Front lower control arm bushes worn? Video

[jjvd21]

I had the uprated ball joints installed by my dealer last month. I still have the same knock noise that you can feel in the frame of the D3 if you apply the brakes hard while traveling at very low speed. I decided to try and capture video to see if there was a problem with the ball joints, instead it looks to me that the rear bushings on the lower control arms are worn. Is this much movement normal? I've got a 2005 HSE with 25,000 miles on it.

Apologies for the upside down and angled videos, but the mount I'm using with the mino flip player won't allow for vertical placements every time......

YouTube - lower control arm

YouTube - lower control arm 2

YouTube - Right lower control arm

 

[USAFbuckeye]

Not what you want to hear, but looked really cool! troubleshooting has been taken to a whole new level.
The rear bushings has much more play than the fronts, no idea what the design is.

 

[Houm_WA]

I couldn't begin to tell you what's normal and what's not, but seeing that video was pretty cool. Thanks...

 

[jjvd21]

Considering the knock I feel in the frame my guess is they're worn beyond design. Hopefully someone here will know more...

 

[craiglud]

Wow great videos! Just call up your service advisor and send him the link to your videos on youtube and see what they have to say. It does not look right to me. Now I'm thinking how to get my camera mounted under there to get the same shots .

 

[jjvd21]

I used a Pedco UltraClamp with my mino flip player. Got the clamp of fleabay for about $6.00.

 

[zulu]

JJVD21..first of all.. awesome vid. Just a suggestion, perhaps finding a LR that is the same year as yours and mounting a camera on it to make a comparison video? Just a noob's 2 cents..

 

[Trynian]

Mine were acting the same way and the dealer said they needed to be replaced.

 

[Houm_WA]

Acting the same way? What do you mean ...the noise?

I think it's pretty well established at this point that the bushings are a part that wear out relatively quickly on the LR3. Probably not the biggest deal in the world mechanically, but I'd like to know what it costs out of warranty.

 

[dantheman1]

I had the uprated ball joints installed by my dealer last month. I still have the same knock noise that you can feel in the frame of the D3 if you apply the brakes hard while traveling at very low speed

Sorry, but I have to chime in here. I think you should really insist your dealer replace the left and right ENTIRE control arm assembly with bushings and ball joints. I had the same exact knock issue on one side of my LR3 at 60,000 miles and the dealer went ahead and replaced both as a preventive measure (I have an LR ext. warranty). If it helps, I can even grab the part numbers off the stickers still attached to them. When you pay this much for a vehicle, the service should really be exemplary. Although the videos you shot were great and showed the source of the knock, a Land Rover owner (or any for that matter) should not have to go through all this trouble to prove something is wrong with his car. It may be a better use of your time to look for another Land Rover service provider in your area if they continue to tip toe around the solution.

And btw, I haven't had a single hint of knock after the control arms were replaced. Even at 70k miles, the worst problems I've had were the bushings wearing out and the steering wheel peeling issue (knock on wood), both of which the dealer fixed in a day. Outstanding vehicles in my book.