So recently I noticed some one in my face book posts put out a message asking about weird squeaking noises and the cars bad wander lust. Well if you have this issue and have had your suspension checked and told everything is fine but still have this issue you are Not insane and you do have a problem.. I am a mechanic have been most of my life and i pin pointed this problem the first day i heard it. a list of symptoms follows below.
Symptoms: Car will not track a straight line on uneven surfaces, Squeaking noise when coming to a stop or the car is put in parking, Difficulty or wandering steering at highway speeds.
all this is caused by the front lower control arm bushings. The elantra relies heavily on the lower rear control arm bushing to maintain a straight line when it starts to ware out it begins to allow the arm to flex very easily which results in the wheels turning or following the general lines in the road which is more noticeable on roads with heavy indents from many years of track on them.
The Fix!
The fix is simply to replace the bushing this requires the lower control arm to be removed from the car and usually requires an alignment after words. you can go with any replacement bushing but at this point you might as well spend a bit extra and purchase the whitelike poly bushings as they last longer and provide a more permant and longer lasting repair for your vehicle. There is currently 2 versions on the market and for some people one is a better option then the other.
For lowered vehicles or performance minded people I would recommend the more expensive bushings as they have a adjustable swivel head built into the bushing which allows lowered vehicles to maintain a more firm and stable line but also does not stress out or tax the bushings flex. I would also suggest the white line balljoint while the arm is out as well as it provides a more sharper angle for the arm to sit at and pair it with the forward bushing for a bit more stability and your lower control arms will be pretty solid. The only other thing you can do is to buy a reinforcement for the control arm if you plan to track the vehicle or are an aggressive driver. its basically a plate that bolts into the control arm and strengthens it .
For regular everyday driving the stock replacement bushings can be used but they will only ware out again in the next 20k so i suggest the straight poly bushings which are often the best bang for the buck as they are more firm Very cheap and provide a long term solution to this problem. there is a number of these bushings on the market now so far the cheapest and best i have seen is designed from whiteline.
Some Additonaly things you can do is now rear control arm bushings have been made in poly form and installing these in your rear control arms will provide even more stability to your vehicle. Whiteline makes all these parts and they are relatively cheap. In total you can expect to spend up wards of 200 to 500$ depending if you do it yourself or take it to the mechanic for parts and labour.
Any ways this all said and done I really hope everyone has found this helpful.
Symptoms: Car will not track a straight line on uneven surfaces, Squeaking noise when coming to a stop or the car is put in parking, Difficulty or wandering steering at highway speeds.
all this is caused by the front lower control arm bushings. The elantra relies heavily on the lower rear control arm bushing to maintain a straight line when it starts to ware out it begins to allow the arm to flex very easily which results in the wheels turning or following the general lines in the road which is more noticeable on roads with heavy indents from many years of track on them.
The Fix!
The fix is simply to replace the bushing this requires the lower control arm to be removed from the car and usually requires an alignment after words. you can go with any replacement bushing but at this point you might as well spend a bit extra and purchase the whitelike poly bushings as they last longer and provide a more permant and longer lasting repair for your vehicle. There is currently 2 versions on the market and for some people one is a better option then the other.
For lowered vehicles or performance minded people I would recommend the more expensive bushings as they have a adjustable swivel head built into the bushing which allows lowered vehicles to maintain a more firm and stable line but also does not stress out or tax the bushings flex. I would also suggest the white line balljoint while the arm is out as well as it provides a more sharper angle for the arm to sit at and pair it with the forward bushing for a bit more stability and your lower control arms will be pretty solid. The only other thing you can do is to buy a reinforcement for the control arm if you plan to track the vehicle or are an aggressive driver. its basically a plate that bolts into the control arm and strengthens it .
For regular everyday driving the stock replacement bushings can be used but they will only ware out again in the next 20k so i suggest the straight poly bushings which are often the best bang for the buck as they are more firm Very cheap and provide a long term solution to this problem. there is a number of these bushings on the market now so far the cheapest and best i have seen is designed from whiteline.
Some Additonaly things you can do is now rear control arm bushings have been made in poly form and installing these in your rear control arms will provide even more stability to your vehicle. Whiteline makes all these parts and they are relatively cheap. In total you can expect to spend up wards of 200 to 500$ depending if you do it yourself or take it to the mechanic for parts and labour.
Any ways this all said and done I really hope everyone has found this helpful.