Hi all

I am going to look at doing my bushes soon

What tools do I need to remove the current bush and what tool to add the new one?

Is it a fly press to do it proper ?

Tar

Phil

Which bushes?

sent from my Galaxy Note 3

Front wish bone bushes

You mean the fitting guide and multiple threads on the subject aren't clear enough? Shocking.

I saw the big socket etc

Didn't know if there was a more proper way of doing it that's all.....

Well the ebay bush removal and fitting tools are decent if not slightly pricey. I used one on my rear beam. Was an absolute god send actually when refitting the powerflex bushes.

Are you replacing with standard or aftermarket?

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From what I have heard wax is the best best for bush removal. 

 

SN

Edited 27 April, 201412 yr by Steve Neate

Lol class

Hoping to go Cupra

But if I can find a reliable way of doing it I have am Ibiza to, mg zr rear beam and a Clio 172

Smack em. Two hits and the standard bush is history.

Tips on how to make it?

If you're doing it in situ on the car and you have the original type bushes with plastic outer, you can heat up the aluminium bush housing with a blow torch and when the plastic bush outer casing starts to melt you can pop it out with a screwdriver. That's how I did it anyway.

Use a hack saw to cut outer platic casing and push out with prybar or anything like

Personly if you got no propper tools like high tensile threaded bar or a press laying about. . Buy polibushes then lube up and use a hammer to knock in.... easier

I always drop the subframe out. Saves so much time overall and you can do a proper job. Drop the frame (means you can give the ARB a good check over at the same time), seperate the consoles from the subframe, drive the bushes out, normally a couple of hits and they are out. Clean up the console carefully with a flap wheel on a drill (just remove the corrosion). Fit a new Cupra bush in using a vice. Do NOT lube the bush when fitting it as per Skoda's instruction (it relies on friction to hold the bush in the console), subframe back up replacing all the bolts with new ones and carry out wheel alignment check. Normally takes me about 45 mins to change a pair of bushes.

If you're doing it in situ on the car and you have the original type bushes with plastic outer, you can heat up the aluminium bush housing with a blow torch and when the plastic bush outer casing starts to melt you can pop it out with a screwdriver. That's how I did it anyway.

This is exactly what i did. Very easy.

No special tools required at all, that's why I went with Powerfelx as even with the correct tool it's still not the most easy of jobs from reading earlier posts and talking to someone who does it regularly without dropping the sub frame, my local garage offered to lend me the Sealey tool to do the job for a weekend, even then I was advised it was a ball ache so I went with PF bushes as they will last the lifetime of the car.

The guide in the guides section (hint: read it) suggests the lower three nuts are the place to start, this to me is more difficult, so I opted for the top nut on the ball joint as it prevents the tracking issues others have had, if you avoid using a pickling fork it's easy to pop the ball joint without boot damage, it's also one larger nut that's more protected from weather than the three smaller nuts which in my case were in a very corroded state, I'd put money on sheering and rounding one or more so I replaced the wishbones, ball joints and the bushes as the cost was still less than paying Skoda rates to have the bushes replaced and they'd last the life of the car. Whatever you opt for Plusgas is the best dismantling oil you can buy imo, either the spray or the oil can is worth the investment (£3-4 ish) and a lot better than WD40 which is a dispersant (ie it drives moisture out).

Getting the old bush out was done mainly using a screwdriver/chisel and/or a hacksaw blade or Stanley knife to cut as much of the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock rubber as possible (I had the first gen bushes) on both sides to weaken it, in my case they were torn badly already so didn't need much help.Then on the front face the outer nylon sleeve lips round to stop the bush being pushed out, a thin chisel under that and a tap with a hammer will deform the outer plastic without damaging the console and you can force the nylon in on the bush easily, once it deforms it stays deformed so I carefully repeated this until the bush was through and came out the back, not the most elegant method and take care not to damage the inner face of the console (if you do then sand it smooth) but it worked. The other side almost slid came straight out by comparison. Clean the inner face of the console up, it will have surface corrosion so a little wire wool or a fine wire brush (think more of a suede brush than the kind of thing you'd use to remove rust).

