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 Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 5:04 pm |
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Joined: Feb 07, 2010
Posts: 2505
Trade Rating: +19
Location: West mids
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Wow 3/4 times a year!! I thought I was bad and I've had 2 sets in 4years
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 6:03 pm |
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Joined: Apr 03, 2010
Posts: 455
Trade Rating: +8
Location: Ashford, Kent
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This is one of the very worst things about the 206 - tha damn ball joints. I am very worried that having just spent ages bushing my bones (how wrong does that sound) that the ball joints will fail after a few miles.
But I have used lemforder stuff without any problems... so I am hoping for the best. Failing all else - go all out and get some rose jointed arms 
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Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 3:02 pm |
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Joined: Feb 16, 2011
Posts: 64
Trade Rating: 0
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Not only that, its a hell of a job. I'd spend the extra and buy OEMs and see if they last - I did a LOT of reading about middle/low quality ones, and I didn't fancy doing the job again anytime soon - so I went for £120 set from Peugeot.
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 12:41 pm |
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Joined: Feb 07, 2010
Posts: 177
Trade Rating: +1
Location: Llantrisant
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Ive done 2 sets from pug, both oems one set lasted about 18 months the last set last about 3, problem is, is that it is messing up my tyres on the inside egdes, tracking is fine, but every time get that done they say ball joints a Fubbered and they show me, im just gutted,
Any one point me in the right direction for the most robust
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| GT Dturbo
Team : Austin Healey Sprite | |
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 1:04 pm |
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Joined: Apr 03, 2010
Posts: 455
Trade Rating: +8
Location: Ashford, Kent
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Lemforder... dont let the fact that Euro Car Parts import them put you off. They have nothing to do with it.
PLUS... think about main dealer. When have Peugeot made wishbones? They will be off the same production line as those at a parts dealer. Save the really sh*t ones - they are all the same.
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 1:55 pm |
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Joined: Jun 19, 2010
Posts: 1600
Trade Rating: +4
Location: South Bucks
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carparts4less.co.uk are actually ECP .. but internet only ... and about 20% savings ...
or you could try mister-auto.co.uk ... they do good branded parts too like febi Bilstein, TRW, Lemforder, Delphi ... not so sure about Moog or Bolk parts!
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| Down to just the 1.4 HDi. Cayman Green 2.0i CC sold. | |
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 2:19 pm |
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Joined: Feb 07, 2010
Posts: 177
Trade Rating: +1
Location: Llantrisant
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thanks guys ill have a goood look now
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| GT Dturbo
Team : Austin Healey Sprite | |
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 2:31 pm |
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Joined: Feb 07, 2010
Posts: 177
Trade Rating: +1
Location: Llantrisant
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mister-auto.co.uk have the cheapest Lemforder ones at £62 i guess lemforder are the best then?!?!?
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| GT Dturbo
Team : Austin Healey Sprite | |
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 6:47 am |
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Joined: Jun 19, 2010
Posts: 1600
Trade Rating: +4
Location: South Bucks
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Best are the ones that last longest ... 
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| Down to just the 1.4 HDi. Cayman Green 2.0i CC sold. | |
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 5:23 pm |
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Joined: Aug 04, 2011
Posts: 1343
Trade Rating: 0
Location: Swindon
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Good quality after part manufacturers are Delphi and Quinton Hazel (QH)
I have just bought a pair of QH for my daughters 206 cost £28ea (40% discount to me) + VAT . Fairly easy to do and took about 2hr30 from opening the garage door to car test driven, all tools put away and finished washing my hands. Never done it before and learnt a few trick along the way and think I could take 30 - 45 mins off that for a pair now.
1) It is harder than the Haynes manual says.
2) Fitting spring clamps helps but isn't the total solution as you still need to raise the wheel more than spring clamps achieve to align the new arm. A little bit "heath Robinson" but i put a jack under the anti-roll bar drop link and jacked under that. Raising the suspension in this way allows the front bolt to clear the drive shaft and the two pivot bolts bushes to be relatively easily aligned for fitting the bolts.
