Stabilizer bushing replacement
Anti-roll-bar bushes hold the bar in the body brackets.
Symptoms
- A knock on every body roll, duller and closer to the center of the car than a sway-bar-link knock.
What's included
- As the rubber wears, clearance develops and the bar strikes its mounting whenever the body rolls. The knock resembles link noise but is duller and closer to the vehicle’s centre. The faults can only be distinguished by inspection on a lift, so we check the complete assembly. Bushes are replaced in pairs with their seats cleaned: dirt prevents even seating and shortens their life. We also assess the bar itself; worn grooves mean new bushes will not last, which must be considered when estimating the repair.
Why it matters
This defect can only be told apart from a faulty sway bar link by inspection on a lift. If the sway bar itself already has worn grooves, new bushings won't last long.
More details
The bushings hold the sway bar in the body brackets. The rubber wears down over time, a gap appears, and with every body roll the sway bar knocks against the mount — the driver hears a sound similar to a link knock, but duller and closer to the center of the car. Telling these two faults apart is only possible with an inspection on the lift, so we check the whole assembly. We replace the bushings in pairs, cleaning the mounting surfaces first — new rubber seated on a dirty surface sits unevenly and lasts less. At the same time we assess the sway bar itself: if grooves have worn into it, the bushings won't last long on their own, and that should be factored into the estimate.
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