CDTi Front suspension

[jscpch]

Help please! I have just bought a pair of front suspension supports complete with the bushes inserted for the local garage to replace for me. They have just 'phoned to say they cannot undo the bolts and have even broken a socket trying. They say I will have to take the car to a garage with more specialist gear to undo the bolts. Any ideas please???
I'm in Spain and the garage is a well respected one man set-up.

[klarzy]

Help please! I have just bought a pair of front suspension supports complete with the bushes inserted for the local garage to replace for me. They have just 'phoned to say they cannot undo the bolts and have even broken a socket trying. They say I will have to take the car to a garage with more specialist gear to undo the bolts. Any ideas please???
I'm in Spain and the garage is a well respected one man set-up.


I take it you are referring to replacing the wishbone and the wishbone rear bush (looks like an aluminium boomerang)?

Can you tell us which bolts you refer to...?
Wheel hub centre nut..
Wishbone to hub bottom ball joint pinch bolt (far end of boomerang)?
Wishbone to sub frame ball joint (middle of boomerang)?
Bush fixing bolt (x2 on each bush mount)?

K

[jscpch]

Apologies for not making it clear. I bought a pair of lower front suspension arm bushes from member [email protected]. Described as Bush & housing assembly-lower arm LH and RH.

[klarzy]

Apologies for not making it clear. I bought a pair of lower front suspension arm bushes from member [email protected]. Described as Bush & housing assembly-lower arm LH and RH.

so it's the bush to subframe bolts that are solid?

have they been pre soaked in oil or release agent, several sprays over a few hours may help...
of no good then you may want to drop the subframe a few inches to get better purchase with a long spanner...

[jscpch]

Thanks - copying your suggestion to the garage.

[Mike Noc]

Apologies for not making it clear. I bought a pair of lower front suspension arm bushes from member [email protected]. Described as Bush & housing assembly-lower arm LH and RH.

Don't worry JS you made yourself perfectly clear. These are commonly called wishbones because they sit in the same place that a lower wishbone would sit. :getmecoat:

Important to check which bolts are seized - the rear bush bolts that Pete mentioned or the lower hub clamp bolt? The lower and upper hub clamp bolts commonly seize up - you don't need to remove the upper hub bolt to change a lower arm though.

As mentioned soaking in penetrating oil, careful application of heat and freezing penetrating spray, even giving seized bolts a clump with a large hammer before trying to remove them can help, and also an electric impact wrench can be very useful and these are quite cheap these days.