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NSF Lower Suspension Arm - Which One?

Mike_Mac

Mike_Mac

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Location
Devon
Car
2.2 CTDi EX
After an argument with a water-filled pothole, which my NSF tyre lost, I've noticed a the Accord now pulls to the left. When I checked the Geometry the castor on the NSF was out quite a bit and I was told it was probably the lower suspension arm, as apparently it bends easily when subjected to a hit like that (no real surprise).

However my local dealer (with 10% discount) still quotes ~ £235 inc VAT for one
ohmy.gif
, while I have found this on e-Bay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-ACCORD-03-08-FRONT-SUSPENSION-2-LOWER-BOTTOM-WISHBONE-ARMS-2-BALL-JOINTS-/271100152802?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&fits=Model%3AAccord&hash=item3f1ed40be2

Obviously there is a big difference and funds are tight. Has anyone had any experience of the e-Bay ones, is it just a case of the usual Honda pricing vs real-world costs, or am I just getting a cheap cardboard arm on a false economy?
unsure.gif
 
Michael said:
After an argument with a water-filled pothole, which my NSF tyre lost, I've noticed a the Accord now pulls to the left. When I checked the Geometry the castor on the NSF was out quite a bit and I was told it was probably the lower suspension arm, as apparently it bends easily when subjected to a hit like that (no real surprise).
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Now, I've take out the LCA on a few cars and I can tell you these things are pretty tough! It would take an awful lot of force to bend them, however the UCA is less well built, are you sure it's the LCA? The castor is set by the UCA as well and probably has the biggest impact.
 
With regard to the question regarding eBay or dealer, I can comment that when I very recently needed an upper arm the Honda prices were unreasonably expensive. There were a range of prices for that part on eBay, but I was cautious about the really cheap ones... but there were some made by decent manufacturers (e.g. Delphi) that were almost half the Honda price. I imagine that you'd find the same when looking at LCAs.

It was almost certainly going through a large water-filled pothole that wrecked my upper arm balljoint. The alignment was obviously out (tyres were wearing unevenly), but after the new arm was fitted the alignment was OK when checked.
 
Jon_G said:
With regard to the question regarding eBay or dealer, I can comment that when I very recently needed an upper arm the Honda prices were unreasonably expensive. There were a range of prices for that part on eBay, but I was cautious about the really cheap ones... but there were some made by decent manufacturers (e.g. Delphi) that were almost half the Honda price. I imagine that you'd find the same when looking at LCAs.

It was almost certainly going through a large water-filled pothole that wrecked my upper arm balljoint. The alignment was obviously out (tyres were wearing unevenly), but after the new arm was fitted the alignment was OK when checked.
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Having looked at them both the upper arm does look most likely to bend of the two arms.


Having looked into some reviews on-line I've decided to replace the upper arm to start with, using Delphi parts - they're cheaper than the Honda one, seem good quality and if it does turn out to be the lower arm, then it won't have hurt to replace it - as if the lower arms bent then it's a pretty safe bet that the upper one will be too.

Thanks for the input guys. :)


 
Let us know how you get on!
 
I ordered my uca from Acura dealer in states. alot cheaper that uk dealer prices even when paying customs etc.
 
Salim said:
I ordered my uca from Acura dealer in states. alot cheaper that uk dealer prices even when paying customs etc.
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What were your symptoms that led to replacing the UCA?
 
Have you tried Holdcroft? If not give them a ring and tell them you're from this forum. They consistently beat other Honda garage prices by a mile for me.
 
StuH said:
Have you tried Holdcroft? If not give them a ring and tell them you're from this forum. They consistently beat other Honda garage prices by a mile for me.
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Yes, but Honda prices are often around double that of decent aftermarket parts (this was the case for my upper arm recently). Not a good starting point.
 
Jon_G said:
Yes, but Honda prices are often around double that of decent aftermarket parts (this was the case for my upper arm recently). Not a good starting point.
Click to expand...
Exactly that! I've used Holdcroft a few times and they're good, but for some bits there's no way they can match the after-market price. The only thing to beware of is poor quality pattern parts.
 
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