Can you replace just the bushings on a sway bar link?
When sway bar link bushings fall apart, drivers are left wondering if they can swap just the rotten bushings or if they need to replace the entire link assembly. Driving with a completely detached link makes it unclear if the vehicle is safe for local trips or how difficult the repair will be to tackle.
Core Friction Pattern
Analysis of 11 peer accounts across online developer and community forums reveals that “Can you replace just the bushings on a sway bar link?” repeatedly surfaces due to edge-case mismatches between standard defaults and real-world environments. Standard troubleshooting frequently falls short, compelling practitioners to develop custom workarounds.
+9 alternative community-tested workarounds cataloged below.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- Most of it landed at once — the busiest month was October 2026, with 8 people.
- This comes up 11.0× more often in r/MechanicAdvice than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Can you replace just the bushings on a sway bar link?
- 1Replacing the entire sway bar link part rather than attempting to change out individual bushings.Did this help you?
- 2Avoiding taking turns at high speedDid this help you?
- 3Waiting for parts to ship from cheaper online retailers like RockAuto instead of buying locallyDid this help you?
- 4Using an angle grinder or cut-off wheel to cut off rusted or spinning boltsDid this help you?
- 5Driving carefully for a short period while avoiding aggressive drivingDid this help you?
- 6Taking it to a mechanic or using specialized tools like a Dremel knock-offDid this help you?
- 7Replacing only individual bushings and fittingsDid this help you?
- 8Leaving wheel bearings and axles as-is while servicing other suspension partsDid this help you?
- 9Replacing suspension parts (bushings, arms, ball joints, shocks) before getting high-end tiresDid this help you?
- 10Buying used tires instead of expensive high-performance tires for older carsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“At 217,000kms your suspension will be farking trashed. Invest some money in rejuvenating that instead, of wasting it on such high end tyres”source ↗
“there was a SUBSTANTIAL improvement after replacing every suspension arm/bushing, ball joint, engine/trans mounts and shocks.”source ↗
“AI is advising against putting Michelin PS4S on my car and recommends the continental dws06 plus tires.”source ↗
“You can see the lower bushings fell off in the last couple of days.”source ↗
“Is this thing safe to drive around town?”source ↗
“Can the bushings be replaced?”source ↗
“If the whole thing needs replaced do you have any recommendations on the brand?”source ↗
“Not sure if this post is against the rules, but is this supposed to be attached to something?”source ↗
“It isn't attached on either side and I can just move the entire thing up and down. Probably gonna get a ride to get some parts before I put tires back on. Or is this going to be a big job? I haven't looked it up yet so I don't know.”source ↗
“I noticed some noise going over bumps, mostly at a slower speed, starting this week coming from my front passenger side. Looked under the car and noticed this looks weird. Could this be the culprit? What exactly is this part that needs to be replaced and is it DIYable? Is my car safe to drive until I get this fixed in the next week or so?”source ↗
“Diy lol. Wait till you find out the middle bolt spins with the nut and how you have to remove a bunch of stuff to get “at it”.”source ↗
“the rubber bushing is shot, you can see where it’s separated from the metal sleeve. sway bar link most likely, 20 bucks and an hour of swearing at rusted bolts. car's fine for a bit just don't go canyon carving”source ↗
“Does it make more sense to buy a set for the front and rear to replace everything (control arms, tie rods, sway bar links, etc) or just buy the bushings and fittings?”source ↗
“What is less annoying to do, but also minimally wasteful in this situation?”source ↗
“If everything is that crusty and cracked after 20 years I'd just do the complete arms with bushings already pressed in. Way less hassle than fighting old bushings out and new ones in, especially without a press.”source ↗
“Is dropping the rear subframe the way to go about these ?”source ↗