[nugget]

Hi, I recently took my car for a checkup at National because I thought I smashed up something after putting my car into a curb to stop it rolling down a hill in the snow, they said that was fine, but said there was some play in the nearside front wheel which they quoted was £150 to fix, they talked something about the upper? wishbone and ball joint. Now these mean very little to me, but if I was to buy the parts and get them fitted at an indy garage that I know of well, would anyone be able to tell what parts it is that I need? or is it more complex than that?

Car is 147 16v 1.9 jtd 2003

I read there was some cheap lower wishbone things being sold from this thread...

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-147-156-and-gt/202578-buypartsby-wishbones-lower.html

But don't know what parts I need first of all.

Thanks

 

[nugget]

bumpy

 

[gazza82]

Both upper and lower wishbones have balljoints ... so you are going to need to get National to confirm which one. It's usually the uppers that go first. The balljoint covers split letting the grease out and grit in ... when that happens the balljoints wear out quicker.

Take the wheel off and have a look around. The lower is harder to see as the brake disc backing plate gets in the way, but if the balljoint cover is greasy, that usually means that the cover has gone.

Lower arms can be a PITA to replace .. uppers are quicker and can be done in less that an hour. You will have to disconnect the anti-roll bar drop link(s) to do either and they are generally seized, so factor in a new pair.
The Alfa ones last longer than non-Alfa replacements in my experience.

 

[nugget]

Hiya, thanks heaps for that informative post! I'm gonna print it off and and try my best to follow that to see where I can get to without taking it to a garage to diagnose again, I have a garage that I always use to have things fitted etc, but they're so far away I usually just go there to get things done but have things diagnosed before hand. Thanks!

I'll try taking the wheel off etc and will report back here soon.

 

[biffa]

Dont buy ebay wishbones not good quality to be honest.

 

[Chris155]

Hi, I'm local to you I think, would be happy to confirm what the problem is if you bring it round to me. PM box is full but a link to my email is in my profile.

 

[nugget]

Heya guys, okay, I found out it's the upper wishbone that needs changing, one of the bushes has been worn causing slight play there, if that's right?

I will search the forums now though for advice on changing it and how easy it is etc.

If there's any notable information on replacing them, please feel free to include here