change front track control arm CITROËN DS3

Here’s the lowdown on changing the front wishbone (also called the lower control arm) on a Citroën DS3—because nothing says “weekend fun” like unbolting your car’s suspension while trying not to drop all the bits on your toes!

The process is quite manageable if you have the right tools and a bit of patience. First things first: secure the wheels with chocks because you don't want the car playing bumper cars when it’s jacked up. Then, loosen the wheel bolts before lifting the front of the car and putting it on sturdy supports. You’ve officially entered “mechanic mode” now!

After removing the wheel, you’ll want to clean the joints of the wishbone with a wire brush and some WD-40 to loosen any rusty bolts that have forgotten what “moving” means. Then, unplug the ball joint from the steering knuckle—this often needs a bit of gentle persuasion with a crowbar, so prepare your best “I’m a professional” face.

The bolts connecting the wishbone to the subframe and the driveshaft need to come out next. Use the right size sockets (something around 16 to 18 mm usually), lots of WD-40, and perhaps a tap wrench, because stubborn bolts love to test your patience—and your grip strength.

Once all the fasteners are out, you can remove the wishbone. Clean the mounting areas, then fit the new wishbone back in. Don't forget to use new bolts and nuts for safety—because we’re restoring ride quality, not auditioning for a circus act with loose parts flying everywhere.

Tighten everything back to torque specs (usually around 120 Nm for the big bolts, and 40 Nm for the ball joint nut), then put everything else back in reverse order. A torque wrench is your best friend here unless you want to play “guess the right tightness” which is not recommended.

Just make sure you have snacks nearby because a proper wishbone change is not a sprint—it’s a weekend warrior event.

In short: chock it, lift it, unbolt it, wrestle it out, clean and grease those joints, bolt in the new one, torque everythin