Hey guys, I had a Nissan dealer inspect my car and mentioned my rear cross member bushing was leaking. They want to charge $1,000 for the repair.

I just wanted to check with you guys first if this was the case and my bushing is indeed, leaking:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6951odgu2z...2-48-45_12.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/122hhxfzp1...-48-36_135.jpg

I've gotten some quotes around my area from repair shops and they are charging $600-$750 for the labor, if I provide them the replacement part. I'm thinking of picking up some SPL bushings and having the repair shop install it. Is there any other miscellaneous parts that I may need for the removal and install to go smoothly?

Thanks for any input!

 

Why don't you do it yourself or find someone local... not that hard. With a solid bushing you will get more road noise

 

Just a warning; The SPL bushings are perfectly round. The sleeve in your sub-frame may or may not be.

This can cause difficulty with fitment. I cracked the sleeve on my sub-frame and ended up just getting the whole thing welded in place when the welder repaired the crack I made.

I would still do it again, but reach for a honing tool rather than a bigger hammer, should the bushing not want to fit.

 

https://my350z.com/forum/engine-driv...mp-either.html
And put whiteline ones back in. I did it on mine by myself and it was not too hard at all. I did not even drop the rear cross bar. Just freeze the bushings and they slip in fairly easily.

 

Thanks for the info guys. I'll read up more on the DYI guides tonight. Can you tell from the pics, if this needs immediate attention for a fix or am I safe for a few weeks if I baby the Z?

 

People drive for a long time with blown diff bushings and don't even know it. It just adds "slop" to the drive line.

If you aren't dumping the clutch and hopping the rear wheels all over the place, no rush.

 

DISCLAIMER: I don't know $hit........

but a bushing may be busted....but it won't "Leak" will it? I mean it's not like a seal.

Now there IS a rear main seal which CAN leak oil and is tough for an inexperienced person to install correctly.

Are you sure which one needs to be replaced?

 

they are silicone filled so it may leak black goo on your rear diff cover, i drove on mine being blown for about a year

 

Ahhhh..hence the aftermarket ones being "Solid"

Thanks

 

i have the whiteline one that is poly... didnt want the road noise associated with the solid ones

 

did you guys upgrade the rear end links while you were back there?

 

+1 to the whiteline bushings. It has a very small bit of compliance, which is perfect for tightening up the driveline while keeping gear noise to a minimum. Solids are for high horsepower track cars.
Either way, $1000.00 sounds like a money grab, educate yourself before you walk into a shop asking how much it will cost. I'm sure someone would be willing to do it for half that.

 

I have an 03 Auto that has less than 11K on the odo (bought new). I have it in for State inspection and was told that the rear subframe bushings were "leaking". The service rep wasn't sure about the leaking business but only was repeating what the tech told him. Anyway they quoted a little under 900.00 for the repair and said it would require a subframe assembly with the bushings. Fortunately I have a wonderful extended warranty which covers the repair. My question is how many miles does your car have and what feedback can you give me about the repair and more importantly the cause. Although my car doesn't get driven that much it lives outdoors under a cover and if anything is babied. Can the bushings dry out and simply rot away from non use or do you think it is a weak design?
Thanks,
offlogic

 

So, the reasons for this blowing are covered in the link in this thread a little further up about replacing it yourself.

It's a single point of failure, harsh driving can kill it.

The high quote to replace the whole thing is because you can't get the bushing separately, not the OEM one anyway. Aftermarket requires the work in that thread i mentioned, but it's a lot cheaper +more work/labour.

If you get a new subframe, that's great, let that happen, but once it's replaced, go get a diff brace fitted, this will protect the OEM bushing and it will work fine. That's covered in the suspension 101 thread on this forum.