2003 S60 2.4T

Ken_in_D · Post by **Ken_in_D** » 11 Jun 2008, 13:56

I have an '03 S60 2.4T with 44,000 miles. I bought it used from a non-dealer Volvo specialist at 35,000 miles. It came certified for 3 months bumper to bumper. On my last visit for oil change and trans flush, I was informed that it needed new control arm bushings. He said it's common in Dallas with the crappy roads. Sounds like more of a damage issue than wear and tear. Anyone have any insight on this? How about guesses on what the repair should cost?
Many thanks.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 11 Jun 2008, 20:38

It's not a bad repair and you won't even need an alignment if it's done right...I agree that if roads are bad these can go rather quickly. www.fcpgroton.com has them for your car at $125 for each side plus shipping (no description except "after market"). I don't see more than 30 minutes a side to do this job. eeuroparts.com has 2 different ones...Febi/Bilstein's for $149.90 or Karlyn for $109.90. I know nothing about the Karlyn's but know the Febi/Bilstein's are good. Eeuroparts has free shipping on orders of $39 or more. Like I said, this isn't too bad of a job...if you have any wrenching skills you could do this yourself and save some money if where you got the car from won't do it under their warranty. If they will, then insist on Genuine Volvo parts. That said, on your car, the ball joints that are located in the control arms can be changed. Depending on which part of the control arm has worn out. If only the ball joints are worn, although it takes special tools, these can be changed without removing the control arms and is much cheaper. fcpgroton.com prices them at $22 a piece (once again, description is only "after market") while eeuroparts prices these at $35.90 but these are made by Febi/Bilstein. For all I know Febi/Bilstein may be OEM and supply their parts to Volvo. The replacement of the ball joint appears harder than just swapping out the control arm so w/ labor the price of having this done may be a trade off in the total price of the service. Hope all of the information was helpful.

When figuring cost by the dealer, estimate approximately $100 or more for labor and twice what the online parts places quote for the parts.

Ken_in_D · Post by **Ken_in_D** » 12 Jun 2008, 06:50

Thanks, MIJ. The quote for the repair was around $600 and they usually use only Volvo parts, so that price sounds reasonable. If aftermarkets are $125 each, we're in the ballpark. Occasionally they use other parts, such as Victor Rocha's ABS rebuilds. I'm getting too old to do much car work. Like I've always said, if I only had a hydraulic lift....
Thanks again.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 12 Jun 2008, 07:03

From what you're describing (if they use Victor) you're w/ an independent mechanic....that's good. The dealer might have (since they have the specific Volvo tools) just replaced the ball joints. Then you might have discovered later that more of the control arm was bad (other bushings), so having the entire control arms swapped out is definitely better.

DallasChic · Post by **DallasChic** » 26 Jun 2008, 10:30

Ken_in_D wrote:Thanks, MIJ. The quote for the repair was around $600 and they usually use only Volvo parts, so that price sounds reasonable. If aftermarkets are $125 each, we're in the ballpark. Occasionally they use other parts, such as Victor Rocha's ABS rebuilds. I'm getting too old to do much car work. Like I've always said, if I only had a hydraulic lift....
Thanks again.

Hi Ken,
Can you please share with me who your mechanic is? I went in for an alignment at a chain repair shop and they quoted me $1200! They claimed I needed to get the entire control arm replaced. I found out later that this is only true if I wrecked the car....

I've been trying to find an honest mechanic in Dallas for a while now. It sounds like you may have one. Any advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!