Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: TheBoy on 07 September 2012, 11:14:58
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I am aware some members have had issues with Lemforder wishbones. If you've used them in the last 5 years, can you vote?
Also, add a reply saying what failed on them, eg front bush, rear bush, balljoint, structural.
TIA
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Front bushes failed and rear bushes starting to split, just udner two years and spotted at MOT (hence pretty bad!).
I was also not that impressed with the quality of the formed steel in some places.
Not worth the money in my opinion (as they are far from cheap!) and particularly when you consider that the ball joints are a rare failure (despite you and Jimbob seeing this it is not common) and the rear bushes can be changed with a good vice.
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Front in under a year, balljoint in 18 months on mine.
never again.
merle HD for me next time
were brand new from allgerman.
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Told you so :y ;D
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Front bushes failed and rear bushes starting to split, just udner two years and spotted at MOT (hence pretty bad!).
I was also not that impressed with the quality of the formed steel in some places.
Not worth the money in my opinion (as they are far from cheap!) and particularly when you consider that the ball joints are a rare failure (despite you and Jimbob seeing this it is not common) and the rear bushes can be changed with a good vice.
I think they are about £45 each, give or take. So not massively more expensive than 2 rear GM bushes (from memory, about £20+VAT each?) and a new balljoint (Lemforder, about £16).
And around same life (going on previous rear bushes fitted to the Elite - these are shot to the point that braking is like Russian Roulette, but passed MOT 2 weeks ago ;D).
Thus the dilema.
If it wasn't for you and Jimbob's problems, I would have bought the Lemforder ones without questioning. Given that we are only looking at a few £10s difference, and they are a ballache to change, and the cost of alignment, I'm looking for the option that will last the longest.
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Ball joints on 3 sets of refurbed wishbones. In fact, all the refurbed ones I've seen.
Ball joints, it seems, will not outlast 2 sets of bushes. 1 yes, then knocks will follow.
But for me, the deciding factor is the driver in this case. Polly fronts will give less, so less yaw on the rearward bush.
The ideal would be if Lemforder supplied the bones cheaper minus the front bush. Never going to happen though.
Agree though lemforder are expensive just to remove the front bush, but it's the most reliable option IMO.
Where as Tunnie was happy to fit polly AFTER the front bush had failed.
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Well there you go then, Lemforder ball joints and vx rear bushes on existing wishbones = a better solution at lower cost :y
Simples!
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I'm following this thread with some interest as I need to do mine in the near future ::) Although I'm hoping to hold off long enough to change Rear Doughnuts and shocks and springs all at the same time, then geometry :y
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Well there you go then, Lemforder ball joints and vx rear bushes on existing wishbones = a better solution at lower cost :y
Simples!
Balljoint both sides, or just the side with play, doing the other as and if/when it develops play?
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Well there you go then, Lemforder ball joints and vx rear bushes on existing wishbones = a better solution at lower cost :y
Simples!
Balljoint both sides, or just the side with play, doing the other as and if/when it develops play?
Personally, if there's play in one then the other can't be far away so change both. Then you know it's all done and setup should be ok for a year or so ;)
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Only done about 2k on lemforders so far on the Elite, (in about a year!) happy so far, but you all know what my driving habits are like. ;D
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Well there you go then, Lemforder ball joints and vx rear bushes on existing wishbones = a better solution at lower cost :y
Simples!
Cash and security v agro time and the risk of a failure or damage or an error when fitting. The worst bush was suspected when the bolts where loose last year(?) almost from the outset iirc.
He has two cars to keep up with and drives them both hard. He can afford it, and IMO shouldn't scrimp. Especially given the state of his bump stops, as TB knowd, which show the sort of driving the car sees, the nutter. ;D
Cost is the least important consideration IMO. I've been dragged round the lanes with him. :o
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Well there you go then, Lemforder ball joints and vx rear bushes on existing wishbones = a better solution at lower cost :y
Simples!
