My MX5 passed its MOT today (and was complemented by the tester on its condition, which is always nice.)
They have put an advisory down for “wishbone bushing” when i look online all i can seem to find are polybushes which are hella expensive & I suspect could be an issue if i were to only replace the affected ones.
is it possible to buy OEM spec replacement bushes or would i need to buy a new wishbone?
in your opinion what is the best route to go? am i ok to replace to poly bushes 1 area at a time or will this upset the car?
my applications are fast road use with track days, its by no means a track car but i do like to enjoy the car.
I’ve had the same comment on the last MOT. I had a look and it appears to be possible to buy rubber replacement bushes at a reasonable price, but I then checked the process for removing the old ones and it looks to be rather involved, as one end of the bush has a lip which makes using any form of press to remove the old bush rather difficult. I think I’m going to go for replacement wishbones as being the most cost-effective option.
they have taken pictures and the existing ones are perishing, so i would hope they wouldnt be too difficult, look at MX5 parts its best part of £250 for both sides doing but then again it should be good for another 10+ years so its not that bad really.
I’d be very cautious about removing and replacing as it’s quite easy to snap the wishbones during the process… A complete wishbone with all new bushes is quite likely the way to go.
I would have expected the wishbones on an NC to be fairly strong considering they shouldnt be affected by corrosion in the same way a steel one would be… I understand your point though and yeah it might be best to get a new front set of wishbones from MX5parts.
What you§ll end up with is both bushes brand new and a new ball joint… By all means have a go at removing the offending article but if you break the wishbone you’re gonna need a new one anyways.
They are an awkward shape to get into a press. I don’t know how anyone else does it…
