To be safe, wash and scrub off the grease. Most of these bushings have a coating of Teflon to act as a lubricant, not for installation, but to prevent squeaking after they're installed. Grease will dissolve that Teflon coating. After that, water will get in and form rust on the bar. That rust will tear away the rubber and reduce the life of the bushing. Spray White Grease, which is lithium-based, will quiet a squeaking bushing for a few days or weeks, but those are squeaking because the Teflon has already been ground away. The grease is only prolonging the need to replace the part.
A much more effective alternative is to spray the bar and bushing with Silicone Spray Lube. That goes on like water, then evaporates and leaves a film of "slippery" behind. This works real well for sliding on stubborn heater hoses too. Be careful when you push on the bushing. It will slide on so easily that it may go all the way to the other side of the car!
Wednesday, March 22nd, 2017 AT 7:22 PM