As far as fitting goes the PF bushes push fit by hand to the wishbone, the outer purple section taps into the console, I confess to using that most dangerous of things not in the tool box... fairy liquid Why is fairy liquid so dangerous? Try telling your wife you just used all of it and she needs to go to the shop to get more because your car's in bits. After that it only needs a tap to put it in. Following the instructions re copper slip the inner sleeve has a hex shaped end that lines up with the wishbone so fit it to the wishbone first first then begin to slide it in till you meet with resistance, then I used a pry bar to gently guide the console as I applied pressure, slide the wishbone back into the correct position, both sleeves are tapered so it'll guide straight in. Total job including getting tools out, tea and a biscuit took just over an hour, I reckon it could be done in a lot less assuming everything was straight forward and even less if it were on ramps as working off your back isn't fun. It's also a great time to check things like the drop links and ball joint/TRE's condition or any brake disc/pad changes or caliper painting as you're already in. If you do need drop links then Myle HD's make great kit and are well worth investing in compared to a few 'cheap' and not so cheap versions i've used so far. They also do a more solid bush set for the Fabia that has smaller voids than the current oe bush but isn't quite as solid as a Cupra version, it's also cheap!

 

I've now run this way for over 30k and recently had a look at my bushes when I removed the wishbone to get extra space while doing the drive, bushes still look perfect, the colour isn't quite as bright now and the copper slip had gone but the bush still moved freely, I also get no more or less vibration now than I did with the oe bushes, my car just steers through a corner now as opposed to wallowing round them like a boat and knocking.

 

The point raised above about using a blow torch is a good one, the whole process would have been a lot easier if the plastic were softened up (why didn't I think of that?!) but if you don't have one then the above works. Tech1e's method is the way i'd do it *if* I had access to a hydraulic lift or a pit. You could also buy a spare set of consoles and do the bush swap off the car, selling the set you have shouldn't be a problem afterwards.

Screwdriver and a pair of tin snips to cut the plastic is what I used on dogbone, and plan on using in the distant future when I do these.

I always drop the subframe out. Saves so much time overall and you can do a proper job. Drop the frame (means you can give the ARB a good check over at the same time), seperate the consoles from the subframe, drive the bushes out, normally a couple of hits and they are out. Clean up the console carefully with a flap wheel on a drill (just remove the corrosion). Fit a new Cupra bush in using a vice. Do NOT lube the bush when fitting it as per Skoda's instruction (it relies on friction to hold the bush in the console), subframe back up replacing all the bolts with new ones and carry out wheel alignment check. Normally takes me about 45 mins to change a pair of bushes.

Hmm... Škoda manual says, it must be lubricated- but with VAG grease, of course :-)

Personally I did it with liquid soap from kitchen, when installed regular X-type bushings.

Soap quite quickly dries out and bushings stays in place perfectly (80 000km already driven after replacement- looks good).

Lubricated with assembly oil, not grease.

 

And that is for the plastic bushes, not the Cupra metal sleeved ones.

I pressed my plastic Meyle ones in dry. Wasn't taking any chances with them being able to rotate in the housing. They went in easy with the tool I made.

 

I've got a pot of the proper Skoda 'gloop' that I'd be happy to send out little packages of if only I could think of a way of non-leakily posting a couple of cc's at a time. Any ideas, anyone?

I've got a pot of the proper Skoda 'gloop' that I'd be happy to send out little packages of if only I could think of a way of non-leakily posting a couple of cc's at a time. Any ideas, anyone?

 

I can "match" your pot of the proper Skoda "gloop" and raise you a half used tube of Girling Blue Mechanical Brake Grease AND half used tubes of Girling Red Rubber Grease - and still have enough space for some more "really handy" service/repair stuff!! Wish I could find my half used tube of Black Gold bottom bracket grease as it would be handy for lubricating some house door handles!

I've got a pot of the proper Skoda 'gloop' that I'd be happy to send out little packages of if only I could think of a way of non-leakily posting a couple of cc's at a time. Any ideas, anyone?

 

Put it in condoms?

I pressed my plastic Meyle ones in dry. 

 

 

This is all I could think of when you typed that haha

 

I've got a pot of the proper Skoda 'gloop' that I'd be happy to send out little packages of if only I could think of a way of non-leakily posting a couple of cc's at a time. Any ideas, anyone?

 

Small zip seal plastic bag, we use them at work for ... well that would be telling. What do I win?

This is all I could think of when you typed that haha

 

 

Dirty boy