Subaru Ball Joint Buyer's Guide

Almost every vehicle has ball joints. These parts play a big part in your vehicle’s steering. If you’re looking to learn more about ball joints, you came to the right place. We put together the ultimate Subaru owner’s guide to ball joints. It has all the information you need to know about ball joints, including:

  • What ball joints are and why they’re important
  • How to diagnose a failing ball joint
  • How to replace a ball joint on a Subaru
  • The differences between OEM and aftermarket ball joints

If you have a question that isn’t answered in this guide, we’ll be happy to answer it for you. All you need to do is contact us here.

What Is A Ball Joint And Why Is It Important?

The first question you might be asking is, “What is a ball joint, and why is it important?” A ball joint looks like a simple part. Yet, it plays a crucial role in your vehicle’s steering and suspension systems.

A ball joint is a spherical bearing with a ball-and-socket design. It helps your wheels turn left and right, and move up and down. Check out this post for a more thorough explanation on what ball joints are and why they’re important.

How To Diagnose A Failing Ball Joint

Ball joints wear out after a while. To be more specific, ball joints last about 70K-150K miles. Ball joint failure is inevitable if you plan to keep your car until the end of its life. You want to catch ball joint failure before it causes your suspension system to collapse.

To check your ball joints, you need to look for any free play in the ball joint. You can find a thorough set of instructions on doing this here.

How To Replace A Subaru Ball Joint

check ball joint

Image Credit: SubaruOutback.org

Before paying a shop or dealer hundreds of dollars to replace a ball joint, consider replacing it yourself. If you have all the right tools, replacing your ball joints will be pretty easy. We put together a thorough tutorial on replacing the ball joints on your Subaru.

Are OEM Ball Joints Better Than Aftermarket?

When looking for replacement ball joints, you have an important decision to make. Should you buy OEM ball joints, or should you buy aftermarket ball joints just to save some money? We always recommend OEM ball joints. There are too many risks associated with aftermarket ball joints. For example:

  • Aftermarket ball joints don’t always have the right dimensions
  • Many aftermarket ball joints use low quality materials
  • Many (if not all) aftermarket manufacturers don’t warranty their ball joints

This post goes into more detail about why OEM is the far better choice when it comes to ball joints.