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Elantra Gt Wander lust and how to fix it

3K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  Deathjam4 
#1 · (Edited)
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.
 
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#2 ·
Also as an add in I am providing links to the bushings so that you may easily find and purchase if you need help finding them. I purchase most of my parts from n75 motorsports here in canada and these are simply links to the parts in general and do not need to be purchased from this supplier.
*this is not an indorsement but is where I buy most of my parts *
Poly Bushing with swivel center more expensive option but better for lowered vehicles.
Swivel center Poly Bushing

White line Balljoint For lowered vehicles or everyday vehicles allows lower cars to have better angles with the suspension.

Simple Poly Bushing
Poly Bushings

Secondary Poly Bushing
 
#3 ·
Hi there, thanks for the post! I noticed this issue (no straight line on uneven surfaces, wandering steering at highway speeds) on a recent road trip, though only very slightly. The car (2019 gt n-line) is just over 10k miles, 7200k when I got it. There's still factory warranty, would replacing the front bushings be covered? If so I'll probably do that. If not I'll wait til I have a bit more money to get the 'performance' bushings...
 
#5 ·
Yes but it may take a bit of convincing to the dealership. It took me 4 months to get an approval on replacements and after some 6000km i have not been having a lot of the same issues but i can feel they are starting to weaken already. This style is a design flaw and with out putting a more solid bushing in its place it will just keep repeating itself. I only pressed for replacement at the dealer so that i could have it on record that this was the issue with the car. I have been finding Hyundai tends to take note from gm cars. i had a 2007 Saturn ion that had identical control arms and it suffered all the same issues as my car. when i straight up replaced the control arms its solved those problems which is what confirmed my suspicions. If you do want to press for warranty i would do it it might take a while and a bit of diagnostic fees (which you can claim back if they are deemed faulty) but if the mechanic's are anything like the ones i dealt with they basically lift the car visual look at the bushing and will say its fine even tho the rubber degradation and weakening is the fault. what helped my case was the bushing had physically started to crack and even then the mechanics refused to admit there was an issue. I had to argue with the service managed for some time before i got it excepted.

Some of the more obvious signs of a bad bushing is by how much it allows the bushing to sag when its got weight on it the bushing when on flat ground should have the control arm centered and when lifted off the ground should only allow a max of 1/4 of a drop on the bushing side. if its touching the subframe or is very close to teh sub frame the bushing is likely worn out out or tired which i have been finding has been an on par issue with all the rubber on my car. My car tires that came with the car no longer have traction after 1 year meaning they are dried out, My lower engine bushing was essentially junk before i hit 10k and was showing signs of the mount hitting max spring back. my rubber exhaust hangers are all very weak but may be due to the stock exhaust being so heavy but it has not been on my car with 15k. The rubber window seal became delaminated from my front window but i think this was more an issue with the way it was installed at the factory, my engine mounts by 46k are showing signs that they are no good any more as my engine vibrates very heavily(unsure this is due to the carbon buildup issue and clogged injectors tho ) its been a long road and i aim to debunk all the issues with this vehicle.

Pictures of the bushings in my car by 26k showing signs of dry/stress cracking
Automotive tire Helmet Grey Synthetic rubber Rim

A puncture in the bushing from something that got in between the control arm likely a stone(dealer mechanic still said this was fine which it is not)
Automotive tire Motor vehicle Rim Automotive design Automotive exterior
 
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