Cash and security v agro time and the risk of a failure or damage or an error when fitting. The worst bush was suspected when the bolts where loose last year(?) almost from the outset iirc.
He has two cars to keep up with and drives them both hard. He can afford it, and IMO shouldn't scrimp. Especially given the state of his bump stops, as TB knowd, which show the sort of driving the car sees, the nutter. ;D
Cost is the least important consideration IMO. I've been dragged round the lanes with him. :o
I think, what the debate has now become is:
Are GM bushes better than Lemforder bushes?
and
Are 9yr old GM wishbones more structurally sound than the current crop of Lemforders?
As I said earlier, the actual cost differences are minimal, when taken together with alignment costs and hassle factor.
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What we can infer is:
Polys sort the front bushes
We have some confidence in the GM and lemforder rear bushes
We have no confidence in the Lemforder front ones.
Ball joints are an unknown (although genuine do last and Lemforders may)
And your still saying fit Lemforders ;D ;D ;D
Hence why I say fit the best bits to existing ones as the major effort is removal and re-fitting
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My original arms and bushes lasted 107,000 miles and failed MOT on front bushes last year.
El cheapos fitted to get through MOT and still solid at last weeks passed MOT. The tester was interested in the Omega and gave the arms a good going over with a breaker bar. Solid.
I kept my original arms and intend to polly the front and fit new GM rear bush and balljoint.
Will the original arms still be ok ? They seem fine. Has anybody done this in the past ?
Cheers folks, enjoy your weekend.
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What we can infer is:
Polys sort the front bushes
We have some confidence in the GM and lemforder rear bushes
We have no confidence in the Lemforder front ones.
Ball joints are an unknown (although genuine do last and Lemforders may)
And your still saying fit Lemforders ;D ;D ;D
Hence why I say fit the best bits to existing ones as the major effort is removal and re-fitting
Sorry, having trouble following - I've got my stupid head on today :-[
Assume whatever, it will be poly'd at the front. Thats not open for discussion.
The implication is that Lemforder rears and GM rears we have similar confidence in?
The implication is that we have a bit more confidence in GM balljoints, but over 3 times the price of the LF ones? So if refurbing, would probably recommend LF ones on cost ground?
So, based on that, I'd end up with:
New Lemforder wishbone, Lemforder rear bush, Lemforder balljoint, Powerflex front poly. No warranty, as front bush would be destroyed.
OR
9yr old GM wishbone, GM rear bush, LF balljoint (or GM?), Powerflex front poly. No warranty really.
So pretty much the same, except for the wishbone itself. The existing ones look structurally sound, though do have like surface rust. No dents or other jousting marks.
New LF wishbones will, obviously, be shiney, but you've hinted that they are of dubious build quality? Purely on the wishbone metalwork front, would I be better off using 9yr old GM one, or brand new LF ones. This will be the deciding factor, as the bushes and balljoint are 'similar', going on assumption earlier in post.
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I can vouch for that,I still have that piece of C--p, I mean lemforder wish bone that you had a look at sometime ago. :-X
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Less than 2 years / maybe 30,000 miles.
The steering felt soft when I fitted them :( feels horrible now >:(
I haven't taken the Lemforders off yet so haven't seen what state the bushes are.
I kept the old wishbones and I have bought front poly bushes & GM rear bushes & balljoints. I just have to get around to cutting the old bushes out (I did try pressing them out but the wishbone started to distort using my home-made 10 ton press :()
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2 yrs ,30k.
Have now rebushed old bones with gm bushes and lemforder ball joints.
Original gm bones and bushes far superior to lemforder.
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2 yrs ,30k.
Have now rebushed old bones with gm bushes and lemforder ball joints.
Original gm bones and bushes far superior to lemforder.
Useful info, thanks jb. I know you have an impressive fleet of Omegas :y
BTW, you have a PM over another matter ;)