Let's talk about cars

Control arms? What is it?

jdpower.com/cars/shopping-guides/what-is-a-control-arm-on-a-car

But what is a control arm on a car? The control arms are one of the core components of a suspension system and serve as the direct connection points between the front wheel assemblies and the vehicle's frame.

They have rubber bushings that deteriorate with usage and time.

Thank you Novi😊

Control arms are super important. Some things you can leave alone, others need to be addressed asap or its not safe to drive. A bad control arm can result in your whole wheel coming apart and getting into a bad accident not to mention all the damage it'll cause.

Japanese cars have always been made with an inferior steel versus German/Swedish cars and to a lesser extent American, hence the universal control arm issue among Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, etc. It's much higher guage. It's been a while since I checked but I know like 4-5 years ago Volvo was 1 and MB was 2

AFAIK, Lexus control arms suffer from bad rubber that falls apart in hot states after only 50k miles. Since dealers never repair and only replace whole assemblies, that job runs about 4k. The 2007 - 2012 series is a total disgrace for other reasons like the melting dashboard and the door panels. I guess Japs can't even imagine that 115F actually can exist.

Why do you guys buy foreign cars? I try not to buy any imports... Just remember the old saying... Tried? Out of money?? Eat your import! LOL

I had a Jap car once... I went to change the water pump and need little tiny hands to remove the bolts, its ridiculous!

Volkswagen suck too, should be banned from USA

Peugeot is total crap too.

In my case, because Japanese transmissions last and ours don't. I would rather walk than buy a Euro car.
I am done working on my cars so I don't care how they are made.
I remember the days of Penske strobe lights to adjust timing, changing spark plugs, ball joints, and mufflers. Never again.
To keep me away, Lexus even covers the engine.

My Dodge Ram wouldn't even fit on the road in most Euro cities. I get a good laugh out of those cars over there, theyre like motorcycles with shells attached to them..lol

The wife has a Lexus XR 350 sth like that.. It gives me a sore back after a100 miles or so. The upper end imports are good quality, but Ill always be a pickup truck man:)

Mine, too. I like it for short trips and on good roads. My LS430 is a long-distance runner. My best was Venice, FL, to Palatine with pis*s and gas stops only. After 500 miles, you are too numb to be uncomfortable.

Cruising at 70, what do you get on a gallon in your RAM?

That's why I am so importing my Escalade to Poland. I love pulling up to little hondas and just feel like I'm driving a monster truck next to them. Even when I drive around in residential areas little car gives me the right of way all the time or act like all paranoid at stop signs lol.

If I was going to buy a truck it'd be a Toyota Tundra TRD PRO (because of the naturally aspirated 5.7l V8 straight out of the Landcruiser) and a distant second the Ford Raptor because it looks awesome but it was a weak ass twin turbo v6.

But I'll likely never buy a pickup because it's kind of useless to me. I wouldn't like it as a daily driver and a cargo van is 100x more efficient for hauling materials and equipment

In Europe, the problem is not only that they have narrow roads, but also that they have fast highways. Dodge Ram, for example, not only can not drive on narrow roads, but also can not drive fast on highways.

The Lexus deanship called her up wanting to buy the car back from her with a generous offer Now, she wants a Tesla. She already went on a test drive last month.


Id say around 25 mpg. I bought mine with a V6 3.6L and it was a good move on my part. Hind sight being 20/20


Fast enough for me! I must be getting then..lol

I used to do some crazy things on motorcycles when I was young and dumb....

Im miss having one and was thinking about buying a Harley coz Im going through a mid life crisis over here... I know sth bad will happen if I do, but miss it..

This is how low Lexus fell in 2007...Those "luxury" LS460s had their armrests covered with crap plastic that would belt and be like glue. BTW, each door panel is about 4 grand. The idiots continued making their top-of-line LS this way till 2013 when they came with that ugly fish face and better materials.

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Hey, guys, I need your votes...Short or long?

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The 2nd pic, by the water.. Dont get Silver, get Fire Engine Red! LOL

Buy a trike.My wife would not let me bring any more toys home or I would.


She is a smart woman.


