Front upper control arms at 70k miles

Should replacing both front upper control arms cost nearly $2200 because the ball joint are broken?
And should I replace the lowers now so I don’t pay the labor cost twice?

 

I would replace both, but wondering why they wore out so early? Are you running spacers or a lift? Or driving it Baja style? ;-)

 

More detail and pics needed. You shouldn't need ball joints already unless there was some severe abuse.

 

The boots were leaking and the ball joints were broken.
Normal driving only. However, I did run over a curb once with the right front tire only, when somebody swerved into my lane. It was a double left turn lane.

 

They didn’t take anything other than the boots leaking grease.

 

Replacing both upper control arms at 70k miles is very unusual. Many have 200k+ miles running on factory setup. $2200 is pretty spendy for new UCA's, but may include dealership labor and dealership pricing. With the limited info provided, we are all just spitballing. Most here with spendy fancy aftermarket UCA's spent less. If you cannot do the work yourself, you are at the mechanics mercy. Maybe just look around for another trustworthy mechanic for a second opinion and quote.

 

who borrowed your truck last? Ball joints don’t snap under normal operation.

 

Any suspension modifications - level or lift kit? I'd suggest a high quality aftermarket UCA, can be had for $600-$800 and relatively easy to install yourself. You can also replace balljoints on those with replacing the entire arm.

 

I'm thinking that the joints are good and there is some shady mechanic stuff going on....kind of like I hear "you need a new cabin filter" for $75 every time I walk through the stealership waiting room.

 

$2200??? I hope that includes a reach around.

 

If the ball joint was broken, the wheel would be logged against the fender. You would not be driving. A leaking boot will lead to wear which creates sloppy steering and tracking problems but that takes time. I think you're being scammed if the truck is still drivable. I would get another opinion as the labor isn't much and the part is 300 bucks per side.

 

Thanks everyone.

The truck is original. No lifts, special shocks, etc. Nothing aftermarket besides the spit cup permanently placed in the center cup holder.

I believe I broke these when I was cut off making a turn and ran over a curb (twice) at about 25 Mph with the right front tire. There was not much noticeable change in handling. It was actually the ball joints' bushings which were "busted completely." I asked if we could just replace those and was told it comes altogether (Toyota parts). Maybe I could've gotten aftermarket bushings and boots. But that's not something I am comfortable trying to figure out.

Labor was $819, parts were $412 each. Alignment $169. Part of the reason these prices may look high for a Toyota dealer is because I took it to a Lexus dealer instead. The Toyota dealership saw the boots leaking grease and told me it was normal. They also told me there were no codes when my truck was actually throwing B1442, P1604, and P160s (requires new PCM and fuel pump under warranty).

My friend is the GM at Lexus and he walked me over to the specific guys who he wanted to take care of me.

 

Labor sounds high. Should be 3 hr job max even for the new guy learning 1st time. Experienced tech should be done in under 2hr not counting alignment. Quote is likely based on book rate rather than actual hours of work.

 

At that price point I'd be spending $750 on some SPC upper control arms with swappable balljoints. You can literly change a balljoint with 2 bolts in minutes! And replacement ball joints are $125 a piece!

https://www.headstrongoffroad.com/s...per_Control_Arm_for_2007__Tundra_-_25490.html

https://www.headstrongoffroad.com/s...ment_Greasable_Ball_Joint_(PAIR)_-_25002.html

 

Don’t dealers always use the book rate?

 

Idk what your dealer is charging but its got to be crazy markup on the parts itself plus labor which I would assume is $150+ an hour depending on where you live. This job doesn't take long to do to replace the whole control arm. Hell all you need is some basic hand tools and a buddy and a 6 pack and you can knock it out pretty easily!

 

I drove over a curb once in my Taco. Only thing I damaged was my wheel bearing. I drove it another 20K or so before replacing it. Only felt a slight rumble.

 

Fwiw, I have a factory set of UCA's taken off my truck when it was almost new, maybe 2000 miles on them. PM me if you want to work on a deal out of OKC.

 

Thank you. I wish I had seen your reply before the work was done.