I'm glad I found this video! I saved a bit of time and hassle by removing the lateral arm as well, once that was out I reassembled on the ground and then installed the inner bolt the control arm, I decompressed my spring and lined it up in the CA, jacked the control arm/w the lateral arm bolted on, using a prybar and jacking it up everything lined up and fell into place.
Awesome my friend. Hopefully you never have to do that job again. If you do I just want to let you know it is on the recall. And a free repair from the dealership provided your VIN number qualifies.
I'm about to replace my wife's on her 2017. This video came in very handy. I appreciate the honesty of how hard it can be. I just did the fronts and it took me 10 hours to do! Thanks again!
Hey my friend I hope this message gets you in time. There is a recall on the Nissan Altima rear suspension arm before you attempt the job please call the dealership with your VIN number to see whether it is a free fix from Nissan under your vehicles VIN number. If it is it saves you not only a lot of headache but a lot of money lol. Good luck my friend hopefully it's under recall.
Hey my friend. I'm glad you found the video helpful. Please before you repair your car contact your dealership with your VIN number to see if you're covered by the recall. I myself did not know about the recall at the time of the vehicle this means a free repair and alignment for you if you qualify so definitely check that out before doing the job.
Just dropped off my car at the dealer, both rear control arms are covered thru extended Nissan warranty. Glad I watched some of these videos that’s how I found out about it. My car is Altima 2015 and the warranty expires in July.
Thank you for sharing. Even I didn't know they were covered under warranty and now have since sent my other customers to the dealer. When I call the dealership locally they didn't tell me that it was under recall and sold me the part willingly of course. What to do.
@@JimmysAutoClinic It's not actually under a recall. The repair is part of an extended warranty where Nissan will do the repair only if the part breaks
Thanks for the funny video, My Gf just called me ( were in Southern Canada- Minnesota LOL) and showed me a video of her r rear lower control arm cracked off in the same position. I think I'm going to take it to a shop with a pro to get this fixed. Maybe even the dealer after seeing the NHTSA bulletin, on the spring compression.
Hey John no problem I appreciate you watching. I would definitely recommend having this done by a professional because it is a task and a half. Also just make sure that they check the other control arm and replace if needed at the very least spray it with some rust proofing material to help it not rust out. Good luck my friend. Southern Canada lol 😆.
@@JimmysAutoClinic dropped it off at Nissan. The 2013 has a recall for it. Im not up for that repair. I’ll do my own Brake pads and rotors yes. But not Big ass springs- at 62, in my case its pro job with factory spring compressors to increase safety It came apart on I-35E at 65 mph, shot immediately to the right across the next lane. Luckily nobody next to her.
I completely hear you. Dealing with a spring is no fun. I don't think it's a recall here in Canada yet. At least the model that I worked on wasn't under recall but yeah I could only imagine how scary that moment would be. Thank God nothing else happened and just the car broke down.
I have 273,000 miles on a 2012 maxima. Original transmission but second engine. I’ve only changed the transmission fluid once but I’m going to do it again tomorrow
This job is very easy if you leave the spring installation to the last. Install the inner swing arm bolt, slip in the coil spring (compressor is not needed), jack the arm up and install the outer bolt into the spindle. Load the wheel until it carries just enough weight to lift the car off the stand, then tighten the inner and outer bolts. This places the bushings in a neyttal position.
im not a mechanic lol but i always fix my own issues thank to youtube. anyway, ive got mine appart and having trouble getting it back together. unfortunately ive only got a 5 ton jack and some jack stands. your tip seems a little easier but i am not sure what you mean by inner swing arm. is that the suspension arm?
Hey my friend sorry your comment somehow slipped through the cracks I just read it. Two things there is a recall on this vehicle and you should definitely try to get it done for free as it is a royal pain in the ass to do as I'm sure you're finding out. In regards to the inner swing arm I'm specifically talking about the inner portion of the control arm so the one that's closer to the inside of the car.
There is a recall for this. In the U.S only the 2013 but in Canada its for the 2013 and 2014 altima. Get it fixed for free guys. There's also recall for the hood latch and cvt transmission for the judder.
Hey thanks for posting this comment. Yeah I didn't know it was a recall until after doing the job. Surprisingly enough when I had ordered the parts from my local Nissan dealership I asked them if it was a common problem to which they replied not really. Of course because of that comment I didn't bother to ask them if there was a recall. Unfortunately they don't get the name stealership for no reason.
