Polyurethane bushes C5 (X7)

jya

jya

Member
Tadpole
Joined
Apr 5, 2018
Messages
77
Location
Melbourne Australia
Anyone tried these as yet?

Citroen C5 III (2008 - On) Suspension - Powerflex Australia

Powerflex Suspension Bushes are Europe's No.1 Suspension bushes for European vehicles, now in Australia.
powerflexaustralia.com.au powerflexaustralia.com.au

3 years ago I changed all the front end lower bushes on both control arms (car has 110k now). Recently though my wife ran both tyres hard into a kerb she did not see at night. Probably at around 10 kmh.
Just got the front end re aligned, it has since scrubbed the inner shoulder of both front tyres and was 16mm out!
I would say the 2 main (larger) bushes on the lower arms are gone for sure as the steering has gone very vague; it feels terrible in the wet, almost like a 'torque steer' sensation..
Not sure if its safe to drive but I can't see too much obvious damage and nothing seems to be bent.

This time around it may be polyurethane. Easier to get locally and probably longer lasting.
 
Get the suspension checked, something may be broken....unsafe at any speed as they say.
The work experience wheel alignment kid probably missed the fault.
 
Did the Technician get the alignment back in spec?

There is something amiss in the suspension somewhere that is for sure. Can you move the suspension and feel play in the bushes?
 
geometry.jpg
 
Thanks' for your replies gents.
After she hit the kerb and brought the car home I did immediately test drive it and give it a visual as best I could. I must say it felt very normal on driving it since.
Only after yesterday's two new front Michelin's and wheel alignment did I notice anything amiss at all. 'Driven' is right they did not pick up anything, despite being told the reason why the front tyres had scrubbed so badly on the inner shoulder and to have a closer look.
I only drove it for a short while and soon I realised something is not right and took it straight back for them to put on the hoist and have a proper closer look...
They told me it was an issue with the drivers lower control arm. Unfortunately I wasn't there to see. I will call them again tomorrow and see if it was just the bushes. I will also get under the car myself and have a closer look for any cracks etc.
I could have got at least another year from the front 2 Michelin's..
It's only on banking or cornering that I notice a small twitch at the wheel. It rained today and the feeling is more acute. Feels like the wheels want to waft in another direction for a split second.
I couldn't get a booking at the local specialist until early Feb and he wants $125 per hour and claimed around 3-4 hours of work plus parts of course. Three years ago the previous 'quick in, quick out' local mechanics charged me $110 per hour x 5.5 hours ($605) to remove the front 2 arms and fit the bushes I supplied. They all know how to charge well for a fairly routine job..
I know these prices are now the standard labour rates we have to pay in this expensive country and good and bad mechanics all have a business to run.
I also do pretty much all the work on my other 3 cars. Installed the engine and transmission on my classic cars and restoring them myself. Recently also to be able to remove a leaking compressor before it spewed 'black death' in the whole cooling system which would have required to remove the dash to get to the TX valve, I have just had to remove most of the intake system to be able to partly raise the engine, remove the engine mount out and battle with the power steering and AC lines all to get the compressor out of my Jaguar S Type R.. No French car enthusiast should ever complain about French engineering!
As an amateur I'm only geared up to work on these Pommy cars which take up nearly all my free time, so not much time left for the beautiful C5!
Anyhow, if I remember correctly Powerflex want around $450 in labour for the arms plus the cost of the front 4 poly bushes at around $190. Seems very fair thus far, but they're busy and I have to wait a couple of weeks. See how we go.
 
Failure and replacement of the bushes in the X7 lower wishbones is a known event. The local agent replaces the entire arm at considerable $$$$. Having seen a failed X7 lower arm it was amazing just how much the bonded in rubber can stretch and "take". In this case the lower arm had failed as the result of the service technician failing to tighten the locating bolt and the assembly was able to slip apart .. messy and a great dilemma.
A cruise through Ebay shows what is available and would serve to verify the 'fast moving" replacement parts. They wouldn't be listing them if they didn't sell in some volume.
Having said that, I foolishly replaced factory rubber bushes in my second nose C5 ( different strut type suspension completely ) with UK sourced poly bushes. I now regret it as the stiffness of the bushes means more transmitted noise and vibration...even steering wheel shake under rough road braking.
 
Some good comments fritzelhund. True about the bushes, as with my Jaguar S Type the upper wishbones (bushes and ball joint assembly) on all 4 corners don't last forever either; over time they do need replacing. Usually its the boots around the ball joints that perish first. Fortunately as Ford owned Jaguar for nearly 20 years there a heap of Ford products on the vehicle, including these 4 wishbones. The 'European sounding' named direct replacement wishbones are hit and miss at the best of times with very common failures, however the Motorcraft (original) versions (hilariously they have 'Jaguar' stamped on the arms) are not just the original arms but far superior and of course half the price of the Jaguar versions!
More expensive, but maybe in this case as well the original equipment manufacturers parts are the best to go for also?
I know they love their poly bushes in the UK and of course the ones to be fitted on mine in the next couple of weeks are UK sourced. Who knows if they'll last longer than the aftermarket rubber ones. Still bit of a concern with your experience..
Just had a look for myself under the X7. The middle bush on the lower RHS control arm has perished. No cracks or obvious suspension damage that was closely visible on either side. I'd like to think it's likely as a result of my wife's kerb hitting and not that the aftermarket bushes on these arms only lasted 2.5 years...
 
I posted it because I have seen mechanics with very different figures
 
Here is something not quite entirely different. It serves to demonstrate the varying forces a bush is exposed to as well as the "need" for bushes be oriented specifically. My C5 has the "dreaded" internal void design. The poly bush is a solid mass with no directional relief.

Believe it if you will.

 
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