Thread: Rear Suspension Birthday Recommendations

Originally Posted by LRD414

2014 D4 with 151,000km
Diagnosed with failed bush to Left Rear Upper Arm, inner bush.

I have no concerns with replacing arms so as to get new bushes but my questions are

Thoughts on replacement of Rear Lower arms at same time as Rear Upper arms?
Has anyone had rear lower bush issues? Or would the lowers have plenty of life left typically?
I've not yet had a close look, more wondering others experience with rear arms generally.

Still drives ok and not surprising, given it's had a hard life with running heavy and plenty of towing.
I'm already on to second replacement front lower arms.
I've also replaced all four airbag units this year.

Cheers,
Scott

Hey mate, I rebushed mine with a mix of genuine and oe. Im at 270k but the improvement tells me they were shagged a long time. I did the whole rear of the car.. Then moved on to the fronts and did uppers aswell.

I found them hard to diagnose as they have so much movement in them normally. The rubber was visibly worn on some but not others. Before and after with a pry bar the difference was hard to tell. Had to get someone to shake the car while I searched for the noise.

Improvement was so good I detailed the old girl.

Originally Posted by josh.huber

I rebushed mine with a mix of genuine and oe. Im at 270k but the improvement tells me they were shagged a long time. I did the whole rear of the car.

Thanks Josh. Points me towards doing uppers and lowers while it’s apart.

No other feedback to my post, maybe because rear suspension doesn’t require attention too often.

Scott

Originally Posted by LRD414

2014 D4 with 151,000km
Diagnosed with failed bush to Left Rear Upper Arm, inner bush.

I have no concerns with replacing arms so as to get new bushes but my questions are

Thoughts on replacement of Rear Lower arms at same time as Rear Upper arms?
Has anyone had rear lower bush issues? Or would the lowers have plenty of life left typically?
I've not yet had a close look, more wondering others experience with rear arms generally.

Still drives ok and not surprising, given it's had a hard life with running heavy and plenty of towing.
I'm already on to second replacement front lower arms.
I've also replaced all four airbag units this year.

Cheers,
Scott

I am actually in the same boat - same side, same bush, similar kays - and have been looking at my options.

I see Advance Factors do a heavy duty option for the rear uppers, but not lowers. I did also read somewhere (can't remember where and have searched for it) that the rear upper from a RRS is the better replacement option - something to do with bush size and slightly different geometry. Better rise and lasts longer.

My left rear shock is dusted also so the two together make a proper rattle when on rougher roads and bounces a little over bumps. Still looking at options for this as it would be great to have a Bilstein or KYB option. The standard units have done well though, considering the corrugations the car has encountered on the CSR and other tracks.

I feel it would be definitely worth doing uppers and lowers, as well as the hub bearings in one hit.

Interested to know your outcome and what you end up deciding what to do.

Originally Posted by LRD414

Thanks Josh. Points me towards doing uppers and lowers while it’s apart.

No other feedback to my post, maybe because rear suspension doesn’t require attention too often.

Scott

Yeah the improvement was amazing. With the age of these vehicles I reckon heaps would be due for replacement. But it's like the shocks they die a very slow death and you don't really pick up on it. Then when you do. It's night and day.
For me it was brake shudder in the rear. The car also rocked like a boat when pulling into a driveway. And it occasionally knocked like a front LCA.

I did rears first then test drove it. Then front uppers. Just so I could pin point for next time.

If you are gunna DIY, put it back together, put the hub on a jack, Jack it to the right height. Measure the centre of the hub to the wheel arch. Then tighten all the bolts.

I wouldn't go HD personally, I went aftermarket on the front once, didn't last, I stick with genuine bushes or OE if the price is really inflated. They last a long time genuine, to me it's not worth the risk early failure or ride quality. Personal choice but.

Last conversation with SLR workshop supervisor here in perth was around this issue, he took me around to show a D4 with body off and around d 260k kms on the clock. Rear upper and lower rarely fail, or as he said they don't see many with rear suspension issues. Front lowers we all know about, front upper seems to follow lowers if left too long.

I will be doing front lowers as second set now done at 215000km they seem to last about 100000km. Next will be front hubs, then I will have a look at thr rear, unless injectors are needed first.

Originally Posted by Eric SDV6SE

Last conversation with SLR workshop supervisor here in perth was around this issue, he took me around to show a D4 with body off and around d 260k kms on the clock. Rear upper and lower rarely fail, or as he said they don't see many with rear suspension issues. Front lowers we all know about, front upper seems to follow lowers if left too long.

I will be doing front lowers as second set now done at 215000km they seem to last about 100000km. Next will be front hubs, then I will have a look at thr rear, unless injectors are needed first.

If you were doing the rear suspension upper and/or lowers and struts at around 250k kms it would be a great time to do both the rear wheel bearings as they are cheap but labour intensive. Replace all the bolts with new as well.

Not a job you’d want to pull everything apart again in another 6 months to fix a wheel bearing.

Originally Posted by Konradical

I am actually in the same boat - same side, same bush, similar kays - and have been looking at my options.

I see Advance Factors do a heavy duty option for the rear uppers, but not lowers. I did also read somewhere (can't remember where and have searched for it) that the rear upper from a RRS is the better replacement option - something to do with bush size and slightly different geometry. Better rise and lasts longer.

My left rear shock is dusted also so the two together make a proper rattle when on rougher roads and bounces a little over bumps. Still looking at options for this as it would be great to have a Bilstein or KYB option. The standard units have done well though, considering the corrugations the car has encountered on the CSR and other tracks.

I feel it would be definitely worth doing uppers and lowers, as well as the hub bearings in one hit.

Interested to know your outcome and what you end up deciding what to do.

Mine too! Rear left upper bush split, front left upper bush split, rear sway bar bushes worn. 135K km. Corrugations and heavily loaded probably to blame.
Had the transmission oil replaced and steel pan fitted about 15 months ago. Transfer case oil replaced a few months ago. Now I’ve got a shudder at low speed on steepish inclines. Bit worried about that

So ordered new front and rear upper arm kits from AF yesterday. Upgraded RRS arms and bushes and new ball joints.

Replaced all four air struts earlier this year and front lower arms last month, still having shudder under braking. Checked discs, pads and hubs and all ok there.

Trying to spread the costs and keeping the O/S order value under 1k.

I am assuming the bolt torque settings for the upper arms is the same as the lower at 275Nm, and as far as I can tell these are not fitted with any eccentrics, so should be no need for another alignment. Can anyone confirm?

Does anyone have any other tips? Bolt access looks OK, but that's only with a quick look into the wheel arch. I have ball joint splitters and a 450Nm torque wrench