Righty - in the ongoing drama of should I sell my Cinq as it needs a few things doing vs shall I trade it in for a Seicento I need to find out something.

The rot can be welded up by my dad so that's no problem but the rear knocking noise is my main concern. My dad hasn't got the time to sort it out so luckily I've found a bloke who's handy with the spanners and will only charge me some beer money for him to do the job.

The question is will I get away with just replacing the bushes at a cost of £8 each so £32 for the four?

The garage my dad took the car to wanted to change the whole suspension arm but where they just trying to earn a few extra quid by making it out to be a bigger job than it actually is?

I don't want to buy the bushes and pay this bloke to fit them if the knocking noise is still going to be there.

By the way, the noise definitely isn't a loose exhaust or the spare wheel or anything else like that - even the garage said it was the bushes.

The garage were trying to less of a job, not more of a job. Getting the arms off is the easy bit. Getting the bushes out of the arms is the PITA.

If you are paying garage rates, typically £60 - £70 per hour, it would be just about cheaper to put whole new arms on than change the bushes.

Cheers

D

So as it'll be a case of me paying a local guy a few quid shall I just get him to change the bushes as it'll be cheaper for me? The PITA bit doesn't matter too much as there'll be the 2 of us doing the work.

I know you said its the bushes but have you checked the dampers, one of mine wasn't tight enough(do i did do it up tho) and it knocked,also check for play in the dampers.

I think my rear bushes are naff,makes i really bad rumble:yuckyes ive changed the bearings)

Well I'll be taking the car round to this blokes house on Saturday so I suppose he can have a root about underneath just to make sure.

As above. The cost of new arms is cheaper as you're not paying for the garage to hack out the old bushes and push in new ones. Took me 4 hours to do one side, with half that for the second side. That's working hard.

No garage wants the stress.

Ah I see.

So how long roughly should changing the whole arm take? Half an hour?

I'd guess so, but you have to swap over the drums. Bush remocal is a pita x 4.

Right guys, just been looking on eBay after typing in 'Cinquecento suspension' and a few bits & bobs came up but what exactly will I need if we change the whole arms?

Here's what I've found:

Suspension arms @ £53

Left hand suspension arm @ £15

Right hand suspension arm @ £15

It would work out cheaper to buy the left & right sides seperate rather than the pair at £53 plus postage.

There's bushes on there for £15 each but I know Shop4Parts sell them for £8 each. So what do you chaps recommend I buy? Money no object.

Remember swapping the arms also require removing brake lines which can be a pita as well, uless you don't remove the arm, but you'll spend HOURS on your back and risk breaking stuff anyway.

I changed my bushes on the rear. If you are keeping the car, go with powerflex at about £50 for all the bushes for the rear ... the advatage is they last ages, and are real easy to fit once the old ones are out, you don't need a press to get them back in.

Cutting out the old ones took me absolutely ages on the first side, but only about 30 mins on the second side in the daylight.

https://www.fiatforum.com/cinquecen...y-way-remove-rear-bushes-enviro-friendly.html

thats my thread with some pics. I never updated but as i said, the second side was real easy to do

Here is a powerflex installed:

https://www.fiatforum.com/cinquecen...st-done-rear-discs-bushes-pics-q-s-notes.html


Cheers,

Kristian

Small point, you'll be wanting the trailing arms. Rear arms. Not front arms / wishbones.

Oh, as for getting teh old bushes out i used a small hydraulic jack inbetween the arms and that popped them out in seconds. The metal shells were something else though!

:yeahthat:

plus, look at those postage costs

The pair of "arms" may be rear or front, its not clear to me as the pic isn't a cento part at all, so best ask.

Krisitan

Righty, this seemed like a job which potentially could be a lot of hassle. I'd already had a quote of £250 from a local garage but out of interest I took it to another garage I'd used in the past and he's quoted me just £130 which includes VAT.

Next week I'll be taking the car down to him so he can give it a really good poke about just to be 100% sure it is the bushes causing the knocking noise, as long as it is I'll be booking it in for next weekend.

Funnily enough he said he'd done the suspension arms on 2 Cinqs quite recently.