Went in for an alignment.. found out control arm bushings are shot...

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
T

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
I took my car to get an alignment yesterday. It's pulling slightly to the right, and the steering wheel is vibrating.

The mechanic showed me that the control arm bushings were visibly shot, and they needed to replace them before they could do an alignment. He said I should see if it's covered under warranty. My friend said probably not because it is a wearable item.

This pretty much shows what I need done. How much should I pay for this? I'm hoping not more than like $300.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXoBRKQeT44
 
MJinZ

MJinZ

Diamond Member
Nov 4, 2009
8,192
0
0
Bushings? should be cheap. Find the part number at your dealership and order it online.
 
HannibalX

HannibalX

Diamond Member
May 12, 2000
9,359
2
0
They're cheap, replace them. Might as well look at the ball joints while you're at it.
 
SSSnail

SSSnail

Lifer
Nov 29, 2006
17,458
83
86
You can opt for OEM or go with Powerflex urethane bushings. The OEM comes packed with the housing, the Powerflex requires pressing out the old ones and pop the new ones in.

You can actually do this yourself, as it's two bolts that hold the housing in place. It may take a bit of wiggle to get the old bushings out, and may require cutting, but it shouldn't be terribly difficult. Talk to your alignment guy, most likely he can do it for you cheaply, and include another alignment with the replacement of the bushings for cheap.

There are plenty of places you can buy the stuffs from online, a lot of them were mentioned before so search those sites. Good luck.

Oh, your warranty should cover them if you have it. Mine was recently replaced under warranty, and the alignment was done as part of the bushings replacement as well so I didn't have to pay a dime.

Edit: Well, what do ya know, I just happen to have a set of Powerflex bushings in the trunk of my car. Let me know if you're interested.
 
Last edited:
T

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
SSSnail said:
You can opt for OEM or go with Powerflex urethane bushings. The OEM comes packed with the housing, the Powerflex requires pressing out the old ones and pop the new ones in.

You can actually do this yourself, as it's two bolts that hold the housing in place. It may take a bit of wiggle to get the old bushings out, and may require cutting, but it shouldn't be terribly difficult. Talk to your alignment guy, most likely he can do it for you cheaply, and include another alignment with the replacement of the bushings for cheap.

There are plenty of places you can buy the stuffs from online, a lot of them were mentioned before so search those sites. Good luck.

Oh, your warranty should cover them if you have it. Mine was recently replaced under warranty, and the alignment was done as part of the bushings replacement as well so I didn't have to pay a dime.

Edit: Well, what do ya know, I just happen to have a set of Powerflex bushings in the trunk of my car. Let me know if you're interested.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm on CPO warranty coverage right now. I've been looking through bimmerforum threads and apparently CPO does not cover these unless they are found to be defective since they are wearable items. SO it looks like I am replacing them...
 
T

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
SSSnail said:
You can opt for OEM or go with Powerflex urethane bushings. The OEM comes packed with the housing, the Powerflex requires pressing out the old ones and pop the new ones in.

You can actually do this yourself, as it's two bolts that hold the housing in place. It may take a bit of wiggle to get the old bushings out, and may require cutting, but it shouldn't be terribly difficult. Talk to your alignment guy, most likely he can do it for you cheaply, and include another alignment with the replacement of the bushings for cheap.

There are plenty of places you can buy the stuffs from online, a lot of them were mentioned before so search those sites. Good luck.

Oh, your warranty should cover them if you have it. Mine was recently replaced under warranty, and the alignment was done as part of the bushings replacement as well so I didn't have to pay a dime.

Edit: Well, what do ya know, I just happen to have a set of Powerflex bushings in the trunk of my car. Let me know if you're interested.
Click to expand...

What kind of car do you have? Mine is a 2004 z4. I'm reading online, and I'm finding that the bushings probably aren't covered under the CPO warranty I have since they are wearable items. If they made it to 70,000 miles, they are most likely not defective, just ran down. The only way bmw would cover it under CPO apparently is if they are defective. Knowing my driving style and some of the "bumps" i have hit, I'm leaning towards accepting I probably killed them myself. I hit a huge bump 2 weeks ago (which I think probably busted them for good) where I think my car actually got some air... lol The sound it made was terrible and made me pull over and look at my car. I thought for sure I busted my front bumper cover.

