Creak/Squeak from rear suspension

[JBF]

Is this a tough part to change yourself? We don't have any good indys around here and I just want to get it done. The noise is driving me insane.

I think this is it:

BMW | Euro Car Parts UK

Funny the LH is cheaper than the RH so guess it may need changing more often!?

There's a Bilstein but no stock:

Febi Bilstein BMW | Euro Car Parts UK

[mark scheurer]

My indy only charged me an hour so shouldn't be too hard at all -- but you probably will have to get the car aligned afterward as it will affect the camber of the rear tires.

[JBF]

Originally Posted by mark scheurer

My indy only charged me an hour so shouldn't be too hard at all -- but you probably will have to get the car aligned afterward as it will affect the camber of the rear tires.

That's pretty expensive here. If the component isn't adjustable you wouldn't think it's replacement would then require realignment even if things were out of line when the component was worn.

I have seen references to upper and lower rear control arms but they look like the same part and I can only see one in real-oem; just different descriptions?

[mark scheurer]

Here's one of the BMW part numbers for the part (ie one side): 33-32-6-770-860-BOE

In my case, my car had previously been aligned and they had cranked the camber adjustment on the rear wheels to the max to try to get the car within spec. If you search you will find many threads on this subject. After the part was replaced, the camber went way out of spec the other way. If you haven't had your car aligned previously, you may not need to have it aligned afterward you replace the part.

[chefwong]

OEM are about 300 per side on the upper rears..

[mark scheurer]

Originally Posted by chefwong

OEM are about 300 per side on the upper rears..

TOTAL Rip Off -- buy the Bilstein part for less than a third --

[chefwong]

I did a quick google to see if there was any Lemforder.....not any.
My indy who I trust would not use Febi over Lemforder or TRW

[mark scheurer]

Febi = Bilstein. Most people are of the opinion that Bilstein makes great suspension pieces.

[JBF]

So I had a crawl under the car in the car park before I left work - I could see this component - much larger than it looks in the photos! I tried to give it a squirt with lithium grease at each end although it was quite tough to get to. Theory being that if the noise changed at all then it's definitely that - no noticeable difference although to be fair I probably didn't get much grease on the bits that are making the noise.

What to do..

Any idea whether this component is under tension and takes a lot of hassle to change?

[mark scheurer]

There's a metal piece coming out of one end of the part which is a minimally moving joint. That joint wears out and the piece loses all resistance to movement, which causes the excessive camber and the noise. The only way my mech was able to reproduce the noise was by placing a crowbar in the area and forcibly moving the piece. I doubt that putting lithium grease on it will do anything to reduce the noise; it is internal to the joint.