Control Arm Bushes Replaced for how much?......tell me they're dreaming!

[ozzymalone]

After recently purchasing my wagon and booking it in for a minor service with an apparently reputable 4x4 mechanic (no names mentioned but heavily involved in a particular mag) I paid a good $350 in essence to check out how she was mechanically and to diagnose a bad steering shake that had developed after its first outing...was rather shocked they didn't flush power steering fluid which is brown! Also the mechanic didn't seem to pick up on the fact i was running different sized tyres front to back (granted i somehow missed this in my original inspection too!)

All belts need replacing and was quoted $200 for parts and labour which in my inexperience sounds ok but I was quoted $750.00 to replace the Front Control Arm bushes (connecting to axles/diff) with the "better quality" ones that won't break down in 6 months time....don't know much about 4bies in specific but this seems a tad rich and I fear he is taking me for a ride!

Thoughts and input regarding anyone decent in BrisVegas/Goldie would be ace!

Cheers:bananarock:

[mick.]

The bushes are about $50 trade from memory so there's $200 This is for genuine bushes which are the only ones to use. Don't fit anything else as there is nothing close for quality. So $550 for labor would be probably right. It's not the easiest job to remove radius arms and then you have to press the old bushes out and fit the new ones and then fit it all up again. Even with the right gear it's probably a 4 or 5 hour job.

The part number for the genuine slotted bushes is 54560 VB012. These bushes will fit all patrol radius arms and flex the best of them all.

I'd also replace your rear radius arm bushes (chassis to arm) as well which about another $100 for bushes but at least you know there done and you don't have to labour to do it at a later date.

Cheers Mick.

[zmaster]

Wow, just did mine, replaced with rubber offset bushes, were about $90 a set, took about 2 hours of me crawling under the truck to get the arms in and out, the local mechanic swapped the bushes over for $30. He would have charged me about $250 all up including bushes, and taken half that time but the truck was already in bits and i thought what the hell. He's not the cheapest mechanic about but he does own a GQ Patrol and I've used him for 20 years. Nowere near the $750 you were quoted! Wtf?

[ozzymalone]

Wow, just did mine, replaced with rubber offset bushes, were about $90 a set, took about 2 hours of me crawling under the truck to get the arms in and out, the local mechanic swapped the bushes over for $30. He would have charged me about $250 all up including bushes, and taken half that time but the truck was already in bits and i thought what the hell. He's not the cheapest mechanic about but he does own a GQ Patrol and I've used him for 20 years. Nowere near the $750 you were quoted! Wtf?

I'm with you zmaster Wtf? I'm not across whats involved but sounded a tad rich!....did the rubber offset bushes out of curiosity push the axle/wheels slightly forward over the factory bushes? Am told that this help calm the wobbles down in GU's? Sound right to you guys or just speaking nonsense?

Cheers Blokes :bananarock:

[nissannewby]

The offset bushes are to correct castor after a lift so unless you need them standard ones are the go. I do believe i know the workshop you are talking about and that is a tad rich having done this sort of gear for years and years it should not be a hard job for them they have all the necessary tools and experience to make this an easy job. Little hydraulic presses are relatively cheap these days you nearly could have purchased one plus the parts and prob had change from 750. Unfortunately good 4wd mechanics are hard to come by these days (I'm nearly thinking of starting a business myself) so i tend to do all work myself. This would be the best place to find out. I believe on another thread around here bigrig and someone else highly recommended a bloke on the southside who helped them do a clutch in his own time.

[nissannewby]

Auto Art Mechanical Services
India Street, Capalaba QLD 4157
(07) 3823 2676 ‎

This is the bloke here hope this helps

[mick.]

You get what you pay for. If you want to put cheap bushes in and pay someone to do them again in 12 months then that's your call but it will happen. This is the reason so many people have the nissan wobbles fitting cheap radius arm and panhard bushes.

$250 to replace bushes including parts. I'd imagine those bushes would fail before it left the drive way. If someone quoted me that to fit those bushes I wouldn't let him near by 4wd as it's to good to be true.

Cheers Mick.

