Need new lower control arm bushings

RBA · Oct 2, 2015

Well, at 60K miles I have a bit of play in the lower control arms. I decided to just buy the entire control arms for $600 and then rebuild my original with new bushings since this seems like a regular maintenance item.

Question - Is the swap a pretty simple thing? It looks like it...I'm thinking of hiring my local 4x4 shop which is close and has done good work for me in the past on my other truck. I'm thinking I don't need a certified LR mechanic or independent LR shop but correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks!

RBA · Oct 6, 2015

Anyone?

eljefe · Oct 6, 2015

I dont think anyone here has changed the arms out yet. I almost bought a set and did it. i was having crazy shaking on the front end. not bad shaking....I just could never get it to go away. It ended up being my tires, the cooper LTZ's...I bought some new tires and my shaking went away.

I have only seen the LR3 videos of replacing them...doesnt seem to hard to do. good luck

LR4TQ · Oct 6, 2015

how did you find out the bushing was bad? at 60k, it seems unlikely that the bushing would need replacing?

RBA · Oct 6, 2015

LR4TQ said:
how did you find out the bushing was bad? at 60k, it seems unlikely that the bushing would need replacing?

Are you kidding? You know how many LR3 and LR4 lower control arms have been changed under warranty?

There are threads about people complaining. Luckily for most it happens while there's still a warranty on the truck.

Symptoms include a clunk when hitting a pothole and a little play and knocking when the wheel is off the ground and you jiggle it. You actually see play where the bushing is.

roverman · Oct 6, 2015

Haven't done it myself on the LR3 but had them done. Putting it in doesn't seem too hard, but then I think you need an alignment.

LR4TQ · Oct 6, 2015

wow, if oem bushings only last around 60k miles, are there better ones available??

Surfrider77 · Oct 7, 2015

I am at around 28k miles on my 2013 LR4. I think I need to get mine looked at. For the last couple months I can hear a knocking in the front end when I hit bumps at a moderate speed. I do not ever recall it doing this in the past. I do a fair amount of off-roading though, so I guess it is plausible the bushings are to blame.

I am worried my crappy Middle East LR service center will claim it as normal wear and tear and make me pay for it.

umbertob · Oct 7, 2015

The front sway bar bushings are more likely to fail that early. No problem with LCAs at nearly 90K miles, but my front sway bar had its bushings replaced at +/- 50K miles. On my old Sport I went through 4 or 5 sets of them (in 210K miles) and only one set of LCAs. The bushings on these cars have a rubber core - makes the ride cushy and smooth, but wears out pretty quick courtesy of the obese pig of a vehicle they need to support. There are polyurethane bushings sold in the aftermarket that are supposed to last longer, but reports on both their long-term reliability and ride comfort following their installation have been all over the place from the handful of owners who tried them out. http://www.polybush.co.uk/shop/land-rover/discovery-series-3-and-4?attr=2|2013 (I believe AB may be a distributor here in the US.)

Surfrider77 · Oct 7, 2015

Thanks for the info Umberto.

Need new lower control arm bushings

RBA

Full Access Member

RBA

Full Access Member

eljefe

Full Access Member

LR4TQ

Full Access Member

RBA

Full Access Member

roverman

Full Access Member

LR4TQ

Full Access Member

Surfrider77

Full Access Member

umbertob

Full Access Member

Surfrider77

Full Access Member

Similar threads

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Share this page