GSF have a 41% discount on everything this weekend which has me thinking if I get a couple of pattern part front control arms (cheapest are £35 before discount) and press the bushes out ready for poly bushes, what can go wrong? I'll get some new subframe bolts and any geometry difference between these and genuine VW parts can be dealt with through wheel alignment presumably.

Anyone had experience of cheap pattern items like these?

http://m.gsfcarparts.com/422vg0380

Thanks

Edited 9 April, 201610 yr by Leeboy

I've bought some pattern wishbones once before, can't remember the make though, with the intention of fitting TT bushes to them.

I took the rear arm bushes out and the hole was a fraction larger than in a genuine wishbone meaning that the new TT bushes were not as tight as they needed to be and slid in and out of the hole on the car when in use.

 

I then bought replacement bushes and then refurbished my old wishbones.

 

Pattern wishbones are probably OK as they are, with their own bushes, but not necessarily for upgrading with bushes meant for OEM.

my bushes were buggered... managed to get 4 arms 2nd hand, 2 with polybushes less than 30k old, one of the arms buggered (hence the 2 free arms) for £20....

 

my tame mech used one of the 2nd hand arms with polybushes, pressed the bushes out of the other and put them in the arm that was on my car ....

 

probably less money altogether than 2 new pattern parts.... (definatley less than buying new polybushes! I think the rear arm bushes were £50, and the fronts about £20! EACH!) this is what I picked up at castle coomb! lol....

 

 

its has made a world of difference to the front end... feels like anew car!

Edited 9 April, 201610 yr by sharkrider

my bushes were buggered... managed to get 4 arms 2nd hand, 2 with polybushes less than 30k old, one of the arms buggered (hence the 2 free arms) for £20....

my tame mech used one of the 2nd hand arms with polybushes, pressed the bushes out of the other and put them in the arm that was on my car ....

probably less money altogether than 2 new pattern parts.... (definatley less than buying new polybushes! I think the rear arm bushes were £50, and the fronts about £20! EACH!) this is what I picked up at castle coomb! lol....

its has made a world of difference to the front end... feels like anew car!

Yeah, reading your project thread made me think it's a good idea to look at upgrading the control arm bushes and pattern parts seemed a cheap easy approach, but get the problem that poly bushes may not seat correctly. So what we are saying is that I should poly bush my existing items! The car already has a lsd diff, has some fast road vibra-tech engine mounts to be fitted (poly bushed dogbone mount already fitted), so all should be nice and tight at the front end... Still on standard suspension though but I'm kinda liking that other than it's 12 years old.

Just done mine along with a whole heap of other bits

^^^ Shiny!

^^^ Shiny!

Won't stay like that for long lol

I got a new front arm from Eurocarparts, including balljoint for £23.70 (Code TX15ZG gave me an extra 15%)

Seemed ok, albeit the bolt for the balljoint seems a little long. I plan to poly bush my old arm and do the same on the other side