Replacement bushings

djdunny

Ok so I just failed the nct due to worn bushings. Can anyone tell me how easy it is to replace them and also how much would it cost to get them replaced. I'm driving a 99 ford focus 1.4 petrol. Thanks in advance

Avns1s

I presume it anti roll bar bushings.

Bushings are cheap, less than a tenner each. The labour will be the bigger amount. On a focus shouldn't take more than 30 mins each so ask the garage for a quote on the labour before commiting.

johndaman66

Hi Djdunny, I am assuming you mean bushings. Thats what I call them anyway if we are talking about the same thing.;) I needed four rear busings for a Vectra and checked around a few motor factors and was quoted from 18 euro a piece to 25 euro a piece. That would have being at least 72 quid for four. In the end I got the four of them delivered for 17.50 GBP through ebay.co.uk. Now you may say I'm being a bit anal going to so much hassle over something of so small value but on principle I would not pay four times the price or more. I believe like lots of other things in this country thats just wrong. If you are ordering them of a UK supplier and paying by bank draft you might have to allow up to two weeks until you receive with post and allowing draft to clear. As such you may not have any choice but to buy them here if you want them popped in straight away for retest maybe? Also make sure you order bushings which are the correct ones for your model. If your unsure the UK motor factors may (may not also) even know this if you supply them with the chassis number of your car which can be got in the vehicle registration cert as they did in my case.

I haven't fitted mine yet but was quoted various prices from 50 quid for the four to 150 euro. Think the vectra may be a bit different from most other models in that a unique tool is needed to fit them to it. In most if not all other mainstream models the tool used is homogeneous I believe. They could still be fitted without tool but it involves dropping the axle and a lot more labour hence the higher price from the guys who don't have tool I think. In any case they are quite easily damaged if not put in using the correct tool so on all counts it would be better for me to get them fitted with the guy quoting the cheaper price and who has the tool. I'm not sure how a Ford focus would compare to my car djdunny but as with any job you need done on your car its worth shopping around for a good price.

Avns1s not trying to be smart or anything but I was told I should expect to pay no more than a tenner a piece for the bloody things until I went to buy them:)

djdunny

johndaman cheers for the info that really helped. i have until the 8th of november for my retest so i dont mind waiting 2 weeks for them to arrive, like u said, a saving is a saving. so basically all i need now is to find the right mechanic that will do the right job at the right price. should be easy

one last thing, and this will show my complete lack of knowledge. do i need two bushings per each side??

thanks again for the info, its been most helpful

daveharnett

Depends. There will be several bushings on each side (one for each link), but all of them may not need replacement. Can you tell us exactly what it says on the nct report?

johndaman66

djdunny wrote: »

johndaman cheers for the info that really helped. i have until the 8th of november for my retest so i dont mind waiting 2 weeks for them to arrive, like u said, a saving is a saving. so basically all i need now is to find the right mechanic that will do the right job at the right price. should be easy

one last thing, and this will show my complete lack of knowledge. do i need two bushings per each side??

thanks again for the info, its been most helpful

You are most welcome djdunny; only happy to help. My honest answer to your question is that I don't know unless I tell you a lie and you probably hear enough of them says you;). My own car knowledge is pretty limited also as I'm not a mechanic or petrol head or anything. Any knowledge like that I do have is kind of limited to my own motor. I did fail a test once for too much play in a front lower wishbone end ball joint among a few small other things. A friend who is fairly handy attcked replacing a track rod joint for me thinking it was that. Thought that was job done, one thing knocked of the list. Another fail was for a directional tyre on the wrong direction so took this back to guy who fitted tyres for me and showed him the fail cert and asked him to take a gander to see if we replaced correct part, when he confirmed and showed me what we should have replaced. It may be the case that there are two bushings or indeed even more on each side on your car but you may only need to replace one on either side or indeed two on either side. If you decide on a place to get the job done they more than likely would be able to tell you what exactly you need from looking at the fail cert alone or getting the car up on the ramp and checking, which should not be any hassle to them and shouldn't charge you or anything if you will be doing job with them. It may be the case that a mechanic at the NCT centre will tell you exactly and how many you need. I have found them to be most polite and helpful in my experience.

