Ball Joint Replacement - Gold Coast
Has your mechanic told you that you need to replace a ball joint, or multiple ball joints? This is a repair that we can carry out at Ashmore RWC and Automotive Services.
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Ball joints are a very important part of a vehicle’s suspension.
They are a spherical-type bearing that connects the control arm to the steering knuckle. If they are to completely fail, it can extend the length of suspension movement drastically, which could damage your car or even cause an accident as it will also restrict steering.
Ball joints are considered a Roadworthy item. When they show signs of wear, they will generally have excess movement in the joint which can be tested / checked by most mechanics.
We carry out ball joint replacement at our Gold Coast workshop. Each make and model varies when it comes to the length of time this repair takes. Some can be changed in less than 30 minutes however sometimes these become a much more serious repair as shown in the picture below.
Sometimes the ball joint needs to be pressed out which we use a special tool for. This tool allows us to replace the ball joint with the control arm still attached to the vehicle which results in less cost for the customer due to reduced labour time.
Unfortunately, it can sometimes be hard to provide an exact quote to replace these as they are an item that aren't commonly replaced. Therefore they are prone to rusting into the knuckle or control arm. When this occurs additional labour time is required to allow for this.
There'll be no unexpected items on your invoice. There will be no unnecessary repairs.
You and your vehicle will be treated with respect. We'll explain things without technical jargon.
We use the best quality parts and Penrite oils whenever possible. We want you to get the most out of each service and repair.
Ball Joint Replacement
Ball joints are a very important safety component on your vehicles suspension system.
The scary part is that a lot of mechanics don’t know how to check them correctly. They are a roadworthy item and are just as important as things like brakes and tyres!
Ball joints work similar to your hip joint.
They are a spherical joint which connect suspension components together. Failure of a ball joint can be catastrophic. Some of the more common vehicles that we replace lower ball joints on include Jeeps, Ford Falcons and Ford Territory.
In these particular vehicles, when the lower ball joint fails the wheel will literally go straight into the guard panel, damaging the body work and losing steering control to that side of the vehicle.
The picture below shows complete failure of a ball joint on an AU Ford falcon. Scary!
We replace ball joints regularly on vehicles such as Jeep Cherokee, Nissan Navara D40 and Mitsubishi Pajero to name a few.
Control Arm Replacement
Something to also note, manufacturers have altered the setup on some vehicle’s where a ball joint cannot be purchased separately. In this instance, the control arm is supplied with the ball joint already attached to it. The good news is that we can sometimes source generic brands of control arms to keep costs down as much as possible.
The above image shows the upper control arm on a 2003 Toyota Hiace, the design of the ball joint in this model ensures that the control arm has to be replaced as the ball joint isn’t designed to be removed or replaced. The new suspension arm comes complete.
Important Note Regarding Jeep Cherokee Ball Joint Replacement:
Cherokee is one of the most common vehicles that we replace ball joints on at Ashmore RWC and Automotive. A lot of places will say that you have to replace the complete control arm which can be very expensive.
The good news is that on many of the Jeep models, the Lower Ball joint can usually be changed on its own, saving the customer valuable $$$. It is also worth noting that when the Jeeps starts to get a small amount excess movement / play in the lower ball joint, it is not uncommon for this movement to increase substantially in the short space of time which will deem the vehicle dangerous.
FAQ
As ball joints wear out, they can create clunking sounds, cause difficulty maintaining the direction of steering and result in fast tyre wear.
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