Control arms... what would you do?

[vtl]

Meyle is typically junk, avoid if possible. Buy original bushings or Lemforder (unless they are made in China - those don't last at all).

[mrbrian200]

If they have a suitable press with the proper sleeves to do these CAs and you hand them the control arms already off the car it should take them about 10-15 minutes. If you're leaving it to them to remove/reinstall the CAs, assuming they're proficient at what they do, a couple hours. If they're the inefficient uncaffeinated type with a magnetic personality and a heavy nicotine addiction it could take all day.

[mrbrian200]

I've seen mixed reviews on the Pro Parts Sweden poly bushes. Some say they don't last, others say they last virtually forever like the Powerflex bushes are known. My guess is the people who have good experiences with them are greasing them with very high quality poly compatible grease. Common wheel bearing grease will degrade polyurethane over a short amount of time. Ungreased these bushes would likely wear prematurely due to the center post getting surface rust and becoming abrasive, or, due to rust and corrosion without grease the setup tries to lock in place tearing the bushing material apart. Poly doesn't stretch without ripping the way rubber can.

Racing circles more apt to use poly bushes seem to hold Energy Suspension Formula 5 in high regard. Powerflex also sells a very high quality Silicon+PTFE based grease.

[mrbrian200]

Most other OEs which have utilized this like LCA bushing configuration orient the three corners with a right angle (not equilateral) with the wheel nearly straight out from the front bush and the rear bush trailing behind at no less than 1 times the distance between the ball joint to the front bush. At this geometry the up/down force is more concentrated on the front bush (you can have more resistance to movement up there) with far less 'floating' stress placed on the rear bush. Pictured: LCA from a cloud car -vs- P2 Volvo LCAs. My take on the IPD HD LCAs: Common accepted 'enthusiast' methods (specifically lacking in professional mechanical engineering knowledge + computer aided stress simulations) to beef up or address longevity of the front suspension which would probably work on practically any other make/model does NOT work on P2 Volvos.
Volvo got their OEM LCAs to behave correctly. But they have a qualified engineering team to figure it out. They would have known the bushes wouldn't be the longest lasting with this particular geometry which would have been a result of either a focus on ride quality or other dimensional constraints on the front end of the vehicle/subframe.

[Roger_850T]

The only LCA's I seem to have luck with is Genuine Volvo. Every other one I put on, even the ones reported to be HD (with the long spiel about better rubber in the bushings etc.) seem to fail in less than 20k miles. I know I can buy through FCP and get their lifetime warranty, but truth I have other things to do than replacing LCA's every 18 months. The only ones that have lasted 4+ years for me have been Genuine Volvo. (This applies to my 850 and my XC90, and soon to be on the V70 too.)

Roger

[mrbrian200]

Every other one I put on, even the ones reported to be HD (with the long spiel about better rubber in the bushings etc.) seem to fail in less than 20k miles.
Roger

That's exactly what I'm talking about. You can't go messing with the properties of the rubber on these without a full EDP. I'll go so far as to say I'm 100% certain Volvo calls for a very specific formula for the rubber used in their OEM LCA bushes with the front bush having different properties than the rear (very stretchy/flexible in front, stiffer in the rear). Aftermarket bush suppliers often use a one size fits all approach to the rubber used across entire product lines. This approach might be passable on many other makes/models. But on P2s it causes problems because of the geometry.
I don't think this geometry is some sort of engineering mistake on the part of Volvo. I'm pretty sure they were chasing ride quality/handling, as the equilateral design should in theory be a little more stable/hold alignment better over bumbs/potholes etc.
However, because of the design these bushes on these should probably be treated as a regular maintenance item, probably to be checked every 50k and generally replaced at an interval no more than every 100k.

EDP: Engineering Design Process, you know, the expensive R&D costing hundreds of $thousands--sometimes millions, that OEMs do and aftermarket doesn't.

On the P3s and newer the design has changed again, effectively switching the front and rear bushing type positions (functionally speaking, the bushes are a built a little different). Seems to be all the rage at the moment across various makes. Through the 90's and 2000's the layout used in the P2s was common. Earlier than P2 the style of bush we see at the front was used at both positions. I don't know the specific advantage of the newer layout.

[vtl]

On the P3s and newer the design has changed again, effectively switching the front and rear bushing type positions (functionally speaking, the bushes are a built a little different). Seems to be all the rage at the moment across various makes. Through the 90's and 2000's the layout used in the P2s was common. Earlier than P2 the style of bush we see at the front was used at both positions. I don't know the specific advantage of the newer layout.

P3 uses Ford EUCD platform. A lot of rust included in the box, right at the dealer's lot. P3's are not ol' good Volvo we know.

[mrbrian200]

P3 uses Ford EUCD platform. A lot of rust included in the box, right at the dealer's lot. P3's are not ol' good Volvo we know.

Ford has a tendency to destroy everything they touch (that's not a low end base model). I note similarities between the P3 sedans and a Ford Fusion my cousin bought new 2 years ago. I suspect Ford was planning on cross platforming these models. Fortunately for Volvo, Ford bean counters are out of the picture and Greely has different ideas about where to go with the brand.
Jaguar has been making a comeback too. Little old lady in town bought a brand Jag about 6 mos. ago and has parked next to me a couple times at the grocery. Despite not having that distinctive classic Jaguar shape it is a mighty fine lookin car inside and out. If Ford still owned them it would probably be just a rebranded MKZ at this point and wouldn't impress anyone.

[vtl]

I read what Volvo dealer mechanic says about new XC90 and other SPA-based models. Stay away Maybe in a few years they'll polish it enough, but currently it's PIA for owners.