Went to Nissan for a oil change and they recommended that I fix the rear cradle bushing because it's leaking...what's that?! I searched for it on the site and absolutely nothing came up...what is this, what does it do and how urgent is this?

 

I'm guessing they were talking about the differential bushing. If you look under your rear bumper it is in the subframe right there, can't miss it. It is a rubber bushing that is fluid filled and very squishy.

It isn't very urgent, it's not going to hurt much.

Look into the aftermarket options.

 

I beg to differ, this is very important! My freinds 2000 323i has a bad differential bushing and it has offset his whole diff, its to the left of where it should be. BMW told him to also replace the bushing/mount for his control arm and it snapped about two months later, just a few weeks ago, and sent him straight into a curb. If you hear a clunk when you shift then that means its getting worse. Do not ignore this! You DO NOT want your diff out of line because it will be extremely vulnerable to damage that will cost you a crap load. Just dont drive hard till its fixed!

 

crappp!!! about how much would it be to replace/fix?

 

well, BMW was going to charge my friend like 1000-1500 to do his mounts BUT keep in mind that was about 5 or 6 different ones including the diff mounts. Hopefully you can get it done for a couple hundred. either that or if you happen to be a good mechanic or have a friend then youre set. The mounts themselves should be no more than 90 bucks.

 

and dont get too much anxiety over this, it could be quite a problem but its one that should take a bit of time if it was to happen. My freind has had bad mounts from awhile now, its just that they could go any time and its better to be safe than sorry.

 

Find out how much they want to replace the bushing. It seems like this has come up before, and the Nissan dealer wanted to replace the whole aluminum rear suspension member, because the OEM bushing doesn't come as a separate part. That's a BIG job.

The '07 service manual has nothing about replacing the bushing, which is shown in the manual as part of the rear suspension member.

There are threads here about installing the aftermarket bushings. I remember one fellow had to get the aluminum frame welded where it cracked while he was installing his new bushing.

 

Very common, SPL makes solid aluminum versions, energy suspension and whiteline make urethane versions. For a daily driver i suggest Whiteline.

 

This. And it's cost effective.

 

I have a solid bushing. NVH was not increased as much many say it will be and the increase in off the line traction was big.

It was not that expensive to have done but I did it when I did my Nismo cover, quaife and 4.08.

 

so I would need to buy something like http://www.ebay.com/itm/03-04-05-06-...#ht_1023wt_572 and get it installed?

Nissan quoted $1800 :/

If anyone could guide me in the right direction i'd REALLY appreciate it.

 

Wrong ones, but those are nice to have. You need this version http://www.splparts.com/chassis-Z33.html#SPLSDBZ33 or http://www.z1motorsports.com/350_g35...oducts_id=5229 Install will cost you $175 if you drive up to vegas. You may be able to find a local mechanic that does side jobs.

 

Wow! Thanks! Is there any advantages from SPL parts or the Z1 parts? The Z1 is 1/3 the cost, haha. Vegas is about 300 miles away from me, would it have been you to install it? Even if I drive there, buy the $150 bushing and pay for the install, i'm saving $1300 thanks soooo much!

 

Yup, i do a lot of local installs.