Just replaced one set of trailing arm bearings and seals on my daughter's Punto. If you want to know how read on as I believe this is a common problem on Puntos.
  • Buy kit from Desira via eBay for £8.00 plus postage. Actually get 2 so you can do both sides in due course.
  • Loosen wheel nuts and jack up car, place axle stand under suitable point, remove wheel.
  • Remove cross head screw retaining lower arch liner, then liner itself.
  • Loosen pivot bolt nut, use jack to raise arm sufficiently so as to be able to release damper bottom bolt, lower arm and remove spring.
  • Disconnect rear brake hydraulic line at body junction and place cut-off finger of rubber glove over line to prevent excess loss of fluid. Secure with a rubber band.
  • Remove clip that holds flexible pipe to bracket and keep safely.
  • Use a suitable drift to knock out pivot bolt but be prepared to support the arm so that it does not drop to the ground.
  • Using drift drive out the centre steel tube.
  • Now comes the tricky part, {as the inner race, plastic spacer, rubber seals and brass/bronze end pieces will drop out as did the rollers from one of the bearings (the one that had collapsed)}, the removal of the outer races. This can be done by using a length of aluminium bar inserted through the arm, and a club hammer, there's not much of a lip to drive against. One came out easily, for the other I used a suitably sized socket and extension bar. There wasn't much evidence of grease anywhere!
  • Clean up the arm where the new outer races sit and insert one, I used the old outer race and hammer to help in driving in the new one.
  • Now put the plastic spacer inside the arm and drive in the other outer race.
  • Thoroughly grease the steel tube, insert this inside the spacer.
  • Grease bearings and place over ends of steel tube.
  • Place rubber seals onto the brass/bronze end caps and gently drive (using distance piece and hammer) these over the steel tubes, a dolly placed at the other end to the one being 'persuaded' helps.
  • All that is required now is to offer the arm up and to push greased pivot bolt through, easier said than done, washer and nut screwed in a couple of turns. Reconnect hydraulics and clip, replace spring, jack arm and replace damper bolt, do not do up fully, bleed brake.
  • Replace plastic liner and retaining screw.
  • Replace road wheel (a thin smear of copper grease between drum and wheel will aid future removal), jack car up sufficiently to be able to remove axle stand, lower car.
  • Tighten wheelnuts, pivot bolt and damper bolt.
All this takes just over 1 hour.:)
Usual disclaimers apply, take your time and check everything twice.