Polo 9N - Replacement front ARB and suspension bushes

[GUEST 9999]

Hi,
My Polo 9N 2003 1.9 SDI has failed the MOT, with the garage quoting 3hrs labour to sort:

Suspension arm has excessive play in a pin/bush nearside front [2.4.G.2]
Suspension arm has excessive play in a pin/bush offside front [2.4.G.2]
Anti-roll bar has excessive play in a pin/bush nearside front [2.4.G.2]
Anti-roll bar has excessive play in a pin/bush offside front [2.4.G.2]

- Is there enough info above to know which bushes have failed? I vaguely remember "rear" and "end of arm" being mentioned.

- What does it involve that could take 3 hours? - After some research on forums/youtube etc. I have a rough idea that it means removing the wishbones and that the ARB bushes are done in situ but absolutely no feel for how long this would take a professional.

- Given the cost of labour vs. parts - are there any other parts that might as well be replaced/uprated at the same time?

Fwiw, the car now has nearly 215k on the clock so no complaints there and I don't mind spending money to keep it going because overall it's not in bad shape and drives well. It's the first time I have used this garage though and the quote is £225 all in.

[niall campbell]

what are the prices for parts ?

anti roll bar bushes are fairly easy, the wishbone ones might need pressed out/ in , however fit new wishbones maybe cheaper if DIY VW POLO MK5 9N 2002-2010 FRONT LOWER SUSPENSION WISHBONES ARMS PAIR LEFT & RIGHT | eBay

anti roll bar bushes Meyle Anti Roll Bar Bushes Skoda Fabia 6Y2,6Y3,6Y5 VW Polo 9N - 1004110049 PAIR | eBay

try euro car parts as well

[zollaf]

it will more than likely be the console bushes that need replacing. these are done in situ after removing the wishbone. that price for all that work is a steal, rip their arm off.

[GUEST 9999]

Breakdown was 23+VAT for parts, labour 55+VAT ph, = £226 all in. That includes replacing a sidelight bulb which I've done myself so knock a few £ off for that I guess.

I have considered DIYing it. I managed the brakes and rear shocks myself learning from here and youtube , but that was without the pressure of needing the car for work.

If it's the console bushes, should I ask them to replace the arm bushes as well?

Another (trusted) garage quoted £120 all in, based on the MOT failure sheet alone.

[zollaf]

you can't quote on the mot sheet alone. the second garage has just priced up 2 arms, not the console bushes. the arms don't come with the console bushes, they are a seperate item. they press into the subframe and you need a tool to get them in. its a good idea to fit new arms and console bushes at the same time. there are also parts and good quality parts. you can get mickey mouse no name parts a lot cheaper than a named brand like febi or meyle, or even genuine. it sounds like the 2nd garage has priced up using cheap parts as 120 is too cheap for a pair of arms fitted. question is, do you want to fit cheap arms that only last a year, or proper ones that will last 5 years ?

[Crasher]

Fit Powerflex and it's done

VW Polo 9N 02-05 Powerflex Big Wishbone Bushes PFF85-602 | eBay

[zollaf]

is that a new design with the black insert piece ?

[Rob69]

Definitely worth spending a bit extra on good bushes, my FIL's fabia had cheap ones fitted and they had to be done again a few years later.

[Crasher]

No, that is their design for the 9N which is the opposite way around to their Golf 5 design BUT I use the 9N version on the Golf 5 as it is easier to install. On Mrs Crashers Polo GTI I had the opportunity to experiment and I used a Golf 5 purple inner and a 9N purple outer and it is still working perfectly years later plus it is slightly more compliant.

[GUEST 9999]

Hi,

Thanks everyone.

question is, do you want to fit cheap arms that only last a year, or proper ones that will last 5 years ?

Answer is for £200 in labour I would hope the job to last more than a year!

Say I keep it for a few years then the clock will be at 230k on current rate (~5k/yr) and hopefully life still in it for the next owner.

As I understand it there are 3 separate bushes involved here. And the quoted labour is reasonable if it includes the console bush.

For uprated parts is it the norm to source these yourself and supply to the garage?

Edit: To be sure to be sure, it needs 2 x PFF85-602 and 2 x PFF85-201, right?

Would it make sense to uprate the above only, and fit normal ARB bushes? (which come in various sizes)