Front End Bushings

I have looked at pics and was looking for advice on condition/life of the bushings on the front of my 2008 LGT; pics below. They look worn of course and the car has 113,700+ on the clock and I have no idea if they're original but I'm guessing they are based on what I have seen. This is my first time looking into bushings so this is why I want to ask for assistance as I have no idea how much life is left in them.

 

Initially I was going to just get some MVOTECH front LCAs but read too many bad reviews about them so I started looking and found used JDM arms on eBay where the sellers actually have a website. But...they say they are from cars that weren't in an accident and the ones I asked about supposedly came from a car with 43k miles on it, he did the conversion. I know it's hard to know what I'm getting when it's used even though they say the pics are from the actual part being sold but who knows. The cost is $250 shipped for both sides, one set even had a pair of Perrin end links. The MVEOTECHs are $218 shipped to my door with their better bushings pre-installed. I thought about replacing the bushings either way but then started to wonder why I would need used JDM OEM arms when the MEVOTECH should work and are brand new and I would be getting a Whiteline set of ball joints which are what fail on those.

 

Anyway, just trying to see what's what and weigh my options and hear stories about them and the differences in ride and performance qualities which I know is hard to translate to words and is mostly opinion but it's still good to hear.

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Energy suspension universal sway bar bushings. whiteline everything else.

 

/thread

Depends on how you want the car to feel. Adding all Poly bushings to the front end will cause some slight vibrations through the steering wheel. I have Whiteline on my inner LCA bushings and swaybar, and OEM bushings on the outer LCA. It's a good set up for me, without the slight vibrations from the outer LCA.

 

Group N would be the better choice for slightly stiffer and less vibrations.

 

Whiteline would be good if you don't care and want that stiffer steering/braking feel.

I don't have a lot to add, just know the "pinch bolt" that I circled in red, is known to break, a lot. And when I replaced my end links, I ended up having to cut them off, because of the stupid stock design. I went with ac delco professional end links because I didn't want to go with performance end links, and with their design, I will never have trouble getting them off. The hex nut built into the end link is key. With the stockers, you have to stick an allen wrench into the threaded hole, which inevitably strips, and causes headaches.

 

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1151471&cc=1443525&jsn=352

Energy suspension universal sway bar bushings. whiteline everything else.

 

/thread

 

I've had the energy suspension 193102R installed (LCA bushings) - highly recommend. I prefer group n for anything else I can (engine mounts, trans mount, etc). MOOG endlinks were a good purchase also, K750023 and K750049. My next change will be the sway bars and bushings, just need to save a bit more away and wait for the holiday sales...

I'm sorry for the long delay but I have been working on tearing up the carpet on the 2nd floor of my house, rolling and spraying BIN on the subfloor and seams because of evil cat pee and installing wood flooring. Once I finish up with the install I'll read over this again and post, I'm sorry for the bad timing but do appreciate the responses.

I don't have a lot to add, just know the "pinch bolt" that I circled in red, is known to break, a lot. And when I replaced my end links, I ended up having to cut them off, because of the stupid stock design. I went with ac delco professional end links because I didn't want to go with performance end links, and with their design, I will never have trouble getting them off. The hex nut built into the end link is key. With the stockers, you have to stick an allen wrench into the threaded hole, which inevitably strips, and causes headaches.

 

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1151471&cc=1443525&jsn=352

 

I bought my '09 Legacy this summer and replaced a few things and ended up having to replace both front spindles because of that ball joint pinch bolt. It was a mega nightmare.

Yeah, after taking a closer look at the circled item I shook my head. Did they design it that way to ensure that unnecessary parts and labor would be needed? From the looks of mine I will need to drill them out and replace the hardware with a nut and bolt. My last car was a 2001 Audi S4 Avant and was the worst to work on, even the short shift kit was a PITA to install and align. I tell people that I have a German inspired Japanese car after working on it a little. Mainly I started saying it after the turbo inlet pipe install/union bolt filter removal. I loved the S4 and not just because of the Nagaro blue paint and sport package interior trim as it was a blast to drive and sounded great but I was tired of the crazy over engineering so I switched back to Japanese but it hasn't been as sweet as I was hoping with this car. Anyway, another silly engineering gaff we have to deal with but thanks for the heads-up on it.

