Avalon bent rear control arms?

Just had brake work done on 98 Avalon with 105K miles. Brakes are fine now during the brake job they ofund rear control arms bent as if someone had previously jacked the car using the arms. The leeft/driver side especially was out of "straight" about 3/8 inch. My quesiton is:

Can the arm(s) simply be straightened rather than replaced? Why can't they just use a straight edge and wack that sucker on a concrete floor until straight? That and a four way alignment sounds ilke it should work... No?

Reply to
byhamr
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You can try the hammer and straight edge method. Worst case, you're out some labor and alignment money. If the part is aluminum, then it will probably crack when getting straightened out.

A part replacement is the proper fix.

Reply to
Ray O

Trouble is when it bent it probably stretched as well. Even if you could straighten it with a hammer, it would probably be out of spec on length.

Merritt

Reply to
Merritt Mullen

Any difference in length is going to be pretty minor. I can't recall if there is an eccentric on the control arm but if there is, you can account for the difference. That said, I'll restate that a part replacement is the proper fix.

Reply to
Ray O

And surprisingly these pieces aren't really THAT expensive, certainly under $200, and probably ~$125...

Reply to
hachiroku

Go to a junkyard.. I got both mine for $30.... :)... Nothing like Neused parts...

Reply to
Ruffrydasean

Ya, dat too....

Reply to
hachiroku

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