Droplinks and Bushes

[alanred]

Am i right in thinking if i have the Droplinks and bushes replaced then that will finally solve all my suspension squeeks ?

Thanks.

[RUM4MO]

That could be a possibility, but it really depends on what is causing your suspension squeeks. Have a look under the car near the front on both sides - you should see a couple of aluminium lumps with a cylinder shaped rubber bush running front to back. Check that either or both these voided bushes are not torn - if so getting them replaced with non-voided Seat Ibiza Cupra bushes will fix that problem. Drop links, if they seem worn then they need replaced. ARB - is this the original one with the plastic stops? - if so are the stops broken - if they are then you will need a new ARB and new bushes. If the ARB is okay or has been replaced already, are the ARB mounting bushes okay? Lots to chose from - as you can see no one or two replacement sets of bits will definately sort your problems. I've just read your previous posts so exactly what all have you had replaced and by dealer, VAG indep or small fixer?

[DanDiesel]

Am i right in thinking if i have the Droplinks and bushes replaced then that will finally solve all my suspension squeeks ?

Thanks.

haha don't count on it! i've had ARB bushes, wishbone bushes, droplinks and a couple of other bits done and my suspension is still a bit noisy although it is much better than before!

[KO]

anyone got any pics of these worn out void bushes i think the polo has the same problem. i had a look and cant tell as i'm not sure what i'm looking for

[alanred]

I have'nt had anything replaced suspension wise. I wont be taking it to the stealers and i dont have a VAG specialist near me, so i'll just be taking it to the nearest garage. With the all info i can get from here i might sound like i know what i'm talking about
As KO said it would be a real bonus if we could see some pics as to what to look for.

Many thanks for the replies. much appreciated.

[DanDiesel]

well the wishbone bushes basically just fell to pieces when they came off the car, unfortunately, i didn't get any pics as they were in the bin when i got the car back!

the ARB bushes were just worn through use and were causning the ARB to move from side to side!

i've had 4 sets of droplinks on the car since i've owned it, first set were worn so i replaced them, then i bought coilovers which came with a new set, which were too long and they were dropping the ARB onto the driveshaft so i bought a shorter set to go!

[RUM4MO]

alanred, you really must do your homework and find a "local" VAG independant specialist, a local small garage just will not get it right when working on these cars. As for info and pictures of bushes - go to www.briskoda.net - the Fabia was the first of this trio to get launched so has already seen most problems. Also, www.bonustools.co.uk give a video of changing these console bushes using their tool - this is meant to avoid getting the front suspension set-up so saves quite a lot of money. Seeing this video might give you some clues as to where the bushes are located. By the way, as a word of warning, sorting the front suspension out on these cars can cost as much as £500 - even using a specialist.

[KO]

alanred, you really must do your homework and find a "local" VAG independant specialist, a local small garage just will not get it right when working on these cars. As for info and pictures of bushes - go to www.briskoda.net - the Fabia was the first of this trio to get launched so has already seen most problems. Also, www.bonustools.co.uk give a video of changing these console bushes using their tool - this is meant to avoid getting the front suspension set-up so saves quite a lot of money. Seeing this video might give you some clues as to where the bushes are located. By the way, as a word of warning, sorting the front suspension out on these cars can cost as much as £500 - even using a specialist.

cheers for the link..booked the car into a VAG specialist for tomorrow, managed to convince them to replace bushes rather than the whole unit as the buhes cost £7 to £8 and thanks to you guys i have ordered the Cupra bushes. i hope they dont have to take the console out and are able to prize the bush out. do you think i should have both bushes replaced rather than the worn one only?

cheers

K

[DanDiesel]

i would replace both bushes to be honest!

i went for cupra bushes and my vag specialists said that they think the console would have had to come off to get them on as the cupra bushes were such a tight fit.

needless to say, i had to have the standard bushes put back on unless i wanted a huge bill for fitting.

the old bush should come off pretty easily, but if they put a cupra bush on and can't get the wishbone into it due to the more rigid design of the cupra item (ie- not as flexible) whilst its on the car, then the cupra bush will have to come off which, from what they told me and from the state of the cupra bush after they got it off, was a right pain in the arse job!

[alanred]

Thanks for the info and the links.
Dont know whether to get this done right now (financially embarresed),
Is there any danger in running round with the ARB knocking ?

Thanks again.

