So I've had issues before with poly bushes with them constantly creaking or squeaking for the third link/upper swing arm bushing pictured here:

I ended up getting rubber bushings and got the suspension shop to install it and it's still creaking (Another shop previously confirmed they were creaking, and I jacked it up and felt it and it's 100% that bushing that's still creaking when I'm going up a driveway at an angle)

Is it possible that because the shop didn't have the right tool to install it (they didn't use the outer metal sleeve to put a socket on it or something but instead they actually compressed the rubber in a vice and now there is a lip where it's supposed to be flat (I've pointed that out in red, the rubber is pushed in) that they ruined it?

I've done this job so many times and before it made sense because the grease kept falling out, but these are rubber and shouldn't need greasing.

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I also pre-loaded the suspension and even completely loosened the bolt and jacked up the car and it's still making the noise. I'm mind boggled. I did notice during installation that they were going in on an angle initially and they sprayed some kind of lubricant to make it go in easier, not sure if that matters.

The weird thing is that it always happens on the driver side. The passenger side is completely fine.

Edited August 20Aug 20 by silviaz

I mean, there's so many bushings involved in a corner of suspension, that unless you change them ALL at the same time, I'm not sure anybody could ever identify which one is squeaking if they're all poly, unless it was EXTREMELY f***ed.

I'd like to know myself lol.

My immediate gut feeling would be "Huh - I guess it wasn't that bush after all"

7 hours ago, Kinkstaah said:

I mean, there's so many bushings involved in a corner of suspension, that unless you change them ALL at the same time, I'm not sure anybody could ever identify which one is squeaking if they're all poly, unless it was EXTREMELY f***ed.

I'd like to know myself lol.

My immediate gut feeling would be "Huh - I guess it wasn't that bush after all"

It's all rubber now. That was the only poly one I had. The vibration/feeling is coming from there. I'll try listen around the suspension with a screw driver next and go from there.

Edited August 20Aug 20 by silviaz

Those factory bushes are not simple rubber. They have a gooshey silicone/grease/oil muck in them. That's why they have the garter spring closure against the crush tube. As such, they shouldn't be capable of much in the way of creaking. If it was solid rubber, I would suggest that use of lube to help push them in and even a bit of inappropriate pushing on the rubber shouldn't have renedered them able to creak - but maybe, because they are fluid filled, there has been some damage.

However, I would like to suggest another possibility. If something like your caster rods are allowing too much movement (fore-aft, of the lower control arm) then that rotation turns up in this bush and might cause it to start complaining. Or,

Another possibility is the spindle bearing in the bottom of that third member. They can make noise of their own, and it will possibly turn up in that part of the arm. They could also be so buggered that they allow too much movement and make that upper bush talk, like the caster bush could do.

And so on, and so forth.

2 hours ago, GTSBoy said:

Those factory bushes are not simple rubber. They have a gooshey silicone/grease/oil muck in them. That's why they have the garter spring closure against the crush tube. As such, they shouldn't be capable of much in the way of creaking. If it was solid rubber, I would suggest that use of lube to help push them in and even a bit of inappropriate pushing on the rubber shouldn't have renedered them able to creak - but maybe, because they are fluid filled, there has been some damage.

However, I would like to suggest another possibility. If something like your caster rods are allowing too much movement (fore-aft, of the lower control arm) then that rotation turns up in this bush and might cause it to start complaining. Or,

Another possibility is the spindle bearing in the bottom of that third member. They can make noise of their own, and it will possibly turn up in that part of the arm. They could also be so buggered that they allow too much movement and make that upper bush talk, like the caster bush could do.

And so on, and so forth.

Hmm. My mechanic a while back did say my castor rods need changing but they look fine to me with no visible wear, even with a pry bar and I've inspected them on the hoist a few times. I'll try mess with them again with the suspension loaded.

I just realised my castor arm bushing might actually be polyurethane lol. It looks like rubber but I noticed that it has a 4 digit number stamped which these superpro bushings seem to have and my old one did (also doesn't look oem). I'll report back once I find the solution.

Also some marks on it, looks like someone was messing around with it previously.

Yeah - that's not stock.

As it is PU it is unlikely to be worn out enough to be causing you problems. It might be noisy though. Might. Unlikely, as they do hardly f**k all movement.

Double check you have no other poly bushes. My experience with them is they're noisy as f**k.

That also said, poly bush in the castor spot, possibly it doesn't have ENOUGH flex in it, and it is binding things up.

1 minute ago, MBS206 said:

Double check you have no other poly bushes. My experience with them is they're noisy as f**k.

