Rear axle bushes/rubber mounts

**big-ste90** · 28-03-2011,11:16 AM

Ive had a really bad knocking noise coming from the rear of my audi a3, ive changed the top mount bushes and that did nothing. whilst i was changing my top mounts i noticed the axle bushes had a bit hanging off, ive now purchased some new bushes and was wondering if i needed any specialist tools or if i can do then with the "normal" tools i have in the garage, also if there is anything i should be aware of. I know that the bushes have to be located in a specific place.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers.

**1st time buyer** · 28-03-2011,10:07 PM

Is it the sub frame bushes? If so these are supposedly a nightmare to come off and sometimes need to be burnt off! On the upside they are by all accounts very easy to fit!

I have the knocking noise too, but got the bushes from Audi £45 so not too bad!!

**NickPicks** · 29-03-2011,09:15 AM

The rear axle beam bushes! By whose account are they easy?

I've not done these on the A3, but I think they're very similar to the mk3 golf which I have done. The manual says that you need a hydraulic press to remove them and replace the new ones. On the Golf, I took off the whole rear axle beam, stuck that in the back of my A6 and took it and the bushes to my local backstreet garage, who cut the old ones out and pressed the new ones in. They charged me £50 and their exact words were "It wasn't the nicest of jobs"

I think what most people end up doing is pushing / knocking out the rubber in the middle, cutting carefully through the metal outer bush (but not into the axle) to release the tension on the bush, then pushing that out. The new ones go in a bit easier with some grease and a 20 ton hydraulic press.

**Crasher** · 29-03-2011,10:46 AM

Originally Posted by 1st time buyer

On the upside they are by all accounts very easy to fit!

If you mean rear axle bushes then no, they are not easy to remove but not too bad to fit the new ones.

**NickPicks** · 29-03-2011,10:17 PM

It seems that the tools I mentioned above are slightly different - it's not a hydraulic press, but a long threaded bolt with the right size mandrels to push the old one out and the new one in.

Edit: What year is your A3? After 2001, they have a hydraulic bonded rubber bush, which does need a hydraulic press to get out.

**Crasher** · 29-03-2011,10:35 PM

The threaded tool stands no chance of pressing out a rusted in steel original, even the hydraulic one struggles. It can press out a plastic bush but these rarely fail. It is the early cars up to around 2003 that have the hydro steel bodied bush, but I have seen 2002 cars the plastic ones and 2004 with steel.

**NickPicks** · 30-03-2011,09:15 PM

To be honest, my advice is "Pay Crasher to do it" (Or a nearby garage if you're not in Nottingham)

My local garage makes it cheaper by letting me take the axle off and take it to them, but I can imagine some wouldn't let you do this.