The thrust arm bushings were replaced 5 year ago. The ball joints probably are original and that is the main cause of my shimmy. The rotors are also on their second set of pads, so improper bedding in may also be a cause. What about the tension rod (ie. the upper control arm that is in front of the thrust arm)? Does that one wear and cause a lot of play? I'm thinking of going with the MTC polyurethane bushing for $20 a piece, cheaper and easier to install than Powerflex or OEM. The ball joint looks to be an easy fix too as it just unbolts out rather than be integrated in the arm itself.

I don't like working on the rear suspension due to the need of all the special tools. I may do the rear upper control arm first since that seems easier than the ball joint and integral link. I skipped those on my M5 as I didn't have he tools for it.

I'm down for renting tools to do the job. I also ran out of time between my summer job, repainting the garage and fixing the M5.

And I go to St. Louis University. I'm a rower.

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