Rear beam bushes

supersticky

Active Member
Dec 16, 2010
1,014
46
taunton somerset
Hi all, I may need to replace both rear beam bushes as the car feels wavy (feels like a flat tyre) I've read it's a complete s*it and tbh can't be arsed to do the job.
Question
1 will it fail an mot? as I could just live with it.
2 what am I looking at for a garage to do it?
3 Cupra R bushes will fit? Pd150.

Thanks all.



Sent from my M2007J20CG using Tapatalk
 

iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,733
1,124
I see a notification that a thread on rear beam bushes has been started, I sprint to read it. I'm sure @Connor H will be here soon too - unless he's replied before I finish typing this!

In all honesty, it's one of the more satisfying jobs I've done, although it is a difficult one if you don't want to disconnect the brake lines. If you're happy disconnecting them and bleeding the system afterwards, it's a piece of cake - seriously. If you want to do it while it's on the car, it's not too bad a job - it just involves a lot of time on your back under the rear end, so it's a bit cramped.

First off, you're probably not going to fail your MoT. Mine were proper shagged - and visibly so - and they still got through the MoT for a few years without anyone remarking on it. They just don't seem to pay much attention to them.

For a garage to do it, they'd be looking at disconnecting the rear brake lines, which would mean a bleed when it's all back together. That's around £40 without even blinking. Then they'd have to take off the rear shocks and the springs before finally getting round to replacing the bushes. It's not a hard job or a technical job - it just takes time, and that's what you'll be paying for. I'd imagine they'd charge for about two to three hours, so £150-250 maybe depending on the garage's hourly rate.

I fitted eBay Floflex bushes, which were sold as being for the Cupra, and mine is the 150 FR TDI, but I'm not sure about the Cupra R specifically. I understand the bushes are sold in two sizes - 69mm and 72mm - but from all the threads I've read on fitting them, there's no real difference and both will fit.
 

Yellow fr

Gone to new owner so seat less for now
Sep 6, 2018
1,547
1,062
Sandbeds West Yorkshire
I did mine and left the brake pipes still connected and even the shockers still bolted up I just undid the long bolt that went through the rear bush knocked them out and put new bush in and it took me about a hour todo but I do work at a garage


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
  • Like
Reactions: iammooks

iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,733
1,124
I did mine and left the brake pipes still connected and even the shockers still bolted up I just undid the long bolt that went through the rear bush knocked them out and put new bush in and it took me about a hour todo but I do work at a garage


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Are you saying I didn't have to hacksaw through the brake line bracket?
 

iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,733
1,124
I didnt? I just bent them until i could get the lines out. then popped them back no issue.

I just don't get it - when you take the retaining clips off, they're not actually retaining anything - not on my car anyway - it's a solid bit of metal all round. I had to saw a notch and then bend it open to get the lines out. I saw on the Golf mk4 you take the retaining clip out and you can then slide the brake line out, but not in the Leon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

supersticky

Active Member
Dec 16, 2010
1,014
46
taunton somerset
Smashing advice guys many thanks,
It seems the hardest part is removing the old metal casing... Is there a bush that sides in the old casing?
Again cheers guys, still may take it in a garage.

Sent from my M2007J20CG using Tapatalk
 

iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,733
1,124
Smashing advice guys many thanks,
It seems the hardest part is removing the old metal casing... Is there a bush that sides in the old casing?
Again cheers guys, still may take it in a garage.

Sent from my M2007J20CG using Tapatalk

How old is your car? I might be wrong, but I'm sure I've come across a few people saying that after 2004 the bushes went from being metal sleeved to plastic. My 2005 FR was plastic, and that was much easier to get out, and I think Connor's was the same, but I'm not sure if he has a Cupra or a Cupra R.

If the bushes are really bad, you'll be able to push the centre spindle through without much effort, and that makes it easier to cut the remaining rubber out. You can then hacksaw through the sleeve and as soon as it clamps onto the blade, that's when you've cut as far as you need to. It won't be under as much tension then and you'll be able to tap it out with a cold chisel.

You wouldn't be able to put a bush in the old sleeve, but for ten minutes' extra effort on each side, you'll be able to get that old sleeve out no problem.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Yellow fr

Gone to new owner so seat less for now
Sep 6, 2018
1,547
1,062
Sandbeds West Yorkshire
Mine was plastic too I just pushed the alloy middle part out got a small flat screwdriver in between the rear arm and a bush opened it up and put a bigger flat blade long screwdriver in the gap I made with the smaller one and hit that through and forced it through to break the plastic then just push the bush out


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

smutts

Active Member
Apr 12, 2020
372
188
Are those fleabay bush puller kits for these rear beam bushes worth the bother?
I got one for the front wishbone bush which worked a treat, and the new solid Audi bushes ones worked lovely.
Mines 2003, Oh dear, how sad. Nevermind, got a recip saw.
 

iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,733
1,124
Are those fleabay bush puller kits for these rear beam bushes worth the bother?
I got one for the front wishbone bush which worked a treat, and the new solid Audi bushes ones worked lovely.
Mines 2003, Oh dear, how sad. Nevermind, got a recip saw.

For £25 or so, I don't imagine they're too bad. The trouble with so many of these things is that they can only really be used on one part that you're only likely to change once. I cut out the rubber part and then forced it out with a chisel and a screwdriver, but that was for the plastic sleeved version. A proper tool would doubtless make removing the metal sleeve version easier, but there are always other ways.

For the front wishbone, I'm using M10 threaded rod and a couple of appropriately sized hole saws - a bit low rent but they work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

verbal_kint

Active Member
Apr 15, 2010
639
31
North West Kent
I did mine and was the most ball ache job I've done on this car so far. On the ground, no reciprocating saw and 2 days of grief. Managed to hacksaw the centre out and got one of the ebay presses but had to bastardise it to get it to work. Think a lot of the problem was where it had spent many years in a seaside town and corrosion is hiding everywhere.
Not a touch on my Alfasud though :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: iammooks

iammooks

Active Member
Nov 27, 2018
1,733
1,124
I did mine and was the most ball ache job I've done on this car so far. On the ground, no reciprocating saw and 2 days of grief. Managed to hacksaw the centre out and got one of the ebay presses but had to bastardise it to get it to work. Think a lot of the problem was where it had spent many years in a seaside town and corrosion is hiding everywhere.
Not a touch on my Alfasud though :)

Nice feeling though - knowing there aren't many other jobs on the car that'll give you that much trouble...

I'd say that job's like getting a rib tattoo - or having children. If anyone told you how painful it really was, you'd never do it. Pretty rewarding though when you do it.

Not the kids part - I hate the buggers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Genuine SEAT Parts and Accessories.