I found this on a Japanese site.

After 40000km (just under 25k miles!)


Solution- PowerFlex




I just hit 50k and I drive hard. If this happens to a car in Japan where roads are silky smooth everywhere, I am scared to think what mine is like after 50k in LA....

Have you changed yours? If you have did you get another set of OEM or Powerflex? I heard that the labor is quite intensive. Please let me know your experience.

 

I have a set in my trunk ready to install, but I just noticed my strut towers mushroomed and one strut mount torn, so it may be a while.

My only concern is if they will squeek over time.

 

I have them and they dont make any noise that I can hear, they are definitly more positive feeling than the stock ones ( mine were perfect ) turn in is much quicker and the car responds better in general. You will be surprised and disapointed to see how sloppy they are even when in good condition.

 

I just had mine replaced under warranty. I had to fight the dealership on it - tried to tell me they weren't covered under warranty. I simply asked if they had replaced anybody elses under warranty and they said yes - the rest is history. They did check to see of there were any "signs of impact." When the dealership informed me they were worn out they quoted me some $500 to replace them - the bushings themselves were only $75 - the rest was labor! Apparently you have to drop the subframe and use a "press" to get the old bushings out and the new in. But, if your bushings look like those I would think you could just pull them out by hand and put the new ones in using a 2x4 and a clamp. The OEM bushings are "oil filled" if you drive in urban areas (rough/poor roads) they will be gone before you know it. I will probably replace mine with PowerFlex when they wear out again. I've read somewhere PowerFlex are 25-30% stiffer. How will this affect the ride/handling? Are they oil filled like the OEM bushings?

 

I dont know about them being oil filled ( stock ) because they sure dont seem like it to me. And the powerflex didnt make the ride any rougher than before at lest not much. I am very happy with them.

 

Those particular bushings look like they've incorporated a dual poly compound; the outside is perhaps softer than the inside. This would allow small imperfection or inputs to be absorbed but when you really hammer it, further flex is resisted by the inner portion. If so, very nice.

 

The dealer told me the stock bushings are oil filled so this information could very easily be innacurrate. How difficult were they to install - how did you go about it?

 

PAIN IN THE A** you have to drop the front subframs and remove the arms, then you need to press off the old bushings and install the new ones. I did mine while we had the subframe down to install the quaiffe.

I think it was JLM who suggested the bushings and to do them while you are in for th equaiffe, if so thanks and good lookin out !

 

...the new ones do not look like they need to be pressed back in, is this so?

 

Not sure how hard it is to put the poly bushings in, but you do not have to drop the subframe to remove the originals.

I can't wait to get the new bushings in. Lately, I must look drunk weaving all over the road.

Meb, the center piece is harder than the outer, but I'm not sure if the outer piece is soft enough to push in by hand.

 

you can pull them without dropping the sub frame but its still a pita! And once the old ones are out the new ones are easy. You just need to be sure you put them in the right way and you only have to press the big bushing enough to get it started and then it just pops into place, the center part is lubed and it also slides into place very easily. Its not a simple diy job unless you have the tools.

 

Thanks, that's good to know. I have the ultimate set of tools, my dad is a tv repairman, so I'm going to pop the balljoints and push the control arm out of the way then press the bushing out.

 

the spud on the control arm is a hex, so the inner pflex is a high durometer intrnal hex sleeve. that fits into the softer outer shell.

getting the subframe out isn't so bad but allow 5 hours road to road. while you are in there...consider a new front sway bar (I have H&R front and rear matched set). it is best to drop the subframe completely to the floor so you can properly wrench those super tight bolts. I've hac nothing but good results with my pflex bushings. pressing out the old bushings will require a machined slug to fit the bore. those buggers are in there tight. you could burn them out and chisel out the outer sleeve...ugly though. use the press.

 

jlm,

Thanks for the infor about the bushing in particular. So, this bushing it turns out is much more sophisticated than the garden variety poly bushings found elsewhere. I cannot tell from photos, but does this company also follow the same design with the rear bushings - a dual compound?

And, I've removed all bushings in the past following this procedure; I bend the very soft metal sleeve in slightly towards the center of the bush. I apply penetrating solution and let it sit for about 20-30min. I use and appropriately sized old socket or pipe and hammer the old ones out carefully. Can this be done without droppping the sub-frame? The penetrating oil is a problem while this assembly is attached, just not sure about how much time I will save...or how much additional aggrivation I will create.

 

ok, I dug into it a bit:
the stock outer sleeve is 2.80" od 2.6ID and about 2.6" long; that would require a pusher of less than 2.8OD, greater than 2.6OD and longer than 2.6".
then you need a back-up support for the housing: I used a 1/4 wall steel tube with a slightly greater than 2.8ID.

I got it wrong above: the internal hex is the softer durometer.

the external plastic sleeve has lips on it that are 3" od, so you have top pop the lips around the bore in the support. that was not so easy...use honeymoon cream.

pfrr105 is the rear, and it is the two piece with finger yellow urethane insert similar to the motot mount inserts.

I don't think you can do it w/o dropping the subframe and removing the bracket to the press.

 

Okay, just looking for a shortcut where none exist. I'll do this the correct way. Did you notice a control vs ride change that is easy to live with? This car will cee a dozen DE events this year but it is still my daily commuter - 60K/year.

Intuitively, I would have guessed the outter shell to be softer...interesting...perhaps this allows tighter control under light to moderate wheels loads, but allows 'proper' scrubing when things get really hot...

 

what i was after was a reduction in wheel hop on take-off. got it. no apparent downside to ride quality, and nice cornering precision, also my daily ride. when you compare the stockers you will laugh.

 

Thanks jlm!

 

JLM, did you replace any of the other bushings on the front control arm? I count a total of three.

 

motoring: ????
I replaced the bushings at the rear-most point where the arm pivots at the chassis connection. the other points are a ball joint on the subframe (no rubber there) and a ball joint under the hub carrier (no rubber there).

the other areas to look at are the steering rack rubber mount at the passenger side, motor and trans mounts, and the upper strut mount/bearing carrier.

 

When I was under the car, the two ball joints look like they could have a significant rubber component.

Thanks for the help

 

That is the boot that holds grease for the ball joint. The only other rubber up front is in the strut mount.

 

Just happened to the wife's 03 MC. She had 56000 miles. started hearing clunks and response got kinda juddery. Very hard to do job yourself. Dealer charges 7.5 hours + parts!

Good luck!

 

I brought my 02 MC in for an alignment and they informed me that the left side control arm bushing was worn - said an alignment was useless until it was fixed. They said they would do it for $100 if I got the part. I brought them a new bushing ($38) from dealer (lists for $22 ). They had the control arm off, old bushing still in when I got there. The new one was in and the car aligned in about 1.5 hours. No dropping subframe, just the right tools I guess.

The shop that did the work is a family owned alignment shop. I suspect anywhere else would have been twice the cost.

 

Good for you! BMW/Mini quoted me $600.00 for both.