Front susp. lower arms on eBay

[BenG]

My front wishbone bushes are past their best and several sellers on eBay are offering a pari of wishbones complete for about £40, e.g:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SEAT-LEON-TOLEDO-FRONT-2-WISHBONE-ARMS-BALL-JOINTS-/270699069230?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3f06ebff2e

At that price I figure I might as well buy them complete rather than getting the old ones re-bushed.

Are these cheap rubbish or OK to buy - anyone else tried these?

Cheers,

Ben

 

[gdjohny]

Hi Ben
few moths ago I have put a set on my Wife's Leon TDI with no problems.
less hustle than getting old ones rebushed (that is what i have done to my LC TDI )
But to be honest rebushing with polybushes made a difference to how the car handles now.

 

[BenG]

Cheers. Might give them a try then - can't go wrong at that price.

Didn't fancy polybushing as the car is harsh enough as standard!

 

[Slimy]

Don't forget part of that £40 is going towards postage, and they're heavy. I'd at least recommend buying them from GSF, they're not much more expensive and they're quite decent. I think they're £30 a side?

Although I've just noticed those Ebay ones come with balljoints as well, I wouldn't be surprised if those fail quite quickly. The GSF one I got didn't come with a balljoint.

 

[BenG]

Don't forget part of that £40 is going towards postage, and they're heavy. I'd at least recommend buying them from GSF, they're not much more expensive and they're quite decent. I think they're £30 a side?

Although I've just noticed those Ebay ones come with balljoints as well, I wouldn't be surprised if those fail quite quickly. The GSF one I got didn't come with a balljoint.

Too late! Bought some of the cheap ones.

Isn't the balljoint on the end of the arm which fixes to the hub assembly?

 

[Slimy]

Yeah, but it's a separate part. And if you're replacing your lower arms, you might find it easier to undo the three bolts on the bottom of the balljoint rather than trying to separate the balljoint itself.

 

[S3 AKR]

I've read elsewhere that some of the ebay items don't last too long as the bushes are a bit cheap and fail within a relatively short period of time. This may not be true of all of them though. I'd be tempted at taking the old ones and poly bushing them although it does make the ride a little harsh for some tastes.

 

[seatcupramad23]

I've read elsewhere that some of the ebay items don't last too long as the bushes are a bit cheap and fail within a relatively short period of time. This may not be true of all of them though. I'd be tempted at taking the old ones and poly bushing them although it does make the ride a little harsh for some tastes.

they do i'm living proof of that last 5 months on my old lc

 

[cupra_r_ick]

they do i'm living proof of that last 5 months on my old lc

5 months, that long, had some on my focus that lasted 3 lol

 

[akchappers]

I got a pair off eurocarparts for £76 delivered. Been on mine 4 months already! No probs
Ak

 

[cupra_r_ick]

Yh, there not 40 quid eBay specials lol

 

[akchappers]

Ahhh! Bakofoil lower arms eh!
Ak

 

[BenG]

Suppose I should have guessed they were too cheap really.

Oh well, bought them now so I'll get them fitted and keep an eye on them and maybe keep the old arms and get them rebushed off the car so I can refit them if required....

 

[agilitymad]

How big a job are the wishbones to fit? I got an advisory last MOT for the bushes being "deteriorated but still operating as intended", and the MOT has already come round again.
Does the tracking need sorting after the new wishbones go on?

Thanks

 

[Phillc]

Very straight forward, undo the ball joint under the hub and the anti roll bar drop link then the two bolts holding the wishbones on to the subframe, give them a good dose of WD40 and you should be ok, then just wiggle the wishbone off.

 

[agilitymad]

Thank you. Looks like hubby's gonna be busy.............

Kim

 

[MPJ88]

Get polybushes! They're not too hard to fit, if you've got a big enough vice you could do it. I popped into a garage local to me and they popped the big ones in for a fiver!

When you say the ride is already harsh, have you altered the suspension at all? I have coilovers and cant really notice a difference now i have polybushes

How big a job are the wishbones to fit? I got an advisory last MOT for the bushes being "deteriorated but still operating as intended", and the MOT has already come round again.
Does the tracking need sorting after the new wishbones go on?

Thanks

If you do anything with the suspension the tracking should always be checked.

I used the guide here:
www.cliff1978.toucansurf.com/car/wishbone.doc

only difference is i jacked both sides up at once so you dont have to jack the wishbone up to remove the ARB links.

Some of the bolts are very tight and in tough spots, but have patience and it should be fairly straight forward

 

[MPJ88]

edit - repost