Sorry I cannot provide any further insight djdunny. Perhaps even somebody pretty knowledgeable who is reading might be able to advise you exactly what you need if you mention what it says on NCT fail report

Esel

Just get a full pair: ST£16.90 incl. p&p to Ireland (presume you need the front ones...)

Full list: http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_kw=ford&_kw=focus&_kw=drop&_ckw=bushings&_trksid=p3286.m104.l1198

Hal1

I was only looking at a guide on 'how to' change the rear ARB bushings. I found one on focus owners. It looks piss easy tbh if your any good with a spanner. Have a look here for the 'how to' guide.

Avns1s

johndaman66 wrote: »

Avns1s not trying to be smart or anything but I was told I should expect to pay no more than a tenner a piece for the bloody things until I went to buy them:)

Well, I fit them regularly, usually in toyotas. Last ones in the past couple of weeks were €7+VAT each for fronts and €5.25+VAT each for rears (Checked Invoices)! This is trade price in a motor factors, and spurious bushings obviously.

Avns1s

esel wrote: »

Just get a full pair: ST£16.90 incl. p&p to Ireland (presume you need the front ones...)

Full list: http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_kw=ford&_kw=focus&_kw=drop&_ckw=bushings&_trksid=p3286.m104.l1198

Sorry Esel, but they are NOT bushings, they are the droplinks!

johndaman66

Dunno now Avns1s the vectra bushings were certainly at 18EUR a piece at cheapest and that was me after checking 5 if not 6 different motor factors here locally as far as I recall. Don't know if you work in the motor trade and perhaps get more favourable prices but it was a mechanic who told me I should get them for less than a tenner each. I don't know how other models compare but I was always of the opinion parts for Toyotas were comparitavely expensive or so it was said to me on a number of occasions. I do there are other bushings in the Vectra though that are something cheaper such as the front drop link bushings (if these are rightfully called bushings).

djdunny

ok heres exactly what it says on my nct report.

rear suspension system (55) link-condition worn nearside middle
rear suspension system (55) link-condition worn offside middle
rear suspension system (55) axle and wishbone bushes worn nearside middle
rear suspension system (55) axle and wishbone bushes worn offside middle

i hope someone can make sense of this.

Nonoperational

Be very very careful about buying suspension components on ebay unless they are a recognised make. I have had huge problems with wishbones being shot after as little as 5k miles and I know someone who got a wishbone that cracked just through normal use. Some of the bushes are like marshmallow.

A motor factors will usually stock a brand of at least acceptabe quality and for the sake of saving a few euro be careful of ebay.

Shires

gpf101 wrote: »

Be very very careful about buying suspension components on ebay unless they are a recognised make. I have had huge problems with wishbones being shot after as little as 5k miles and I know someone who got a wishbone that cracked just through normal use. Some of the bushes are like marshmallow.

I got a set of spurious wishbones on which the rubber turned to jelly after 500 miles / 1 week. Not only that but the ball joints were like toothpicks in a clowns pocket, after the week, and the suspension geometry was ever so slightly wrong with them on. :mad:

gpf101 wrote: »

A motor factors will usually stock a brand of at least acceptabe quality and for the sake of saving a few euro be careful of ebay.

I got mine in a motor factors. For these I strongly suggest getting OE parts, either from the dealer (or online) or from the original part manufacturer (e.g. Lemforder).

djdunny

well i have taken it to two mechanics and they have told me that i cannot buy the bushing on its own that i have to buy the whole wishbone and they cost 60 euro a piece. obviously i want it to be fixed but i only need the job done to pass the nct. and itll be its last nct so i dont really mind about the parts lasting. ive received a quote today for 310 quid. it ticks me off knowing that the only part that needs replacing only cost about a tennor each.