Rear Roll Bar Link Bushes And Links - How Easy A Job

[catseye27]

My MOT report indicates that the rear roll bar bushes are split and the links corroded on my RAV4.3. Toyota dealer indicates £250 new. Seems expensive. How easy a job to do yourself. Any setup required or is it a straight replacement?

Many thanks

[gjnorthall]

Easy, it's a straightforward job - no setting up required. Soak the 2 nuts holding each stabiliser bar bracket overnight in penetrating fluid - the studs tend to rust. Give the bushes a good dousing of WD40 before fitting. The ball joint on each drop link has an internal hexagon so can be held with an allen key to prevent the joint rotating as the nut is removed. Drop links are around £16 each (eBay etc) - genuine Toyota probably cost four times as much - the two rubber bushes are dealer parts. Some MOT testers tend to be over zealous with advisories - you'd expect surface surface rust on a suspension component provided there's no loss of metal. Stabiliser bar bushes do tend to crack at the periphery outside the clamp and are fine provided there's no excessive movement of the bar in the bushes.