04-06 rear bushings = crap?

[mazdabetty]

So I brought my car in to the dealer to get the alignment looked at again, as it has been pulling to the right... (SO annoying, just had it done a few weeks ago)... and they showed me that my rear bushings are beginning to dis-lodge themselves I guess, pretty much rusting out of their spot behind the metal. Especially the right one, thus causing the whole car to pull in that direction.

I was told that this is apparently very common for 04-06 mazda3... anyone else have this issue? I did a quick search but really only found stuff on "shifter bushings"... And they seem a little expensive, $400+ to replace both? I don't even think that includes labor. Are there any alternatives out there (NOT the rubber ones used for track racing, but similar to OEM for every day driving).

Thankssssss

:flaming

[Flagrum_3]

I don't know how common they are, because to tell you the truth it's the first I've heard of it!!....Now I'm going to have to have a good close look at mine, next time she's up on a hoist.

The $400 price seems a little steep! You could always get Flipdaddy to quote you a price on the bushings and then set it up with Jimmy to replace them when your in town....Or better yet, before even doing that, get a second opinion from another shop/mechanic on the issue...Sometimes techs will come up with a prognosis because they don't really have a clue what the problem is.



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[mazdabetty]

I don't know how common they are, because to tell you the truth it's the first I've heard of it!!

I KNOW me too..... he said they've been replacing a lot lately, but I haven't heard one complaint here.

I should definitely get a second opinion, but it was quite clear that they are in fact coming out of place when he showed me... *sad*

Also, I'm not too familiar with the technical term for these, I'm trying to see if I can get some from a wrecker but every time I pick "Rear Suspension" or "Rear Suspension Trailing Arm" I get options for Speed3's only... any idea what these are actually called? Cuz I don't see "bushings" anywhere hahah

Thanks :P

[Flagrum_3]

I KNOW me too..... he said they've been replacing a lot lately, but I haven't heard one complaint here.

I should definitely get a second opinion, but it was quite clear that they are in fact coming out of place when he showed me... *sad*

Also, I'm not too familiar with the technical term for these, I'm trying to see if I can get some from a wrecker but every time I pick "Rear Suspension" or "Rear Suspension Trailing Arm" I get options for Speed3's only... any idea what these are actually called? Cuz I don't see "bushings" anywhere hahah

Thanks :P

A photo of the bushing(s) your talking about would be helpful, as there are several rear bushings....or if you download the repair manual there are drawings of the rear suspension, just post the pic with the bushing circled!


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[narcolepticus]

hey, at least you were not quoted 800$ to have this done ..

[TheMAN]

not sure if this is related to your problem.... a new TSB just came out a couple of days ago about rear sway bar clunking for the 04-09s... end links and bushings were mentioned

[aberg83]

I just found out at my 96k service that I have the same issue.

It is only covered under the 80k basic warranty, so I don't really understand why they don't look for it until 96k, but anyways.

It will be around $700 to replace both rear trailing arms and bushings. I think unless I can find an alternative to going down this route, I will be stuck doing this to ensure a safe ride and to avoid tire wear, etc.

Any other comments on this issue?

[mazdabetty]

ahhh it was covered? damn... I think I'm gonna have to wait until it falls out cuz it's still too expensive....

But you can try to get a quote from flipdady or karen, they'll probably quote you a lot less than $700, wow...

[aberg83]

$700 was an estimate including taxes, labour, and the TM3 discount from my dealer.

I suspect I could get it a little bit lower from them, but I'll check the parts cost with Flipdady... too bad about this issue.

I was feeling like I bought a lemon but sounds like this is a common issue.

[mazdabetty]

it issss common, sadly.

Wow that's still expensive though..... if u can gets parts from flip and maybe get this famous 'jimmy' person to install them you'll probably end up paying a little more than half that.

[aberg83]

Who is Jimmy?

[mazdabetty]

At Street performance I think...

[FLIPDADY]

Sent you a PM aberg83!

[aberg83]

Thanks Joe!

I expect Jimmy could install them for under $350... if so, then I'm game.

