I lowered my car for the summer, but now I am going to put it back to stock because where i live there is tons of snow and i don' want my car to be the plow... just recently I have been noticing a clunking noise from the front end, which i think might be the control arms...when putting the car back to stock with the original suspension, can i just replace the bushings, or do i have to replace the entire contol arm?

 

Tell me more about the clunking noise? When you are sitting with the car running and turn the steering wheel from side to side is the clunking noise present?

I had the same noise (my car is also lowered) and had it fixed, so give me a better description and I can share what I found.

 

this is a noise that only happens while driving...the clunk is present only when hitting sharp bumps, not rolling bumps...i think when lowering the car it compresses the bushing therfore causing the control arm to knock and clunk while driving over certain bumps...i just want to know if the bushings can be replaced to fix the knock or if the all the control arms have to be replaced...

 

In my situation my steering rack came loose and the tie rods were loose. The dealer said it was because the car was lowered causing stress on the suspension. Thats why I asked if you can feel a clunking while turning the steering wheel standing still. If you have the opportunity to get your car up on the hoist reach up and grab the tie rods. They are not suppose to turn/roll in your hand. If they do than the tie rod will need to be replaced. You can also see the bushings at that time. When replacing the bushings I don't believe you need to replace the control arms just the bushings. I would stick with OEM bushing when replacing. I was told that neoprene ones will make your ride very harsh since your car is already lowered. I would still check the steering rack to rule it out though.

Hope this helps.

 

thank you so much for the info...I am going to put the regular suspension back on the vehicle; at that time I will get the rest checked out....where is the best place to order parts like bushings and tie rod ends?