Hi...I hope a partly money-related question is OK. I failed my safety inspection this morning. They said I need a new upper ball joint (passenger side). Any idea how much this would cost to replace? If one side goes, will the other side follow soon after? Also, would that be the reason that my steering wheelis slighty mis-aligned and feels loose while driving? It's a 98 Civic (manual) with 220k. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks!

 

if it is anything like a 92-95 you have to replace the entire upper control arm. take a look in the DIY section i did a write up on upper control arm replacement

 

OK, I got the money part answered ($240 for the ball joint with control arm - installed). Not too bad thankfully. I'm just wondering if I should have both done to be on the safe side?

 

I don't think you have to do the other side. They go to crap from driving, crappy roads, etc. You won't save money doing to other one now. You could save some money and DIY. It's not that hard of a replacement. It's basically a bolt-off then bolt-on fix.