2013 Escape (1.6t) with about 150K miles on it and the rear-end is very sloppy as far as alignment and tracking/handling. Suspension shop says the rear upper and lower control arms are shot when I took it in to have new tires put on (and I looked... and they are totally shot; torn, cracked, separated, etc). Massively expensive job for all this of course... but luckily, my neighbor has a hydraulic lift and I am pretty handy at wrenching (I like to think so anyway -- don't we all). At any rate... this brings up a couple of questions:
1. There are quite a few moving parts back here in this busy rear suspension -- is it advised to do a complete refresh while in there doing up and lower control arms; and if so, what additional parts (or even part numbers would be better) should be replaced?
2. I have seen a few videos up (it's been awhile though) showing a pretty smart shortcut for extracting the control arms without having to remove a bunch of additional stuff. It's almost like a puzzle. Looking for any input on this and a good order of operations.
3. Lastly... what brand parts have you guys had good luck with for this job?

Many thanks in advance for your help.

 

BUMP. Anyone?

 

I haven't done this on a 2013 but I would say anything with a bushing gets replaced while it's apart. Also check ball joints and shocks.
Brands... Honestly these days I go with lifetime warranty unless I know I'll be getting rid of the vehicle soon. Seems quality isn't any company's priority so it'll fail again and getting a free replacement is better than paying for one.