[DanDiesel]

shouldn't be too much trouble, i drove around for quite a while, firstly with ARB knocking on trhe chassis where the bushes had worn and then for a while with it tapping on the driveshaft!
just don't leave it for an overlong period!

[RUM4MO]

KO, if your VAG specialist would rather just fit new consoles then it sounds like they have not had much luck with pressing the new Cupra bushes in. I would think that they will definately need to remove the consoles to fit the new Cupra bushes in - this is the way that VAG dealers would do this job, the only problem being that they will need to carry out a four wheel alignment check/adjust after this. That in itself is no bad thing as the car may need this any way due to pot holes etc. To get the real fix, ie Cupra bushes in a non-Cupra 5speed gearbox car, you must change the bushes in your consoles. Oh and yes get both bushes replaced - cost-wise if you are keeping the car for a few years then taking the pain and getting the Cupra bushes fitted will save you money in the long run, plus as I have said getting a four wheel alignment might even improve the driving experience and minimise tyre wear - by the way the Cupra bushes themselves will improve the feel of the steering quite a bit. One last thing, you could always ask your Seat dealer for the assemblying lubricant that is used to fit these Cupra bushes - I was asked if I needed it when I bought an extra bush (VAG spec indep fitted one in reverse!) - so I said yes! I'm sure it will come in handy for something!?! These bushes need to be fitted into the consoles from the rear as opposed to the standard bush which gets fitted in from the front - oh and the inner of the bush should be recessed in from the front - flat face to be flush with the rear face of the consoles. The difficult bit about using these Cupra bushes is that the standard bushes have a nylon outer "skin" but the Cupra bushes have an aluminium "skin" - so lubricant is needed to allow the bush to slide into the console.

alanred, if you are running about with broken ARB stops, you should really fit jubilee clips on both sides - or maybe two on both sides to stop the side to side movement - I think "out board" of the clamps is the best place, until you can get this ARB replaced along with its mounting rubbers and bolts.

[KO]

RUM4MO and DanDiesel

got the car back this afternoon and it feels much better already, there is a little bit of play on the ARB so will have to tackle that later. couldn't get hold of the Cupra bushes in time so ended up with the standard ones. also they said that the otherside didn't need replacing yet. the bad news is i need a new gearbox as the rattle coming from the box isn't a clutch bearing or a flywheel so am looking at £900 for box plus labour

that will have to wait till next year now! was thinking about a used gearbox what do you guys think?

Cheers

K

[RUM4MO]

KO, sorry to hear about your latest problems - not getting the Cupra bushes fitted was an oportunity missed - but heh life is a bit like that, I was really not too happy this time last year when things started to go wrong with my wife's Polo - first ARB stops broke, then one front road spring broke at half height, then the TCA bushes needed changing, followed by the front exhaust flexi breaking. One year on things are finally looking a lot better and the car is okay to drive (as okay as a 1.4 16V BBY with 75PS can be!) - even although one of the TCA bushes needed changing again due to being fitted in reverse and the exhaust flexi repair needed repeating as the wrong size of flexi was used. Sometimes when you pay an expert professional to do the work you still end up managing the repair and getting them to try to do it the correct way - and paying even more money!!!! I think that I wrote in a posting on this subject about a year ago that these little cars are nasty wallet robbing ba###rds - but when they are okay you tend to forget the bad times.

[KO]

KO, sorry to hear about your latest problems - not getting the Cupra bushes fitted was an oportunity missed - but heh life is a bit like that, I was really not too happy this time last year when things started to go wrong with my wife's Polo - first ARB stops broke, then one front road spring broke at half height, then the TCA bushes needed changing, followed by the front exhaust flexi breaking. One year on things are finally looking a lot better and the car is okay to drive (as okay as a 1.4 16V BBY with 75PS can be!) - even although one of the TCA bushes needed changing again due to being fitted in reverse and the exhaust flexi repair needed repeating as the wrong size of flexi was used. Sometimes when you pay an expert professional to do the work you still end up managing the repair and getting them to try to do it the correct way - and paying even more money!!!! I think that I wrote in a posting on this subject about a year ago that these little cars are nasty wallet robbing ba###rds - but when they are okay you tend to forget the bad times.

your so right about the wallet robbing bit, the car needs a few things doing but hopefully that will be it for a while, i just don't like dishonest people who when selling cars tell you there is nothing wrong, i know that there is always an element of cost when buying a car so i would of liked the guy to tell me the truth as i would of still got the car but at a reduced cost....oh well as you say it's life...thanks for your help...