January 20

2013 Subaru Outback Front Suspension

Subaru

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Mark: Hi, it's Mark Bossert. I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver. Vancouver's best auto service experience and we're talking cars. How are you doing Bernie? 

Bernie: Doing very well. 

Mark: So today's victim is a 2013 Subaru Outback. What was happening with this vehicle? 

 Bernie: This vehicle came to our shop for a couple of items, but one of the items that we found on the vehicle was some suspension issues. We did an A service, oil change, basic inspection, then found some loose ball joints and a couple other items, did a steering suspension inspection. And from that we found that one of the ball joints was loose and worn. So when you wiggle the wheel, if you're grabbing the wheel and it's off the ground, there's actual movement in the wheel and inspecting the control arm bushes, we found those were worn as well.

So this will cause your steering to, when you hit bumps to move around, if the ball joint, of course breaks apart, that's a dangerous thing because the wheel will actually, I say flop out, but the bottom of the wheel is no longer attached to the frame of the vehicle. So it causes a lot of damage, very dangerous.

Mark: Common issue with Subarus? 

Bernie: Yeah. As they get on an age, this vehicle has about 250,000 kilometres. So we found a couple other issues on the vehicle. But you know, really, I think 11 years old at time of we're doing this podcast, it's, you know, 250 Ks, but really the car's in really good shape still, you know, just a couple of issues with the ball joints and control arm bushings wear. That's a common thing on this particular model years too. 

Mark: Let's have a look at the vehicle. There's our 2013 Outback. 

2013 Subaru Outback Front Suspension

Bernie: Still looking good after 11 years of use. 

Mark: Not really a lot of mileage on it, 250,000 kilometres in 11 years. 

Bernie: No, not really, but you know, it's up there. You know, a lot of people when the car gets a couple hundred thousand Ks, I mean, I even think too, it's getting old. Is it worth fixing? And clearly for a vehicle like a Subaru, it is. 

Mark: So what are we looking at here? 

2013 Subaru Outback Front Suspension

Bernie: So we're looking at both lower control arms. I've put them in a very artistic fashion for a photograph. Yeah, so these are the lower control arms, right and left. And at the top of the picture, those are the bushings that were worn out. There's two styles of bushings. These ones tend to wear a lot more than the, although actually it's not true on Subaru. So the front bushings our different design. Most cars, they tend to last a very long time. Actually, the bushing, Mark, is right in the middle. This one. Yeah, that one there. Yep. And these actually tend to last a very long time. We actually found in a lot of Subaru models, those bushings tend to wear out quite badly and cause a clunking sound on the front end.

So anyways, so those are the bushings. And then on the outside, you can see sort of a rusty round thing. Those are the ball joints where they actually fit into the steering knuckle. So it's a ball and socket joint and they tend to wear out. 

Now here's a closeup view of the rear control arm bushings. The arrows are pointing to cracks in the bushing, which at this point don't really look that bad, but when you put it on the vehicle and you have some stress and strain on suspension, those are actually torn apart right where the arrows are. So that's not a good thing. 

2013 Subaru Outback Front Suspension

Mark: And again, these are attaching the wheel assembly to the frame of the car.

Bernie: That's exactly what they are. Yeah. A bushing is basically just a flexible coupler. 

And that's a view of the ball joint. They look rusty because of the design. It's kind of unique to Subaru. The ball joint fits inside the circular hole in the steering knuckle. And slides in. And so if you look sort of below that rusty part, there's a black section. That's a grease boot, dust boot. So the joint is greased and inside basically, the joint is worn out. So it causes excess play. Again, if this joint breaks apart, it's a bad thing. If you have loose ball joints, you want to fix them. You do not want to drive your car with a loose ball joint. 

2013 Subaru Outback Front Suspension

Mark: So what would be an indicator to you that this might be happening to your car? 

Bernie: Clunking sounds when you go over bumps. Steering that just doesn't feel quite in control. You know, you're, I don't know, it just wanders a bit.

Mark: You're back to the early 60s in terms of, it kind of goes vaguely where you want it to go. 

Bernie: Yeah, well, I know it's interesting. Steering technologies change. Yeah, if you're driving a 60s or early 70s vehicle with steering boxes, you know, yeah, it has more play to it. I mean, modern steering with rack and pinion is very tight. You know, it's responsive, it's tight. But clunking noises are kind of a big thing to be wary of, you know, when they hear something, it's worth getting inspected. Some clunks are there and they're not that bad, but you know, as I say, like with brakes, you can get a brake that squeaks and there's actually really nothing wrong with the brake other than it squeaks and it's annoying. But you know, it's good to know because it could be that squeaking brake means the brakes are worn out. So always, you know, when something is wrong, get your vehicle inspected. 

Mark: So did you replace the whole control arms? Is that the way these come as a full assembly?

Bernie: Yeah, we replace them as an assembly. It depends from car to car. On Subaru, you can buy the bushings, you can buy the ball joints, press them in. You know, it's not really any savings once you have to replace more than one part. If you do just a ball joint, you know, it's cheaper than doing a whole control arm. But if a couple of parts are worn, do them all. I mean, our shop, we have a two year, 40,000 kilometre warranty. So, you know, if something goes wrong with any part on the control arm, within a couple of years, we replace it.

So warranty wise, it's better. If you change the ball joint, then I don't know 18 months later, go, Hey, the controller and bushings worn, then you're paying money to have it done again. And we have good press equipment, but sometimes it's just hard to press the bushings in and out like a factory part. So whenever possible, we usually just go for the whole control arm. Costs more money, but it does a better job. 

Mark: And so after repair, how did the car drive? 

Bernie: It was good. And by the way wheel alignment is definitely required after doing this too, because there's new parts. The geometry is different. So we got a wheel alignment done and yeah, it's all good. 

Mark: So that's one thing I was going to mention. So would you notice more tire wear if these are starting to wear? 

Bernie: Oh, absolutely. It could. Yeah. Yeah. You could notice more tire wear. 

Mark: Uneven tire wear?

Bernie: Uneven tire wear. Yeah. It might wear more on one side than the other, but you know, sometimes ball joints will get loose and the clunk will be a lot more prevalent. So by the time it's clunking, it's got play, you know, by the time you start seeing tire wear, the ball joint may have broken apart already. But yeah, if you have weird tire wear, it's absolutely critical to have your steering and suspension inspected and alignment inspected and repair, whatever's needed. 

Mark: So there you go. If you're looking for service for your Subaru in Vancouver, the guys to see are Pawlik Automotive. You can reach them online at pawlikautomotive.com. You can book right there online. They'll call you. They'll get ready for your appointment, or you can call them at (604) 327-7112. They will get back to you, remember, they're always busy. You have to book ahead. Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Thanks so much for watching and listening. Thanks Bernie. 

Bernie: Thank you, Mark. Thanks for watching.

About the author 

Bernie Pawlik

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