R53 MINI Cooper lower control arm bushing wear
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- In this video, I show a rather bad case of lower control arm bushing wear. It is cracked almost around the entire inside diameter of the bushing. MINIs of this vintage are well-known for having worn control arm bushings, so it's always important to inspect these periodically. Worn bushings can cause issues such as tramlining (following ruts in the road), directional instability, torque steer, and abnormal tire wear.
If it's just your daily junker , clean them good with brake cleaner and fill all around with 3M window weld and let it dry for a few days before using it . Make sure it's dry and it will last longer then new BMW ones .
I've done exactly that on some beaters I've had in the past. Works well for engine/transmission mounts as well. In this case, the customer requested that I replace the control arms, ball joints, struts, and lower control arm bushings (used poly bushings).
In my state I fail every vehicle that uses that stuff. It is not safe.
how many bushes do you need to replace on mini cooper s r53? i was thinking of doing wishbones too are there wishbones in back and front? im getting a lot of vibration and a rough ride on bumpy roads
Mini Coopers are not heavily impacted by worn rear control arm bushings, because their suspension set up is so effective by design. Nevertheless, the joints shown in this video have been diagnosed correctly and need replacement.
The only concern the owner had was that the car seemed to "tramline" in the ruts in the road and during heavy acceleration. Amazingly, the tires were wearing out evenly.
Can the change in caster on a vehicle that doesn't have any caster adjustments be caused because of a slightly bent lower control arm or an impact to the ball joint?? My vehicles caster is off on the right side so I want to see if it's because of the lower control arm being slightly bent because of hitting a pothole. Thanks!!
Yes, damaged or bent components such as the lower control arm or strut could cause a non-adjustable angle like caster to be out of spec. Worn bushings in the suspension components and subframe can do the same.
How much time to replace the lower control arm bushing? What was the final cost to the customer?
Labor time was 3.0 hours, which included wheel alignment. I can't comment on the final cost in this particular case, as the customer had much more work tacked on while it was in the shop. You can expect to spend roughly 2.5 to 3hrs of labor cost, at the going labor rate in your area. In my area, the average labor rate is $125/hr.
would this cause a lot of vibration or shaking in the vehicle? i get a lot of shaking during acceleration and some coasting. these are about the only things i can think of now that would cause it after getting an alignment
Yes, this can cause driveline shaking, though it's not a primary cause of shaking from what I've seen come through the shop. After the bushings were replaced on this car (polyurethane was used on this car), the customer noticed that some vibrations they experienced under heavy acceleration were eliminated after the new bushings were installed.