N/s/r Ball Joint Failure :(

cleverdick · October 2, 2015

My '94 LS, with 135k miles, has just failed its MoT on a worn rear ball joint. (To be fair, this has been an advisory for the last couple of years and I've been putting it off.) I've been quoted best part of £350 + VAT for the UCA - which I think is a horrendous price. This does not include the cost of fitting.

Having both sides done would be into the realms of spending more than the car is actually worth - although it would be worth it to me because of what I've already spent on it. And with no MoT it is of course scrap value only.

The really annoying thing is that it doesn't affect how the car drives, so replacement will not enhance the driving experience and thus seem like a waste of money.

Does anyone know of an alternative source?

I'm now extremely wary of importing parts from the US - having had items held to ransom by the Post Office until an extortion is paid.

I guess what I'm looking for is OEM, new-old-stock at a knockdown price! :)

ahmedali44 · October 2, 2015

Wow 350 for a balljoint is it gold Google tj in Ilford lane essex might get aftermarket 1 or try eBay good luck

Colin M · October 7, 2015

You could try Amayama Trading in Japan. They stock genuine Lexus parts. I have had a quick look on their website and a 1989-94 rear upper control arm is about £133.

It might take a while for the part to arrive, you will have add postage cost on and import duty when the item comes into the country, but it should still work out significantly cheaper than the price you have been quoted.

I have only used Amayama once, for a rear strut rod for my Mk3 which came out about £80 all in. That was about half the main dealer price. I was pleased with the service they provided.

Hope this helps.

runsgrateasanut · October 7, 2015

I bought both sides rear UCA's from Amayana and have managed to put out of my mind exactly what the price of each was. I do however see that the addiitonal tax and import duty etc., came to £95.48. The invoice mentions cost 23853 each so if you want to convert Yen to Sterling. My memory tlells me it was more than £133 more likely £230 each.

Not had them fitted as not an advisory - yet!

Also have two rear springs to replace some time.

2016 expnditure already taken care of.

cleverdick · October 8, 2015

Works out at £130. Interesting. Were these genuine parts? How long did they take to arrive? (I'm running out of time unfortunately.)

Do you know if it's necessary to remove the struts prior to removing the UCAs? This will mean taking the back seat out, which is something I could do without.

Cheers,

R

runsgrateasanut · October 8, 2015

The two I purchased from amayana for my year car - a 48770-50010 and a 48790-50010 were priced at £336.29 and were genuine Totoya Motor Company according to the labels. Add the £95.48 for duty.

How quickly I can't be sure. I paid by paypal on the 12th February and the Customs duty invoice is dated 23rd February.

Daresay if you needed one v urgently and they are the same reference I could part with the one you need at cost price. Need to PM me.

cleverdick · October 8, 2015

Looks pretty good - I've submitted an order but it seems you can't OK it until they get back to you with a formal quote.

Out of interest, was the import duty payable on delivery, or afterwards? I will be getting them delivered to my garage, but they weren't too keen on the idea of being hit with an import duty bill some weeks or months down the line.

runsgrateasanut · October 8, 2015

ps to last message - there is a vootube video of the UCA being replaced on a Lexus if you want to see work involved.

Yes they do take a few days/week to come back as to stock availability.

You pay or you don't get!

pay via Royal Mail - advance notice via Post.

Colin M · October 8, 2015

I have had a look back over the paperwork for when I bought the strut and progress/cost was as follows:

Price of strut rod (part no 48780-50020) £27.87 and delivery £19.89, making a total of £47.76. Order date was 3/12/2014 and I paid by PayPal.

No customs duty was paid but Import VAT was £8.80 and there was a Clearance Fee (zero rated for VAT purposes) of £13.50, making a total of £22.30. I think from memory the Clearance Fee is a flat rate sum and this covers clearing customs and delivery of the item. This made an overall total of £70.06 (£47.76 + £22.30). Invoice date from Customs was 23/12/2014. Payment online was recommended for delivery as soon as possible. I paid online on 27/12/2014 and the part was delivered on 31/12/2014.

I should say that it took longer for the part to clear Customs than it did for the part to arrive in this country from Japan!!

