Spyder_Man

So as some know already, my 993 is in the shop getting a new steering rack and suspension kit installed. I already have a set of Walrod a-arm bushings that I bought from a fellow RLer, assuming my a-arm bushings would be totally shot.

After getting the car up on a lift, it turns out the OEM a-arm bushings on my 993 are fine. Shocking given the age and mileage of ~160k miles. They must have been replaced at some point in the past. I'm glad to know some items were taken car of properly by previous owners. (I lack past service records on the car and the dealer where most of the repairs took place changed ownership/lost the records.)

So I'm left with a dilemma: Do I have the Walrod bushings installed as a "while we're in there" mod for improved handling? Or do I pass on this mod now and wait until the a-arm bushings really need attention?

My mechanic estimates it will require about 4-hours of labor to swap-out the bushings. This sounds about right based upon what I've heard from other shops. The hourly rate is $120 so this "while we're in there" would cost about $500 to complete.

There are plenty of other places where I could be putting that money, such as Fister exhaust, fixing up the non-operational stereo system, or getting some proper tires for my 18" wheels, which makes me tempted to pass up on this mod. Alternatively, I'm all for preventative maintenance and the "do it once and be done" approach.

Currently this 993 will be used 99% of the time for spirited street driving. The remaining 1% will be an occasional AX or DE as I dip my toes further into that world.

Will the Walrod's bushings be the best bang-for-my-buck, or would it be wiser to invest that $500 elsewhere in the car?

seeq

Do it!

Quadcammer

A shop with 993 experience should not require 4 hours to do this.

Once on the lift (which it already is), removing the control arms takes maybe 40 minutes for both sides.

At that point, assuming they have a decent tools, they should be able to get the old shells out in under an hour. Putting in the new stuff takes about 20 minutes. Then reassembly is another 40 minutes.

So should be less than 3 hours.

jstyer

My experience aligns exactly with what quad said.

ilko

I've had the Walrods done on 2 993s at a local performance shop that doesn't specialize in Porsches. They charged me 3 hours of labor each time. I feel that's quite reasonable.

niche

Always Walrod!

Mike Pezely

I was experiencing a slight wobble and somewhat of the front end floating around 55-70 mph. The car never felt planted even after new shocks and springs. My mechanic and the top mechanic at the Porsche dealership both said the bushings looked fine and did not need replacement. A few months later I decided to have the walrod bushings installed, what a difference in my car. The wobble is gone and the car feels planted at higher speeds. To me it was money well spent and I agree with Quad, 3 hours is more than enough time for an honest wrench.

TheBen

Def. Do it whilst you're in there. 4 hours of labor sounds like too much though. I think I paid for 2 hours when I got mine done.

pp000830

Could the fix have simply been correcting for a bad alignment?

ilko

Had the same issue with my old C4S. Walrods fixed it. Alignment was not necessary.

Spyder_Man

The mechanic gave the 4 hour estimate as a ballpark quote. He's definite not interested in running up a huge repair bill for me. He's a very honest guy. While I doubt he's done many walrod bushing replacements before (he's more of an older-school Porsche guy), he'll charge me for the actual time it takes.

There was so much vibrating going on in my steering assembly that it was hard to gauge if there were vibrations in my a-arm bushings as well. It sounds like the consensus is 'yes' and do it in '3 hours of labor'. Thanks for the input.

OverBoosted28

How did they determine current bushings "are fine"? You can't really tell visually unless they're totally ratty. Internally they may have seperated and you may not see any sign of it.
Walrods! Especially if you have them already. Hell, drive down here and I'll help you do them.

OverBoosted28

Sorry, duplicate reply

Mike Pezely

I had the alignment done (Porsche Dealership) at the same time when I inquired about replacing the original bushings. The new bushings made the difference.

Spyder_Man

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I've clearly informed my mechanic that I want to bushings changed out. To OverBoosted's question, the bushings seemed fine based upon no visible cracking on the exposed portions of the bushings and the lack wiggle in the wheels when pushing and pulling on it while having the car on the lift.

Considering how tired and old the struts are on the car, it seems odd to me that the a-arms might have been replaced. I think I'll sleep sounder knowing the bushings upfront are new. The change in handling on this car when all said and done had better be night and day.