REPLACING THE BUSHINGS IN YOUR CAR

Jan 26, 2018 | Road Trips

The lady at the counter was a little exasperated. Her 2001 Honda Accord needed still another bushing replacement and she didn’t understand what was going on with her car. This was the perfect opportunity to teach a driver about her car, and being a good sport she followed us on a tour under her car. The bushings are a formed from a rubber-like compound and they are used to keep space between metal linkages under your car.

All rubber products eventually get brittle and wear out


Rubber Parts Fail Over Time


Imagine the deafening noise of metal arms clanging together under your car as you drive. Now consider the additional hammering that you would feel as this occurred and you can see the need for the quieting effect and dampening provided by these rubber donuts. (“Donuts” as a term may be a bit misleading since bushings have many different shapes) They last years, but like all rubber products, they eventually get brittle and wear out. The bushing also serves as guides for the metal parts. In effect they keep other parts in the correct position. This job is crucial when it comes to a wheel alignment.

Bad Bushings Make Some Other Repairs Impossible to Address


Failed bushings make a proper alignment an exercise in futility. So why were we replacing bushings again for our client? It was simply that the pattern of wear and the needed replacements occurred over three consecutive visits. Each visit had shown us a different bushing that had come to the end of its life. It is highly unlikely that we will ever have to replace the newly installed bushings since they have a very long service life. If you are curious about the work being done on your car, ask your mechanic for a tour. Most mechanics love an involved customer and will be glad to show you how it all works. After all, car care is a team effort.

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