Yeah my car has two new front spindles due to 2 broken pinch bolts. I was careless with the first one, because I didn't know they were prone to breaking. I tried being super careful with #2, soaked it in pb blaster for a week, still snapped.

 

My goal was to remove the lower control arm. If I had to do it all over again, I would've removed the castle nut and cotter pin from the bottom of the ball joint, and remove the LCA that way.

A $30 mapp gas torch on the spindle over the pinch bolt for a couple minutes, and water to quickly quench it will break free corroded pinch bolts. You have to do the process a few times, and you also have to cover all the brake lines with wet towels. And it toasts the ball joint. But you can get heavily rusted pinch bolts out this way.

But yeah, definitely removing the castle nut on the bottom of the ball joint is the best way when you want the control arm off.

I forgot to mention I've never tried using heat, I don't have any experience with a torch. I wish I did though, replacing the spindles is annoying.

A $30 mapp gas torch on the spindle over the pinch bolt for a couple minutes, and water to quickly quench it will break free corroded pinch bolts. You have to do the process a few times, and you also have to cover all the brake lines with wet towels. And it toasts the ball joint. But you can get heavily rusted pinch bolts out this way.

 

 

Yeah heat is a must if you expect there to be any hope in removing that pinch bolt. I used lots of heat/water on mine but it was not enough.

 

I tried to use a bolt extractor afterward and drilled a hole that was too small and then bigger and bigger until it was almost at the threads, combined with heat, and what was left of the bolt STILL wouldn't come out. Wild.

I don't have a lot to add, just know the "pinch bolt" that I circled in red, is known to break, a lot. And when I replaced my end links, I ended up having to cut them off, because of the stupid stock design. I went with ac delco professional end links because I didn't want to go with performance end links, and with their design, I will never have trouble getting them off. The hex nut built into the end link is key. With the stockers, you have to stick an allen wrench into the threaded hole, which inevitably strips, and causes headaches.

 

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1151471&cc=1443525&jsn=352

 

Yeah, mine is in that boat. I am prepared to just replace that whole knuckle and quick strut when I take a stab at the $5 LCA.

I don't have a lot to add, just know the "pinch bolt" that I circled in red, is known to break, a lot. And when I replaced my end links, I ended up having to cut them off, because of the stupid stock design. I went with ac delco professional end links because I didn't want to go with performance end links, and with their design, I will never have trouble getting them off. The hex nut built into the end link is key. With the stockers, you have to stick an allen wrench into the threaded hole, which inevitably strips, and causes headaches.

 

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1151471&cc=1443525&jsn=352

 

Yeah, looking at that I'm going to bet it will just strip instantly because of the awesome design and rust. Everything I take off of the car I am now putting back on with anti-sieze except for the obvious. Can I just drill them out or is the angle a pain? Is the metal very hard and would take forever to drill out? It seems like it would be best to drill them out and install a hex bolt with a nut?

I've had the energy suspension 193102R installed (LCA bushings) - highly recommend. I prefer group n for anything else I can (engine mounts, trans mount, etc). MOOG endlinks were a good purchase also, K750023 and K750049. My next change will be the sway bars and bushings, just need to save a bit more away and wait for the holiday sales...

 

What changes were felt with these upgrades? Are we talking about feeling more connected to the road or is it bad in that the wheel gives feedback on every little change in the road. I like the connected feel where I can feel the grip of the tires when cornering but when driving on the highway I don't want my hands to be constantly moving either. With making things tighter with stiffer or solid components I know I can't have it both ways but I would like the grip feedback as much as possible until just before normal driving is annoying with too much vibration being felt by my feet on the floorboards, smacks of the suspension from a bump or pothole and small changes in the surface of the road being too strong through the wheel. Hopefully this information helps in providing the changes that you and others have felt after various upgrades of these components.

Yeah my car has two new front spindles due to 2 broken pinch bolts. I was careless with the first one, because I didn't know they were prone to breaking. I tried being super careful with #2, soaked it in pb blaster for a week, still snapped.