3) Forget about the silly lever method to pop the ball joint from the hub. Just disc cut the arm in half near the ball joint. All the tension is gone and so easy to remove. may be easier if you have an assistant but i found it impossible doing this on my own.
4) When refitting the arm push it almost home and fit the ball joint before fitting the pivot bolts. Fitting pivot bolts first puts a lot of tension in the arm - one slip (well maybe not the first but definitely the second) trying to line up the ball joint and the rubber boot around the joint gets split and life of wishbone instantly reduced to a few months.
5) BEFORE FITTING - carefully remove the top clip holding the rubber boot on the ball joint and put in more grease - the manufacturers are really cheap on this!
Note: I would be VERY surprised if you could polybush this setup as there is quite a lot of flex in the bushes (not ball joint) that MUST happen for the bottom arm to pivot.
FINAL NOTE - PREMATURE FAILURE: There should be a small metal heat shield that fits onto the ball joint and prevents the heat from the brakes radiating onto the ball jointand rubber cover. If that heat shield is missing it could be the cause of your premature failures.
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| Morris 1000, Austin 1100, Escort Mk2, Fiat Mirafiori, Alfa 33, Alfa GT Junior, Alfasud, Alfetta GTV (2x), Alfa 164 3.0 V6, Alfa 164 2.0, Alfa 75 V6, Alfa 156 2.4 (diesel remapped 200bhp), Alfa 147 GTA (3.6 295bhp), Alfa 159 (diesel remapped 245bhp 300ft.lbs @ 2500rpm)
Why isn't my daughter an Alfaholic? | |
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Last edited by kandlbarrett on Fri Jun 01, 2012 12:24 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 5:50 pm |
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Joined: Apr 03, 2010
Posts: 455
Trade Rating: +8
Location: Ashford, Kent
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"Just disc cut the arm in half near the ball joint. "
Yup - cuz we've all got an angle grinder kicking around...
Er... and whilst I think point 4 is a good observation, I have to interject into your polybush statement. If you have uprated suspension, this flex requirement is reduced and therefore standard bushes will actually cause more of a problem and put undue pressure on the rest of the setup. This is true of any car. So - poly bush not such a good idea for standard car, but more of a requirement for uprated. Feel free to couterclaim, but I think you will have a lot of opposition here
Sorry - not wanted to stir, but you cant have people fitting uprated suspension on standard bushes. I have always done the bushes before anything - same goes for engine. More power - more flex. You loose performance. This is no different for suspension.
And those SOAB heat shields only work their way loose and rattle after a few miles...
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 6:13 pm |
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Joined: Aug 04, 2011
Posts: 1343
Trade Rating: 0
Location: Swindon
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I fully understand your statement about polybushes but the front suspension arms on a 206 don't pivot in the normal manner. The pivot bolts, if you can call them that, are fitted vertically rather than horizontally. It is the flex in the bush that allows the arm to pivot not a rotating action on the axis of the bolt.
I have checked and am corrected - poly bush kits exist - but my above statement is correct; the pivot of the arm is not achieved in the conventional manner on a 206. The OPs car is on standard suspension and not lowered. In that case I would be concerned that the poly bushes would be over worked and not last any longer than the original part. On stiffened suspension yes a good option but on standard suspension I wouldn't rush to do it.
I also note that the wear part in this case is the ball joint so, back to original reason for this post, I suspect one of four things: -
1) The fitter is damaging the ball joint rubber cover when they fit them - easily done.
2) Cheap, poor quality imported parts - the internet has allowed the market in cheap parts to thrive - people eventually learn that quality comes at a price.
3) Lack of grease from new under the rubber cover - easily rectified when fitting.
4) Heat shield is missing and heat is destroying the rubber cover. Grease escapes, dirt gets in and trashed in a few months. Buy a new one.
