D3 control arm bushes

[howie]

The pros and cons of fitting nolathane bushes or similer any feed back would be great?

[sheerluck]

I've no first hand experience, but reading through Disco3.co.uk there appears to be 3 grades of those bushes. Only one of the 3 grades gives an acceptable ride quality from what I read, the others were too harsh (and that was on UK roads, not the goat tracks we have here).

[~Rich~]

I have Super Pro anti roll bar bushes in my front end, I'm not happy with the noise from them, I'm changing back to standard rubber bushes.

[justinc]

do not do it, you will experience harshness and excessive road noise from the total lack of insulating properties of urethane.

best thing is just to accept the fact they wear out at 90,000km intervals, and replace the complete lower arms don't bother with trying to replace the individual bushes, as the lower ball joints will be 90% knackered at tha interval anyway.

it isn't as exxy as you may think.

jc

[BigJon]

Justin, what experience have you got with rattles in the front of D3 / Sports?

My Dads sport has a high pitched rattle I am trying to track down. The lower control arms were done about 30 - 40 000km ago. I recently put sway bar links into it with no change (the rattle sounds a lot like knackered sway bar links on a Territory). I have seen reference to early builds having a steering column rattle.

He also complained to me recently that under heavy (panic) braking just shy of ABS operation that he felt like he wasn't in control because the front end was squirming so much.

[justinc]

hi jon,

i would say the steering rack inner joints may well be the culprit there? how many km's? what sort of driving?

other points to look at are the front sway bar 'd' bushes, and believe it or not shock absorbers. i found the best way to check them out is to get the customer to drive by you on a particularly rough bit of potholed or corrugted road and watch how the wheels behave. found a knock in the front of an l322 this way once, the lhf wheel spent more time off the road than on it !

jc

[BigJon]

120 something thousand from memory.

Mostly town / highway since he bought it, although there have been a few rough road trips.

Might have to try that one.

[howie]

Thankyou for the info , much to what i had thought will do complete arms seems to be thenorm. Does anyone know where and a good store to deal with as i would like to get them delivered and fit them myself ?.

[theresanothersteve]

...it isn't as exxy as you may think.
jc
Just had ours done (at 135000). New control arms about $400 each, new rod ends, wheel alignment. Just over 1200 all up, specialised independent did the work.

And the missus has a broad smile on her face 'cos it drives so well!

[Marmoset]

I bought mine from Duckworths in the UK, about $235 each and $200 for postage. I got a local mobile LR mechanic to fit mine in 2 hours. Just gotta get an alignment done now and the jobs all done for a shade under $900 :D

[jafir]

I bought aftermarket arms on amazon for about $120US each. Not sure what shipping down under would be, because they are quite large and heavy.

[ctgiles84]

I bought my lower control arms from britishparts.co.uk. About $350 for the pair. I think postage was about $80. Have bought a few parts off them know and they always provide excellent delivery times and service.

[Rich84]

I bought my lower control arms from britishparts.co.uk. About $350 for the pair. I think postage was about $80. Have bought a few parts off them know and they always provide excellent delivery times and service.

Were you satisfied with the quality of the arms? These guys are charging 100 pounds per arm where everyone else is charging 150+

I've had past experiences with cheaply made aluminium arms on my Audis which were allegedly german and then turned out to be chinese knock-offs - were knocking again after 40K km.

[sheerluck]

If anyone is looking for genuine LR lower control arms, then I would suggest a PM to Juddy. He's got them for sale at the moment at a very competitive price.

[Drummer queen]

Ok, I've been told that I need to change my bushes, and best to change the entire air, quoted 1200-1300 bucks. Bushes are only slightly worn, minor movement as I come to a stop or hit a bump in the road only. Comments?

[jonesy63]

For those in Sydney or not wanting to sell a kidney for freight, lower arms seem pretty cheap from this place:
Front lower control arm L/H Discovery 3 LR028249 (http://www.trspares.com.au/spare-parts/land-rover-discovery-3/suspension-components/front-lower-control-arm-lh-discovery-3-lr028249)

No affiliation with them, just giving options.

[jonesy63]

Ok, I've been told that I need to change my bushes, and best to change the entire air, quoted 1200-1300 bucks. Bushes are only slightly worn, minor movement as I come to a stop or hit a bump in the road only. Comments?

As mentioned in previous posts, it is cheaper/easier to change the whole lower arms than just replace bushes.

Regarding "change the entire air" - I find that highly unlikely, unless you have a high mileage D3. I guess they mean the whole air strut, which usually means changing the shock absorbers as well... if so, $1300 is a bargain.

[Drummer queen]

Thanks jonesy, my bad, I meant, change the whole "arm", not air! Which I think is what is recommended by you and others, rather than just bushes. By "arm" I mean the steel element that holds the bushes. Only 80000 km on my D3.

[Drummer queen]

I looked at your link to the control arm, that is it! Thanks for the option! That's only 420 for both arms , plus labour! I wonder what labour is worth. Oh and plus delivery of parts!

[BigJon]

, and believe it or not shock absorbers.

jc


Just so that other people can know, I drove the car over speedhumps and through spoon drains and I was alarmed at the violent corkscrewing I could feel and see from the drivers seat. Something which my Dad had not noticed or mentioned.

A new pair of front strut assemblies has cured the knocking noise and the severely underdamped front end.

[ctgiles84]

Were you satisfied with the quality of the arms? These guys are charging 100 pounds per arm where everyone else is charging 150+

I've had past experiences with cheaply made aluminium arms on my Audis which were allegedly german and then turned out to be chinese knock-offs - were knocking again after 40K km.

They look to be of good quality. Will be installing on Sunday as we are away at the moment. Will let you know once i fit them how they go. These guys are always good with delivery and price. The guy i spoke to said i would have them in 2-4 days and i got them in 3.

[ctgiles84]

They fitted easy and the car is totally different to drive. Kept getting faults until wheel alignment was done so make sure you get that done straight away. Nice having no knocking.

[Torb]

Can you give me run down of the replacement process? I'm going to buy those control arms myself but a bit nervous about the process. Have read somewhere to disable the battery for the air suspension?? Don't follow?

Looking underneath the car I thought it would be a relatively straight forward job but then I read a manual online. The manual shows special tools needed and say stabiliser bar and brake hose brackets needs to be removed. Also, things like the halfshaft needs to be released from the wheel hub and knuckle. Is that really necessary?

Did you manage to use the bolts again or did you replace them as well? Mine looks fine, no rust at all on them.

Who does the wheel alignment? A normal mechanic or special tyre shop? What did it cost you?

How long did it take you?

Cheers