Front arm rear bush split?

Mcdoodlz

Active Member
Mar 21, 2018
95
35
Derbyshire
Hi all, I own a cupra 290 around 9 months old with 11k on the clock. I've just had it serviced by an independent specialist because I don't like dealers and they have told me the rear bushes are split on the front bottom arms.

Anyone else had this issue? Would be nice to know I'm not the only one. Taking to the stealers for replacement bushes next week under warranty... Hopefully. Tried looking around forums but seems to be older cars with bush issues, maybe my car was put together in a rush lol.
 

Damo H

Remind me, what's an indicator?
Staff member
Moderator
Oct 3, 2012
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Hi all, I own a cupra 290 around 9 months old with 11k on the clock. I've just had it serviced by an independent specialist because I don't like dealers and they have told me the rear bushes are split on the front bottom arms.

Anyone else had this issue? Would be nice to know I'm not the only one. Taking to the stealers for replacement bushes next week under warranty... Hopefully. Tried looking around forums but seems to be older cars with bush issues, maybe my car was put together in a rush lol.
They should not be splitting at that age mileage. Warranty I'd say, sloppy bushes can ruin wheel alignment and cause excessive tyre wear, tram lining, road noise, and crappy steering input.
 

Mcdoodlz

Active Member
Mar 21, 2018
95
35
Derbyshire
They should not be splitting at that age mileage. Warranty I'd say, sloppy bushes can ruin wheel alignment and cause excessive tyre wear, tram lining, road noise, and crappy steering input.

Just had a fresh pair of Michelin pilot sport 4s on the front 2 weeks ago, hence why I'm a bit annoyed. Also the fact I need to leave work to make another trip to sort the car out.

I'll make sure they put it through on warranty. I make sure to miss potholes and slow down over speedbumps so no idea how they're cracked
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
I have not checked which version MK3 Leon Cupra uses, but I'd expect that it will be the solid version that Audi TT and Golf R.

My wife's 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI 110PS, ended up with one split rear bush just after its 2nd birthday, which I thought was a bit odd for a lighter car using these same rear bushes, although it uses voided versions, her 2002 VW Polo like most similar cars of that age, ended up tearing its different and more useless design of the voided bush in that location at 3 years old, getting Ibiza Cupra solid bushes in sorted that out for the rest of its 13 years and 105K miles in her ownership.

I'm sure that the state of our roads is causing their early failure, but VW Group knows what sort of road conditions its products are likely to experience - my wife's 2015 Polo got that split bush replaced under warranty, no questions asked, they even replaced the same side's strut top bearing and track rod end, though I reckon neither of these other parts were faulty or causing my problem which was clunking noises on/off throttle, eventually I advised them to stop messing about and fit the stiffer gearbox end mounting that the Diesel engined Polos etc gets, that sorted things out properly, I don't think that the lower arm rear vertical bush was causing any tyre wear as the arm was still being located okay, but I spotted it while looking for any/all other possible reasons for the clunking during on/off throttle.
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,614
906
I'm sure that the state of our roads is causing their early failure, but VW Group knows what sort of road conditions its products are likely to experience..

Thanks for the laugh :0) Do you honestly think VW give a monkeys about our roads? You're talking about Germans here! These are the people who decided to build their new chassis platform without incorporating the ability to move the handbrake lever three inches to the right so that it would be in the correct place for UK drivers!

"I don't zee why we should have to do that Hans. Zoze silly Englanders should not be driving on zee wrong zide of zee road."

I have an FR and there is no way that car is set up with potholes in mind. That's been designed on and for smooth Spanish roads with the same two fingers to the UK.

And to be fair, they have a point. Nobody else has roads like ours. Spain, Germany, perfect. They blame the weather but the roads in Poland are smoother than ours. Our roads are shite! They cheap out when the build them in the first place so they don't hold up and then they can't afford to fix them.
 

