That's probably true. GM has always made a lot of money by forcing us to buy assemblies rather than individual parts. Very often by the time their cars get to be few years old, the aftermarket industry has developed replacement parts to solve this problem. I just checked rockauto. Com and found a listing for bushings, same part number for the front and rear, but I don't know if that's the same parts they say you need.
First I would recommend having the car inspected at an independent tire and alignment shop or a frame and alignment specialty shop. I don't know what the manufacturers have cheapened but we're seeing WAY more worn out bushings than even a decade ago. It used to be common for suspension bushings to last the life of the car. Now we're changing some that are only a few years old on a regular basis.
Even if some bushings are worn, that should not allow the axle to shift sideways noticeably. There could be a clunking noise from metal hitting metal on bumpy roads, but various types of bars, links, and brackets hold the axle in position. If the axle appears to be offset to one side by more than an inch, suspect to find something bent. Typically that occurs from sliding sideways into a curb, but some cars are built so cheaply that you have to wonder how the axle stays in place to begin with. Look at what holds the rear axle in place in an older Ford Tempo, then look at the chewed up tire wear. I can't believe they get away with passing that junk onto unsuspecting customers.
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Saturday, December 3rd, 2011 AT 8:59 PM
