As cars have evolved so have the parts that we use to repair them. And we have our parts guru Mr. Tom Taylor to give us some pointers about suspension parts. Tom, welcome back to Goss’ Garage.

Tom Taylor: Thanks Pat. It’s great to be here.

PAT GOSS: Alright, we’ve got a bunch of suspension parts. What are we seeing from your perspective?

Tom Taylor: Newer cars have a lot more bushings than older cars did. It’s a way to make the ride better, the control, steering better, the braking better.

Pat Goss: Historically bushings in the suspension, they’ve been made out of rubber and we can see deterioration over here and so on. That’s changing.

Tom Taylor: The rubber, the ozone in the air, get a little oil on it, fuel, and just the miles people are driving their cars beyond 100,000. 300,000 miles. There’s been new materials out in the last 20 years. Polyurethane isn’t just beautiful red. It resists that oil, resists the ozone, and is a better firmness right from the start being better than the rubber for control and cushioning the ride.

PAT GOSS: You actually have a kit there which is something we prefer in the repair shop because invariably if we don’t buy the kit we’re going to be minus something and the car’s going to be tied up for two days and we’re in a mess.

TOM TAYLOR: Whether you’re replacing a timing belt, brakes or suspension kits are handy so you don’t get halfway through it and discover you need a bolt or a fitting you have to spend time hunting for.

PAT GOSS: Most of these kits are designed for do it yourself?

TOM TAYLOR: Do it yourself and professional mechanics because no matter how many cars you work on, you may forget that bolt or some little piece.

PAT GOSS: And of course other parts like this steering damper.

TOM TAYLOR: Something you see on newer cars, it’ll be like shock absorbers are where you have the bushing permanently pressed in there. A lot of newer parts are the same way. You’ll buy the entire assembly with the bushings already installed which can make installation easier. And then you may have other bushings that are separate like on an older car where you just install those.

PAT GOSS: Ok. Well Tom, thank you. And if you have a question or a comment, drop me a line right here at MotorWeek.