[juicehound]

ok now that I've got my injector issue out of the way, the next thing is that I need new thrust arm bushings (and an alignment)

i would rather just replace the entire control arms as i've read that the thrust arm bushings that are bad are housed in the control arms themselves.

my 09 335i sedan has 127k on it and i'm thinking of upgrading to the M3 version considering I have to change them anyways.

I am planning on DIYing this as I've just successfully completed a bunch of other mechanical tasks and as long as I have step by step directions for this, I can do it.

if i replace everything I know what I need, but I'm thinking i'd like to just replace ONLY what is wrong currently and not spend the extra $$ right now.

which exact part numbers do i need ?
do i need the control arm that's bent AND the one that's straight ? or just one or the other ?

right now my car drives like crap suspension wise and i need this fixed ASAP b/c i just put new tires on the car and don't want them wearing wrong.

[agustincuenca]

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...rade-bmwmcakit

is that out of your budget? because is a really good kit to start with, replacing those is easy. Then, you can replace top strut mounts, swaybar links, the struts themselves, and then move to the rear...where mounts are best first attack point then shocks and links.

[juicehound]

thanks for the reply - nothing is *really* out of budget, however, I would PREFER to spend on only what I NEED rather than going for additional items just because i can. feel me ?

i know my car has higher mileage and i know there will be other parts going on me soon so i'd rather not change things out prematurely if i can help it.

that kit in the link is the M3 kit correct ?
would that kit cover all of the "thrust arm bushings" issues I am having ?

Obviously

[insanesam]

My Meyle HD bushings were cracked at 30k miles. How long are these expected to last?

[juicehound]

fcobra94 - if i asked the question that means that i did not know the answer, obviously.
your comment was useless and pointless as well as rude. nicely done.

[feuer]

@127k you need to replace a lot of parts. Some suspension components are like shoes. You don't replace just the left... I mean you could but you will need to visit the shop few more times afterwards in brief intervals.

[agustincuenca]

Originally Posted by juicehound

thanks for the reply - nothing is *really* out of budget, however, I would PREFER to spend on only what I NEED rather than going for additional items just because i can. feel me ?

i know my car has higher mileage and i know there will be other parts going on me soon so i'd rather not change things out prematurely if i can help it.

that kit in the link is the M3 kit correct ?
would that kit cover all of the "thrust arm bushings" issues I am having ?

yes, it's the M3 kit and yes, it will cover the thrust arm problem you have.

[juicehound]

Originally Posted by feuer

@127k you need to replace a lot of parts. Some suspension components are like shoes. You don't replace just the left... I mean you could but you will need to visit the shop few more times afterwards in brief intervals.

as far as i know, i'm on the original suspension
aside from a rear wheel bearing, i'm completely original

i just had bmw look at the car and they only thing they said was bad were the thrust arm bushings

i wonder if i can just get away w/ doing the 4 control arms up front and leaving the rest for later ? or if i should replace more things b/c it would be a better/safer option to do

thoughts ?

Replace what's broken...if so inclined, swap in "upgraded" parts during that process. Not much more to it than that.

[juicehound]

basically the only things that are broken are the tension struts (those w/ the thrust arm bushings)

from what i've gathered, the wishbone or control arm (straight one) isn't bad

i'm thinking of just doing the front tension struts for now

[dmanb2b]

With 127K on the clock, your struts are likely gone. One get's used to the crappy ride as it happens graduall over time. A new set of struts/shocks will go a long way. I'm at 92K an about to enbark on replacing all struts and related mounts along with m3 arms upfront, which a scored a nice deal on used old stock.

[Austin LeNomad]

The control arms don't come with replacement nuts. The nuts are one time use - they are locking nuts with the plastic inserts so they can't back out. I know some people have re-used theirs, but I would suggest otherwise, it's not worth it to have that come apart.

I would suggest both upper and lower control arms while there, the kit is a good one and unbelievably a lifetime warranty on it as well.

You don't want to do one side, the car will feel very strange. Even though only one side is bad, the other side is very worn at this point.

You might not like to hear this, but you might also want to do the tie rods at the same time. Why? Because with the control arms out of the way it should be much easier to pivot the wheel and assembly and just get them out. But I'd understand if you didn't, the control arms are a lot of work to do just by themselves.

I did mine at just a little less mileage than you, 115,000 miles or so. The change in behavior of the car was remarkable. And all my weird steering shudders and vibrations on braking went away.