So my wife had her outback into a local shop to do an oil change. The car is getting up on miles (~120,000), we just did the timing belt and a few other upkeep repairs done. The shop took a peek around the car, knowing that it's likely to need some more work and lo and behold, they found some. My reason for posting is to ask the forum hivemind if anyone has experience on these types of repairs, and if a weekend wrencher with minimal car experience could handle any of them. The list: 1. Rear wheel bearings are very noisy. 2. Rear sway bar bushings are loose and clunking. 3. Front lower control arm bushings are completely torn. He quoted $1,700. Thanks in advance for the thoughts.
All doable if you have access to a press or know someone who does. All in all for that work the quote is not the worst I have seen.
Thanks for the thought. I also realized this post should have been in the maintenance section. Mods - any way to move it?
Big thing is how rusty is $h!t and will you be able to get it all apart with the tools you have? And do you have all the tools you need besides the press, such as a torque wrench (and maybe others that I don't know about, as I would have paid to have had this type of work done).
That's definitely a big question! I have basic around the house tools but not auto-specific. I am guessing based on some youtube and outback forum reviews that I have done that this may be quite a process on a MN rusted car. I don't have a ton of personal experience breaking rusted parts so am thinking this is not something I am prepared for
https://www.google.com/shopping/pro..._bqVgqX5VIBlKb2CZ57NtSD5g7UmRMTMaApIUEALw_wcB This one has the guides i'd bought to press the bearings out. They make it alot easier.
@klutz Those sway bar bushings should be easy peasy. As long as it's just the bushings and not the end links, it should be 2 bolts per bushing. Usually new ones come with grease, too. I always pay to get my wheel bearings done because I don't have a press yet. The control arm? I haven't done them myself but My guess is they're somewhere between those other two as far as difficulty and required tools goes. Guessing there's some possible hidden fun involved there.
Press is for the bushing in the control arm. They do sell wheel bearings for the 2010 just like the other years that are not bolt in if you want to go the cheaper route. The bolt in option is more expensive because it comes with the hub as well as the bearing.
Would it be better/easier to just replace the whole control arm? I have no idea what it would take (or how to) press bearings, but the arms themselves are only ~$120 each. Probably a bit of an over-spend, but if I could replace them and save hundreds on labor, that would make it worth it. Based on some videos, it seemed as though the arm replacement is more wrenching than anything technical. Bearings would obvs require more work, but the new arm would have the bearing in it, right? I was definitely planning on doing these. The other two seem much more involved!
The control arm bushings are not that big of a deal. I have done them for several people. I think charged people $40 a arm for doing the bushings in them in the past. I recommend doing both arms at the same time and using whiteline bushings. The whiteline bushings that replace the stock bushings are not a press in bushing either.
Alot of the older models had rust recalls on the control arms. Mine literally snapped in half, luckily not while driving over 5mph! I’d take a look at them and if they are pretty rusty, i’d replace them. Maybe hit the new ones with a coating of POR15 rust inhibitor too if you do to slow the process of rusting on the new ones.