Damo H

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Staff member
Moderator
Oct 3, 2012
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Car Length In Front
Thanks for the laugh :0) Do you honestly think VW give a monkeys about our roads? You're talking about Germans here! These are the people who decided to build their new chassis platform without incorporating the ability to move the handbrake lever three inches to the right so that it would be in the correct place for UK drivers!

"I don't zee why we should have to do that Hans. Zoze silly Englanders should not be driving on zee wrong zide of zee road."

I have an FR and there is no way that car is set up with potholes in mind. That's been designed on and for smooth Spanish roads with the same two fingers to the UK.

And to be fair, they have a point. Nobody else has roads like ours. Spain, Germany, perfect. They blame the weather but the roads in Poland are smoother than ours. Our roads are shite! They cheap out when the build them in the first place so they don't hold up and then they can't afford to fix them.
Think you will find the Irish saying their roads are worse than ours...
 
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Mcdoodlz

Active Member
Mar 21, 2018
95
35
Derbyshire
One day the council will fix the holes.... The roads a bloody shameful in places, but I still don't understand I've never twatted any holes. My alloys aren't buckled either, had cars before where their wheels just wobble about on the balance machine lol.

She's at the dealer today, will hopefully find out whether they're going to change the bushes under warranty or charge me the fixed rate for looking and finding nothing.
 

Mcdoodlz

Active Member
Mar 21, 2018
95
35
Derbyshire
According to Seat they're not split ‍♂️. Don't know who to believe vw specialist or stealer... Will have to get it in the air to look myself now. Not sure what I'm looking for where exactly is the rear bush on the front arm. Perhaps old Google will help me.

Although I must say my front tyres are wearing more on the outer edge. Only been on for 3 weeks started at 7mm, is that something to worry about?
 

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Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,614
906
Although I must say my front tyres are wearing more on the outer edge. Only been on for 3 weeks started at 7mm, is that something to worry about?

Front tyres always wear more on the outside edges, going round corners does that. Front nearside is the worst, 'cos roundabouts. Typically, if you've got worn suspension the wheels will end up toed out rather than in and the tyres will wear more on the inside.
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
According to Seat they're not split ‍♂️. Don't know who to believe vw specialist or stealer... Will have to get it in the air to look myself now. Not sure what I'm looking for where exactly is the rear bush on the front arm. Perhaps old Google will help me.

Although I must say my front tyres are wearing more on the outer edge. Only been on for 3 weeks started at 7mm, is that something to worry about?

If you drive the front wheels up onto a couple of thick planks of wood, you should be able to crawl under it enough from both sides behind the front wheels, you should be able to see on each side, a sort of A-frame which will be painted black, at the rear end of this at the outer "leg" of the A-frame, you will see a vertical bonded "rubber" mounting bush with a bolt through the centre of it, closely examine this bush on both sides, you are looking for tears/cracks in the "rubber" material.

Edit:- you are trying to find the front wishbones, but I thought that by using the term "A-frame" might explain better what they look like - at the area just behind the front wheel/strut, the lower swivels are bolted to this assembly, its inner front end has a horizontal rubber bush at its pivot point and that leaves the rear end of these wishbones which is where the vertical bonded mounting bushes are.

Edit:- looks something like this - https://ultimatestyling.co.uk/suspension-arm-front-lower-lh-audi-a3-seat-leon-toledo-skoda-octavia-volkswagen-and-others-ult0142-ssa?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid, merchant&utm_campaign=wishbones-desk&utm_term=utm_term&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI07G3y8Cp5wIVQbTtCh0R7gvuEAQYAiABEgLVLfD_BwE

More correctly - https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/2330858489...MI07G3y8Cp5wIVQbTtCh0R7gvuEAQYBSABEgJjLfD_BwE

I'd expect the Cupra to have the same solid bush/mounting as the Golf R, these picture show arms with voided or partially, ie in places, weakened bushes to make them more compliant/softer.
 
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