access to front lower control arm bolt

[LightlyToasted]

'07 4.8i, no adaptive drive. I need to change the front lower control arms, but am having difficulty getting access to the bolt and nut on the front of the arm (not the ball joint) especially on the left side of the vehicle.

I've removed the central splash shield, and the 2 smaller plastic shields.

I can get a wrench on the rear-facing nut, but can't seem to get a socket on the head of the front-facing bolt. It looks like I could get access if the brake air duct were removed. Can the brake air duct be removed to get access? Or do I have to remove the whole wheel well liner?

[lordshin808]

Originally Posted by LightlyToasted

'07 4.8i, no adaptive drive. I need to change the front lower control arms, but am having difficulty getting access to the bolt and nut on the front of the arm (not the ball joint) especially on the left side of the vehicle.

I've removed the central splash shield, and the 2 smaller plastic shields.

I can get a wrench on the rear-facing nut, but can't seem to get a socket on the head of the front-facing bolt. It looks like I could get access if the brake air duct were removed. Can the brake air duct be removed to get access? Or do I have to remove the whole wheel well liner?

i went thru the exact same problem when I replaced mine a couple of weeks ago. I didn't want to remove the entire wheel well so I decided to use my dremel and cut a slit on the lower plastic shield and pull it down enough to gain access. Saved me alot of time. btw, we have the same model and year.

[LightlyToasted]

Interesting - thanks! All of the videos I've found seem to have that panel pulled down just like in your picture, or conveniently missing (perhaps they removed the whole forward half of the wheel well liner).

Did you notice any ride improvements with the new control arms? I have a lot of side to side swaying, and also some bounce-back (rearward) when stopping abruptly.

[lordshin808]

Originally Posted by LightlyToasted

Interesting - thanks! All of the videos I've found seem to have that panel pulled down just like in your picture, or conveniently missing (perhaps they removed the whole forward half of the wheel well liner).

Did you notice any ride improvements with the new control arms? I have a lot of side to side swaying, and also some bounce-back (rearward) when stopping abruptly.

yea, all the videos i watched before doing the job looked a little different from what I had too. Either BMW changed the design or that person already removed the entire forward half. I didn't want to go thru the hassle of removing everything just to get the socket in place.

i definitely noticed improvements. the ball joints was shredded so every time I went over any rough roads or bumps, I get a loud metallic clunking/popping sound. noise is gone and it feels alot more stable now.

[LightlyToasted]

Originally Posted by lordshin808

yea, all the videos i watched before doing the job looked a little different from what I had too. Either BMW changed the design or that person already removed the entire forward half. I didn't want to go thru the hassle of removing everything just to get the socket in place.

I'm also wondering if the sport package (which I have) comes with different front facia which makes any difference on how things are attached to the forward half of the wheel well liner.

Thanks for taking and posting the picture. Huge help.

Did you do the final torque of the bolt with the vehicle weight on the wheels, e.g. on ramps?

[LightlyToasted]

Did the job a few weeks ago. I was able to disconnect the wheel well liner from the front facia, and pull it down to get access to the bolt from the front of the vehicle (not from the wheel well).

PITA to do final torque on the ground. Would probably do it on ramps next time, like when I get around to doing the lower control arms.

Significant improvement in handling - well worth the time and effort.