control arm bushings?

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by zonefive

Is this everything I need or is this overkill?

BMW x5 00 06 New Front Control Arm Ball Joint Tie Rod End Link Kit | eBay

I suggest you not buy cheap junk parts kits off ebay with cheap made in China parts for your X5's suspension, if you care about your car at all. You will be replacing those parts in exactly one year, a day after the "parts warranty" expires lol.

I DO suggest replacing a healthy round of these parts at once, due to age and mileage they should be replaced at a similar time to save on doing multiple alignments.

If you are looking for a complete front end kit use something like this:

BMW Control Arm Kit 10 Piece (X5) - Meyle BMWX510PieceMY | FCP Euro (notice how the HD tension struts are in the kit as well as the HD front sway bar links)


Replace those parts, get one alignment, and don't worry about the front end for a few years.

[bcredliner]

Yes, big price difference and very tempting but not a good plan for a reliable suspension rebuild. Ricky Bobby has the right plan and the right parts. You may be able to find a similar set of the same quality for less at Bavauto, Pelican, Autoparts warehouse or Parts Geek but be sure you purchase a brand that is OEM or better. FYI, the brand OE replacement is not what you need. Be sure to consider cost of shipping.

[zonefive]

I have a braking shimmy and a clunk over bumps left side on an 01 3.0 with 135k on the clock.

Car has been driven very gently its whole life.

Should I replace the shocks at the same time? What about the rear end? I did replace the upper control arms on the back a couple years ago --

[bcredliner]

If the front suspension has never been rebuilt it is due even with gentle driving. The Billy Bob kit is what likely needs to be done. Plus, in your case, probably the front struts.

Rear subframe bushings are usually a 100,000 mile part as well as other rear suspension wear points including shocks.

While is is likely the bump and shimmy are front suspension wear items thete are other components that cause like symtoms so you should try to narrow it down a bit, especially if your X5 is handling to your satisfaction.

I don't recall anyone that has rebuilt the front suspension at similar mileage that didn't notice a huge improvement.

Are you a DIY guy?

[zonefive]

Not a DIY guy but I have a great indy and a great suspension guy ---

The X is handling very well, but one forgets how it handled 12 years ago when new. Main thing that's getting me is the shimmy under braking ---

I can get the rotors checked I suppose, the front brakes probably have another 5,000 miles left on them.

[bcredliner]

Sounds more like worn suspension parts. Indy can tell source of shimmy on a rack if that is the case. If the shimmy is only under braking and every time you brake and doesn't happen at a particular constant speed range like 60 to 70 or the problem didn't start right after the brake work, that raises suspension issues to the top on the cause list. A loose or broken sway bar link will cause a clunk and that is the cheapest and quickest repair but with the shimmy that is less likely the cause.

[xc17pilot]

I used the link nebelix posted on 3/22/13 as the basis to change my '03 X5 3.0's (135k mi) upper control arms (aka tension strut) this weekend. I also did the ball joint and found that using an air hammer made all the difference in getting that part out of the swivel joint/wheel hub.

The air hammer was $45 at Lowes, Ingersol Rand, but really almost any brand should do. I used the three bits that came with the hammer and ran it at 90 psi, working from both forward and aft positions pushing the ball joint down/out of swivel joint. Be patient and it will come out, took about 15 mins per side after a 15 min soak with liquid wrench. Additionally jacked up under the rotor (picture) to support the strut and the rest of the suspension while placing pressure on ball joint. Final picture is new arm and ball joint installed. Overall about 4 hours work. Second side is always easier after learning from first side!

[BigBlack48is]

XC17,

Nice writeup!

So was there any play in your ball joint or did you just replace it due to age?

[xc17pilot]

I did replace the ball joints due to mileage, and with high mileage definitely worth doing them at same time as bushings. When I dropped the bushing, I noticed the ball joint on driver's side had some play in it. I was experiencing the vibration at hard braking that is written up in some posts, then noticed black fluid on one of the bushings. Since I've owned the X5 since 35,000 miles, I knew these were original and it was time to replace. There is a notable improvement in steering and the vibration is gone. Well worth the time and overall pretty straight forward DIY.

[Gregory891]

This was my experience as well. The removable ball joint is also a culprit in front end brake shimmy, it's not exclusively the tension strut bushing. I did EVERYTHING up front and play / shimmy is gone. Installing front Bilstein's as I can NOW feel the difference of eleven year old shocks on a nearly 2 ton car with 248.000 km.