I was at firestone getting my wheels rebalanced and the tech told me the ball joints were bad. With the wheel bolted on he was able to move the wheel back and forth some. But they also said that the whole control arm would have to be replaced. And the control arms are over $300 per! So I took it to my dealership and they told me the same thing: the whole control arm must be replaced to change the ball joints.

Is this true or are they just looking to make a ton of cash off me?

 

If it's a lower ball joint you can replace just the ball joint. It lists for $52.60 If it's the upper you might need the control arm. On some control arms you can drill out the rivets and bolt in a new ball joint I not sure if it can be done on the upper control arm on the XFire though.

 

If you do need an upper arm you might want to check ebay.chrysler crossfire control arm items - Get great deals on eBay Motors items on eBay.com!

 

Had to replace one of mine when we lowered the car ,,from chrysler dealer 139.00 the upper arm/ball joint

 

Didn't even cross my mind to check eBay. Some of control arms have lifetime warranties. Thanks!

 

I'm not familiar with the Crossfire suspension, however, I was with the 68 Road Runner and a guy at a Firestone store told me about the same story. However, I was aware that on those years a small amount of "back and forth" was normal, having been down that road with my Dad's Dodge.

I'd suggest that you double check that story with someone more knowledgeable before spending bucks on something that may not be broken.

 

with modern cars, there shouldnt be play with ball joints, that indicates a bad ball joint, if it fails it could potentially kill you and others.

 

pretty much if you can hear an audible "Click" in a ball joint it's bad. Any car. Period. Easiest way to tell if car has bad ball joints is with the tire on, see if you can move it back and forth. While raised of course. If it can move even the slightest, replace the ball joints.

 

I've had the car up and there is definitely play back and forth in both front wheels. I've found some used with good warranties which makes the replacement much easier on the wallet.

 

Matt, ( just out of curiosity) how many miles do you have on your 04?

 

Just turned 70k few weeks ago.

 

Its a matter of cost. New control arm is about $70. Just don't seem to have any issues with the ball joints right now.