Ball joints and control arms
 

Been having some steering issues lately. One place said i needed to replace the whole control arm, tie rods, power steering rack, front tires and quotes me for $2200.
ran the car for a few months after that and never got any work done. Took it into another shop and they just said i need a ball joint and two front tires. Alignment and all that. Quoted me around $600

So i guess my first question is what are the best tire sizes for a 2003 nissan maxima?
Second question, is the ball joint worth replacing on this control arm or should i just replace the whole arm? Like am i dealing with the kinda control arm here where if the ball joint or bushing goes then it might take more time and labour to fix when it would be easier just to replace the whole arm? Gonna buy the parts online cheaper so labour is really what i need to pay for. Deff dont have a press so if its better to just replace the entire arm then i will.

You can replace just the ball joint or you can replace the entire control arm. A ball joint is less expensive, but replacing the entire control arm is slightly faster. Personal preference plays a big part in this decision.

But you need to check the rear control arm bushing on the passenger side. A nissan trademark is a leaking power steering hose. Add to this the bushing is made of a material that rots out when oil gets on it. So inspect it. On a 25 year old car the sway bar connecting link bushings are in need of replacing as well.

The guy at this one place told me i needed to replace my whole power steering rack solely because of a fluid leak... I've never lost any power steering fluid the whole year and ive never seen a leak dripping on the ground. I think they tried to upsell me on that but other diagnostics say the front end drivers side is loose. I have a wicked pull and wobble to the car. My front tires were in really good shape but the inside of them turned balder then bald from uneven wear.

I would get the Detroit axle kit linked to eBay shown above...or other brand...just not beckarnley imo. I'm trying the Detroit axle lca's now after 2 piss poor sets of beckarnley lca's.

​​​​​​Something is terribly loose or worn or both.

For the price of the kit i would replace the entire thing and get alignment and it seems it should take care of the issue.

A leaking steering rack can last many years. And the truth of the matter i have drained all the fluid out of them and used it that way. Many years without any fluid.

At our cars age if you don't plan on keeping it for a while don't change the rack. Without a lift it is hard to do,if not impossible.

Yep, they want to charge 1,500 for weeping seals to see if someone is dumb enough to do it.

Flush the fluid and throw in a big bottle of stop leak. Problem solved until you junk the car.

That kit seems stupid cheap considering the excellent rep Detroit Axle has.

It looks too good to be true, but isn't. I've used DA multiple times. It's quality. That other cheap stuff on ebay is chinsy chinesium that weighs significantly less and would be an absolute safety hazard.

I had a set of arms go through steel beam road dividers and didn't break. They bent and one even twisted, but no cracks and the wheels were still on (what was left lol).

Yeah I really don't doubt it. it. Detroit Axle is awesome.

Does anyone know of any tutorials and/or videos on how to replace everything in the Detroit axle kit? I need to replace all of what is included in the kit, just need instructions.

Just go to rockauto.com and purchase the MOOG LCA which includes the lower balljoint!

if you're made of money and like spending it on same **** with a different name lol

Ok, there's cheaper brands available...I'm a Name brand guy when it comes to car parts cause some of this stuff looks great and falls apart pretty quick and has no kind of durability...So I use stuff i know the history all for instance Beck/Arnley has been around for awhile, but I've used their engine mounts and had to enlarge the bolt holes to get it to fit! I believe fitment is everything....It's definitely a sign of imprecise parts! MOOG was the source back in the day! Maybe they're made right next to the Ultra-power! Things are crazy now and it's no telling where anything comes from these days!

Yeah, that's what I was getting at. Supply chains are incredibly compact, today. There's not that many factories making parts and you can guess where most of it is outsourced to. We once had dozens of car manufacturers and now there's nothing left in the US but garbage. Who needs regulation?

woooooa. i bought all that **** brand new but from moog. it did not cost $96 though. :)

For their suspension kits maybe--- they sure as sh** don't have such a hot reputation for their strut assemblies.

I've actually never known anyone to buy anything but hubs, cv's, and ball joints. I only recently learned they sold other suspension parts

Virtually all strut assemblies are garbage. That's just the way it is.