Anybody done this before? My roommate is pretty mechanically inclined. He's done a lot of engine work, pulled engines, etc. He changes my oil, did my brakes/rotors, and recently worked on the suspension on his own truck. He bought it lowered like almost 5 inches, and he put in new springs or w/e raising it backup about 3 inches. He also has a lot of power tools/impact stuff.

I'm tempted to buy the parts and let him try to do it first. A case of beer is all he wants.
 
N

nwfsnake

Senior member
Feb 28, 2003
697
0
0
Make sure they really need replaced. Control arm bushing do get cracks in them, but rarely need replaced unless the cracks are deep enough to cause significant movement of the sleeve. This is another one of those "you need your muffler bearings replaced" items that car repair places use to increase profits. If the cracks are just in the ends and are not deep, they don't cause a problem and are pretty typical.
 
T

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
well, after they pointed it out and I watched some vids, my car is showing the problems of failed bushings.. I did some of the braking tests with my roommate and he noticed it too. Also, the shop showed me the car when it was on the lift. I saw the bushings, they didn't look healthy at all and the control arm was loose in it.
 
H

hoorah

Senior member
Dec 8, 2005
755
18
81
If its a BMW, the CABs are probably shot if you check on a day that ends in 'y'. Kidding aside, yeah, they're probably shot.

I would go with the powerflex. Theyre a LITTLE harsher, but worth it because they last so much longer.

If you do it yourself, be sure to get the bushings pre-pressed into the housings. Its just not worth the time to try to press them out unless you own a shop with a big press, in which case you wouldn't be asking. If you get the bushings with the housings, changing them out is pretty easy. Lift car, undo a few bolts and braces, pull off the CAB, put new one on, but car back together.

I have powerflex on my E46 330Ci and love them.
 
T

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
hoorah said:
If its a BMW, the CABs are probably shot if you check on a day that ends in 'y'. Kidding aside, yeah, they're probably shot.

I would go with the powerflex. Theyre a LITTLE harsher, but worth it because they last so much longer.

If you do it yourself, be sure to get the bushings pre-pressed into the housings. Its just not worth the time to try to press them out unless you own a shop with a big press, in which case you wouldn't be asking. If you get the bushings with the housings, changing them out is pretty easy. Lift car, undo a few bolts and braces, pull off the CAB, put new one on, but car back together.

I have powerflex on my E46 330Ci and love them.
Click to expand...

Are they easy to press if you have a press? I'm pretty sure my step dad has a press where he works. I could run up there and have them press them in. I'm looking online for a good vendor.
 
SSSnail

SSSnail

Lifer
Nov 29, 2006
17,458
83
86
Sorry for the absent, but yeah, your car and mine uses the same size bushings, at least I think it should. I have a 330Ci with sports package suspension, I bought one too many set of powerflex bushings so if you want it I'll ship them to you for $80, brand new in box.

The Powerflex bushings are designed differently than the OEM ones in that it is a two piece design that allows the bushing to rotate on axis rather than ripping the membrane that holds the OEM pieces together. In doing so, they have stiffen up the ride characteristic a bit, improving response, but at the same time gave up just a bit in comfort. In return you get much longer durability due to better material.

Pressing the old ones out is a lot harder than popping the new ones in, as if you're not careful you can damage the housing. They're made of aluminum.
 
T

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
SSSnail said:
Sorry for the absent, but yeah, your car and mine uses the same size bushings, at least I think it should. I have a 330Ci with sports package suspension, I bought one too many set of powerflex bushings so if you want it I'll ship them to you for $80, brand new in box.

The Powerflex bushings are designed differently than the OEM ones in that it is a two piece design that allows the bushing to rotate on axis rather than ripping the membrane that holds the OEM pieces together. In doing so, they have stiffen up the ride characteristic a bit, improving response, but at the same time gave up just a bit in comfort. In return you get much longer durability due to better material.

Pressing the old ones out is a lot harder than popping the new ones in, as if you're not careful you can damage the housing. They're made of aluminum.
Click to expand...

crap i already ordered some! i went with the upgraded OEM ones anyway. I'm going to be selling the car soon and don't really care..
 
T

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,699
60
91
ok, so i finally got the new bushings put on..

Did it at home with help of my roommate.

DAMN! The originals were hard to get off. The new ones were even tougher to get on.

But holy smokes did it make a big difference. The degredation of the bushings must have been slow, because I didn't notice how bad it got. Front end is so much tighter now, in steering, handling, sway, etc. with the new bushings.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom