Which bushes to change and which to leave...

[Lorin]

I just asked my local Toyota parts man for a quote for a full set of ALL replacable suspension bushes and received a price of £960 for the parts only! He then, appearing to know somewhat more than me, advised me that it's only worth changing the suspension top and bottom bushes, and anti-roll/stabilisor bar bushes thereby reducing the price to £145 inc VAT. Sounds loads better.

If I want to change the bushes on a 92 with 130,000 miles in preparation for an overland trip (Africa) which bushes should I replace and which are likely to be okay to leave?

 

[Andrew Prince]

Slightly off-topic but I think you should talk to Ian Rubie if you want OEM bushes - he will no doubt offer you a more competitive price!

I stand to be corrected on this but I think the complete set of bushes from Super Pro are around the £300 mark. Yes, they are polyurethane versus the OEM rubber - you can make your own mind up on the merits of each But at £960 versus £300 before the labour comes in..... Milner probably do their own version of polyurethane bushes for even less money!

Hope that helps!

 

[Lorin]

Cheers Andrew, I'll send Ian a message

 

[Ecky Thump]

I did mine with Milner at a very low cost. I don't mind if they don't last as long at that price.

My mate has always used them on his LRs and they last a long time even in his competition motors.

 

[Lorin]

Cheers Les,

Maybe Milners is worth considering at least in the meantime... Which bushes did you change, or did you just do them as needed?

 

[Ecky Thump]

I did the anti roll bar support bushes and the drop link bushes as they were noticebly worn which were just 11 and 12 quid per axle per kit.

The Caster bushes were done during the lift and all the others seem fine even though they have probably been in the whole 153000 miles.

The bushes I did made a world of difference to the handling. I also did Tommos, the wifes and a mates 90s with milner too.

If I had access to a press I would do the others but it's not a worry as they seem fine. All the ones I did are easy to get to and do without jacking up the truck or removing wheels. A few days of duck oil prior to the change worked a treat.

 

[Lorin]

Thanks for that Les. I reckon that's where I'll start then and take it from there.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

I used Milner bushes on my old 80 and they were ok but then again I was just doing a bit of laning. For overlanding I would fit OEM but not from the main dealer they are well proven in harsh environments. The rear lower control arm bushes get a lot of stick and I would look at those first, then the front hockey sticks, then panhards, then rear upper control arms, then arb's (an ARB can simply be removed if it becomes a problem the others can't).

 

[Graham Stirling]

I've just changed the rear radius arm bushes using milners bushes. They looked ok quality and worth the money. One thing i like about them is that once you have changed to polly bushes you'll never need a press to replace them again.

 

[Lorin]

Alright, so I'll do a few of the other bushes too. Reckon I'll get a better quote re the OEM and see what can be done. I'd rather do the whole damn lot in one go if I'm honest. It was just the original Toyota quote that put me off (£960!!). Whilst the cheapies are probably fine for most useage and I like the idea of not having to use a press again and OEM quality is major factor supporting them.