[AZDane]

How often do you pull your Metalcloak control arms off for maintenance?
Just got a set and was reading through the instructions I was surprised to see that they require yearly maintenance:

https://images.metalcloak.com/MetalCloak-Magento/Products/7105-JK-Duroflex-Control-Arms-Full-Set/II-7105-JK-Duroflex-Control-Arms-Full-Set-Installation-Instructions.pdf

Yet on their main page it says they are Maintenance free.

what has your experience been?

 

[rsmwrangler]

They're not maintenance free.The outside of the bushings must be greased although not as often as the arms that have bushings with zerks but greased nonetheless. You must remove the arms from the Jeep, disassemble the bushings, apply grease and put them back. How often will depend on your driving habits, snow and mud will mess everything up quickly. At the very least follow their recommendation of once a year.

 

[AZDane]

They're not maintenance free.The outside of the bushings must be greased although not as often as the arms that have bushings with zerks but greased nonetheless. You must remove the arms from the Jeep, disassemble the bushings, apply grease and put them back. How often will depend on your driving habits, snow and mud will mess everything up quickly. At the very least follow their recommendation of once a year.

That’s also what I read in the installation instructions, but the description and also the video on the page with the arms leads you to believe otherwise. So that made me wonder what people actually do.

 

[Leadnut]

What does “use of any other lubricant” mean. Is there a certain type of grease that must be used?

 

[AZDane]

What does “use of any other lubricant” mean. Is there a certain type of grease that must be used?

From their website:

Low Maintenance & Rebuildable...
Unlike typical Flex Joints, the Duroflex does not require replacing key parts every year like others...
But, when you do need to rebuild it, it is MetalCloak Easy!
Just pull out the Duroflex Bushing, clean it up, add some new Teflon impregnated, synthetic silicone grease. Reassemble.
Done.

 

[AZDane]

Look at this Youtube by Metalcloak and especially read one of their comments:

"The joints are maintenance free and do not need to be re-lubed once installed. These instructions are for the guy who likes to take apart his suspension and clean up all the parts. If you do that or if you replace a bushings after several years, then you will apply a small amount of grease to the outside. The grease is Superlube and is available in most autoparts stores."

I'm guessing this is the stuff they use:

Super Lube 3 oz. Tube Silicone Lubricating Grease with Syncolon (PTFE) 92003

Super Lube Silicone Lubricating Grease with Syncolon (PTFE) - 3 oz tube. Non curing Silicone compound. Non-toxic. Will not react with rubber or plastic.

www.homedepot.com

 

[TerryC6]

Pretty much maintenance free. I rebuilt my arms at the 4 year point, total waste of time and money. I was doing some cleanup and decided since I was in there I might as well rebuild them. All the bushing showed very little wear and still had grease in the joints. If you really flex your vehicle out a lot, do water crossings or play in the mud you mileage may very. But most of those 4 years where spent in wet Western Washington so normal wet weather is really not an issue. These is the stuff they use and was confirmed 12/4 with MetalCloak:

Amazon.com: Super Lube-21030 Synthetic Multi-Purpose Grease, 3 Oz. : Automotive

Amazon.com: Super Lube-21030 Synthetic Multi-Purpose Grease, 3 Oz. : Automotive

smile.amazon.com

 

[Muffin Top]

"The joints are maintenance free and do not need to be re-lubed once installed. These instructions are for the guy who likes to take apart his suspension and clean up all the parts. If you do that or if you replace a bushings after several years, then you will apply a small amount of grease to the outside. The grease is Superlube and is available in most autoparts stores."

That's a relief

 

[fourpointzero]

Watching and seeing the aftermarket trend of control arms go through its trends for almost 9 years now, Im very happy that I stuck with new OE. In the NJ salt and snow with freezing weather and blazing summers, Id imagine rebuilding arms more often is a necessity. And with every passing year I still find maintenance work to be fun but I rather do less of it with each of my vehicles. Especially with how busy life can be overall.

 

[jeepjk1968]

Watching and seeing the aftermarket trend of control arms go through its trends for almost 9 years now, Im very happy that I stuck with new OE. In the NJ salt and snow with freezing weather and blazing summers, Id imagine rebuilding arms more often is a necessity. And with every passing year I still find maintenance work to be fun but I rather do less of it with each of my vehicles. Especially with how busy life can be overall.

You just cant let the brine do any time on the undercarriage. We hit the local spray and go quite often here in Mercer Co and no issues. Unless we count salting when it is 50 out like our Gov likes to do.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

 

[fourpointzero]

Definitely, keeping that crap off the Jeep is key @jeepjk1968

 

[rhinorear]

NJ with "blazing summers"? That's a good 1