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