I always wonder,why people care about gas mileage?When I drive my Maluch most Americans first question is"Oh this must give a great mileage"instead of admiring the car.In Poland they buy diesel X7,pay so much for that truck but save for mileage,the freaking truck sounds like a lawn mower.

I don't think red just like yellow looks good on bigger cars. Maybe if it's wine.
I saw the one on left. That silver is actually "liquid platinum" and looks great and clean. I used to have black and hated the swirl lines and the dust.

Red Lexus cars are very rare and their red is too light and too ugly. What color is your RAM?


Good question. Just a matter of not wasting money, I guess.

Is that so significant if you like the car?Cpl hundred a year depending how much you drive,can be way cheaper if you walk or ride a bike.

Again, you are correct. It's the same as losing 20 bucks somewhere. Not much but upsetting.
In my case, I want an RWD for its zero to sixty. The same car with the AWD is half a second slower and burns more, so easy choice and no dilemma. It's just that nobody wants RWDs in the Chicago area and they are hard to get. The one on the right in 44 is in Florida where they don't need AWDs.

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I was in Philly today and had 30 minutes so went to a used car dealer and asked him if they had any RWD cars and he looked at me like WTF am I asking for.He answered he hasnt sold a RWD for years and I was the first guy for him who asked for it,the best he could offer was FWD cars out of maybe cpl hundred cars in his lot.

That red color lexus betya was once or will be owned by a low level drug dealer at some point.LOL & in Poland wanna be high class women would love it.

The last time I was buying, the guy had a new beemer that put mine to shame. Chicago gangbangers have more class than to own that red thing.


To test drive an RWD LS460 I would have to drive 300 miles.

I looked up your Maluch and found the tires too skinny. I had 285s but my stupid dream is to have a car with 295s in the back. There is nothing that beats wide tires.

Unless you are driving on snow, then they suck as you lose a lot of traction.

Those look more dangerous than motorcycles, at least you can try and bail riding on a bike as the drunk Mexican scrapper without any license crashes into you.


I was just kidding about the red ( screams mid life crisis) I usually buy black cars, dark blue is cool too.


Czarny, of course..

Its always nice to have 4x4 during a Chicago snowstorm.... Its fun too:)

I like black so I wear only black - from the neck down to the shoes. After Crago's bad review of my white socks, even my socks are black.

Black cars are classy. It's just that it's so hard to keep black cars clean.
I like that leather in Post 2. I read that saddle color is for the old guys so it's a perfect fit. My lovely wife is against it.

How are the seats in your RAM? I noticed that the seats in newer cars are hard as hell. I went to see a GS450h and didn't even turn it on because the seat was so damn short and hard.

Ceramic coating.


Maybe at the stealership... online it's a couple hundred.

Idk why people ever consider getting their cars fixed at dealerships after the warranty is out. They charge several times more than even high priced indie shops let alone the ones that actually charge fair pricing while still doing quality work.


That's not true at all. It's only people who don't know anything about cars like women. Pretty much every Mercedes and BMW coupe/sedan is RWD. Also, having proper winter tires with smaller rims (not all season) makes a world of differnce. But even if you have 1 set of wheels on a RWD you can always throw in two sandbags in the trunk and you'll be fine.


Best choice.

Is your Ram a Cummins diesel or gas? 1500, 2500 or 3500? My dads main worker had a 1500 and put damn near 300k miles on it before selling it and buying a GMC Acadia

Regular gas 6 cyl... My previous truck was a Chevy Z71 and I put 300K on it, mostly highway miles. Went thru a few fuel pumps and a trans but no biggie, I got my moneys worth.

If you change the oil regularly and keep up with maintenance you can get some high mileage out of them.

I should have made it clearer that I was referring only to Lexus LS460. Right now, there is only one RWD in Bolingbrook. The next RWD LS460 is 300 miles away.

I know that Germans make only RWD's but they are not on my list.

I have since yesterday Renault Arcana for a test drive. My big car need a new tüv and inspection and they have told me there is something to do. 2000 Euro and two weeks. So I have enough time to test this service car. First drive yesterday was better than expected. I will be reporting.

Is it like our UL?


Does it help dust or swirl marks?

Tüv- obowiązkowe badanie techniczne. You must do it every 2 years.