Lower Control Arm Bushings

[jbrincks]

It’s time to replace the front lower control arm bushings and for the DIYs out there I was curious which would be better / easier, to either get the polybush kit or the complete lower control arm replacements?

I would like to tackle this myself and have replaced bushings and performed suspension upgrades on my Wrangler. I realize the suspension is different between the two vehicles that’s why I wanted to get some opinions from those that have performed this repair already. I figured if the polybush kit isn’t too difficult I can do all four corners cheaper than just replacing the front lower control arms. Let me know what you guys think.

I have a 2007 HSE with about 80,000 miles.

Thanks, Josh

 

[EGRIZZLE]

Sorry I can't help with your request, but I have a question. Is the slight virbation in the steering wheel at 50-55 mph what happens when the bushings need to be replaced? I have 64,000 on my '07

 

[tlt]

I decided to go the whole arms route. They did finally come out with a softer one than the red. There is also another company in the UK that make them. All in all I got soured on the idea based on the crappy customer service experience and decided they didn't deserve my money. This is due to the fact they don't answer, or if they do they provide unhelpful information. They never answered my two inquiries, so obviously do not need the business.

The control arms are most noticeable to me when they go bad on speed bumpers and when braking. But it could be felt in the steering wheel. Other issues could cause that, such as wheel bearings, CV joint, Diff, Tires out of balance due to dirt, or needing balancing, and so on.

Surprisingly, my rear bushes were also shot. I didn't know it at the time I just planned on doing the front and rear all at once. I had a clunk going over some bumps I though was the rock sliders, but it disappeared after changing the bushings. I also changed the ARB bushings at the same time.

The reason why I did the whole arm, instead of rebuilding them is because the newer one is improved, slightly larger ball joint. The labor to get the old ones out, and the new ones in is significant and in the long run, it seemed easier to just swap them.

I'm on my 2nd set of control arms, the fronts were done once before, so it looks like I've been averaging 50k a set, hopefully the new setup will last longer.

 

[jbrincks]

I'm not sure about the vibration at 50-55. I think the bad bushings cause the thump sound when going over speed bumps and such.

tlt - thanks for the input. I thought I had read that the new control arms were redesigned.

 

[LR3ISFORME]

tlt - How much did you end up paying for the whole thing?

Anyone got a estimated cost in labor for a front end job?

Looking at doing this soon myself.

 

[Houm_WA]

I got both my front lower control arms changed recently. Geico paid for it through MBI but I believe it would've been about $1400 incl. Tax

 

[LR3PDXOREGON]

Yes, the vibration over 50 mph is a symptom of bad bushings. I had my front replaced for $900. I went with Land Rover stock bushings because I already have an issue with the suspension (I feel like it bobs to the right and left too much, like a boat) so I preferred to not make the ride any rougher and avoided the poly bushings altogether....

For the DIY people out there- You will need to have an alignment done after the job. The people that did mine struck out several times and by the third try, sent me to dealership to have it done (they paid for it) which was a $200 job. Supposedly, the dealer has a $80K machine that does a great job on the LR and I have to say, it made a difference in my case.

 

[hell pie]

I had my lower control arm bushings replaced earlier this year. The indy shop I went to pressed out the old ones and put in the new ones. I tried twice to do the job myself, but I had a hard time getting the control arm off. The indy shop didn't do alignments, so I took it to the dealer. I am very happy with the end result. I don't have the exact cost breakdown (I am away from my receipts), but I recall paying about $900 for everything, including the alignment.

The next time I have this done, I am wondering if it would be feasible to use the polybush kit for just the lower control arms, and not the entire suspension. The logic behind this is that there seem to be mixed reactions from people who have changed everything to the polybush kit, so perhaps just changing the lower control arm bushes to the stiffer (longer lasting?) polys would be a good compromise. I think one of the obstacles to this is that the polybush kit is not sold as individual components.

 

[Houm_WA]

That's not much of an obstacle though...the kit is like $400 right? Use the ones you want, toss the rest and it STILL makes a positive business case if you expect to have to replace the stock bushes even once more over the remaining period of ownership.

For me, I just changed mine and only put 5k miles per year on the LR3 these days. That means it will be about 10 years until I change 'em out! Prolly not in the market for polys...

 

[jbrincks]

You can get the polys separately. I think it's just over a $100 to get the front lower ones.