i need to replace the control arm bushings. i asked a guy for an estimate and he said 'upper? lower? inner? outer? front or rear?' really....i wont be going back to that guy but i need to know what to tell the mechanic i use. what exactly do i need to ask for, for a 1992 740 wagon?

thanks to all who responded, i think ive got it figured out. i will have this done along with some other work in a couple of weeks.

"I need to replace the control arm bushings..." This is put as though it's a known condition, but how did you come by this conclusion, and without knowing all the rest?
There are no upper control arm bushings, as there is no upper control arm.
There is no outer control arm bushing, there is only the ball joint at the outer end. There is an inner control arm bushing. I have never replaced one, on 5 of these cars over 11 years and over 100k miles, and some of the cars had close to 300k.

Like rjritter said, the control arm Stay bushings, the conical ones at the front of it, are usually the ones that need replacing. This part is known by several names including 'control arm', but that is a misnomer. This is a diagonal arm that locates the actual control arm, and absorbs almost all of the braking forces, thus why it's the one most needing replacement. The bushings as said are conical, sandwich the control arm, are fairly easy to replace, and cost in the $60 range depending on material. There is rubber, and poly. It's an hour job for a shop. If they're slow. Oh, and when putting the stay back on, the weight of the car should be on the wheels when the rear bolt is secured or the rear bushing gets incorrect preload.

when i bought the car, i had the exhaust pipe hangers replaced. the mechanic who drove it in and out of the shop told me that the bushings need to be replaced. what is happening is that when i come to a stop, the front end waggles a bit as the brakes grab. i was told by that mechanic that this is happening because the control arm bushings are worn. to be fair, i bought it used, its 20 years old, and i do need to catch up on some neglected maintenance.

Reread JerryC's post--it will tell you all you need to know. The symptoms you describe are classic for the conical bushings--a snap job. -- Dave

All of those bushings are on the car, so it would be helpful for you to know which ones need to be replaced. To answer that question you would have to determine the why, as in why they need to be replaced, and you can determine that by the symptoms you have.

I have not replaced control arm bushings on my car, but I have done strut rod bushings. And I would expect strut rod bushings would wear out more quickly than the control arm bushings.

The strut rod mounts from the frame about under the firewall forward to the control arm. The rear bushings on the rod are pressed in. The front bushings at the control arm are simple to replace. The control arm mounts from the vehicle to the wheel, and I would assume all of those bushings are pressed in.

And then there are sway bar links with bushings. Worn bushings will cause different symptoms depending on which bushing is worn. And I would suggest you do the bushings on both sides since you're replacing them.

I know that doesn't answer your question, but perhaps you can use this information to narrow down which bushings are to be replaced.
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94 944 n/a 256,000 miles; 92 745T 150,000; 03 Odyssey for the wife