do I need alignment wheel balancing after change of bushings?

[omodos]

Hi all, going to the dealer to get my front thrust arm bushings replaced with meyle hd bushings (on the phone dealer agreed to do it i am passed warranty anyway)

They say I WILL need balancing done after this (they call it steering wheel measuring out here) car seems to drive fine no shimmer or clunking that is obvious, just during a routine bi-annual inspection garage suggested i change bushes as when breaking at a ow speed there was a slight clunk, and little while back i could see the rubber bushings were stained by what i could only think is the fluid having leaked.....

just a bit concerned that they will make my ride worse rather than better and the phrase "if it ain't broke don't fix it2 comes to mind...so what is the truth will i need balancing and four wheel alignment done ?

[Skyline]

Originally Posted by omodos

Hi all, going to the dealer to get my front thrust arm bushings replaced with meyle hd bushings (on the phone dealer agreed to do it i am passed warranty anyway)

They say I WILL need balancing done after this (they call it steering wheel measuring out here) car seems to drive fine no shimmer or clunking that is obvious, just during a routine bi-annual inspection garage suggested i change bushes as when breaking at a ow speed there was a slight clunk, and little while back i could see the rubber bushings were stained by what i could only think is the fluid having leaked.....

just a bit concerned that they will make my ride worse rather than better and the phrase "if it ain't broke don't fix it2 comes to mind...so what is the truth will i need balancing and four wheel alignment done ?

It helps to know the history of the car. If you have never aligned the car, and developed a bushing problem, in thoery, that could change your alignment settings. Changing out your bushings could put you back to the original assumably correct alignment.

However it's not that simple in real life. When a bushing goes, the entire suspension gets hammered on every bump. How and where you drive can help determine how much damage this can do to other components. It is a reason that when things start to fail in a suspension, it can start a cascade of failures. So will that hammering that is no longer being absorbed by the failed bushing going to screw up your alignment? Maybe. Perhaps the dealer is just erring on the safe side. Probably also wants to calibrate your steering angle sensor and control arm ride height sensors, and make sure everything as OK.

As for me, I'd be more concerned that other suspension components are also bad. Like the ball joints, sway bar links, or the control arms. Or tie rod ends. You should not be at all surprised to find you have other issues. Make sure you get the suspension back to 100% before doing the alignment. Bottom line, it only takes one good pothole hit the wrong way to mess up your alignment, but there's a lot of wear and tear items in the suspension of an X5.

[omodos]

thanks very informative reply skyline, I am hoping the inspection garage didn't turn a blind eye if there were other issues (see no reason what tye would gain by doing so) and ignore issues like those you mentioned in the rest of the suspension, Well we have pot holes galores out here and speed humps too and this was one of the reasons why i downgraded from 19" staggered to 17" with 'fat' 235/65 tires in the hope that the ride would be spongier and the suspension took less of a pounding....and it is noticeably....

i guess the only way to find out is take it next week and see what they say....and if i find any wobbling or changes in drive or during braking willl go and get it balanced up front? i remember one post where i think weasol says changing out bushes up front has no bearing in steering wheel geometry etc so dont need to balance, but i can find post

[Skyline]

Let's distinguish between balancing and alignment. Balancing is wheels, alignment is suspension. If you have wheel vibration now...balancing might be necessary. But bad alignment can also cause vibrations; but it is more likely to cause uneven tire wear, and possibly erratic handling. Vibration while braking is most often brake rotors.

[omodos]

hmm plots thickens , well the bushes need replacing, got no steering vibration at high or low speeds, all i got was a small clunking noise up front on breaking at slow speeds under 10mph......just going to have to see how it handles after the bushes are installed, will take it elsewhere for alignment or balancing depending on symptoms if any

[Skyline]

Originally Posted by omodos

hmm plots thickens , well the bushes need replacing, got no steering vibration at high or low speeds, all i got was a small clunking noise up front on breaking at slow speeds under 10mph......just going to have to see how it handles after the bushes are installed, will take it elsewhere for alignment or balancing depending on symptoms if any

Get it examined. I'd bet it's more than just those thrust arm bushings.

[theblue]

no alignment points are touched so I wouldn't bother unless you have the car pull. Watch your tire wear and if there is any signs of it being uneven then you're probably due for one.

[omodos]

Originally Posted by theblue

no alignment points are touched so I wouldn't bother unless you have the car pull. Watch your tire wear and if there is any signs of it being uneven then you're probably due for one.

Thanks

I am getting one or two conflicting answers here, so have to come to my own conclusion for sure will do no harm to get an alignment done after the front bushings are replaced (apart from harm my wallet) OR I can wait and monitor drive as theblue mentioned and see if there is any pulling to one side or feathering uneven wear of tires and get it done then.....

thanks again to all

[omodos]

UPDATE 6 years on ! meyle heavy duty bushings detected as worn fatigued during recent inspection, I didn't tell the garage that in the past couple of years i drove at about 30mph straight onto a 4 inch kerb or that i went over a piece on lumber in the highway at highway speeds.....


Gonna get them replaced and alignment done and hopefully components are not too bent out of spec, at the moment only tire wear i have is the outer fronts .....


PS car has always pulled to the left but not massively

[bcredliner]

Anytime suspension components are changed it is best practice to have an alignment done. Out of alignment compromises handling and/or tire wear. A vehicle can be out of alignment without an indication when driven.