 260k miles and the compliance bushings on the Ridge DO wear out over time and will not perform well once they are all cracked. Jack up the front end and take a look, its pretty easy to see the bushings and get a sense of how bad yours are.

To replace, it is probably easier to get the entire control arm rather than pressing them out and in and you get a new ball joint as part of the process.
Figure on an alignment afterwards. Personally, I would go with OEM but aftermarket can be had much more cheaply.

 

[chiph]

Agree. Crawl under there with a flashlight and take a look. At 260k they're probably due. And swapping out the entire arm (which gets you a new ball joint) would be the way to go.

While you're there, look at the sway bar bushings. They're something you can change without needing an alignment - just make really sure you relieve the tension in it before unbolting them.

Chip H.

 

[S.T.U.V]

My drivers side was completely seperated at 150k...but I did off road mine alot. So alot of full tire droop pulling on them bushings. I wish we could put a a spherical bushing in there.

 

[Dnick]

At 260k miles, your suspension bushings don't owe you a dime. They're still probably holding the control arms on, but they're probably all sorts of cracked and dry rotted. Heck, both of our vehicles ('05 MDX with 130k and '09 RL with 100k) show lots of bushing cracking when you let the suspension hang, especially those rear control arm bushings on the front suspension. This is a natural part of vehicle aging.

Yes, they probably could be replaced, and you'd notice a whale of a difference. Like the difference (in quiet and isolation) you feel on new tires vs. old bald ones. But MUST be be done? Probably not.

Agree with Hokie. You have 260k miles and the compliance bushings on the Ridge DO wear out over time and will not perform well once they are all cracked. Jack up the front end and take a look, its pretty easy to see the bushings and get a sense of how bad yours are.

To replace, it is probably easier to get the entire control arm rather than pressing them out and in and you get a new ball joint as part of the process.
Figure on an alignment afterwards. Personally, I would go with OEM but aftermarket can be had much more cheaply.

Agree. Crawl under there with a flashlight and take a look. At 260k they're probably due. And swapping out the entire arm (which gets you a new ball joint) would be the way to go.

While you're there, look at the sway bar bushings. They're something you can change without needing an alignment - just make really sure you relieve the tension in it before unbolting them.

Chip H.

My drivers side was completely seperated at 150k...but I did off road mine alot. So alot of full tire droop pulling on them bushings. I wish we could put a a spherical bushing in there.

Not so fast..... a LOT of this (are they worn or not) depends greatly on the type of driving & weather they have seen. As STUV points out, harsh off-road driving can take a toll. As can harsh winter weather (salt, etc.).
You'll notice OP is in Las Vegas. If his truck has been driven all on pavement, he will be in better shape down there than a newer truck that's been exposed to more of those negative factors.
Miles don't really mean that much if they are "highway" miles in good weather. And as for age alone.... maybe 20 years before they die of old age (barring other inducements). I'm just sayin'.......

 

[hokiefyd]

The desert heat of Vegas will dry rot those bushings even faster. My '09 RTL lived in Phoenix, on the road only, until I bought it this summer, and the bushings show lots of cracking when the suspension is dropped. Our MDX, as well, has never been off-roaded, and has never been wintered in much salt (we live in NC), and has significant degredation of those bushings at half the miles of the OP's Ridge.

Of course, it's best to verify the issue before shelling out money for replacement. I'm just saying that I wouldn't be surprised if the old ones are pretty bad.

 

[Dnick]

The desert heat of Vegas will dry rot those bushings even faster. My '09 RTL lived in Phoenix, on the road only, until I bought it this summer, and the bushings show lots of cracking when the suspension is dropped. Our MDX, as well, has never been off-roaded, and has never been wintered in much salt (we live in NC), and has significant degredation of those bushings at half the miles of the OP's Ridge.

Of course, it's best to verify the issue before shelling out money for replacement. I'm just saying that I wouldn't be surprised if the old ones are pretty bad.

I guess I should feel lucky we have it so easy here. No heat, no cold.

 

[S.T.U.V]

I guess I should feel lucky we have it so easy here. No heat, no cold.

We had some hail today in esco....pretty wild.:act024:

 

[hokiefyd]

I guess I should feel lucky we have it so easy here. No heat, no cold.

Lack of temperature extremes is certainly easier on the vehicle parts, yes! :act035:

 

[zannej]

My brother just got an 07 RTL and the Honda dealership told him he needed his bushings replaced. Wanted to charge $600 for it. Found the control arm assembly (both arms and bushings) for like $160 on Amazon. My mechanic friend is going to install them for us. I was told that the bushings themselves can be a pain to install but if they are already in the arms they are relatively easy.

 

[S.T.U.V]

My brother just got an 07 RTL and the Honda dealership told him he needed his bushings replaced. Wanted to charge $600 for it. Found the control arm assembly (both arms and bushings) for like $160 on Amazon. My mechanic friend is going to install them for us. I was told that the bushings themselves can be a pain to install but if they are already in the arms they are relatively easy.

Yea pressing bushings in and out usually out weight just replacing the whole part in labor cost. When you get the arms make sure the ball joints are nice and firm. If they flop around or are really easy to move they are junk.

 

[zannej]

Yea pressing bushings in and out usually out weight just replacing the whole part in labor cost. When you get the arms make sure the ball joints are nice and firm. If they flop around or are really easy to move they are junk.

Thanks. I'll be sure to have them check for that when the arms get installed. I know someone said we should go with OEM, but those were over $300 per arm.