I have a 2006 LR3 with 96K. A repair shop is telling me I need new ball joints. They are not bad at this point, but will obviously get worse. Makes sense to me given the mileage. It appears they have not been replaced before.

My question is about the approach the shop takes to replace them. They tell me they replace the entire control arm rather than just the ball joint. It seems like this would be a lot more expensive than if they just replaced the ball joint, even with the additional labor.

Is this a common practice? Has anyone else been given this approach to replacing ball joints by a dealer or independent repair shop?

Thanks for your feedback.

 

good question.

I dont have an answer... but as the new owner of a 06 hse, I think I'm in the same predicament.

I'm hearing a loud "clunk" from seemingly the front right corner when going slightly offload and on big dips.

So I too am wondering if its a ball joint problem, blown shocks or other and the best coarse of action to remedy it.

 

Most likely you need new control arms and bushings.

Pricey job. Did mine @ 65K be glad yours lasted so long. Doing outer tie rods this weekend. Welcome to owning such a heavy truck. Still love mine though!

 

It sounds like you have ball joints are pretty bad. I'm not hearing a clunk yet, so I have some time before mine need to be done. Three tie rods, labor, and an alignment for $450. I don't think that's too bad. $1400 for control arms on the other is a bitter pill to swallow.