Ball joints and control arms

[pradoowner123 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close pradoowner123]

On a recent service for my 2014 facelift Prado 150 it was noted the ball joints were leaking and a price quoted for replacing them. The vehicle has done ~125000km. The quote was for replacement of all front upper and lower control arms but with aftermarket parts not OEM.
My questions are…

1. Do they replace the arms rather than the ball joints because just doing the latter is a pain in the arse?
2. As above but replacing the arms has the advantage of having replacement bushes also?
3. Are aftermarket parts quoted by a dealer because the OEM ones are too pricey? They made what I would consider an outrageous price claim.
4. What is a reasonable cost for this work? I’m assuming wheel alignment is included in the quote.

Thanks for any assistance.

[Leethal Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Leethal]

Personally I would be wary of replacing ball joints that are "leaking", I assume they mean leaking grease which may or may not be a result of too much grease being pumped in.
Questions to ask are the ball joint boots damaged? Is there any play in the ball joint?
At your milage I would be surprised that all 4 ball joints have worn out, possible yes if the vehicle has had a hard life but unlikely.

Lee

[pradoowner123 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close pradoowner123]

I did speak to my dad, who was a mechanic but is overseas, and he mentioned that one problem these days is that because manufacturers will specify servicing costs the dealerships look for other ways to make money. One way is to specify items that are worn in such a way the novice (i.e. me) thinks they need replacing when things really aren’t that bad. Everything is a leak rather than weeping, or potentially over greased. One dealership listed 6 to do items, another only one on the servicing report.

[Daniel150 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Daniel150]

I’m with leethal.
A bit wary of that diagnosis. I’d be looking for play or listening for knocking. 125000 seems unusually early for all 4 to be stuffed. Not saying they can’t be faulty, I just doubt it.

[pradoowner123 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close pradoowner123]

I’m with leethal.
A bit wary of that diagnosis. I’d be looking for play or listening for knocking. 125000 seems unusually early for all 4 to be stuffed. Not saying they can’t be faulty, I just doubt it.

Interestingly there is a slight knock on occasion on the driver’s side, nothing at speed. It’s always felt a little like when you slowly release the brakes and you get the slip and grab on the disk. Dealer said they couldn’t find anything to cause the problem when servicing the vehicle and investigating that side.
The list of leaking items was: link pins, tie rod ends, and the ball joints. Cherry on the top was “rusted/broken bonnet latch spring $333”. There’s nothing wrong with it that I can see and I had to check it wasn’t the start of April. This lost my faith in their integrity.