Pontiac Repair: Lower Ball Joint for 2008 G6, ball joint, control arm

Question
Hello,

I have taken my car to two different locations for different services and both have mentioned that my right lower ball joint is loose and needs replaced immediately for safety reasons.  I waited to ask my dad and brother in law, who have always worked on the cars in our family, for their opinions.  They are not experts, but they seem to know a lot and I trust them to at least not lead me in the wrong direction.  Neither of them thought it was reasonable to replace the ball joint because of the way the wheel sits on the axle/joint.  I do not want to spend $500 if it is not necessary, but I don't want to be foolish and unsafe if I really do need to replace it.

Thanks!

Answer
Hi Megan:

get it replaced. The way the suspension system is set up If the ball joint were loose enough to fail it will rip the axle right out of the car. All the weight of the suspension pivots on that ball joint. The issue on that car is this you can't just replace the joint it's self you need to replace the lower control arm the joint is part of the arm. They are not cheap either. so do your self a favor and get it replaced before it fails! Good luck :-)