Emergency help needed!

[Tall-Paul]

My cars been making a knocking noise for a few weeks now but its been on and off so ive not been trying to solve it BUT today its been knocking constantly so i had a look and this is what i saw.

The passenger side

And then the drivers side

Does anybody know if it will be safe to drive until its fixed? They're polyflex bushes on a mk4 tdi. It seems to knock mostly whilst steering and more when going over bumps at an angle. Cheers

 

[Yella Beeza]

So you've lost one bush and the other looks as though it is working it's way out.

If you're prepared to drive SLOWLY, corner gently, avoiding bumps then guess it'll be OK in short term. But you risk wearing other components in the meantime, so needs fixing asap.

 

[Tall-Paul]

They've always been "hanging out" since i got them fitted so mabe thats how they are supposed to look? I jacked the car up to see if there was much play in the wheel and it felt pretty soild to me, theres also something still where the bush should be so im not sure what has actually fallen out?

 

[Yella Beeza]

Didn't think there was supposed to be a gap.

I've never used poly bushes before but by the looks of it the other side has, well, just disappeared. Or has part of it on the outside just come off? Rubber ones perish and split. Poly bushes have little 'give' and tighten things up, certainly with anti-roll bars.

But when they go, looks like there's no half-way house. You'll need to replace them both anyway.

 

[Tall-Paul]

so they're in 2 pieces to start with? because theres still something inside that feels rubbery with some kind of a bolt in it. They've only been on for 6 months so i hope they were faulty and it wont happen again.

 

[Yella Beeza]

Unfortunately I'm no expert. Worth giving these guys a phone or mail for advice, and send your pictures?

http://www.polybush.co.uk/polys.html

 

[Tall-Paul]

Great, im taking it back to where it was done in the first place. Think i deserve it refitted for free

 

[air121005]

And then the drivers side

Cheers

this is the standard bush with the voids in.
how SEAT deemed these to be a good design i don't know.
they are useless, you can squeeze them with your fingers, so obviously a bump in the road will cause the wishbone to connect with the metal subframe.
after reading numerous threads about how they are, i had the ones on my car replaced with the cupra version which are solid.
AMAZING DIFFERENCE!!!

The passenger side

the "bushes" you had fitted aren't exactly bushes, they are more of a wedge to fill the voids in the standard bushes.
my advice would be to get the cupra bushes which will change the handling of your car dramatically!
they are only £8 each from the dealer!

 

[pete88]

Your best bet is to get the cupra bushes also have the roll bar and the roll bar bushes changed as SEAT have modified them as well.

 

[Aimez]

Your best bet is to get the cupra bushes also have the roll bar and the roll bar bushes changed as SEAT have modified them as well.

im gonna have cupra bushes put on my FR when its serviced after hearing about this on here so many times, does what you suggested need to be done too and are the roll bar bushes from the cupra too?

 

[Yella Beeza]

Are 2007 model FR bushes any better? Or is it still Cupra ones needed?

 

[Aimez]

anyone know if all this work need to be done when changing the bushes??

 

[CORBY]

How easy are bushes to change?
I might have a go myself if it's not too complicated, I think I will get some cupra bushes!

 

[Tall-Paul]

Got it sorted today, the original bush was damaged which caused the new insert to fall out. Its ok to drive but ive got 1 damaged original bush on 1 side.

Corby- Its alot of work, the wishbone has to come out and you'll need to press the new bush in with a specialist machine.

 

[CORBY]

Aw well never mind, I did take out a warranty (24mnth) when I bought the car 2nd hand, I haven't looked at what it covers in detail, do you think I could get them replaced under this warranty?
If not how much would it cost for labour in your typical garage?

 

[Deleted member 19188]

do you think I could get them replaced under this warranty?

I would doubt it very much, most warranties won't cover 'service items' (like brake pads, discs etc), good luck trying though!

 

[CORBY]

I'll have a look in at the items which it covers and then see what the crack is!
Cheers!
Anyone know how much it would cost at a garage for the labour to change the bushes?