wishbone rear bushes

[minima]

Hi All,

The front suspension wishbone bushes (rear) are completly gone on my 03 S. Can you buy the bushes on their own or are they part of a made up piece. Also does anyone know of an improved version (polyflex) or am I better off sticking with the standard ones? Had a quick look this evening and cant figure out how to get them out - looks like yu need to lower the lower subframe. Any ideas/diagrams anyone?

Thanks,

Eric

[irlmin]

Hi Eric ,
We replace these regularly and they are a b**ch to do , you have to remove the rear bolts of the front crossmember and then remove the 4 bolts on the bracket which holds the bush and anti-roll bar bracket -these will be tight and make sure you don't have the spanner slip it will be painfull !!!!!!!!! next remove the last bolt on the bracket which bolts to the floor , then you need to use a small pullers to remove the bracket/ bush from the arm , the bush will probably break -up at this point and you will have to remove the inner part of it from the arm by tapping with a hammer and chisel ,you may also have to remove the lower balljoint to aid access , as regards the replacements you can get polybushes and they will sort the movement BUT there will be a penalty in harshness ,std ones are good for 40 / 50000 miles + usually , We use standard genuine bushes complete with new brackets they are € 50 odd each I think and are better value than the bush only which is almost € 40 , therefore no pressing out old bushes , reassembly is reverse of above and a tip is to use some of the tyre bead lubricant on the bush center when pushing in to the arm , we have found this the best for the job , it helps that we have a tyre shop next door !!!! its a nasty job and make sure you have access to a decent ramp and some help . have a look at the exploded parts list on www.realoem.com put in your car details ie R53 2003 and then go to front axle and you will see an exploded view , give Me a call if you need any further info
G

[minima]

Thanks Ger, thats a great help!

Did my friend drop the dash into you yet?

Eric

[minima]

Thanks for your help on this one Ger - your info and the pics from MODERN MINI mag helped my mechanic here in Dublin to do the job - he agrees it was a bitch!! I bought them from Vecchio Engineering in the UK an Australian make supplied with the sleeves for £85 for a pair. They recommended these ones over the Powerflex and they come with a 60K KM guarantee. They car feels a lot better now.

[irlmin]

Eric , its amazing how you get used to the worn bushes and don't realise how bad they actually are until you drive the car with the new ones in . I must have a look at the aussie ones .
G

[redS]

My R53 is in the garage today getting these done, has to stay over night too..
How long should these usually take to do Ger?

[MiniMpi]

They're a bastard to do Earl

[irlmin]

My R53 is in the garage today getting these done, has to stay over night too..
How long should these usually take to do Ger?

About an hour a side if everything goes well.We do LOTS of them !!!!!!!!!!
G