Lower Control Arm Replacement + BP-51 Rebuild in SoCal

At around 100,000 miles, my driver-side lower control arm ball joint started making noise, creaking and squeaking. Took it to a shop, they said they greased it and didn’t find any slop, so no need to replace. But the noise came back about a month later

Originally, I was just going to buy new ball joints and have a shop press them in, but after doing a bunch of research on here, it seems like the smarter move is to just replace the whole arm, less hassle and a cleaner job overall

OEM arms are pricey, around $550 for both sides plus $125 shipping from the online parts guys, and that’s before installation

Looked into MOOG, but almost everyone says to stay away these days, quality’s just not what it used to be

Then there’s Mevotech. Some say they’re great, others say they’re garbage. I do like that they have grease fittings, especially for a truck that sees off-road. Their TTX bushings (

$64 TXMS86527 Mevotech TTX Suspension Ball Joint

TXMS86527) seem to get a ton of praise, but of course, they don’t sell a complete control arm with those bushings already installed. Come on, Mevotech! So I’d have to buy the bushings ($65 per side) and pay to have them pressed into OEM arms. Not the end of the world, just adds another step and some labor

So here’s my question:

If this were your truck, and you planned to keep it long term, what would you do?
This is my daily driver, I take it off-road, and I’m not exactly gentle with it. It’s also my favorite truck I’ve ever owned, so I want to do it right.

Sprinkle me with wisdom, boys:

For context, I’m running JBA uppers, which have been great, and ARB BP-51 coilovers (probably due for a rebuild soon too). Speaking of which.... does anyone know a good place in SoCal to get BP-51s rebuilt?

 

Genuine Toyota hilux lower ball joints....pressed into oem LCAs. Upgrade the bushings while youre at it.

(If you are staying oem. Not LT, nor fabricated lcas)

 

A few months ago I had some creaking, I thought it was my lca bushings but turned out to be my skid plate making the noise.

I called Carlsbad Toyota and they said they only change the whole lca and it was going to be almost $3k….seems crazy.

I called accutune where I got my suspension from if there was an upgraded part and they said the oem lca are better than all of the aftermarket options…….unless you decide to go with mid or long travel.


If mine needed the bushings was going to buy all oem. A similar thread many said that moog lca and many others are junk.

 

What’s the bushing upgrade?


Are the hilux bj’s better than the tacoma ones…..thought they’d be the same.

 

Get some superpros, ES, or whitelines for lca bushings. Im told the stock bushings don't allow full articulation of the arms.

The hilux bjs are probably the same as the tacomas. The "stud" is a tad shorter though but long enough for the castle nut.

 

Thank you everyone for the help. Might just go stock arms from Toyota and swap them out... they lasted 100K so the new OEM ones should last another 100K

Anyone know where to get ARB BP-51 rebuilt in Southern California?

 

I’m wondering if your issue is the LCA bushings instead of your BJs. Get the whiteline LCA poly bushings. My stock bushings were shot after hard poundings but now my poly LCA bushings take a beating & hold up great.

 

Wait for a sale on oem parts. Toyota might have something for 4th of July. I bought both new oem lca's for around $500.



I considered dirt king lca's, but most aftermarket options are $2k or more.

 

I dont believe so, but could be! The shop a take my truck to said it was the ball joints, they got some grease in there (somehow?) and the issue went away from a few weeks but is back now. Now you are making me wonder though!

 

I will keep an eye out, this is a great idea thank you sir! If you dont mind me asking, did you buy them online or just at your local dealer?

 

I got them online through Larry H Miller Toyota in Lemon Grove, CA.

 

OEM - Superpro - Freedom Offroad in that order. Moog and Mevotech and others are going to be a lower quality.

Stick with OEM or Superpro Cam bolts.

For the time it takes to press out a BJ and bushings, its just much easier to replace the arm as a whole unit. Labor vs parts

 

Thank you sir! Found a deal on the OEM ones 500.00 for both sides complete lowers at the dealer... think I am just going to do it! Be good for another 100K Miles

 

Hope your BP-51 aren't the early version because ARB/OME will tell you to buy new ones.. Apparently they changed the parts and don't honor the lifetime rebuild anymore..

DIY balljoints, but it's a battle

 

Toyota is running a 4th of July sale for 20% off if you order online

 

Those are the Ball Joints I have picked up too (not yet installed, or needed), I believe they were from an eBay seller. They are not normally available here in the US and are distributed for the Hilux.

 

Where do you find the sales advertisement, Toyota website?

 

My local dealer told me about it when I went to pickup some parts. They let me order online and pick up locally but you can also get the deal if delivered. The discount only applies at checkout.

 

At the top of the page here:
https://autoparts.toyota.com/

I order all my parts from Larry H Miller Toyota in Lemon Grove, CA. They seem to have the best deals. Norm Reeves Toyota in San Diego, CA is another good one. If you order parts from out of state you can usually avoid paying sales tax. Not sure if that's changed.

 

Appears Toyota is currently offering 20% off parts for the 4th of July.

https://autoparts.toyota.com/