Gmac mentioned in a Discussion thread that replacing the standard wishbone bushes with Polybushes made a big difference, but I can't find them mentioned anywhere else in the BR. I've been told that the bushes at the front of my 52 S60 D5 (with standard 205/55x16 tyres) will need replacing soon and wonder if this is something I should consider - once I know what it all means of course. The car's done 72,000 miles on the original bushes.
Any (sensible!) advice welcome.
{year, etc added to subject header - once more}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 03/04/2008 at 11:47
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Ah, they're polyURETHANE bushes. (Found that out for myself in a rare quiet moment today.)
OK, slightly revised question: given that a set of front wishbone bushes sells for about £40, how much would be involved in fitting them? The Powerflex site seems to suggest it's practically a DIY job, but I won't be doing it myself, so is it the kind of thing I should refer to a main dealer, or would an independent Volvo specialist - or even my trusty local tyres-and-bits man, who looks after our Fabia - be able to do as good a job for less?
And another thing - given that these aren't Volvo parts, would I be modifying the car from factory spec in a manner my insurers would want to know about?
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polyurethane bushes by companies like powerflex and superflex are as the name suggests bushes made of polyurethane and as such they are harder and alot more durable than standard rubber items.
the benefits are longer life and improved handling due to less flex, the downsides are they will make the ride a bit harder and transmit more road noise. fitting can range from easy if your old bushes have really had it to a pig of a job if there still well gripped in the arms but various methods from pressing through to cutting and burning will get them out eventually and the new poly ones literally push in.
here is a link to the powerflex list for bushes available for your car,
tinyurl.com/2w3qez
you can sometimes get them new from ebay or maybe a google would turn up cheaper suppliers of the same kit as markup changes from store to store
in response to your further post, any half decent mechanic will be able to fit them for you, another possibility is to see if a new wishbone arm comes without the bushes (alot do nowadays) then your mechanic will simply have to hand fit the poly bushes and fit the arms thus cutting right down on labour.
as for the insurance aspect best advice would be to ring them, i know to my company it made no difference for my bmw
chris
Edited by thomp1983 on 03/04/2008 at 20:57
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Thanks Chris. Interesting that the hard part is removing the old bushes. I spoke to one independent Volvo specialist this morning (I didn't mention polyurethane, just that I needed new bushes) and they told me that they don't replace the bushes but the arms - at nearly £200 a side, once you include fitting and VAT. Add another £62 for the upper engine mount bush the car also needs and it's going to cost much the same as my local Volvo dealer quoted.
Perhaps I should take the car to my tyre blokey, who can see for himself how easy or otherwise it'll be to get the old bushes out. There's no suggestion that the arms themselves need replacing, so I'll see what he can do. Then he can point out that the front tyres are getting a bit thin on the inner edges - presumably because of the worn bushes - and offering me a couple of new Michelins at the same time.
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usual dealer rip off prices then, eurocarparts can supply the arms for £80 a side plus vat and the front powerflex kit is £92.95 delivered on ebay and contains,
wishbone bushes for both sides
front small lower engine mount
upper engine mount large
upper engine mount small
strut brace tensioner x2
or you can get the arms from ebay for £70 a side delivered, only point to note is the ball joints will probably only last 2 years as there cheaper quality but they can be replaced with oem items then and you'll have made a good saving still. the bushes won't be a problem as they'd obviously be powerflex items if you bought the kit.
as for fitting, a decent garage with a press shouldn't take more than two hours inc. fitting the powerflex bushes and then fitting the arms to the car, it's a very quick process with a decent press, or alternatively if you are diy orientated at all you could remove the bushes on the new arms yourself with a hacksaw hammer and vice, but i guess if you could do that you wouldn't be going to a garage.
so what im saying rather long windedly is,
buy 2 new arms off ebay £140
buy powerflex front kit £93
have garage fit £100
total cost £333 including the engine mount and you shouldn't ever need to replace a front suspension bush whilst you own the car with the exception of if the ball joint does go.
and id get the tracking checked if you fit the powerflex bushes
chris
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I wouldn't let any old garage attempt this job.
Main dealers (from personal experience) won't touch it as you aren't fitting genuine Volvo parts and the driveshafts have a habit of coming apart in inexperienced hands and are a nightmare to put back together. My advice would be to seek out a good Volvo specialist.
An alternative if you are handy with the spanners is to remove the lower arms and take them to a local engineering firm to press the old bushes out and new ones in.
Do not do what Powerflex say and attempt to burn the old bushes out. Your car will have oil filled bushes so unless you enjoy a hot oil shower recommend you cut them out. You will need to retain the inner from the bushes and put this in the new ones. Use a wire brush to clean them up.
Job takes about three hours for both sides.
I have not noticed anymore noise inside the car though it may be more noticeable in an SE model with 16" wheels. Insurance co. wasn't interested when I explained why I had changed the bushes (I didn't want to have to replace these every three years or 40k miles).
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Whoever replaces the bushes or arms, make sure that they tighten the bolts with the car on the ground and with the prescribed fuel levels and weights in the car, otherwise the bushes wind-up as the car is lowered, as the middle metal bush is twisted inside the rubber outer bush it is bonded to. Most garages don't appear to realise this! In the past, I have even sneakily made factory-look labels on a laser printer which say the above and afixed them to the new arms before handing them over.
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