Forester Front Control Arm Brand?

[Goodbuddy2011]

Howdy folks.

My 2011 Forester has 126K on it, with no suspension work/maintenance ever done. From reading & my own checks, it seems time to replace the full front control arms. Rear arms are TBD at the moment.

What I’m struggling with is finding a solid recommendation for a brand to source the new arms from. I’m seeing OEM options, as well as an outrageous aftermarket offering for the rear arms, but finding upgraded front arms is a bust, as far as I can tell.

Can anyone provide either a suggestion for a good brand for the US, or a solid argument for replacing them with OEM arms? Or a link to a thread where this has been discussed already I’ve searched on here, and haven’t found a clear answer.

Thank you!

 

[Ratbag]

Why replace them at all?

Maybe the bushes are worn, but the suspension structural parts will usually last the life of the vehicle (20+ years or 400,000 Kms, or more), barring some sort of catastrophic damage from accident or severe misuse.

Both ours have done around 120,000+ Kms. Other than routine servicing, nothing needs replacement.

 

[Kevin]

Try here:

Search results for query: +control +arms

www.subaruforester.org

 

[duncanm]

febest often has full arms if you don't want to go to the trouble of replacing bushes.

 

[Goodbuddy2011]

Why replace them at all?

Maybe the bushes are worn, but the suspension structural parts will usually last the life of the vehicle (20+ years or 400,000 Kms, or more), barring some sort of catastrophic damage from accident or severe misuse.

Both ours have done around 120,000+ Kms. Other than routine servicing, nothing needs replacement.

Lots of northeast US driving has a ton of rust on them. Pricing is also an issue. I found a TRQ kit that has a full arm replacement, with bushings and ball joints installed, with tie rod connectors and end links, all for $165 US. From what I’ve seen on bushing prices, that’s a helluva deal…and TRQ seems to be reputable?

 

[Kevin]

I've not heard of TRQ so can't help