The part was a genuine one. There was a Toyota Genuine Parts sticker on the part, with the part no and Toyota Motor Corporation, Made in Japan on it, which I have removed and kept.

runsgrateasanut · October 8, 2015

Maybe I'm misunderstanding your needs. The part you are quoting Colin is a Lateral Control Arm Bush if I check this on Bing. Surely not an Upper Control Arm.

cleverdick · October 8, 2015

ps to last message - there is a vootube video of the UCA being replaced on a Lexus if you want to see work involved.

Yes they do take a few days/week to come back as to stock availability.

You pay or you don't get!

pay via Royal Mail - advance notice via Post.

If you could send me the link to that vid it'd be great - I can't seem to find it.

Thanks again,

R

runsgrateasanut · October 8, 2015

ps to last message - there is a vootube video of the UCA being replaced on a Lexus if you want to see work involved.

Yes they do take a few days/week to come back as to stock availability.

You pay or you don't get!

pay via Royal Mail - advance notice via Post.

If you could send me the link to that vid it'd be great - I can't seem to find it.

Thanks again,

R

Sorry I didn't save it to favourites and I now can't seem to find it myself. It may have been a video replacing the Springs which could be equally useful to you as they go within the UCA's

runsgrateasanut · October 8, 2015

this is the link I was thinking about

cleverdick · October 9, 2015

Interesting viewing - not a job I'd like to do, but then again, would a professional mechanic take the trouble (or remember) to mark everything up carefully before removing? A case of "if you want something done properly"?

Anyway, UCAs on order - watch this space!

R

runsgrateasanut · October 9, 2015

As you say not a job most would want to tackle - hence my not having done so, yet. BTW are your rear springs on advisory? My own have been for a few MOT's and so I've bought new springs. Seems sensible for about £50 more to replace the tired old springs if they are originals. Ah, I hear you say, and what about the struts? are they near their life end? If I see some cheap OEM's ever, I'll buy them. Otherwise, I just have to stop shelling out all this cash.

ps. Managed to get a single side button keyfob and a replacement expansion tank (mine has ever so slight leak) yesterday (s/h) for £20 - to join the list!

Never had a car take up so much of my time. Bless it!

cleverdick · October 9, 2015

No advisories on rear springs, and struts seem OK (although the rubber boots have of course fallen down).

I did have to replace the tank on my previous (1990) LS for exactly the same reason - it cost best part of £100 I think!

In fairness, I can say that of all the cars I've had, this one has taken up the least time of any of them! (Believe me - Ford Granadas are much, much worse!)

runsgrateasanut · October 13, 2015

What price have you paid for the UCA / UCA's? (pending the further import taxes)

Can't believe that they have gone down in price? That would be a first!

cleverdick · October 16, 2015

£340 not including any import duty. They haven't arrived yet - it's now the estimated 7 days.

Still trying to work out how it will be possible to undo the lower balljoint nut where access is so limited - and also, what's to stop the whole ball turning round as you try to undo it?

runsgrateasanut · October 16, 2015

possibly nothing to stop it rotating hence the need for a split pin in the Castle nut. Daresay a socket and bar hit with a sharp hammer blow will free up the nut after extraction of said split pin. Another thought is to chip off the cap on top and maybe there is a Screwdriver slot in the Ball?

Makes sense - to me anyway!

cleverdick · October 16, 2015

I'm not sure there is a castle nut, but maybe there are spanner flats on the section that is hidden by the small rubber bellows?

As I said it won't be me doing the work; I'm just curious that's all.

runsgrateasanut · October 16, 2015

You are right - I assumed that they would be like the front UCA's but having not yet unpacked the tightly wound polythene off the Ball joint I find no nut, and no place for a split pin. At the price paid you would expect to at least be given a new nut FOC.

Not so.

There is no obvious place to grip the ball joint shaft to tighten or loosen other than gripping the thread beneath the nut. About an inch in old money.

Should be fun after so many years exposed to the elements.

Colin M · October 17, 2015

If there is a castle nut, I think the purpose of the split pin is to prevent the nut working loose. A nyloc nut (a nut with a plastic insert which grips the thread) or a spring washer under the nut are alternatives to prevent a nut working loose.

One way of stopping a ball joint moving when trying to undo the nut is to place a trolley jack (or even a scissor jack) underneath the ball joint and jack it up a bit. This makes it harder for the ball joint to rotate. If access is limited, a block of wood on the jack will have the same effect.