Did you have trouble filing a reimbursement claim? The Nissan website seemed to imply it would be covered if youre the original owner so I'm hesitant to take it in having bought it used. My arm just snapped this morning
I wouldn't hesitate to take it in. My advice would be to tell them that your lower control arm is busted and you know that it's under recall and you would like them to check and see if your car is covered under the recall based on your VIN number. It'll be a yes or no answer from them. From what I've heard and seen now most people when they take it in will end up having both rear lower control arms replaced. Regardless of whether you're the original owner in my opinion it doesn't matter because it is a safety issue. It would be ridiculously unwise of them to deny you just because you're not the original owner. Anyhow good luck I hope this helps you and don't forget to hit that subscribe button :-)
Hopefully you haven't done anything yet. There is a recall outstanding. Make sure you get the recall done so you don't have to do the work and you get it done for free.:-) good luck my friend
Great instructions, I think we may be brothers in the way we swear. My brother in christ, take the last bolt out of the trailing arm and r&r on the bench. Put your punches in the bushings and use one stand to get the spring in place. The only reason I comment at all is to help others doing this job, I just did it on my daughter's 2014. Also there is a recall on the spring supports until 2024 for high salt usage states, don't pay for this repair.
I just read this comment. My rear right control arm snapped off, same as in this video. Shop wants to charge $1000 to replace.. but I looked into the open recall, it states that Nissan will replace both sides free of charge? Is that correct?
Your comment saved me almost $2k. My right side control arm snapped, and I contacted local dealer. Nissan replaced both links and control arms for free, and I didn’t pay anything for towing either. Literally didn’t pay a dollar for this expensive repair. Beyond happy right now, many thank to this OP! Had I not seen this, I wouldn’t have known about the recall 🙏🏼
Hello. I just had this issue with my Altima but every place that I check for this part says it won’t fit my vehicle and try to sell me another part that looks nothing like this one. Do you recall the product number?
I don't have the product number however there is a recall on this specific issue with the Nissan Altima so call your dealership with your VIN number and find out whether your car is covered for the recall the repair will be done at no cost to you.
As a mobile mechanic that just did this exact job , i must say the choice of words good, bad , and the ugly are pretty much along the same line which tells me its all Nissan fault 😂😂😂😂
Hey my friend please read the comments your car might be covered by a Service bulletin or recall I can't remember which one. If you replace just the one side I would recommend getting the other side checked to see if it's under extended warranty by the dealer and have it replaced there because it would make your life considerably easier as well as your customers lol
Amazed that you were able to do this without the special tools that Nissan stealerships are supposed to be using when replacing the LCAs. How were you able to compress the spring with only one of those clamps? Seems that you would need at least two of them. Overall, an interesting and entertaining tutorial.
Thank you. It was definitely challenging and took a few attempts to try and get it to go in. I compressed it quite a bit on the one side and then use the control arm itself to compress The Other Side by pushing up on it with the stands. Of course being compressed on the one side helps compressed the other. I didn't even know there was a specialty tool for it LOL
@@JimmysAutoClinic NHTSA's website provides the repair procedure (NTB21-045) showing the installation and use of the special tool. Most likely would have been a much easier job with the special tool as it compresses the spring quite a bit more than you were able to and compresses the spring evenly. If you should ever work on more of these 5th generation Altimas (and some 2016-2018 Maximas) in your shop it might be worthwhile for you to try mocking up one similar to this tool as it looks like it would be fairly easy to make. As you are undoubtedly aware, these specialty tools tend to be very expensive if you get them from the OEMs.
I don't know exactly what they're called in the industry. What I call them is a support stand or simply just a stand but I'm pretty sure if you type in support stand or under hoist support stand or something like that you should get some options. These particular stands that I purchased were made by a Canadian company out in Quebec, this fellow usually just drives around he does not have a website I don't think
To be honest my friend I'm not the sort of conventional shop that goes by the book. Generally I will look at what the hourly rate is but because I'm in the Rust Belt it's never accounted for in the hourly rate given by the manufacturer so I try to be fair to my customer as well as Myself by charging what I think is fair. In terms of this job I don't remember what I actually charged but I'm pretty sure it was probably 2 to 3 hours of labor. Hope that helps you out. Don't forget to subscribe my friend.
just had this happen to me it was late and no shop was open so i had the dam thing towed home called around the next day and told the dealers what happened, had no idea it was a common problem because no dealer told me when i called. i watched this video and the only place that had the part was 3 hours away from me. i had someone drive me to get the part and the dealer told me "if you buy the part we will put it in for free" problem is there is no dealer close enough to my house because i'm in rural area and mine is so bad after having it towed home there isn't even a way to tow it to a dealer. they told me its not a recall only a bulletin because its not a safety issue. how the F* is this not a safety issue?
