06/07/2026
Question:
The most common cause of TVR Chimaera/Griffith wishbone bush failure is...?
A. Chinese rubber
B. Incorrect installation
C. Vigorous driving
D. Keir Starmer
Actually it's 'E', otherwise known as missing thrust washers!
There's supposed to be a nylon washer either side of the bush to support lateral movement, and if they're missing (they often are), the bush can deform like this one causing the suspension arm to foul the chassis.
I see this SO FREQUENTLY! It won't fail an MOT, and it most likely won't knock over bumps, but believe me - they make a difference to steering, braking and NVH!
Why are they missing? Apparently cars built up to a certain point (1995-1996) never had them from new, but once TVR realised it was going to become a problem, cars were built with thrust washers. They were also included on official service bulletins to be retrofitted to earlier cars, but obviously a lot of cars never went back to TVR!
These ones are being replaced with Powerflex poly bushes, which I really like as they act like bearings. Not an advert, we bought some.
Obviously you're all having your cars maintained and serviced yearly, so your TVR specialist will note if any thrust washers are missing, catching the issue before it ruins the bush 😏