[bubba1983]

credit to the work being done, as most don't know....
this is abig job folks (if your talking about the rear trailing link)....as you have to remove alot of stuff to get to it
your lookin at entire dissasembly of your rear suspension, wheels, calipers, hubs, etc etc etc

[aberg83]

True enough, it's understandable that there is a hefty labour charge for this work in that case.

[bubba1983]

thats why most people think mechanics are crooks!!

I.E where i work, if you wanna replace this one main gear...the gear itself is only $50....but the labour to get to it is in the thousands

[narcolepticus]

Sent you a PM aberg83!

Flip, could you PM me a quote for the parts, please? This will need to be done on my 3 as well .. i had a thought, i am upgrading my suspension, brakes anyway so while most of it's apart i'll go a step further and do that too .. thanks a million!

:bang i wonder why so many 3's are having this issue ...

[aberg83]

Has anyone had this work done? Approximate cost?

[TheMAN]

all of the rear suspension the bushings are now replaceable... mazda came out with another TSB not long after the rear sway bar bushings one

[aberg83]

Even on a 2007? What would the rough cost be?

[bubba1983]

rough costs for this is $700

[mazdabetty]

all of the rear suspension the bushings are now replaceable... mazda came out with another TSB not long after the rear sway bar bushings one

But not for 04-06 models out of warranty though right? :\

[aberg83]

all of the rear suspension the bushings are now replaceable... mazda came out with another TSB not long after the rear sway bar bushings one

Are you suggesting that the fix can be done with just a bushing replacement?

I was told by the dealer that the pair of control arms would need to be replaced as well since it is the same part number. Has this changed in the last few months?

[TheMAN]

But not for 04-06 models out of warranty though right? :\
TSBs are not recalls... if the car is out of warranty, you pay for the repairs

[TheMAN]

Are you suggesting that the fix can be done with just a bushing replacement?

I was told by the dealer that the pair of control arms would need to be replaced as well since it is the same part number. Has this changed in the last few months?
the bushings came out about a month and a half ago
it may not be showing in the parts catalogue yet, but they are orderable parts... the dealer just needs to refer to the TSB

[Donutz]

the bushings came out about a month and a half ago
it may not be showing in the parts catalogue yet, but they are orderable parts... the dealer just needs to refer to the TSB

For those of us out of warranty, what would the part(s) number be?

[aberg83]

the bushings came out about a month and a half ago
it may not be showing in the parts catalogue yet, but they are orderable parts... the dealer just needs to refer to the TSB

That's great!

Do you have any info on the TSB so I can pass it on to my dealer?

I expect this would be MUCH cheaper than the entire suspension rebuild they were proposing.

[alau]

Will this be a free replacement if I have extended warranty until 160K?

[bubba1983]

go ask your dealer, we are not dealers on here

[3GFX]

I was into the dealer a little while ago and they said my trailing arms would need to be replaced $700. I hope they just mean the busings and if that's the case I'm going somewhere else. It was a very steep price.

[bubba1983]

keep in mind as ive said before in this thread....its an entire dissasembly/reassembly of the rear suspension and wheel ends...its not a simple one hour job

[aberg83]

keep in mind as ive said before in this thread....its an entire dissasembly/reassembly of the rear suspension and wheel ends...its not a simple one hour job

I agree that it's a large job, however if we can get away with installing new bushings rather than new trailing arms, it might save approximately $150-200 in parts costs, which is significant enough to pursue.

[bubba1983]

why replace teh trailing arm ? you should be able to get it re-bushed, rather than replace

[mazdabetty]

why replace teh trailing arm ? you should be able to get it re-bushed, rather than replace

Really? I was told you couldn't... but I imagine it would be possible. How come no one suggests that when given a quote? There must be a reason they don't use the old ones and quote for the entire set.

[aberg83]

So I had to bite the bullet and have my dealer replace the rear trailing arms and bushings for approx $700.

Had it inspected today and the bushing was 3cm from hitting the car's frame.

I left it as late as I could hoping more info would materialize that would save me some $$ but it has become a safety issue and I had to do it.