That also said, poly bush in the castor spot, possibly it doesn't have ENOUGH flex in it, and it is binding things up.

Yep will do. I'll double check them all.

Edited August 21Aug 21 by silviaz

I'm currently doing checks and I don't know why I didn't realise this before but with zss front sway bar links, I don't think they came with washers and I have been using the factory washers but there is almost no thread left, which makes me think I'm not supposed to run them. Is this correct?

12 minutes ago, silviaz said:

I'm currently doing checks and I don't know why I didn't realise this before but with zss front sway bar links, I don't think they came with washers and I have been using the factory washers but there is almost no thread left, which makes me think I'm not supposed to run them. Is this correct?

Where did you put the washer they didn't come with?

And what was your purpose/reason to move away from the factory links?

2 minutes ago, MBS206 said:

Where did you put the washer they didn't come with?

And what was your purpose/reason to move away from the factory links?

I put the washer on the part that attached onto the sway bar. (Picture attached)

I replaced it as the boot was torn, a while I went to take out the third link bush at it was making noise.

These are just the hardened ones from justjap. Not adjustable, so should be a direct factory replacement

7 minutes ago, MBS206 said:

Where did you put the washer they didn't come with?

And what was your purpose/reason to move away from the factory links?

I can barely see what's going on in that picture. Got one where you have some extra light available?

I often use a torch from behind the camera to help light it up more as flash sucks.

Also, no washers needed.

Also double check your sway bar bushes where they mount to the car. Were these loose, and then with the car at ride height tightened, or were they tightened at full droop? What bushes are in these?

I was going to say there's no washers involved at that bolt location.

I would also suggest lubing the ARB to body bushes - particularly if they are PU. I had to do mine recently because I caused them to move a long way (from their long term comfort zone) while I was playing with the coilovers and they started talking afterwards.

2 minutes ago, MBS206 said:

I can barely see what's going on in that picture. Got one where you have some extra light available?

I often use a torch from behind the camera to help light it up more as flash sucks.

Also, no washers needed.

Also double check your sway bar bushes where they mount to the car. Were these loose, and then with the car at ride height tightened, or were they tightened at full droop? What bushes are in these?

Sorry, I just retook the photo. But I preloaded the suspension by putting a block of wood on the jack and I jacked up the rotor. And I made sure it was the same distance as it was on the ground then tightened/torqued everything up.

I just checked the sway bar bushes and they appear to be rubber as they are squishy.

Thanks also.

Edited August 22Aug 22 by silviaz

1 minute ago, GTSBoy said:

1 minute ago, GTSBoy said:

I was going to say there's no washers involved at that bolt location.

I would also suggest lubing the ARB to body bushes - particularly if they are PU. I had to do mine recently because I caused them to move a long way (from their long term comfort zone) while I was playing with the coilovers and they started talking afterwards.

I was going to say there's no washers involved at that bolt location.

I would also suggest lubing the ARB to body bushes - particularly if they are PU. I had to do mine recently because I caused them to move a long way (from their long term comfort zone) while I was playing with the coilovers and they started talking afterwards.

Cheers. I'm going to go with hardened rubber so I don't have to deal with that.

Edited August 22Aug 22 by silviaz

I forgot to attach a photo of the bush that was pushed in (this is passenger side keep in mind). I also noticed the metal sleeve inside the bushing I can rotate with my hand. I thought it was just PU that did that?

52 minutes ago, silviaz said:

I also noticed the metal sleeve inside the bushing I can rotate with my hand. I thought it was just PU that did that?

On 21/08/2026 at 9:42 AM, GTSBoy said:

Those factory bushes are not simple rubber. They have a gooshey silicone/grease/oil muck in them. That's why they have the garter spring closure against the crush tube.

Unfortunently the noise appears to be coming from the third link. I'll probably just leave it as is, as I'm tired of doing this job lol.

The only other thing I noticed was that the sway bar bushing had cracks and a gap. Which I assume at least the gap is normal when it's jacked up at the front subframe with both wheels off (mine from memory was)

Thanks guys for the help. I'll update this thread in the future if it ends up being something else

Edited August 22Aug 22 by silviaz

2 hours ago, silviaz said:

The only other thing I noticed was that the sway bar bushing had cracks and a gap. Which I assume at least the gap is normal when it's jacked up at the front subframe with both wheels off (mine from memory was)

Thanks guys for the help. I'll update this thread in the future if it ends up being something else

That's f**ked. Replace them. It will drive better with new ones.

I use PU there. I don't use rubber bushes any more. They suck more than the occasional PU noise. (and I am increasingly replacing PU with sphericals, and living with the noise of those is a whole 'nother world!).