Chevrolet Aveo - Mystery Anti roll bar bushes

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Sat 2 Jun 2018 20:25
Chevrolet Aveo - Mystery Anti roll bar bushes - JLP123

I bought two new bushes for my sway bar today. One was creating a clunk. Without a doubt both will now be creating an even bigger clunk.

The reason being the only bushes listed for my car are not the bushes fitted to my car. I've owned car from new and the bushes on it are the ones the car came with.

Unfortunately I removed the good bush first (stops me getting lazy and makes sure I change both) before realising the new bushes were totally different to the ones on the car. The ones on my car are twice the size, have an oval hole not round like the ones listed and have a hard plastic base to them unlike the listed ones. The listed ones wouldn't even fit around my sway bar.

Trouble is no matter how many searches the auto parts shop did they could not find any other sway bar bushes listed for my car.

The worst part is I couldn't get the bracket back over the old bush. The hard plastic base simply wouldn't close even remotely tight enough to allow the bracket to push back on. I tried lubricating it, I tried softening it and I tried crow baring it and after 2 or 3 hours gave up and took a hack saw to the sides of it. So it'll be clunk central to I find the right ones.

Gave the GM numbers stamped on bush and bracket to auto shop to search but they still drew a blank.

Just hoping someone out there has come across this and knows the solution

Cheers

John

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Sat 2 Jun 2018 23:50
Chevrolet Aveo - Mystery Anti roll bar bushes - Bolt

That car was the replacement for the Kalos, so its possible they share the same suspension, you could try looking at the Kalos bushes to see if they are the same, you can`t lose by checking

Just a thought anyway

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Sat 2 Jun 2018 23:58
Chevrolet Aveo - Mystery Anti roll bar bushes - Galaxy

Try checking with a maker of polyurethane bushes.

Hopefully they may make bushes for your Chevrolet.

Perhaps: www.polybush.co.uk/pages/cant-find-what-youre-look...r

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Sun 3 Jun 2018 00:25
Chevrolet Aveo - Mystery Anti roll bar bushes - JLP123

Thanks for suggestions guys. I've email powerflex to see if I send them the dimensions and a picture if they could match them from their stock. The misc poly bushes dont have the type I need and the Kalos looks to have the same sway bar bushes as are listed for my car, but aren't on my car.

It's bizarre because my sway bar must be a good few mm's wider in diameter than normal for the Aveo because the listed bush doesnt come close to closing around it. The bracket is also much taller and wider than what should be there. Looking at the replacement brackets, I cant see how it would even line up with the bolt holes in my car, so changing bush and bracket doesn't seem to be an option.

I checked out Corsa bushes hoping they'd bring up a result as the new Corsa was based on my model of Aveo, but that was a dead end too.

I've asked HJ to see if he or his experts can shed any light on the situation. Hopefully I can find a resolution sooner rather than later.

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Sun 3 Jun 2018 18:21
Chevrolet Aveo - Mystery Anti roll bar bushes - JLP123

Well I got my reply from HJ

Honest John 6 hours ago

Rare car. No information. All we could do would be start Googling <Chevrolet Aveo Anti Roll Bar Sleeve Bushes> and see what came up, and you can do that.

Just to point out that it was the total lack of results after hours of Google searches that prompted my question in the first place. Looks like I've got 3 options.

PowerFlex can match it with something.

The Dealer's Mechanics/Parts guys can shed some light on it

I check the bolt hole span on the listed bushing brackets and IF they match I change sway bar, bushes and brackets.

Mind you if the bolt hole span doesn't match, (and I can't see how they could considering the difference in bracket size) that just leaves me with another mystery, namely why is my front subframe different!!!

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Sun 3 Jun 2018 18:38
Chevrolet Aveo - Mystery Anti roll bar bushes - Simon
Surely the obvious answer is to go to the parts counter at the Chevrolet dealer and buy them from there. They should have all of the necessary build information of the car and be able to supply the right part.
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Sun 3 Jun 2018 20:24
Chevrolet Aveo - Mystery Anti roll bar bushes - Bolt

are they the same as these on E bay

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CHEVROLET-AVEO-1-2-Anti-Roll-Ba...6

the 1.2 and 1.4 are the same bushes from the look of it all years

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Mon 4 Jun 2018 09:13
Chevrolet Aveo - Mystery Anti roll bar bushes - JLP123

I'm going to call the dealership where I bought it today, although Chevrolet pulled out of the UK and the rest of Europe IIRC a few years back. As you say they'll hopefully be able to source the correct bushes. Still find it odd that I nor the auto parts shop can find any other listing for the bush than the one in the link above. Unfortunately that bush is far too small for the sway bar and the bracket.

If all else fails I came across a site late last night - Universal Sway Bar Bushings. All you need is the diameter of the bar and the span of the bolt holes and they'll supply polyurethane bushes and new brackets. Probably not the cheapest of solutions, but a solution none the less.

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Mon 4 Jun 2018 14:26
Chevrolet Aveo - Mystery Anti roll bar bushes - JLP123

So the dealer got back to me, and although he was unable to give me any details regarding the size of the bushes, what he did tell me explains why I had a few issues refitting the old bush and so I can assume he probably has found what I need.

You cant buy the bushes seperately. You have to buy the bar and bushes as a package, and I'd be willing to bet the bushes come pre-attached to the bar. Hence the hard plastic base to the bush, and hence the difficulty I had prying them off and the near impossible task trying to refit the bracket back over them with the bar in situ.

Bottom line is they have one in stock and it's £272 plus VAT. What started as a relatively simple £1.98, bushes swap becomes a not so simple £330 bar and bush swap.

Turns out Universal Sway Bar Bushings probably is the cheapest solution afterall

Anyway thanks for the input folks...every day's a school day!

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