Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: HerefordElite on 31 January 2008, 21:58:14

Title: wishbones
Post by: HerefordElite on 31 January 2008, 21:58:14
Had a look to see what the 'knocking' noise coming from front suspension was and seems the wishbone bushes are shagged and one side is even rubbing on chassis bracket.

anyone had experience with wishbones off ebay? are they good enough quality or made of indian tin foil??
what about these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VAUXHALL-OMEGA-FRONT-2-SUSPENSION-WISHBONE-ARMS-LH-RH_W0QQitemZ300194827195QQihZ020QQcategoryZ10404QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem ????

they do the drop links as well

cheers guys ::)
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: TheBoy on 31 January 2008, 22:07:08
vsc seem to be the recommended ebay ones.  the metal will outlive the bushes on most i would suspect
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: alexandjen on 31 January 2008, 22:13:46
Quote
vsc seem to be the recommended ebay ones.  the metal will outlive the bushes on most i would suspect

That's.............

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Vauxhall-Spares-Centre_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZQ2d999QQftidZ1QQtZkm

 :y :y
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: Darth Loo-knee on 31 January 2008, 22:14:23
I had my wishbones from  suttonautofactors on ebay they delivered really quickly and were about £45 for the pair :y
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: HerefordElite on 31 January 2008, 22:42:18
cheers for the fast response guys  :)

tried Vsc but they don't seem to list omega bones at mo, guess they rotate stock unless i've missed something  :D

i'll keep my eyes open

 :y
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: alexandjen on 31 January 2008, 22:48:18
Give them a ring, they will have them even if they aren't on Ebay  :y
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: HerefordElite on 31 January 2008, 22:50:21
Quote
Give them a ring, they will have them even if they aren't on Ebay  :y

will do thanks  :y
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: Markjay on 31 January 2008, 23:11:46
I bought wishbones from VSC a couple of weeks ago, but did not fit them yet.

I am not impressed with the product, it has no manufacturer marking whatsoever, the only information available is a sticker giving the equivalent QH part number. The bushes don't have any legible manufacturer identification either (though Mark DTM did say that some he got off VSC had Boge rubber).

The paintwork is poor, and mine were scratched chipped in places, (the fact they are supplied without any packaging does not help either), and the balljoint riveting looks crude.

Having said that, I don't think there is much choice here, I paid £25 per side and they can be had for even less on eBay. The better-known brands (Vx included) were all in the region of £150-£200 per side. I don't think the metal will split or crack (though it will probably develop surface rust pretty quickly), and  even if the bushes don't last very long they should still be good for a couple of years at least.

The other alternative would be to renew the bushes using Vx parts on the original wishbones, but it does involve some work and will still cost at least £50-£60 per side in bushes and balljoint.

The reason for my rant is not that I don't think the VSC wishbones will not do the job, it is just that I have a dislike for low-quality stuff... and they do seem like they were made in the far east, maybe India or China etc. But hey, beggars can't be choosy...




Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: Markjay on 31 January 2008, 23:17:06
There it is:

http://www.vauxcentre.co.uk/index.php?option=Prod_detail&product_id=485975&image_id=190941


Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: Andy B on 31 January 2008, 23:21:10
Quote
.......
The other alternative would be to renew the bushes using Vx parts on the original wishbones, but it does involve some work and will still cost at least £50-£60 per side in bushes and balljoint........

I priced up the bushes to replace mine a couple of years back & IIRC it was about £65 for both sides. I bought new OE wishbones in the end.
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: ffcgary1 on 31 January 2008, 23:22:21
Unless the ball joint is shagged then i would not worry about it.I have yet to see a lower ball joint that needs replaceing, they seem to be very durable. If you could pick up a s/hand pair of bone then you could get them rebushed and fit them to your s meaning that the car will only be on the axel stands a couple of hours. :y
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: Andy B on 31 January 2008, 23:51:02
Quote
.... If you could pick up a s/hand pair of bone then you could get them rebushed and fit them to your s meaning that the car will only be on the axel stands a couple of hours. :y

