[urq] Subframes bushings r&R : half the job is done.

[Louis-Alain_Richard at computerhorizons.com]

... and it was a walk in the park!

I don't know why I waited so long (maybe you scared me with the story of 
the captive nut spinning...) but replacing the subframe bushings 
transformed the car from a harsh riding machine to a tight feeling sports 
car. Amazing. I recommend it to every one, it is money well spend. Do it 
before replacing any hard parts, bushings are often overlooked because 
"they look fine". Wrong.

The job itself is real easy; 
to remove the front subframe, you only have to remove 12 bolts.
- 4 a-arms bolts
- 2 transmission mounts bolts
- 2 sway bar to chassis mounts bolts
- 4 subframe bolts.
It's that easy, you can even leave the wheels on the car, and the sway bar 
attached to the a-arms (real PITA to reinstall), that's what I did.

Removing the bushings from the subframe and installing the new ones was 
done with a 6" bench vise, a 2" long x 2" OD steel tube and human force. 
And I was alone. No 30-tons hydraulic press involved.
Now I will attack the rear mounts this weekend.

Regarding the parts themselves, I must thank Ado Sigal for providing me 
the same 8 OEM bushings for 400$ less than the 540$ I had to pay here in 
Canada... And when I say "the same", I mean "the same"; I compared the 2 
sets, and even the date codes were identical (BOGE-made parts, made in 
Germany, 04-02, etc.). I know where I will shop the next time I have to 
buy an OEM part...

NAC: I just spent 2 weeks in France and the rental car I had was a Citroen 
C3 1.4 HDI. It was my first spin in a small turbodiesel car, and I was 
impressed. In that car, the saying "you buy horsepower but what you drive 
is torque" is true. 70 HP, but feeling like 120 HP, I swear. Granted I was 
downtown Paris, and I spent about half an hour on the highway, but I can 
easily drive such a small car everyday. Hey, there is even automatic A/C, 
rain sensor wipers, ESP, heated seats, all the stuff associated with 
bigger cars here in North-America. All this for 13 000 Euros.

The most amazing figure is the fuel mileage (obviously...). 
One night, I circled Paris using the famous "peripherique boulevard" (a 35 
km urban highway that circles Paris):
- average speed 87 km/h (55 mph) 
- average fuel mileage: 3.4 liters/100km that is 70 mpg !!!!!!!
Geez, the world don't need the sophisticated hybrid cars, small compact 
diesel cars are the way to go.

Louis-Alain