Wishbones

B

Badger

New user
Jan 5, 2013
2
0
Ireland
As a spanking new member it has taken me 2 hours to work out how to send this post, thick or what?, anyway i wondered if any body can help me with a problem i have in sourcing a front nearside wishbone, it needs to be new or guaranteed as my car has just failed its mot on this as they say the "bushes" are worn (1998 v6 cougar 2.5) i have been told that the bushes are not replaceable and i will have to buy the complete unit, ( its a triangular thing with 3 bushes in a pressed steel thingamabob ) you can tell i don't know what i'm talking about, but i think you get my drift, any ideas, as i have tried many garages here in Ireland with no luck and i need to get one quick if i am going to avoid a full test fee again, thanks, Badger
 
The wishbones are a common Cougar Achilles' heel, as you have already found out the bushes are not replaceable. They are best replaced in pairs, if one has gone then the other won't be far behind it and having a spanking new one on one side will likely accelerate the wear on the other. You'll be needing new bolts too, as they're designed to be stressed only once - loosening the originals and re-tightening them would be A Bad Idea.

A pair of wishbones and bolts will rush you somewhere in the region of £250 and you can reckon on around another £100ish for fitting. The good news is that they tend to last around 10 years or 80-100k miles.
 
You can get them from most dealers in the UK easily enough. What Rich says above is correct though. Replace both of them and reinstall with new nuts and bolts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.