Toyota Repair: 97 camry control arm bushings, control arm bushings, cv axles


Question
I have a 97 camry LE 4cyl with about 140k auto.  I was experiencing vibration at high speeds which I thought was a harmonic ocilation from the wheels being out of balance.  I had the tires rotated and balanced and the mechanic told me the vibration was being caused by worn bushings on the lower control arm on both sides of the front and that these would need to be replaced.  I called around for pricing and it was all over the board with the price and the description of the work required.  The mechanic that actually looked at the vehicle said just the bushings need to be replaced on the lower control arm and according to autozone these bushings can be sold apart from the control arm.  I would like to know what the scope of work is for this repair.  i.e. can i do this in my driveway with a hydraulic jack and wrenches or does the repair entail more?  I have heard that it is as simple as removing a bolt that holds the bushing in all the way to having to remove the CV axles and replace the entire control arm.  So...how hard is this repair and does the entire metal assembly of the control arm need to be replaced or can just the rubber bushing be replaced?  thanks

Answer
The bushings can be replaced but they have to be pressed out and the new ones pressed in with a hydraulic press which means additional labor time, it may be more cost effective to do this yourself by replacing the entire control arms and the press work is not necessary.
By the way, worn control arm bushings don't cause wheel vibration, they cause a clunking noise when going over bumps so I'm not so sure that the bushings are your problem, wheel vibration or shimmy is almost always caused by either tires that are out of balance or a tire that has tread seperation, this causes a wobble at lower speeds, a vibration at higher speeds is caused by wheel imbalance.