Hey rocky, unfortunately sometimes for certain years and models it may just be a bulletin but what I would do is call other dealerships no matter how far they are and ask them specifically to check with your VIN number if your car qualifies for the lower control arm recall. Then what I would do is call Nissan head office and explain to them the situation or the issues that you may be having with the dealer that is closest to you and see what their solution is. I sincerely hope that they take care of you and don't give you the runaround as our industry already has a bad name. As far as I know in Canada I believe it's 2014 and 15 that are covered by the recall but I'm not 100% sure. Good luck my friend if you have any questions feel free to reach out.
I'm glad I found this video! I saved a bit of time and hassle by removing the lateral arm as well, once that was out I reassembled on the ground and then installed the inner bolt the control arm, I decompressed my spring and lined it up in the CA, jacked the control arm/w the lateral arm bolted on, using a prybar and jacking it up everything lined up and fell into place.
Awesome my friend. Hopefully you never have to do that job again. If you do I just want to let you know it is on the recall. And a free repair from the dealership provided your VIN number qualifies.
If you fixed nothing it was still the best entertainment I have had in a long time.
Absolutely!
Thanks 😊
😂😂😂😂
I'm about to replace my wife's on her 2017. This video came in very handy. I appreciate the honesty of how hard it can be. I just did the fronts and it took me 10 hours to do! Thanks again!
Hey my friend I hope this message gets you in time. There is a recall on the Nissan Altima rear suspension arm before you attempt the job please call the dealership with your VIN number to see whether it is a free fix from Nissan under your vehicles VIN number. If it is it saves you not only a lot of headache but a lot of money lol. Good luck my friend hopefully it's under recall.
Man what a pain in the ass. Thanks for the video. Appreciate the time you take to show us
Your video just saved me and junking our Altima lol.
Hey my friend. I'm glad you found the video helpful. Please before you repair your car contact your dealership with your VIN number to see if you're covered by the recall. I myself did not know about the recall at the time of the vehicle this means a free repair and alignment for you if you qualify so definitely check that out before doing the job.
Just dropped off my car at the dealer, both rear control arms are covered thru extended Nissan warranty. Glad I watched some of these videos that’s how I found out about it. My car is Altima 2015 and the warranty expires in July.
Thank you for sharing. Even I didn't know they were covered under warranty and now have since sent my other customers to the dealer. When I call the dealership locally they didn't tell me that it was under recall and sold me the part willingly of course. What to do.
@@JimmysAutoClinic It's not actually under a recall. The repair is part of an extended warranty where Nissan will do the repair only if the part breaks
This is an excellent vide, I just replaced both sides, thanks for this instructional video. (Wasn’t easy but I did it on my garage)
thanks this helped i just finish doing both sides on jackstands
I'm glad the video was helpful Douglas. Hopefully it wasn't too much of a pain doing this job.
Hm u charge to do this
Loved your vid man. Laughed my ass off and feel your pain too. Wish i had techs like you in my shop.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Bro you’re actually goated
Thanks for the funny video, My Gf just called me ( were in Southern Canada- Minnesota LOL) and showed me a video of her r rear lower control arm cracked off in the same position. I think I'm going to take it to a shop with a pro to get this fixed. Maybe even the dealer after seeing the NHTSA bulletin, on the spring compression.
Hey John no problem I appreciate you watching. I would definitely recommend having this done by a professional because it is a task and a half. Also just make sure that they check the other control arm and replace if needed at the very least spray it with some rust proofing material to help it not rust out. Good luck my friend. Southern Canada lol 😆.
@@JimmysAutoClinic dropped it off at Nissan. The 2013 has a recall for it. Im not up for that repair. I’ll do my own Brake pads and rotors yes. But not Big ass springs- at 62, in my case its pro job with factory spring compressors to increase safety
It came apart on I-35E at 65 mph, shot immediately to the right across the next lane. Luckily nobody next to her.