 

My goal was to remove the lower control arm. If I had to do it all over again, I would've removed the castle nut and cotter pin from the bottom of the ball joint, and remove the LCA that way.

 

From the reading I've done so far it seems like it might be better to replace the spindles, wheel bearings, control arms and hardware but I guess that would be a money issue though. I keed my car to be down less than a few days if something were to go wrong so that is another cconsideration added to the equation. I have no experience with torches and only own a Dremel micro torch and I have no idea at this very moment if it would do the job. Sometimes spending more up front saves later so I will need to do some "maths" to put the numbers in front of my eyes all together to see what is the best option for the real world once I find the proper parts. Too bad no one in Columbus, OH has a 4th gen LGT with the upgraded items so that I feel the difference. I know it isn't a coilover amount of difference but it still sounds like a difference can be felt in several dynamic ways.

Polly bushings should not be used on anything that is suppose to move. They will sqweak and cause issues.

 

 

I'm really not sure where you read bad reviews of the MVEOTECH arms, I have not read any...

Polly bushings should not be used on anything that is suppose to move. They will sqweak and cause issues.

 

 

I'm really not sure where you read bad reviews of the MVEOTECH arms, I have not read any...

 

I watched a vid of a mechanic in the UK installing bushings that were lubbed and had beveled ends so that they wouldn't rub and make noise and if kept lumbricated wouldn't but I have no idea if he meant that they would need to be removed and lumbricated and installed again which would be a pain.

 

The reviews I read were on a truck forum and other forums, mainly the ball joint is what fails on them and they showed the pics. Most of the forums of mechanics said that they are inferior to MOOG and other aftermarket companies based on experience but there also posts of MOOG parts starting to fall down on quality as well so it was hard to follow which one they liked the best. I thought of buying the MEVOTECH'S and then using an AC Delco professional ball joint which is still floating around in the back of my mind.

Replacing everything really isn't a bad idea. It'll save you a lot of trouble to do it that way.

Replacing everything really isn't a bad idea. It'll save you a lot of trouble to do it that way.

 

Like most people I get caught between the time/money/PITA triangle when working on my cars. I don't have pneumatics so it's up to brut strength which isn't always enough and sometimes makes things worse, i.e. rounded off bolts, sheared bolts and not having an angle for leverage.

Yeah, heat and an impact is the only way to go on a 10 year old northern car. This job can really be a chore if you're not prepared. I'd probably shop it out or find a good impact and buy some mapp gas well before hand.

 

Are you on stock suspension? You'd be much better off keeping all the bushings and such oem and getting a set of Koni's and maybe some springs. Much easier install and more noticeable results.

 

Do any of these parts seem like they're worn out when you're driving the car? It tough to tell in the pics.

Yeah, heat and an impact is the only way to go on a 10 year old northern car. This job can really be a chore if you're not prepared. I'd probably shop it out or find a good impact and buy some mapp gas well before hand.

 

Are you on stock suspension? You'd be much better off keeping all the bushings and such oem and getting a set of Koni's and maybe some springs. Much easier install and more noticeable results.

 

Do any of these parts seem like they're worn out when you're driving the car? It tough to tell in the pics.

 

I hear it on bumps a bit, like they're tired and letting the collar slam into the sides of the control arm but not like it is torn and is very loud. The only reason I am messing around with these as they seem like they are original and worn and I wasn't sure how much life is left. What we're talking about is making me think about whether I am equiped to handle this based on it being an '08 and lived in CT and IL all of its life before I bought it. The endlink boots look to be partially split when using my finger and the others have the splits in them so I was thinking based on the noise they need to be replaced. The swaybar bushes look fine to me. I also notice some wheel noise and feel a tiny bit of vibration even though I have brand new tires that were mounted and balanced and the car was aligned as well. They didn't say anything about a tire being out of round.

 

Normally I do install coilover kits or spring/shock combos but my extra $ goes to the house and family so I was just wondering how much it was to get a little bump in performance and not have it be annoying to the wife and kid.