Originally Posted by
JWT
Just got back in the house from trying to work on the wife's 2009 HHR. The lower control arms are shot. I looked up all of the information on how to replace them as well as the costs and then went out and put kroil on all of the fasteners. I started disassembly on the passenger side first. Ball joint and frame mount came apart fine (3 bolts down and 1 to go). The bushing mount... It seems that when I had the transmission replaced/repaired at 106,000 miles that they had an issue with the cradle bolt that goes through the bushing, so instead of a bolt head I have what looks like a rusted washer and nylock nut that have been welded to a stud or the remains of the cut off bolt. There is no way to remove the lower control arm.
So now I have a car that shakes so badly that it is unsafe without a way to repair it that doesn't cost more than the car is worth. Oh, and the transmission is slipping (145,000 miles) again.
How should I address this problem?