I completely hear you. Dealing with a spring is no fun. I don't think it's a recall here in Canada yet. At least the model that I worked on wasn't under recall but yeah I could only imagine how scary that moment would be. Thank God nothing else happened and just the car broke down.
Thanks for the video. My cvt transmission has been solid but I change the oil in it.
Great job. Most people unfortunately don't do much maintenance like that that is crucial to those things surviving.
I have 273,000 miles on a 2012 maxima. Original transmission but second engine. I’ve only changed the transmission fluid once but I’m going to do it again tomorrow
This video should be sponsored by Krown / Rust Check / any oil spray company !!
LOL thank you
Boys and girls lmao your the man bro good shit
Thanks for the comment Anthony don't forget to hit that subscribe button 🙂
Hard Job but got it 👍 on jack stands in my garage, wish I would have saw this first awesome video
When u use the vise grips the Allan head on the bottom you can use it to tighten the vise grips that way it will do the work for you.
This job is very easy if you leave the spring installation to the last. Install the inner swing arm bolt, slip in the coil spring (compressor is not needed), jack the arm up and install the outer bolt into the spindle. Load the wheel until it carries just enough weight to lift the car off the stand, then tighten the inner and outer bolts. This places the bushings in a neyttal position.
Thanks for the tip 🙂.
im not a mechanic lol but i always fix my own issues thank to youtube. anyway, ive got mine appart and having trouble getting it back together. unfortunately ive only got a 5 ton jack and some jack stands. your tip seems a little easier but i am not sure what you mean by inner swing arm. is that the suspension arm?
Hey my friend sorry your comment somehow slipped through the cracks I just read it. Two things there is a recall on this vehicle and you should definitely try to get it done for free as it is a royal pain in the ass to do as I'm sure you're finding out. In regards to the inner swing arm I'm specifically talking about the inner portion of the control arm so the one that's closer to the inside of the car.
There is a recall for this. In the U.S only the 2013 but in Canada its for the 2013 and 2014 altima. Get it fixed for free guys. There's also recall for the hood latch and cvt transmission for the judder.
Hey thanks for posting this comment. Yeah I didn't know it was a recall until after doing the job. Surprisingly enough when I had ordered the parts from my local Nissan dealership I asked them if it was a common problem to which they replied not really. Of course because of that comment I didn't bother to ask them if there was a recall. Unfortunately they don't get the name stealership for no reason.
Did you have trouble filing a reimbursement claim? The Nissan website seemed to imply it would be covered if youre the original owner so I'm hesitant to take it in having bought it used. My arm just snapped this morning
I wouldn't hesitate to take it in. My advice would be to tell them that your lower control arm is busted and you know that it's under recall and you would like them to check and see if your car is covered under the recall based on your VIN number. It'll be a yes or no answer from them. From what I've heard and seen now most people when they take it in will end up having both rear lower control arms replaced. Regardless of whether you're the original owner in my opinion it doesn't matter because it is a safety issue. It would be ridiculously unwise of them to deny you just because you're not the original owner. Anyhow good luck I hope this helps you and don't forget to hit that subscribe button :-)
That's a very good point and I appreciate the advice! And timeliness damn 😂
LOL no problem.
Never heard the term Rust-tite LOL, that was hilarious!
That's one of my originals LOL
Amen brother same problem in US
Hopefully you haven't done anything yet. There is a recall outstanding. Make sure you get the recall done so you don't have to do the work and you get it done for free.:-) good luck my friend
Great instructions, I think we may be brothers in the way we swear. My brother in christ, take the last bolt out of the trailing arm and r&r on the bench. Put your punches in the bushings and use one stand to get the spring in place. The only reason I comment at all is to help others doing this job, I just did it on my daughter's 2014. Also there is a recall on the spring supports until 2024 for high salt usage states, don't pay for this repair.
Thanks for the compliment my friend I appreciate it.
I just read this comment. My rear right control arm snapped off, same as in this video. Shop wants to charge $1000 to replace.. but I looked into the open recall, it states that Nissan will replace both sides free of charge? Is that correct?
Your comment saved me almost $2k. My right side control arm snapped, and I contacted local dealer. Nissan replaced both links and control arms for free, and I didn’t pay anything for towing either. Literally didn’t pay a dollar for this expensive repair. Beyond happy right now, many thank to this OP! Had I not seen this, I wouldn’t have known about the recall 🙏🏼
Yes my friend it is correct.