[MudRunnerTD]

All in all i'd probably be getting a second opinion regardless before you go stripping them out. Nissan Rubber radius arm bushes are the ducks guts mate, if yours are chewed out i'd be surprised if its a GU without a lift. Given your already questioning his ethics take it to someone else for an opinion. ;)

[zmaster]

Bushes corrected wheel alignment, but 2" lift wasn't out by much, no, doesn't move wheels forward, only rotates the diff. If you want to move diff forward, use 12mm metal spacer/washer on rear bushes. Was going to fit to mine, but am running koni 90s and they just clear the top shock mount, looked tooo close with the diff moved forward. Didn't notice much difference on the road, but the alignment looked much better on the machine.

[zmaster]

Now Mick, these bushes are rubber, sold by superior engineering and made by pedders, I agree, genuine is the go, however until nissan starts making offset bushes, they're about as good as it gets, I wouldn't put nolathane in after past disasters with them disintegrating. As for $550 to remove and install bushes, unless your mechanic is charging $250 an hour, I can't see it.

[ozzymalone]

Thanks fellas great info here! The more i learn the more i know so top-shelf stuff! Will definately be checking out the refferal in Capalaba and more than like go the Nissan genuine....Crazy thing is the vehicle I purchased I crawled all over but to be honest don't believe it has been lifted. Has aftermarket MONROE shockies but looks to be standard springs.

Wouldn't suprise me if it has the nalothane's in it already as I can see straight through the damn things (hole right through the bottom side)!

It is a rather high k's vehicle for a petrol but motor seem very strong n clean so if they were original Nissan bushes i spose' this is probably their lifespan (300k+)???? I don't know.... It had done obvious beach work but only very minor rust in one cross member which I can clean up myself. I generally will be doing all the servicing myself just have to learn my way round the 4.5 motor a bit more.

If anyone has more input feel free cos its invaluable to me. :bananarock:

[nissannewby]

Im not sure if its worth noting now but i just changed my dropped radius arm to a superflex arm in the drive in just over an 1.5hrs thats setup and clean up

[mick.]

Now Mick, these bushes are rubber, sold by superior engineering and made by pedders, I agree, genuine is the go, however until nissan starts making offset bushes, they're about as good as it gets, I wouldn't put nolathane in after past disasters with them disintegrating. As for $550 to remove and install bushes, unless your mechanic is charging $250 an hour, I can't see it.I'm not knocking Superiors bushes at all but at $90 a set there not Superiors. How did you get them for $90 a set when they sell them for $195 a set? Am I missing something here???

http://www.superiorengineering.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=31_32_34_285&products_id=8842

The genuine bushes from superior are $60 each.

http://www.superiorengineering.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=31_32_34_285&products_id=2924

I did a google search didn't find a mechanic who will charge less then $600 to fit these bushes and even then there is no garentee there genuine. 2 hours to replace those bushes would be possible if they went in and out easily which normally they don't. No mechanic with half a brain is going to quote the best case scenario especially with these bushes as they DON'T always come straight out. I've had to heat them with an oxy to remove them as well as use a press before and mechanics know this can happen.

Cheers Mick.

[mick.]

Thats not replacing bushes and everything going your way. I've replaced probably 20 sets of these bushes and I can tell you from experience they can be done in a couple of hours all up but not all the time. My old comp truck took me about 6 hours just to remove the bushes. I ended up blowing a hydraulic line on a 100 tonne press and still needed an oxy to remove them. One I ended up cutting out as it still wouldn't press out period. This is why mechanics don't quote 2 hours for a job which could take all day.

[Robo]

Very true about quoting I hear you.
trouble is if it takes him 2 hrs bet he charges the full amount quoted its a sad fact of life these days.
easy money.
I did mine last yr replaced std bushs with pedders off set type .
easy job took me 3 hrs both sides and I've never done it before.
But have good supply of tools etc.
Safe to say, He's a bit expensive.
Cheers

local 4x4 shop quoted me $300 to fit em, that's 2 hrs labour.

[bordertech]

Wow, just did mine, replaced with rubber offset bushes, were about $90 a set, took about 2 hours of me crawling under the truck to get the arms in and out, the local mechanic swapped the bushes over for $30. He would have charged me about $250 all up including bushes, and taken half that time but the truck was already in bits and i thought what the hell. He's not the cheapest mechanic about but he does own a GQ Patrol and I've used him for 20 years. Nowere near the $750 you were quoted! Wtf?The local mechanic did the easiest bit if they came out easy.
Those $90 ebay bush sets are made in Taiwan, no idea of the rubber quality though.