Finally, I do thank you for correcting me on poly bushes and these cars. I have been away from mechanics for nearly 25 years (it was my trade) and clearly compounds have moved on. 25 years ago I would be surprised to find a rubber bush survive this design for more than 10,000 miles let alone a poly.
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| Morris 1000, Austin 1100, Escort Mk2, Fiat Mirafiori, Alfa 33, Alfa GT Junior, Alfasud, Alfetta GTV (2x), Alfa 164 3.0 V6, Alfa 164 2.0, Alfa 75 V6, Alfa 156 2.4 (diesel remapped 200bhp), Alfa 147 GTA (3.6 295bhp), Alfa 159 (diesel remapped 245bhp 300ft.lbs @ 2500rpm)
Why isn't my daughter an Alfaholic? | |
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 7:40 pm |
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Joined: Apr 03, 2010
Posts: 455
Trade Rating: +8
Location: Ashford, Kent
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I agree completely, the vertical design is a poor one, but the choice of French suspension components all over! And the bushes don't last that long and I think for manufacturers to state that poly bushes last longer would be foolish, but that said, most who fit them are likely to renew their suspension every 20-30k anyway, so I doubt it is of concern.
And the ball joints.. well.. anything that could potentially save them is a bonus! Inevitably, the ball joints go long before the bushes have too much play. Therefore new wishbones are on the scene long before the bushes give any grief!!
I think someone should market a 206 wishbone with changable ball joints (sorry Seabook - that was your idea first!), but speaking for this site alone, they would make a killing... 
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 12:08 am |
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Joined: Aug 04, 2011
Posts: 1343
Trade Rating: 0
Location: Swindon
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If you think front suspension on the 206 is poor go to alfaowner.com and start reading the threads on creaking, clonking short lived suspension on the 147 / 156 / GT section. Then you will know what short lived suspension is and that design is a thoroughbred (read fragile?) true double wishbone arrangement. Even the antiroll bar bushes can be rattling in 20k and you have to lower the subframe to change those!
Like people here those on alfaowner (I have 3 Alfas at the moment) are learning that cheap imports mean do it twice. Most ebayers seems to start from the point that if you can buy parts cheap then the expensive parts sellers are just ripping you off. That is not the case - the cheap imports are just that; cheap low quality built to a price.
When it comes to after market suspension parts buy QH, Delphi or TRW and you won't go far wrong and will save money over the main dealer prices.
Becuase I am now once again repairing cars to boost my income I am lucky and get trade discount so I get the listed brands -40% and that almost matches the cheap fleabay parts.
The other issues with cheap suspension components is obviously safety but also your front tyres are often almost knackered before you realise the new parts have failed again. Add the price of your tyres and re-tracking to the price of your cheap parts and they aren't so cheap anymore.
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| Morris 1000, Austin 1100, Escort Mk2, Fiat Mirafiori, Alfa 33, Alfa GT Junior, Alfasud, Alfetta GTV (2x), Alfa 164 3.0 V6, Alfa 164 2.0, Alfa 75 V6, Alfa 156 2.4 (diesel remapped 200bhp), Alfa 147 GTA (3.6 295bhp), Alfa 159 (diesel remapped 245bhp 300ft.lbs @ 2500rpm)
Why isn't my daughter an Alfaholic? | |
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 8:24 am |
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Joined: Nov 27, 2010
Posts: 11520
Trade Rating: +10
Location: What's it to you? ? ?
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Genuine Peugeot wishbones fitted to my 206 under Peugeot manufacturers warranty back in 2005 & there still on the car now some 7 years / 70k miles later.
Genuine Peugeot wishbones are around £120 each, id happly pay that for replacements if / when needed.
Over the years i've seen that 95% of pattern parts are just not worth bothering with as there a waste of both time & money.
Doing the job right the first time saves money in the long run.
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| Toyota C-HR GR Sport 2.0 Hybrid with JBL & Alcantara packs. | |
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