Lifespan of rear lower control arm bushings?

[nickCR]

Does anyone know what the factory declared lifespan of the lower control arm bushings is for the pathfinder?

Also could the vehicle being airborne result in additional stress on the bushings making them wear out sooner?

My Pathfinder R51 was in an accident a year ago and the vehicle was a meter off the ground and travelled 5 meters horizontally before touch down. Front left wheel hit, then front right and back right, finally rear left. All the lower control arms have deteriorated bushings except the one they changed.

Thank in advance!

[smj999smj]

I don't know of any manufacturer that has a "declared lifespan" for bushings of any kind. When they go bad, you replace them, just like any part that wears out or breaks. Being airborne could result in additional stress on the bushings and/or cause them to split or break, in which case I guess one could say that it has made them wear out quicker. However, bushings can fail for any of several reasons and there's no way for us to say what caused "your" bushings to fail prematurely, if they have, nor whether it was caused by your accident. The type of terrain the vehicle is driven over, aggressive driving, extremely dry and hot conditions, operating in salty conditions (i.e. living near the ocean or an area where they use a lot of salt in the winter) can all lead to accelerated wear of rubber bushings.

[nickCR]

Thanks for the response. Probably needed that honesty...

I am a fairly aggressive driver (accelerate fast and brake hard), we live a block from the beach (lots of salt in the air), it's 38 degrees here everyday and there is a few kms of dirt trails we need to drive on to get to the surf break 2-3 times a week.

Truck has 135,000 km so maybe it's just that time. We only moved to this area last year, but lots of bushing problems have been popping up. End of life I suppose. The last control arm (rear left) I replaced was $460 at the dealership. Wouldn't be so bad if they were reasonable on parts but we pay easily double if not triple prices from the states. I do try to order stuff in but weight it expensive to ship in, gonna have to look into sending stuff by sea.

[LessThanZero]

I just had mine replace at 187,000 miles. I waited about 10 miles more than I should have since I had to have the tie-rod ends replaced as well. Mechanic was amazed I didn't die........

[Entropy98]

Is there a replacement for just the bushing or is the whole arm needing to be replaced? I think I have a torn bushing from the alignment after the lift was added.

[smj999smj]

You can get replacement bushings, if that's the way you want to go, although they can be a bit of a pain to press out and in.

[Entropy98]

Any links to where you could get these said bushings? Poly would be awesome.

[smj999smj]

I'm not sure about the Poly... Try Energy Suspension to see if they have them.
You can get control arm bushings from Nissan...try CourtesyParts.com.
If aftermarket, original type bushings are available, try looking for them at Rockauto.com

[Entropy98]

Yeah I have not been able to locate the bushings for the rear LCA. That is why I asked. It looks like you have to replace the LCA.

[smj999smj]

Yeah, I could only locate bushing for the front, upper and lower control arms. For the front, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to replace the bushings because you can buy the whole control arm with bushings and ball joint for another $15. Looks like you need the whole control arm if you want the rear suspension control arm bushings.

[Entropy98]

Thats what I was thinking. Thanks!

[Entropy98]

So I received a new set of LCA for the rear and plan to cut the bolts. Where have people purchased the camber alignment bolts from for the rear. Nissan, auto parts store, ect...

[smj999smj]

Stick with the genuine Nissan bolts. They are the same numbers as the ones for the front.