Sway bar end link replacement cost

Sway bar end link cost

How much does it cost to replace sway bar end links?

Let’s take a look at the sway bar end link replacement costs for a 2014 Subaru Outback.

Genuine Subaru end link cost about $60 each. You have one stabilizer end link at each wheel, but they usually only fail one at a time. You do not need to replace them in pairs, although there is a small labor savings is you do both fronts or both rears at the same time.

The labor guide for this vehicle shows that it’s a 1/2-hour job to replace both left and right side end links.

How do you remove a stabilizer end link?

DIYers often try to unscrew the nuts that connect the end link to the stabilizer bar and control arm. 99% of the time those nuts are rust, making the job take much longer than 1/2-hour. At current shop rates, that comes to around $75-$100 depending on labor rates in your area. Professional technicians simply cut through the nuts and then use a chisel to split them and force them off the threaded portion.

So the stabilizer bar end link replacement cost for this Subaru Outback would run about $220.

If you’re doing your own stabilizer end links, do yourself a favor and buy a small rotary tool and a package of cut off wheels. Don’t waste your time and effort trying to remove old nuts.

How do stabilizer end links fail?

There are two types of stabilizer end links, ball and socket and rigid bar. The ball and socket end links simply wear out and the ball stud pops out of the socket.

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Ball and socket stabilizer bar end links failures

The ball and socket types usually wear out and make a clunking sound. If you ignore the clunking sound long enough, the ball will just pop out of the socket.

Rigid bar end link failures

Rigid bar end links fail two ways; the bushings age, crack and fall off and the bar rusts and breaks off.

©, 2021 Rick Muscoplat