rear axle bushings

JETaah

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 18, 2001
Location
mi 48836
TDI
96 B4V, 1999.5 jettaIV,2005 BEW Beetle
Yeah, BABY!
The real deal!



I replaced the originals on my B4V (255K miles on them) with the Meyle version that lasted about 15K. They are SOOOO torn up it is hard to drive in a straight line. Having a broken rear spring doesn't help either.

The OEMs were something ridiculous like $170 each at the time and have since come down to $38 each at the on-line VW site.:cool:

I wonder if the recipe for these OEMs has changed to reflect the cheaper price. What would VW care if they only lasted 15K? These cars are now at least 20 years old.

We will see. I really put them through their paces on the dirt road where I live.
 
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Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
I wonder if they're on their way to NLA? If they work out it might be worth getting another set....
My thoughts exactly. I've seen this same thing happen when parts move to NLA.

The reason these go south is because of excessive suspension travel in the rear. That could come from repeated hammering on gravel road washboard or from bouncing due to blown out struts etc. The more rotational twisting the more likely it is they will tear and separate. Even a failure in one bushing will bring about the failure of others.

One might not like the manufacturer of the the replacement products but that's what we have to work with, the OE product is not some magical item that outlasts all others by decades, it's just not possible.

In fact I would really like to know when those new bushings the OP is going to install were made. I would bet it's not recent.

I'm going to put this out there again, VW did not manufacture the originals, and my guess is that there were several companies who supplied VW with the parts for these since the cars using these were produced for a decade.

If you're really concerned about longevity then buy the poly ones. You will have to import them but they are available. Also, they're available in different grades of stiffness.

For rubber goods I would not probably seek out OE parts that were made a decade ago just because they are OE. Just because it wasn't installed doesn't mean that the rubber hasn't degraded. I would be more inclined to use fresh aftermarket rubber goods than 10yo OE stuff.

I have 23,000 miles on my Meyle rear bushings and at last look they were doing fine. I will be checking them in the spring though to make sure it's all still good.

My .02

Steve
 

JETaah

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 18, 2001
Location
mi 48836
TDI
96 B4V, 1999.5 jettaIV,2005 BEW Beetle
I have had issues when using other Meyle parts. In fact I usually have fit issues with them.
The A4 sway bar bushing kits had brackets that weren't even close to fitting.
The bushings themselves wore (torn to shreds) out in 10K miles.
Breather tube for the 1Z/AHU block ?The fit was just ridiculous. I consider Meyle a cheap part that you put on a car right before you OFF IT! It might as well be Prothe.
I could go on but won't.
You could be very right about the OEMs being blow-out specials manufactured 2 decades ago but this will no doubt be the last time I change them. Meyle could have the last laugh that I paid so much for them.
 

Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
I am not a fan of Meyle, I tried to use their hydro front control bushing kits on my MB 300SD and they would not press into the control arm. That was the beginning of my disfavor with them.

I know that Meyle is the low cost provider for these rear bushings but had there been something else between Meyle and OE I would have tried it, unfortunately there wasn't anything at the time. I tried to get a Febi kit for both sides out of the UK but shipping was horrible.

I do see now that RA carries a Moog kit for the rear and also one marketed by AC Delco.

As for the breather tubes there isn't a decent aftermarket product out there from what others have commented. I know that Abacus has tried several and they all seem to fail pretty quickly. I have a Dorman installed now and I'm just waiting for it to start leaking.

It's not getting any easier to find product, maybe I should check into the poly bushes again, those would definitely outlast the rubber we have now.

Steve
 

Matt-98AHU

Loose Nut Behind the Wheel Vendor
Joined
Apr 23, 2006
Location
Gresham, OR
TDI
2001 Golf TDI, 2005 Passat wagon, 2004 Touareg V10.
I'd definitely have higher trust in an OE part that has sat in a box or wrapped up, not exposed to much ozone or sunlight for 20 years than I would a brand new manufactured last week Meyle part.
 

Windex

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Location
Cambridge
TDI
05 B5V 01E FRF
Make sure you have the suspension leveled when you do the final tighten on the bushing through bolts.

Seen too many suspension bushings fail prematurely due to improper orientation when tightened (tightened with suspension hanging) - causes the rubber to be stressed with the suspension on level ground.
 
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