Hello. I just had this issue with my Altima but every place that I check for this part says it won’t fit my vehicle and try to sell me another part that looks nothing like this one. Do you recall the product number?
I don't have the product number however there is a recall on this specific issue with the Nissan Altima so call your dealership with your VIN number and find out whether your car is covered for the recall the repair will be done at no cost to you.
First view, first like, first comment ....... Ughhh Nissans do really have alot of Rust-tite
Yeah Nissan is definitely do like the rust
As a mobile mechanic that just did this exact job , i must say the choice of words good, bad , and the ugly are pretty much along the same line which tells me its all Nissan fault 😂😂😂😂
Hey my friend please read the comments your car might be covered by a Service bulletin or recall I can't remember which one. If you replace just the one side I would recommend getting the other side checked to see if it's under extended warranty by the dealer and have it replaced there because it would make your life considerably easier as well as your customers lol
It wasnt my car but when I went to dealer to check for parts they told me she missed the warranty date . they traded it in after repair..
Amazed that you were able to do this without the special tools that Nissan stealerships are supposed to be using when replacing the LCAs. How were you able to compress the spring with only one of those clamps? Seems that you would need at least two of them. Overall, an interesting and entertaining tutorial.
Thank you. It was definitely challenging and took a few attempts to try and get it to go in. I compressed it quite a bit on the one side and then use the control arm itself to compress The Other Side by pushing up on it with the stands. Of course being compressed on the one side helps compressed the other. I didn't even know there was a specialty tool for it LOL
@@JimmysAutoClinic NHTSA's website provides the repair procedure (NTB21-045) showing the installation and use of the special tool. Most likely would have been a much easier job with the special tool as it compresses the spring quite a bit more than you were able to and compresses the spring evenly. If you should ever work on more of these 5th generation Altimas (and some 2016-2018 Maximas) in your shop it might be worthwhile for you to try mocking up one similar to this tool as it looks like it would be fairly easy to make. As you are undoubtedly aware, these specialty tools tend to be very expensive if you get them from the OEMs.
Thanks so much for the link. I will check it out. Thankfully I don't work them too many Nissans so I hope that I will not need the specialty tool lol.
Whats name of those stands you use?
I don't know exactly what they're called in the industry. What I call them is a support stand or simply just a stand but I'm pretty sure if you type in support stand or under hoist support stand or something like that you should get some options. These particular stands that I purchased were made by a Canadian company out in Quebec, this fellow usually just drives around he does not have a website I don't think
How much labor would u charge?
To be honest my friend I'm not the sort of conventional shop that goes by the book. Generally I will look at what the hourly rate is but because I'm in the Rust Belt it's never accounted for in the hourly rate given by the manufacturer so I try to be fair to my customer as well as Myself by charging what I think is fair. In terms of this job I don't remember what I actually charged but I'm pretty sure it was probably 2 to 3 hours of labor. Hope that helps you out. Don't forget to subscribe my friend.
just had this happen to me it was late and no shop was open so i had the dam thing towed home called around the next day and told the dealers what happened, had no idea it was a common problem because no dealer told me when i called. i watched this video and the only place that had the part was 3 hours away from me. i had someone drive me to get the part and the dealer told me "if you buy the part we will put it in for free" problem is there is no dealer close enough to my house because i'm in rural area and mine is so bad after having it towed home there isn't even a way to tow it to a dealer. they told me its not a recall only a bulletin because its not a safety issue. how the F* is this not a safety issue?
Hey rocky, unfortunately sometimes for certain years and models it may just be a bulletin but what I would do is call other dealerships no matter how far they are and ask them specifically to check with your VIN number if your car qualifies for the lower control arm recall. Then what I would do is call Nissan head office and explain to them the situation or the issues that you may be having with the dealer that is closest to you and see what their solution is. I sincerely hope that they take care of you and don't give you the runaround as our industry already has a bad name. As far as I know in Canada I believe it's 2014 and 15 that are covered by the recall but I'm not 100% sure. Good luck my friend if you have any questions feel free to reach out.
17:59 chase the threads
18:20 antiseize
In Puerto Rico Nissan don't break like that 😳
LOL in Puerto Rico no salt on the roads I assume. In Canada everything rots my friend. The salt is everywhere in the winter.
Nissan vehicles ain't worth a damn.