[Avenged328i]

As anyone ever had to deal with a front thrust arm bushing replacement?
Front suspension.

Back story:
Took my car to the dealer for them to run a diagnostics, and turns out my front thrust arm bushing needed to be replaced. BMW is charging me $600 parts and labor (4-6 hours of labor).
However, I was thinking of DIY, but not sure if a lift is a required or if I can just jack it up.

Anyway, I did a little research on this, and I read that around 60k the bushings start to go out and start to cause tires to shake while driving and braking.

I am not too familiar with the this bushing, but does it really cause for your tires to go all koo-koo?

Anyone ever dealt with something like this?


Thanks.

[BlackBB6]

Mine are going bad too, I was in for warranty work and the dealer wanted close to 700 to replace mine. Our bushing are fluid filled or something, I'm going to look into going with M3 control arms, they have rubber bushings.

[ken1137]

You can buy the M3 control arm KIT and install yourself or have an Indy do it for that money. Contact Harold at HPAshop.com or pm him for pricing.

[hockeyplayer]

This is a VERY easy DIY. You can replace the entire arms with the bushings already installed for less than what I shop will charge you.

You don't need a lift but you will definitely need a good jack & a torque wrench to tighten everything down properly.

Honestly the hardest part of the job was taking of the plastic undercarriage.

good luck.

[Avenged328i]

Originally Posted by ken1137

You can buy the M3 control arm KIT and install yourself or have an Indy do it for that money. Contact Harold at HPAshop.com or pm him for pricing.

I have an 07 328i

Will that work?

[Avenged328i]

Originally Posted by hockeyplayer

This is a VERY easy DIY. You can replace the entire arms with the bushings already installed for less than what I shop will charge you.

You don't need a lift but you will definitely need a good jack & a torque wrench to tighten everything down properly.

Honestly the hardest part of the job was taking of the plastic undercarriage.

good luck.

How long did it take you

[DASHOCKER]

The drivers side arm was replaced on my car with 15k on the clock under warranty about a month ago. I used to hear a clunk while turning the steering while braking wheel or going up driveways..all is well now.. Potholes? Too soon for such a young car imo

[benjlv]

as you said, this is real common. their price is high in my opinion. I removed the arms, pressed out the bushings, pressed in new one and had the arms back in the car in about an hour. I had access to a lift and a press though. Its a super easy job. If you can replace brake pads and rotors on a car you can handle this job in my opinion.

As i said, i personally replaced just the bushings because i had access to a press. People often will replace the whole arm. They are ~$100 a piece and you should replace both arms. You should get the alignment checked shortly after doing the job.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=778726

[Avenged328i]

Originally Posted by benjlv

as you said, this is real common. their price is high in my opinion. I removed the arms, pressed out the bushings, pressed in new one and had the arms back in the car in about an hour. I had access to a lift and a press though. Its a super easy job. If you can replace brake pads and rotors on a car you can handle this job in my opinion.

As i said, i personally replaced just the bushings because i had access to a press. People often will replace the whole arm. They are ~$100 a piece and you should replace both arms. You should get the alignment checked shortly after doing the job.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=778726

Great link

+1

[tres]

its an easy job I had m3 thrust arms and replaced the bushing for a solid one.

[hockeyplayer]

Originally Posted by Avenged328i

How long did it take you

Over an hour, but I could do it again in about 45 minutes I think. It was easier than changing oil.

This is a great aritcle: http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/tech...eplacement.htm

[Epic404]

I paid an Indy $334 for both bushings to be replaced.

[Maestro]

For the last 3 yrs ever time I took my 07 335I in the dealer kept saying they need replacing but did not fail me on inspection. I also had my front end aligned a couple of time over the past 3 yrs and no alignment shop including BMW said their was an issue with them. I have also gotten under my car and look at them as well as tried to pull on them and rocked them back and forth and they seem fine, they move a little but not to a point I would be concern.

I am not sure why the BMW dealer keep saying these need to be replaced. I suspect it just a way to make another $500 on a simple job. My car has 82K miles on it and is about to go in for inspection I am interested to see what they say.

[mbsl98]

Those bushings are one of the things that slowly lose effectiveness, but you don't notice for quite a while. As soon as you replace them you will probably really notice how much tighter the whole front is again. I don't think it is worth postponing something that is sure to be going bad. Prefer to get back the original feel sooner (unless you will be selling soon).

[ken1137]

Originally Posted by Avenged328i

I have an 07 328i

Will that work?

I believe so but you can confirm with Harold. FYI...they have free shipping until Dec 31st and your alternative would be to buy the Meyle HD control arms only for about $220 (set). It is an easy DIY as others have mentioned and you can find youtube DIYs too.

[benjlv]

for what it matters, i opted for the fluid filled OE bushings because i mostly drive the car on the highway and i enjoy how quiet the car is. going to a solid rubber bushing here will probably increase NVH some and would probably be more noticeable on expansion joints where the wheel is pushed back on collision. Its hard to say how much steering feel youd gain with solid rubber bushings.... people talk about how great the car feels afterwards, but everyone is going from blown out bushings to fresh ones. i'd love to do a A to B comparison, but its not worth the effort. just replacing the bushings made a very noticeable improvement in steering feel and made some clunks go away. for $60 im happy.

[Blackhawk36]

The thrust arms are $210 (for both) from www.getbmwparts.com. Don't forget to the the bolts that go through the bushing (aluminum) and the self-locking nut that goes on the ball joint on the other end. They are single use. The weight must be on the wheels before you torque them down.

[benjlv]

the bolts that go through the bushing are not aluminum they are a standard grade 8.8 steel bolt. The bently manual does list them as single use though. I called the local dealership to buy these bolts because i didnt order them and they told me that they reuse them. I believe that they are single use because of the threadlocker/sealer that they come with on the threads. I used locktite blue to seal/lock mine. The nut on the outer ball joint is single use though. I would not re-use them. If you want to be vigilant, replacing all the bolts and nuts isnt going to hurt anything but your pocket book.

[Blackhawk36]

Originally Posted by benjlv

the bolts that go through the bushing are not aluminum they are a standard grade 8.8 steel bolt. The bently manual does list them as single use though. I called the local dealership to buy these bolts because i didnt order them and they told me that they reuse them. I believe that they are single use because of the threadlocker/sealer that they come with on the threads. I used locktite blue to seal/lock mine. The nut on the outer ball joint is single use though. I would not re-use them. If you want to be vigilant, replacing all the bolts and nuts isnt going to hurt anything but your pocket book.

I based my post on the Bentley manual. The bolt felt awfully light to be steel though and the torque precedure included a torque plus an additional turn like the aluminum bolts. The manual could be wrong though. There was definitely an 8.8 headstamp (Medium Carbon Steel, Quenched and Tempered) on mine and I didn't check them for magnetism.

[Volasko]

Originally Posted by Avenged328i

I am not too familiar with the this bushing, but does it really cause for your tires to go all koo-koo?

Anyone ever dealt with something like this?

A blown thrust arm bushing will indeed make your tire shake under braking and at certain speeds (my shaking was bad at 85 km/h). I did a full M3 front control arm swap and although I enjoy the new direct steering feel you will notice increased NVH levels (I don't care what people say, there is a difference!). The Trust arm bushings take alot of abuse and from what I can tell seem to go first. If you want to do this on the cheap just get a new control arm (non-M3) and DIY the swap your self. I would do both sides just to be certain.

[Avenged328i]

Thanks everyone! A lot of great info here!!

[HP Autosport]

My monoball front M3 bushings are going in today. So stoked… I'll be giving a review with the next week or so!



-Mike