Sway Arms?

[jptruck]

Can someone elighten me on why I'd have worn-out sway arm ends at 32,000 miles? Story goes that I took my 05 in for 36K service (had other issues) and had the sunburnt steering wheel replaced in the process. The noob that replaced the wheel decided no alignment was necessary, and so I got a truck returned to me with a wheel 10-15 degrees off-center. Being 1.5 hours from the dealer, I took it to a friend who owns a tire shop in town and they were going to do the alignment for free, but couldn't because the arms were worn out.

A) would this be something LR checked on a 36K check-up?
B) Isn't this awfully premature to be happening?

Just curious. I'm pretty peeved i had to leave my truck with LR for 3 days and then this is what I get in return. They tell me it'll take another 3 days to fix. Usual.

 

[nwoods]

Define sway arms? Talking about the bushings on the upper connection of the swaybars? Pretty much all the bushings LR uses are too soft for my preferences. I'm on my third set for the a-arms, sway bars, and steering rod bushings.

 

[jptruck]

The tech didn't go into specifics, but I'm assuming its the upper connection of the swaybars. When they pulled the tire off, it was painfully obvious to them that the alignment couldn't be done and I'd need replacement parts. They just put the tire back on and said go see your dealer about the warranty repairs. Sounds more common than I'd expect considering your experience with them. For such a tough vehicle, you'd think this critical piece would be a bit more durable.

 

[jimbiram]

I had a discussion earlier this year about the issue of the Control Arm Bushings with the area training rep for LR in So Cal. He said it was unfortunate that they were soft, but that it was a compromise for the American market, inasmuch as most of the LR3's would be driven on the road, and that they were going for comfort over longevity for those parts. The softer bushings are more forgiving while driving. His recommendation was to find a source for the parts and learn to replace the parts!

Otherwise, just be resolved that about every 30k plus or minus, you will have control arm bushings to replace. For some reason, my rears lasted longer than the fronts, but when the rears go, you get a similar annoying rattle, this time coming from the rear.

 

[CoMclovin]

Agreed, there are compromises for the US version of the D3 that result in issues such as this. I'm sure you can have the dealer replace said parts under warranty. Also be sure when you take it in for an alignment they do it properly. Generally speaking LR dealers lock/disable the air suspension in a set mode, in order to properly align the tires. LR has two maintenance schedules for the D3, Arduous Use, and of course standard driving. If you find yourself offroad more than onroad, I'd most likely suggest your dealer use the Arduous maintenance schedule.

 

[TRD4ME]

Why would you perform an alignment for the steering wheel out of alignment? All that has changed is the posotion of the steering wheel. Unless you had an alignment concern before coming in, there would be no reason to perform an alignment to correct you steering wheel off center concern. You just remove it, reposition it, and bolt it back up.

The reason your friends tire shop couldnt do the alignment is becuase a IDS is required to put the vehicle in tight tolerance mode to perform an alignment.

 

[jptruck]

That was the tech's take, as well. He said the alignment wasn't needed because they just popped off the wheel and replaced it. BUT, somewhere in translation, the steering wheel got "off" by a good 10%. That's a nuisance thing for me, so it was very noticeable after the wheel was installed. The tech said it was "impossible" that he screwed up and then suggested an alignment. My buddies shop does them all the time on LR3s. He actually had another one in the same day. i'm a hour drive from the dealer, so I tried to get it done there.

I misnamed this thread. It was the control arm bushings that are shot. My car is 32K, so this makes sense based on what you guys are telling me. I have a 7yr, 70K warranty, so i guess I'll replace with the British bushings at the 60K replacement (on their tab). I assume the alignment will have to be done when they replace the bushings. They'll fix the wheel then, too.