Focus Suspension

[Pitmonster]

Last week my Focus (Mk2, 1.8 TDCi) was serviced by my Ford dealer, and on the service report it said the following :

Amber : 2 x front lower arm bushes perished

Red : 2 x rear trainiling arm bushes debonded at anchor point

I have noticed the ride being more jittery, and a wobble through the steering wheel (that remained after wheelbalancing) but thought it was just tired dampers - the car has 87.5k miles on it - or maybe even a bent wheel. But I have no reason to think that the report is false, as it ties in with what I'm feeling.

So how much do you think it will it cost to replace these bushes at an independent garage?

I have a mechanic mate who does jobs on his drive, is this the type of thing he could do? (I'm wondering if special tools are needed, like a press to remove the old bushes)

Lastly, the roads around me are horrific for potholes, including the main entrance to my estate which is as bad as a back road in Beiruit. Could I claim for the cost from the council?

Thanks in advance for the replies.

[stef123]

The front lower arm bushes, it will be the rearward bushes that are perished.

They can be replaced for less than £20 each and relatively easy - I would rather do that than replace with cheap arms. I have got 2 of these to do for my brother when the weather gets a bit better.

As for the rear bushes, they can be an absolute nightmare as the bolts seize in the sleeves usually meaning the subframe needs to be removed to work on

[artscot79]

the biggest issue with the rears as steff said they cease always so the whole subframe needs dropped on the rear i wouldnt dare press those bushes on the trailing arm myself the arm is easy to bend and if you bend it trust me youll have handling problems and have to replace the whole arm i have ford do it simply because they know all the tricks to do the job and you need a 4 wheel alignment done afterwards ive seen independants make a complete mess of this job with the bushes supplied by me the dealer did it including alignment etc for about £200-£250 if you think that sounds dear then consider an indy that mucks it up will charge £500 for all the bits they wreck getting to the bushes the bushes are cheap enough from eBay dont buy the ones at £8.00 each spend more and get a good bush that will last like these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-FOCUS-TI-VCT-1-6-04-10-REAR-TRAILING-ARM-BUSH-OE-/290464986221?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item43a10ff46d

ive used them on both mk1 and 2

[Pitmonster]

Ok thanks for the replies. I'll phone the dealer and get a quote.

[Pitmonster]

So I rang the Ford dealer and got a quote for the work to front & rear.

The price was... £687!

He checked that he hadn't quoted for a Mondeo by mistake, but that is the real price

Artscot, what dealer did you use and what parts did you buy? If you don't mind I'd like to use your info to try and get my price down.

At this rate I'll be using an independent...

[stef123]

Ouch! They will have quoted for 2x front arms at about £100 a piece plus labour.

IIRC my old man paid about £250-£300 for the rear bushes and alignment at an Indy.

[Pitmonster]

I think you may be right about the arms, I suspect the total price for ALL bushes would be less than £50

Will check with them later

[artscot79]

The ford rapid fit i use took about that for the front arms the rear they did cheaper than the indy the fronts cost me £40 thats due to having an after market warranty that was just towards the parts cost the rear cost me £24.75 towards parts cost so my £300 warranty paid for itself

[Pitmonster]

Finally got the job done, at a local independent garage (he's the cousin of my best mate).

I agreed to change the whole front lower wishbones, because although the part is more expensive it makes the labour cheaper, and ultimately is a more thorough job. Each wishbone was £44 each.

He also did the rear bushes without removing the subframe. No idea how, but the whole job front and rear only took 3 hrs.

The total price including parts, labour and VAT was £232 which around 1/3 the price Ford wanted. There may be a bit of "mates rates" in that, but I am a happy bunny indeed.

The car feels so much better now, and the constant jitter over small bumps has gone completely. I was also getting a squeak from the front-left over bumps, and that's gone too. The whole ride and steering have been improved massively.

Tomorrow I'm taking the car for 4-wheel laser alignment, so everything should be sorted.