2004 ex accord sedan v6 (60k miles)

I recently visited my dealer to change the transmission fluid and wheel alignment. A few hours and I left my car with him, he called me to tell me that the bushings on the right side are cracked and need to be replaced and also something about right control rod. I refused and told him to just change the tranny fluid. Then I took my car to another mechanic who only saw the bushing cracked. This second mechanic told me that its not an emergency to change the bushings but also said that I should do it at some point since they are only gonna get worse. Meanwhile my car is pulling a bit to the right when I am on the straight road cruising (not accelerating or braking). My question is, do cracked bushings have anything to do with car pulling? I also need to replace my original tires (that I know about). Other than that the car is in good shape. Do you guys think that if I change all four tires and go for a wheel alignment the car will stop pulling? What do you think?

 

I believe you are talking about the rubber layer of the control arm bushing and it is no longer bonded to the arm or the steel layer of the bussing. The rubber being bonded to the arm helps in arm return after it goes up or down. If this is all the wear you have then in theory you should only lose a little bit of handling as the spring and shock will return the control arm regardless. If the bushing wears to the point of having play it will change your alignment and cause ride problems. I believe your pull is most likely tires if it is only cracked.

 

I'm not sure about the control rod that he is talking about.

A worn tie-rod can cause steering problems. The lower control arm has two bushings that may cause a steering problem.