That was the plan with my original wishbones but, as is always the case when you don't actually specify what you want to the letter, the garage that replaced mine used a bloody fork type splitter to separate the old ball joints, & so obviously f***ed up the rubber boots. :(
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: Markjay on 01 February 2008, 08:11:15
Quote
Quote
.... If you could pick up a s/hand pair of bone then you could get them rebushed and fit them to your s meaning that the car will only be on the axel stands a couple of hours. :y

That was the plan with my original wishbones but, as is always the case when you don't actually specify what you want to the letter, the garage that replaced mine used a bloody fork type splitter to separate the old ball joints, & so obviously f***ed up the rubber boots. :(

You can buy the rubber bits for next to nothing....
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: Andy B on 01 February 2008, 11:46:06
Quote
......
You can buy the rubber bits for next to nothing....

I'm not sure now what I did with them. Hopefully the fitted OE wishbones will last till my Omega & I part company.
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: JasonH on 01 February 2008, 19:40:03
My VSC wishbones only lasted 8k miles.

The replacements from www.buypartsby.co.uk were very cheap, like £15 a side. Better quality and so far are at about 20k miles going strong.
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: Markjay on 02 February 2008, 00:19:57
Quote
My VSC wishbones only lasted 8k miles...


Ouch.... not sure I feel like fitting mine now...  :'(

How did they go? The bushes? Also, VSC are quoting 1-year warranty, did you try claiming on it?


Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: JasonH on 02 February 2008, 14:47:37
One of the rear vertical bushes tore. I didn't bother claiming I figure they'd say I had hit a kerb (which I certainly did not).
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: Markjay on 02 February 2008, 15:32:21
Quote
One of the rear vertical bushes tore. I didn't bother claiming I figure they'd say I had hit a kerb (which I certainly did not).

Incidentally, did you fit them yourself, or did a garage fit them?

Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: JasonH on 02 February 2008, 17:42:50
Fitted them myself and torqued up with the wheels on the ground (although that only really affects the horizontal bushes).

Having done it once the second time wasn't too bad at all.

I leave the strut attached to the knuckle so I don't disturb the camber. Full geometry after both wishbone changes and camber still spot on.

The knack is to get the wishbone in as horizontal as possible then get the balljoint on. A bit fiddly and a definite knack.
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: jb on 04 February 2008, 08:11:11
After 400k in various senator/omega the best wishbones are Lemforder(EURO CAR PARTS/AUTOVAUX AT 50 EACH)WHICH ARE SAME AS OE AND WILL GIVE 100K)All others inc febi much inferior in terms of life and steering response.For 50 quid more than cheapo arms its well worth it.........
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: Ironingboard on 04 February 2008, 11:59:32
Totally agree with you JB, all the parts I now buy for my Omega are from Eurocar Parts. They give you a choice of cheap or expensive, with the expensive parts being OE ones.

All the markings on the VX wishbone bushes are from Boge with the balljoints being Lemforder. I orginally bought my wishbones from Autovaux who said they were OE ones, same as the expensive Eurocar Parts options. Which I believe when I compared them with the original ones I replaced on my Omega.

I would highly recommend the expensive Eurocar Part versions or Autovaux for your wishbones or other suspension parts. Would never buy eBay versions or especially from VSC on eBay. I bought a steering control arm from VSC on eBay for £30. The rubber seals on the track control arms started breaking down after 1 week of use, never used any cleaning chemicals or anything that would break down the rubber.

After 4 months I’m still waiting for a refund from VSC, keep stalling me saying that their waiting for the suppliers to refund them. They complained that the threads were butchered, even although it was me who fitted and removed them. I guess paint on the threads could be seen as butchered to some. Never again it’s not worth the hassle.
Title: Re: wishbones
Post by: HerefordElite on 04 February 2008, 12:10:06
sound advice i guess as everything else in life - you pays your money and you takes your choice ::)