[rjessett]

I think it must be a bit hit and miss - my current xpart set have done about 40000 miles since I last changed them

What ruins them is when people put them in slightly misaligned in the arm.

Big lump hammer gets them out in a minute or two . Stick them in the freezer for a day before putting them in if you can

[kingspoons]

I think it must be a bit hit and miss - my current xpart set have done about 40000 miles since I last changed them

Mine have probably only done about 600 miles... I had considered getting the Xpart ones, but unsure if it'll just leave me in the same situation in two years time...

But if that's considered a MOT fail condition, I couldn't understand why polybushes with an unbonded
centre beam should be acceptable. What do those look like when similarly jacked up?

I would also be interested in knowing this! Would help me judge if this going to be a fail as I expect...

As all R8's will need good quality replacements sooner or later, this is a part that we could consider re-manufacture.

That sounds like a great idea! It'd definitely be worth looking into, as the aftermarket parts do seem a bit hit and miss.

[SteveB]

As all R8's will need good quality replacements sooner or later, this is a part that we could consider re-manufacture.

That would be a great idea. I know they’re readily available and many claim to be ‘OEM’ but the quality really does seem variable. It’s tempting to think the higher the price the longer they’ll last but I’m not sure that’s always the case.

It’s probably a good idea to get the rear alignment checked once you’ve replaced the bushes so it can work out expensive if they don’t last long.

[eternalstudent]

Does anybody have pictures from disassembly and reassembly? The rear arm is held by three big screws as I see. One of them is the screw for the shock absorber. Then 2 screws for the bushes and the brake cable. Am I write? then it should come out.
Do I need a compressor for the shock absorber or is a hydraulic lifter enough?
As I mentioned, pictures would say everything if available.

[GTiJohn]

Does anybody have pictures from disassembly and reassembly? The rear arm is held by three big screws as I see. One of them is the screw for the shock absorber. Then 2 screws for the bushes and the brake cable. Am I write? then it should come out.
Do I need a compressor for the shock absorber or is a hydraulic lifter enough?
As I mentioned, pictures would say everything if available.

If you have a big enough drift and hammer you can get them out on a ramp by removing the two bush fixings and the front toe-control arm bolt, to drop the front end of the arm for access.

Burning the rubber out and sawing through the bush's metal outer (but not into the arm ! ) may be necessary to get out a rusted-in bush.

If you do need to remove the arm and do the work on a press, then you'll need to disconnect the handbrake cable and brake hose before undoing the upper and lower arm links and bottom damper bolts. These are usually corroded and rarely want to come out easily, so soak them in penetrating oil first, be very careful with the spanners and perhaps have replacement bolts handy. You may need a drift too.

There's a workshop manual available online to all club members to help with all jobs like this too