Anyone treat the control arm bushings with preservative?
#1
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I've been wondering if the deterioration of the control arm bushings is partly due to exposure to the air and pollutants. Since replacement is such an expensive job for those of us without our own workshop, it might make sense to spritz them with a preservative now and then, like we do with weatherstripping and other polymer parts.
Today I happened to see the infamous Scotty Kilmer talk about spraying control arm bushings and other polymer suspension parts with something called AT 205. Here's the Amazon link to it:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NVW1LM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=scottykilmerc-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B000NVW1LM&linkId=b9525efb8e290dd42a2a30d2d1e23cf4
Here's the link to the video:
I'd love to know if anyone does this with AT 205 or some other product.
Mike in Portland
Today I happened to see the infamous Scotty Kilmer talk about spraying control arm bushings and other polymer suspension parts with something called AT 205. Here's the Amazon link to it:
![https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NVW1LM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=scottykilmerc-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B000NVW1LM&linkId=b9525efb8e290dd42a2a30d2d1e23cf4](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/misc/amazon_icon.gif)
Here's the link to the video:
I'd love to know if anyone does this with AT 205 or some other product.
Mike in Portland
#3
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#4
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303 Aerospace is good stuff and I use it on rubber and trim. However, I'm not quite convinced it would keep bushings from going bad. Certainly keeping something clean and protected is a good thing and I can see it making a difference on suspension parts that have a rubber boot protector. These suspension parts normally fail after the boot tears letting debris in and lubrication out. I'm not sure that protecting a bushing with product would have the same effect given it's a thick piece of rubber and the product wouldn't come close to soaking in. Usually heat cycles and time are what turn a bushing hard leading eventually to cracks. But if you want to clean your bushings and spray some protectant on them it won't hurt a damn thing!
#5
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I just got a big bottle of 303 to protect outside gaskets and weather stripping from UV. Do some of you use it on your interior vinyl like you would Armor-All?
I'm thinking that 303 is not the same kind of product as AT 205, which restores flexibility to engine gaskets when added to motor oil. It seems like restoring flexibility would be more helpful for control arm bushings than blocking UV.
I'm thinking that 303 is not the same kind of product as AT 205, which restores flexibility to engine gaskets when added to motor oil. It seems like restoring flexibility would be more helpful for control arm bushings than blocking UV.
#6
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While I think the idea has merit in principle, watching this guy who looks like he should be on A&E in a "Hoarders" episode working on old junky cars doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. Clean up your garage dude.
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DrMikeinPD (04-12-19)
#7
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I just got a big bottle of 303 to protect outside gaskets and weather stripping from UV. Do some of you use it on your interior vinyl like you would Armor-All?
I'm thinking that 303 is not the same kind of product as AT 205, which restores flexibility to engine gaskets when added to motor oil. It seems like restoring flexibility would be more helpful for control arm bushings than blocking UV.
I'm thinking that 303 is not the same kind of product as AT 205, which restores flexibility to engine gaskets when added to motor oil. It seems like restoring flexibility would be more helpful for control arm bushings than blocking UV.
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#9
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If I owned a LS I would do it just to make me feel better about doing everything I can to get the most life out of them but I don't think spraying it with 303 or applying a grease/lubricant to them is going to make any difference. If it was that simple then they would have issued a TSB by now to cover those control arm bushings. There is a flaw in the design, there is too much weight/pressure on the control arms which causes them to fail prematurely, even the new design in 2010 still fails so it just seems like a bad design they can't do much about.
Lubricants can and do make a suspension quieter but they don't solve the problem or prevent it in just about every case. One LS I looked at did not make any noises on a long test drive and on the way to have it inspected but once it was put on and taken off the lift it was making all kinds of noise and the Lexus tech was talking about replacing thousands of dollars worth of parts after he previously gave it a clean bill. I noticed fresh spray stains in the wheel wells and knew what they did, sprayed the suspension/control arms down with lubricant to quiet them down enough to get the car sold but being up on the lift did enough to reveal it again. Shady. Glad I got it inspected and passed on it.
