With the brake pads done, the next job on the list was the rear drop links. These little joints connect the rear anti-roll bar to the suspension and mine apparently had too much play, well, they had covered 110k miles after all. The dealership charge was high so this is my write up on doing it yourself.
Tools required:
- Axel Stand
- Trolley Jack
- New Drop Links (eBay, £20 for the rear pair delivered)
- Angle Grinder
- Hacksaw
- Socket Set
- Spanner Set
- Allen (Hex) Keys Set
- WD40
- Wheel Chocks
- Disposable Gloves (Should stop your hands getting too dirty, doesn’t always work)
Lift the car and get the wheel off and know what you’re looking at.
I lifted one side at a time as later in the guide I dropped the car on the wheel temporarily to allow me to more easily pop in the new drop link.
I first used a socket on the rear of the drop link top nut to get some initial movement. Then I popped an allen key into the rear or it and turned it so that it was resting against something stong. Then use a spanner to undo the nut fully. I had glasses on as the allen key was bending a little bit, if it popped out it could have caused some damage. I sprayed some WD40 on there too to help get it off (With a towel underneath to catch any drips and protect my drive).
With both the nuts removed, I put the wheel back on and lowered the car until it was easy to remove to old drop link from underneath. I then put the new link in and finger tightened the nuts and then lifted the car again.
The process is then just the reverse of the start, allen key and spanner to tighten both the nuts. The left side was a tad trickier, the allen key slot had rounded off a little and I just couldn’t get the nut off without it spinning. I used my hacksaw and eventually my angle grinder to chop the old nut off.
The old links were very very loose, the new ones are much stiffer and seem to have improved the handling. Job done, next up, the auxiliary drive belt, watch this space.