My ball joint on the passenger side of my lancer is pretty jacked up, there is a lot of play on the control arm (vertical movement). My mechanic advised that I just replace the entire arm but I'm wondering, should I just replace the ball joint/s or the entire control arm/s?

P.S. I'm going to replace the both sides while I'm at it.

 

Sounds like your mechanic wants the easy way out. What did he say the price difference will be?

 

Well I am seeing prices for ball joints ranging from $13-$29 online and front control arms with ball joints from $38-$100>. I'm guessing the task to replace the ball joints is labor intensive.