How Much Does It Cost To Replace Bushing?
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Worn-out bushings can trigger many anomalies, including rough driving and serious vibrations. Bushings might appear too small physically, but they play a vital role in every automobile's suspension and steering systems. If you find out you've got worn-out bushing, it is best to replace them immediately.
How much does it cost to replace bushings? Replacing your car's worn-out bushing isn't an expensive fix. You can get it done for less than $100, but the cost can also exceed $200.
The actual amount you'd pay depends on several factors explained throughout this article.
Table of Contents
What Do Bushings Do?
Put simply: bushings are insulators. They are mainly used to insulate vibrations between two components. You'd find bushings being used in cars' suspension and steering systems where several components need to be insulated against excessive vibrations.
Also, bushings help to facilitate the swift movements of car parts for smooth driving.
While many bushings are used in different places in a car, the most common one is the control arm bushings.
This is the commonest because it wears out faster, and as such, many drivers get to know about it – since they have to replace it after some miles. Furthermore, bushings are used in the suspension system to reduce road impact.
How Much Does It Cost To Replace Bushing?
Replacing your car's control arm bushing is one of the least expensive repairs to have done. Depending on many factors, it costs as low as $100 but could get to as high as $500 or even higher. These factors include:
- The state of damage already caused by the worn-out/bad bushing before the replacement time.
- The store you're buying the bushings from.
- Who is making the installation? Some mechanic workshops and dealerships charge high labor costs.
- Type of vehicle.
Parts costs are from $90 to $150, while labor costs could be as high as $200. Yes, labor costs can be that expensive because it can take up to 3 hours to completely change the bushing in a car.
Also, most of the time, there is more than one bushing to replace, so the overall cost could reach $500. Thus, the average cost of bushings replacement is between $100 and $500.
You may be thinking about saving on labor costs by doing the replacement yourself, but this fix requires advanced knowledge about automobiles' steering and suspension systems. Different vehicles have systems built differently, so it is best to have a mechanic handle this job.
More so, it is important to install the exact bushing that got spoiled or damaged. If you force the bushing of another vehicle into your car's fitting, it will seriously damage the suspension and steering systems.
Bushing replacement should be done professionally, especially when it's the control arm bushing.
Common Signs of Bushing Replacement
Car components don't fail without showing signs. If your car's control arm bushing fails, it will exhibit some signs. These signs are common regardless of your vehicle's make and model.
So when you experience any of these, it is important to check the bushings – they could be going bad or have already gone bad.
- Unsteady / vibrating steering wheel
- Squeaking sounds when you turn the steering wheel
- Uneven tire wear and tear
- Poor braking performance
- Knocking sounds when your drive
These are the common signs that depict you could be driving with bad bushings that need to be replaced. You can inspect the bushing physically to see if they are physically damaged or broken due to hard impact.
