Hi All, my car just came back from mot saying I had an oil leak. On closer inspection it seems there is very light dirty fliud coming from the off side suspension arm (see photos). It does not seem to be dripping from above.

I have wiped it clean, but fluid was dripping from here!
This was not present before mot as I checked everything.

Any ideas, I'm totally confused????

 

That bushing is fluid filled. If it's leaking, it's busted. Replace and get an alignment afterwards.

 

Can I still drive it for a week or so?

 

Yes you can just try not to do a lot of spirited driving and refrain from going over bumpy roads too much.

 

I just bought the oiled filled bush and was wondering how tight an interference fit between bush and suspension arm bracket. When fitting new one would it be possible to heat the suspension arm to allow easier fitting, or would the heat damage the rubber on the bush?

 

Usually, bushings have to be pressed into the control arm as the fit is very tight. It might make more sense to buy a complete control arm with the bushing already installed since there is probably also wear on the ball joint on the other end of the arm. You might also consider replacing the equivalent control arm for the other side of the vehicle as it will require an alignment.

 

Never use heat on any suspension parts as it can affect the strength of the parts and result in failure.
I like alynch’s suggestions, but if you want to replace just the bushing, there is a tool kit with C-Clamp shaped pressing tool and various size sleeves that mounts in a bench vise. The bushing requires moderate pressure to remove and install. The tool is capable of extremely high force and is suitable for other suspension components such as ball joints if you get one with enough sleeves.

 

Return the bushing, replace the arms in pairs. If you need to save money, use Delphi instead of Lemforder. The bushing installation tool is kind of expensive for the one you should have, by CTA. It's like $150