Took her in to the mechanic for an early Christmas oil change, tire rotation, repressurizing the winter tires to 39psi, and new front wheel hubs from Moog. Had them inspect the bushings closely, so that I would know if anything else in the suspension needed work. Turns out, there’s a couple.
The rearward bushings on the front lower control arms need to be replaced. They are on their way out, with one side having a one-inch crack in the urethane. I’ve ordered a pair of Moog heavy duty bushings to install.
This may have been the source of the slight wandering sensation I was getting from the car. Fortunately, I’ll only need to drive the car short distances over the holiday break, and only two work shifts this week. Then it’ll be on to getting the bushings swapped out for $375 worth of labor. :P
I’d do it myself, but I don’t have a garage, or the equipment to do it safely with. And besides, with suspension-related stuff, I’d rather have an expert do it and have it be covered by a guarantee.
So far, the Queen’s been doing okay. Just not a fan of having to blow another $600-ish this month, and I’m hoping this will be the last of the suspension-related work to do for the car.
Next up: getting the pushbars repainted, and the bumper cover’s paint stripped and coated in truck bed liner that suits my tastes. If anyone knows of a good truck bed liner that will flex with the plastic bumper cover, and maintains a matte black color with minimal texture, I’d love to hear about them.
I may have to skip out on this year’s Radwood just to save myself some money on repairs (and not have to rush). Depends on how the estimates come out.
How’s your Christmas break going, Oppo?