[spam1]

hello. new here
just thought id check here before shelling out.

mechanic has told me that my ball joint on drivers side is loose, so have to get new wishbone. bought lemforder from ECP. now have to decide on the bushes. Is it worth getting powerflex ones, or is this mainly for higher power cars?

Lemforder bushes and brackets cost £68 from ECP. seems quite expensive to me.

is it worth getting some 2nd hand brackets from a scrapy, and then pulling out old bushes, and inserting powerflex(£40) then handing over to my mechanic to do the installation. I dont intend diy, just trying to save time for the mechanic and hence money...

i am getting a clonking sound when i drive over bumps. I checked the bushes, but they visually seemed in good condition. So is this clonking just due to the loose balljoint? And will it fail the MOT if i just leave it?

cheers

 

[steve23002]

I would get powerflex bushes, they are much better and they last longer than the standard ones. :thumbsup
The ball joint will fail an MOT, go for the Lemforder ones because the cheap pattern ones wont last five mins. :frown

 

[HJL]

Do the poly bushes make the ride any firmer, resulting in loss of comfort?

 

[Ronnie]

Do the poly bushes make the ride any firmer, resulting in loss of comfort?

Firmer yes, comfort, not massively, many people on here have reported no problems as yet

 

[RYM]

The idea of picking up some brackets is one I've thought about as it enables you to spend the time fitting them and not risking having the car off the road. Be warned, They can be a swine to do:hihi

When replacing arms it is also advisable to do in pairs and have the wheel alignment done afterwards.

I rant about Poly bushes, They tighten up the feel of the car and in my opinion DO NOT sacrifice comfort:thumbsup

When I did LiLo's bushes on his 2002 E46 325ti Compact he was getting quotes of around the £90 mark just for a garage to fit them:yikes

 

[spam1]

thanks for replying

trying to avoid replacing the passenger side wishbone... what am i letting myself in for if i just change the driver's side?

Is there really that much of a difference between poly bushes and new lemforder bushes?

If i do decide to go poly, what is the next most important upgrade for poly bushes. anti roll bushes? rear trailing arms? can't really afford to do all in one go...

i must admit after reading more about this, i'm toying with the idea of tackling this myself!!! seems that one the most troublesome parts is seperating the ball joint, so the wishbone comes off. Is there a cheap extraction tool someone can recommend?

 

[steve23002]

One of these mate:

http://www.choiceful.com/choiceful-id-1723-Ball-Joint-Splitter.html

I use mine all the time at work for 3 series lower arms. :thumbsup

I would recommed the poly bushes, they do make a big difference. If you are gonna fit the poly bushes you must at least fit the bushes in pairs as they are completley different from the standard ones. They will almost last the lifetime of the car. It is always advised to fit suspension components in pairs. :thumbsup

 

[spam1]

cheers Steve.
is it ok to change both bushes, but only 1 wishbone. the drivers side that was diagnosed faulty..?

 

[xXNealXx]

Here's a point to note...Lemforder are an approved make for BMW, so don't be surprised if I tell you that they are both the same except for the roundel....now, as you were :thumbsup

 

[RYM]

cheers Steve.
is it ok to change both bushes, but only 1 wishbone. the drivers side that was diagnosed faulty..?

It is okay to just replace the one and both bushes. Poly bushes really are "ALL THAT" and a worthwhile investment, as already stated, they last a lot longer:thumbsup

 

[HJL]

Dammit.

I was originally thinking of poly bushes, then i went of the idea as was told they might firm the car up a bit [bear in mind i drive on irish country roads!] and they are a good bit more expensive.

But now all your talk of them have me wondering again.
Taking into account im thinking of getting 17" as i find the 18" a bit too firm, i dont want to do anything that would make it firmer.

Also Febi bushes have been recommended as a very high quality replacement part.

 

[RYM]

The problem we have is the definition of firm:frown

I have my car lowered as low as I can get it on coilovers with poly bushes all around and rolling on 20" wheels with 225/30 20 tyres front and 235/30 20 rear and I personally swear it is not harsh. It does not knock bang squeak or anything even when fully loaded with the install and passengers...

There are however people out there that will complain that the car rides firm if only a couple of PSI is added to the tyre pressure... Okay that's exaggerating matters but I'm sure you get the point I'm trying to make?

Poly bushes are not a huge amount more expensive than what you'll pay for a replacement at a BMW stealer. What you need to consider is how many genuine sets will you go through compared to poly examples and weigh up the cost difference that way. Remember also that this a component that is prone to going on BMW's (lower control arm bushes and rear trailing arm bushes especially)

Poly bushes all the way, I would never replace for anything else:cool

Just my opinion:thumbsup

 

[spam1]

The idea of picking up some brackets is one I've thought about as it enables you to spend the time fitting them and not risking having the car off the road. Be warned, They can be a swine to do:hihi

When replacing arms it is also advisable to do in pairs and have the wheel alignment done afterwards.

I rant about Poly bushes, They tighten up the feel of the car and in my opinion DO NOT sacrifice comfort:thumbsup

When I did LiLo's bushes on his 2002 E46 325ti Compact he was getting quotes of around the £90 mark just for a garage to fit them:yikes

what method is best for removing the old bushes from the brackets. Any special tools recommended?

was that £90 quote just for direct replacment with OEM or replacing bushes with powerflex? (ie removing old bushes from bracket and fitting poly bushes)..just curious

decided to go with powerflex, and also decided to replace the front anti roll bushings at the same time..
can someone confirm what size bushing i need (either 21mm, 23mm, 24mm, 26mm)

realoem.com says 24.5mm. So does that mean i need to order 24mm or 26mm?

cheers

 

[RYM]

what method is best for removing the old bushes from the brackets. Any special tools recommended?

was that £90 quote just for direct replacment with OEM or replacing bushes with powerflex? (ie removing old bushes from bracket and fitting poly bushes)..just curious

decided to go with powerflex, and also decided to replace the front anti roll bushings at the same time..
can someone confirm what size bushing i need (either 21mm, 23mm, 24mm, 26mm)

realoem.com says 24.5mm. So does that mean i need to order 24mm or 26mm?

cheers

That was just 90 quid in Labour to fit the poly bushes:yikes

Removing the old bush will require a lot of patience, determination and brute force.

I used a chisell, hammer, screw driver, hacksaw and new blades x2 and a fork lift truck on refitting:lol

Seriously I did, couldn't get the new bushes in so took the bushes and brackets to work and popped them straight in with my telescopic 4 wheel steer/drive fork lift... lads at work thought I was barmy:lol:lol:lol

 

[RYM]

Could you PM me the last 7 digits of your chassis number please and I will try to determine what bushes you require for your anti roll bars:thumbsup