Implications of going for non OEM control arms/bushes

[AdamG_BRZ]

Im a tad concerned I may have stuffed up here. After fighting to fix a few handling issues on the car I was advised to refresh my lower control arms aswell as bushes (all come as one piece).
I was however lambasted by my mechanic for going for non Subaru items for the BRZ but nonetheless he agreed to fit them but advised my car likely wont drive as well. Annoying this was halfway through fitting them....
I did try to source these from a company that specialises in Subaru parts that has a good reputation with Impreza/Legacy/Forester owners etc. Genuine ones are very expensive and are difficult to source off the shelf without paying a fortune through the main UK dealers.

All fitted initially they seem ok, the ride feels firmer and the steering has some of its heft back. However I dont know if I am overthinking this but I am now concerned I have now hampered the the handling and geometry of the car. I am definitely in need of an alignment but I also need to renew a number of other things before I get it aligned - thus wasting my time. But now im second guessing myself whether I should keep the non genuine ones before proceeding with any other work that needs doing.

So my question is has anyone else fitted non OEM bushes and control arms to their car and suffered later on as a result - mainly through how it drives. I understand that they may not last as long as OEM as that is essentially what you pay for but am interested in if anyone has found that buying elsewhere has ruined how their car drives. Excuse my ignorance but ive never had to replace control arms or any significant bushes on a car before.

[stevemcs]

We fit aftermarket stuff all the time - obviously not on Subarus but anything with 4 wheels. Yes oe are better quality but decent stuff such as febi or lemforder are usually oe. We very rarely fit just bushes, it’s more cost effective to replace entire arms. Or you could go down the route of power flex.

I presume when he checked the wheel geo after fitting the bushes everything was within spec.

[AdamG_BRZ]

Unfortunately not no! He left me to sort that out and it is by quite a bit. Very twitchy over bumps.
So i wont know until i redo it but unfortunately other things were flagged as he was quite thorough (corroded shocks, worn antil roll bar D bushes and rear control arm bushes and a knocking rear drop link) that will eventually need replacing that would also result in another alignment. Im holding off doing for now to avoid doubling up but the issue with that is i wont know if i will be able to get it back to spec until ive done everything else.

[GreenV8S]

AdamG_BRZ said:

Im holding off doing for now to avoid doubling

Keep in mind that running with bad alignment can accelerate tyre wear too, so it is not as simple as just saving money by postponing the alignment. And there's the fact that until you sort out the alignment, you will have this issue hanging over you of whether you've done something that screwed up the handling. (FWIW, it does not seem very likely to me. In my experience mechanics usually recommend avoiding cheap parts because they don't want to take on the liability and cost. This one has now told you that if there's a problem with his work then it's because of your parts and not his fault.)

[Huzzah]

AdamG_BRZ said:

Unfortunately not no! He left me to sort that out and it is by quite a bit. Very twitchy over bumps.
So i wont know until i redo it but unfortunately other things were flagged as he was quite thorough (corroded shocks, worn antil roll bar D bushes and rear control arm bushes and a knocking rear drop link) that will eventually need replacing that would also result in another alignment. Im holding off doing for now to avoid doubling up but the issue with that is i wont know if i will be able to get it back to spec until ive done everything else.

Most of that won't need another alignment, probably just the rear control arms. But if they're not too bad there could be some life left them.

[Megaflow]

OEM's don't make suspension arm's they buy them in, so if you used someone like Lemforder, Meyle, TRW, etc then you have likely bought the OEM are, just in a different box.

For the time being I wouldn't panic until it has been aligned, which it should have been as soon as the arms were repalced.

[AdamG_BRZ]

Megaflow said:

OEM's don't make suspension arm's they buy them in, so if you used someone like Lemforder, Meyle, TRW, etc then you have likely bought the OEM are, just in a different box.

For the time being I wouldn't panic until it has been aligned, which it should have been as soon as the arms were repalced.

It was through a company called ICP (Import car parts) who specialise in Subarus. Its their own branded parts but im guessing they source them from somewhere. They have a very good rep in the Subaru circles which is why i went for them so i can only hope.

Thanks all re the advise. As for the alignment, im not convinced that there is not something else steering related that might need replacing as i have a faint high pitched squeak on the steering when stationary when steering side to side (sounds like a rusty hinge) not sure if its because the alignments been interrupted and something is rubbing but just wanted to avoid aligning then finding something like the track rods/top mounts/struts etc needs doing. However the front end feels very skittish in its current state so may have to bite the bullet.

I think im now at that unfortunate stage where all the original components are past their best but nothing is so bad that its glaringly obvious.

[Smint]

My MB indy, and you wouldn't find a fussier chap if you lived to 100 years was always happy supplying and fitting Lemforder suspension parts, OE lower wishbones were frankly a ridiculous price on W124 E320 models with the bottom ball joint being welded in place on that model, the Lemforders were identical dimensions and last just as long....he always preferred OE springs, which were specified to chassis numbers in 124s not a one size fits all generic item.

As you rightly say ICP are well regarded in Subaru world, but once all your suspension parts are replaced as reqd get the alignments sorted out.
If you need springs/shockers KYB are good quality Japanese made parts.

[996Type]

If you are running with several other components that are worn or corroded as you indicate, the new arms would be low down the list in terms of influencing how the car drives.

While they may not be OEM, they would be a lot better than worn OEM for example.

If you’re concerned about the handling, you have to work through the list you have (worst first) and address each of the parts to bring the car back into range.

Have a simple geo check done to get the car at least not chewing its own tyres in its current set up and go from there?

I’ve had the same when replacing suspension, you can spend a fortune on dampers but it’s for nothing if the lower arms they are bolted to are so worn that they can’t hold the unit in spec….

[AdamG_BRZ]

Ive had the alignment redone now, I wasnt expecting miracles and I went somewhere that got everything back to spec on a Hawker Alignment machine (not just in the green) but im still not happy with how it's driving.
The steering just does not feel good - not planted and oversteers on left turns. I dont know if it's fair to pin it on the control arms but im running out of parts I can replace now other than the corroded shocks and D bushes that was advised by my mechanic. Tyres are brand new goodyears eagle F1 6s too and im absolutely gutted im back to where I started.
Would shocks and anti roll bar bushes really affect the steering that much? I feel like im on track for a complete suspension refresh right now but on a car on 75,000 miles or so surely that cant be right by now?

Edited by AdamG_BRZ on Tuesday 22 September 23:52