Guys, I need to know from those of you who've had it done, how long would it take to change out the bushings on the front control arms, both sides? I called a suspension shop here in LA and they want $600 just for the labor, I thought I heard the guy wrong so I reiterrated to him that "I already have the Daizen bushings, all I'm asking you to do is the labor, I don't need any parts" but I heard him right the first time...$600 smackeroos...I have a personal mechanic friend who has everything except a lift so I wanted to know if this is a job 2 people could complete in a day? I'll have the bushings and there's a machine shop within walking distance where we can get the bushings pressed in. I just don't want to start the project and have my car sitting overnight because it took too long. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

yeah i spent about 650.00 or 670.00 to get mine done that sounds about right and i bought my bushings also...people say its cheaper to do it yourself i just didnt have the time and the tools..

CEO

 

CEO, you have the Daizen's or the Vlamos bushings? I was all set to buy the Daizen's but now I'm torn because I don't want a street racer or a highly modified car. I just want my Lex to drive and look like new, and now I understand that the Daizen's will be much more firm that the Vlamos bushings. WHat to do what to do? I can get the daizen's for $100, I have no idea how much the Vlamos ones run...

 

where are you getting the bushings from?

Looks like I need to do the same.....

Thanks,

Aron

 

I believe after the currency conversion the Vlamos bushings are like $200- $300 US.
They are pretty much a OEM type feel . The Daizens as we all nkow are much harder and therefore harsher than stock
I do know the quality of the Vlamos and the customer service is excellent and if you are looking for an oem LUXURY feeling then you must choose vlamos.
If you want performance then evertything is a trade off and consider Daizen
Just my 0.02.

 

Ok, for the umpteenth time, if you change only the lower bushings, there is NO difference among ANY of the bushing options, unless you use the crappy Whiteline bushings which I don't think anyone here would use in the first place.

Labor is 14-16 hours for the lower arms by the book, so figure anwhere from 50-75/hr.

 

Aron, I was planning on getting my bushings from TMEngineering.net, aka Todd Matsubara because he's really close to where I live and I HATE waiting for shipping. His price for parts is reasonable so that makes my decision quite easy. I'm just debating whether or not I want to drop the $$$ to have them do the labor. True if you have a shop do it you have recourse in case something unforseen happens but I think my friend and I could do the job given enough time. We have all the tools (except a lift) so I think I'm going to give it a shot and try to make this a DIY job. Hotboy, thanks for the info. Todd, I'll be in contact with you soon. My girl crashed my Explorer (thankfully not the Lex, she's not allowed to touch it) Sunday night/morning (drunk driver blew through a red light then bolted from the scene on foot, no serious injuries to my girl thank god...oh yeah, I will be acquiring the perpetrators address thanks to him leaving all his personal effects in his car...dumbazz...soon to be "bbq'd dumbazz") so that's occupying all my attention and money at the time.

 

anyone know how long before the daizen's start squeaking.... and how much hassle it is to get them re-lubed everytime? I'm trying to consider that factor before I decide on bushings to get.

 

I did some r & d, than asked my mechanic to do the same - we both decided to go with the guys from Austalia. So my mech. ordered them in - TO Dallas, Texas!!!

I would rather sleep at night - you know what I mean????!!!!

Aron

 

So far, the control arm bushings have been silent with 100 miles a day for over a year.... the sway bar bushings are another story though.... back to stock until they come up with a zerk fitting kit. That is what the kit for my 928 had, and it never uttered a peep.


928

 

hmmm.... so no squeaking for you yet huh? And did you just replace the lower control arm bushings? front and rear?

now when they do start to squeak... re-lubing them is the same task as swapping them out? (meaning it's gonna be a PITA)