Hi all,

Just about to pull the lower control arms out and replace the ball joints.

Once the control arms are out I'm taking it to the mechanic up the road ( walking distance ) to press them in.
Any words of wisdom?

Dont get them pressed in, chances are you will warp the metal since it is so thin, best bet is to get new control arms which already have the ball joints fitted.

Or some good second hand ones.

Don't get them pressed in for the same reason stated above. I replaced the lower control arms with new items. Around $450 the pair (parts only, trade price) from my local Mitsubishi dealer.

Don't get them pressed in for the same reason stated above. I replaced the lower control arms with new items. Around $450 the pair (parts only, trade price) from my local Mitsubishi dealer.

So was that the complete arm plus both the bushes especially the large main bush too? how big is the trade discount?

It was the complete arm including all the bushes. Discount was approx 12%. My car is AWD. Could be more or less for a FWD.

Ive already bought the ball joints so I'm gonna see how it goes tomorrow and get them pressed in. I'm not spending $450 on a car that I bought for $1k. If I do warp the metal on the arms I'll just go to a wrecker.

Has anyone successfully had the pressed in?

Then go to a wrecker and get some replacement ones, I have seen these fail months after they were pressed in resulting the the front wheel pretty much coming off the car complete with strut, car loses control and then crashes. You need to determine if the risk is worth it to just save a few $$.....really comes down to a few $$ versus possibly someone's life......

Has anyone successfully had the pressed in?

Second gen was ok. Gets pressed in from underneath, then has a circlip on the top.

Second gen was ok. Gets pressed in from underneath, then has a circlip on the top.

The ball joints I received have a circlip in the packaging and the dust boot looks like it needs to be pressed on also.

Did I receive the wrong ball joints?

Hope not. The ball joint gets pressed in, circlip put on top in groove, boot gets filled with grease, then hammered onto the ball joint with the right size tube.
Ask the guy doing the job if the metal of the arm is up to it, tell him you are concerned the ball joint may work loose. See what he says.

I had 1 of the ball joints pressed in. It pressed in without a drama. The metal isn't too thin from my experience but then again I've mostly had 4 cylinder jap cars. The guys that pressed it said it shouldn't be an issue. Time will tell......

Generally there is a pressure gauge on the press, and there is a minimum acceptable pressure needed to press it in, if less is needed then there is a chance it will move. Any movement will stretch the hole and eventually the ball joint will separate, with unpleasant results as previously described.
Keep an eye on them once they are back on the car.

Generally there is a pressure gauge on the press, and there is a minimum acceptable pressure needed to press it in, if less is needed then there is a chance it will move. Any movement will stretch the hole and eventually the ball joint will separate, with unpleasant results as previously described.
Keep an eye on them once they are back on the car.

I always keep an eye on parts I have changed. It's really frustrating actually. Always listening for noises double checking bolts. Drives me nuts working about work I have done on the car.......

Btw he tried to charge me $40 to press the one ball joint in after quoting me $20. I just laughed at him.