I was a little surprised at the shiny scratches when I pulled the passenger sway bar bracket (LHD). When I pulled the driver side bracket, it was clean where the bushing sits.

It totally looks like dirt, sand, or crap got up in the bracket. Gonna take a closer look at the the actual bushings and compare in the morning, and send pics if anyone wants, but am wondering what other things might this be a clue to look at for problems?


Left - passenger side (LHD) sway bar bracket Right - driver side (LHD) sway bar bracket

 

On my car, the transmission oil hose that runs above the bracket was leaking and dripping, causing the bushing below to soften and extrude out. I saw similar wear. What do your bushings look like?

 

Bushings don't look bad at all (although I'm still replacing them). There's no weird wear and tear that would indicate any problem, just a little compressed.


1989 XJS V12 Convertible 7/8" sway bar bushings (I don't know if these were the original on the car with only 40K miles)