Lubricants can and do make a suspension quieter but they don't solve the problem or prevent it in just about every case. One LS I looked at did not make any noises on a long test drive and on the way to have it inspected but once it was put on and taken off the lift it was making all kinds of noise and the Lexus tech was talking about replacing thousands of dollars worth of parts after he previously gave it a clean bill. I noticed fresh spray stains in the wheel wells and knew what they did, sprayed the suspension/control arms down with lubricant to quiet them down enough to get the car sold but being up on the lift did enough to reveal it again. Shady. Glad I got it inspected and passed on it.
#10
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I just got a big bottle of 303 to protect outside gaskets and weather stripping from UV. Do some of you use it on your interior vinyl like you would Armor-All?
I'm thinking that 303 is not the same kind of product as AT 205, which restores flexibility to engine gaskets when added to motor oil. It seems like restoring flexibility would be more helpful for control arm bushings than blocking UV.
I'm thinking that 303 is not the same kind of product as AT 205, which restores flexibility to engine gaskets when added to motor oil. It seems like restoring flexibility would be more helpful for control arm bushings than blocking UV.
303 is not the same as AT 205, AT 205 is a gasket remedy for leaking gaskets you pour in the engine/add to oil, it may help prevent leaks by keeping the gaskets more pliable but they are totally different AT 205 is much thicker from what I remember. 303 is like water. AT 205 is meant to be added to the crank case, work with a hot engine/oil so I don't know how effective it would be on control arms.
#11
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If I owned a LS I would do it just to make me feel better about doing everything I can to get the most life out of them but I don't think spraying it with 303 or applying a grease/lubricant to them is going to make any difference. If it was that simple then they would have issued a TSB by now to cover those control arm bushings. There is a flaw in the design, there is too much weight/pressure on the control arms which causes them to fail prematurely, even the new design in 2010 still fails so it just seems like a bad design they can't do much about.
Lubricants can and do make a suspension quieter but they don't solve the problem or prevent it in just about every case. One LS I looked at did not make any noises on a long test drive and on the way to have it inspected but once it was put on and taken off the lift it was making all kinds of noise and the Lexus tech was talking about replacing thousands of dollars worth of parts after he previously gave it a clean bill. I noticed fresh spray stains in the wheel wells and knew what they did, sprayed the suspension/control arms down with lubricant to quiet them down enough to get the car sold but being up on the lift did enough to reveal it again. Shady. Glad I got it inspected and passed on it.
Lubricants can and do make a suspension quieter but they don't solve the problem or prevent it in just about every case. One LS I looked at did not make any noises on a long test drive and on the way to have it inspected but once it was put on and taken off the lift it was making all kinds of noise and the Lexus tech was talking about replacing thousands of dollars worth of parts after he previously gave it a clean bill. I noticed fresh spray stains in the wheel wells and knew what they did, sprayed the suspension/control arms down with lubricant to quiet them down enough to get the car sold but being up on the lift did enough to reveal it again. Shady. Glad I got it inspected and passed on it.
#12
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The Camry - and probably 80% of the cars on the road - use a MacPherson strut design suspension, its cheap, its effective and it also doesn't handle as well as the SLA or multi link suspensions. When you step up into the Lexus 460's or Audi's or Mercedes...that is what you get...you sacrifice durability for performance. Not ideal. Personally I never drove my cars to the point where I could enjoy the benefits of a "higher performance" suspension. I keep them in a straight line and don't have much fun doing it. Lol
#13
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Part of the issue is that the factory build process in Japan does NOT torque the control arm bolts with the suspension at normal trim height, but in the fully extended position. I found that out when I noticed that mine were tearing, and that they were "wound up" with the car sitting on the ground. So they are essentially twisted all the time, except when the car is on jackstands. They tear along the center of the rubber, at the point of highest torsional shear stress.
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I wouldn't necessarily agree. There are many S600s, S63/S65 AMG, E55 and E63 AMGS, CLS55 and 63, A8/A8L, etc on the road which have equally-complex suspension setups, yet you do not see this as a common complaint for the duration that they last. We do expect suspension parts to eventually wear, it's intrinsic to the rubber part, but this is a case that's far worse than even that on Mercedes or Audi.