I am slowly but surely coming to grips with getting rid of my fabia VRS.. The suspension and constant sqeaking, and knocking is taking its toll on my wallet and moreso my patience. Its a 56 plate car and this morning turned 75000 on the clock. Last year I have replaced the lower g/box mount, the drop links twice, the rear console bushes and also an engine mount. I appreciate that bushes get old and are a wear and tear item. The noises that i am hearing now are groaning, knocking and squeaking. The knocking is on almost any bump in the road at speeds from 10mph and faster. The groaning and squeaking noises are occuring when cornering, roundabouts and also when coming off or going on the throttle. Pulling up to a stop slowly or quickly also reproduces it. I have checked everything is nice and tight underneath and silicon sprayed everything bar the discs and pads!! :think:

All the topics previously posted regarding suspension issues have mentioned things like changing anti roll bar bushes and uprating console bushes and dog bone mount etc and I was wondering what is the best thing to start with. Opinions seem to vary from post to post Is it worth changing console bushes for the solid cupra ones? If so what is the actual part number from Seat?

The superflex poly-whatsits any good? Again are they two piece and don't require removing the anti roll bar to fit?

Part number for them ?

I probably will renew drop links for Mehyle(sp) HD ones if I knew where to buy from and also the cost, so that everything is as new.

I appreciate the time you have taken to read this and I know its been done to death but I'd just love to be able to motor along in near silence! Thanks for all replies

The Meyle heavy duty droplinks are available from VWSpares online and are roughly around the £13-£14 mark.

I believe anti rollbar bushes are 19mm in size and Powerflex and Superpro do them, there is a thread stickied somewhere by someone who has listed all the replacement bushes you may require.

Have a look in Skoda Fabia technical guides, bushes bud. It's near the top of the page. Good luck with sorting it out!

It may also be worth changing your top mount bearings also. Hope this helps a bit.

Edited 29 February, 201214 yr by redcupraboy

Thanks very much for replying , I'm glad someone did !! I am going to go ahead with the links, ARB bushes and console bushes and hopefully they won't take too long to come and I get time to fit them ! The top mount bearings I will leave in the mean time and see what effect the new bits have first ! Thanks very much for your help and I'll be sure to say how I got on!

Cheers

No problemo, glad to be of some help. Do post up once you have fitted all you have mentioned to see if it helps cure your problems.

I'm not the most mechanically savvy so will no doubt be out of my depth with this thread, however, I had all the symptoms that you're describing. Specifically the creaking noise when suddenly starting or stopping and when turning on full lock. Turned out to that the bushes were goosed! Had them replaced this week and my car is back to bump soaking, creak-less bliss.

Thats good to hear m4rk_VRS!!

Ive got almost everything needed apart from the ARB and rear console bushes. Got hd links, ball joints and front arm bushes.

One last question regarding the ARB bushes before i order them. Ive measured as close to the bushes themselves as possible, on the ARB, and the size seems to be 20-21mm. It seems to have metal clamps. Is there an actual size regarding to age etc of the car as it seems strange to see there are so many different sizes fitted to the car? Its a 2006 btw. And If i order the superflex ones do they come split , ie don't need to let subframe down to fit? They advertise as a one piece split deisgn ?

Thanks again

My car is a 07 model and FARB bushes are 19mm, that's what I ordered for my Superpro bushes bud.

They are all one piece split design also.

Edited 7 March, 201214 yr by redcupraboy

One last question regarding the ARB bushes before i order them. Ive measured as close to the bushes themselves as possible, on the ARB, and the size seems to be 20-21mm. It seems to have metal clamps. Is there an actual size regarding to age etc of the car as it seems strange to see there are so many different sizes fitted to the car? Its a 2006 btw. And If i order the superflex ones do they come split , ie don't need to let subframe down to fit? They advertise as a one piece split deisgn ? Thanks again

If you remove the ARB clamps, move the bush along a bit, and measure the diameter where the mounting bush normally sits, you should find that its the same as you measured elsewhere - and that proves that you have the later ARB, or, you could use a magnet and check if the collars are steel or plastic.

I'd reckon that the "split one piece" just means that while they are one piece, they will be split at one point only so that you can ease them open and push them over the ARB.

Edited 7 March, 201214 yr by rum4mo

IIRC there should not be a nylon insert in the ARB bushes - that part was originally part of the early ARBs - ie the plastic stop/collar. I would doubt seriously if you have managed to order up a new "old version" ARB from any VAG dealership. When you go to pick-up the ARB just ask them for bushes to suit it - and maybe a couple of clamps if they are now a different size to suit the new bushes. Quite a few of the original p/n are still retained as it is only the smaller sizes that now need new bushes that did not exist before - don't missinterpret this, as all the new version ARBs need a different size of mounting bush than that originally fitted. Broadly speaking, the bush for the original 21mm bar should still be available as a spare but only for the original 21mm bar - the new version 21mm bar now uses the bush that the original 19mm bar used - etc.

Rum4mo, you posted this ! . So my bar measuring 21mm should actually take the 19mm bush from superflex then ??

Just don't want to order the wrong bits ...post back etc !

Thats all bushes fitted and now nice and quiet ! Brilliant :sun:

One thing ive noticed is that the steering seems a good bit stiffer and doesn't spin back fast, after turning a tight corner slowly?

Anyone noticed this after doing bushes links etc?

Cheers