let us know your results, i have the same problem, and was wondering if i should DIY, scared as i'm mechanically inclined.

With that millage ...for sure thrust arms......and i would also recommend replacing the tie rod ends as well.....just for good measure.

Check the strut mounts.........too

Mine is clunking over bumps/potholes too. Just about to turn over to 70k miles too.

Ok Guys... I finally changed the lower control arms... (thrust arms). It wasnt as difficult as i originally thought. Jacked the front end up changed everything out, since i was there already, also replaced the ball joints given that i am very close to 100K. Put everything back except tightening the bolt that goes through the thrust arm bushing. Then I lowered the truck back on all fours, squeezed underneath and tightened the thrust arm bushings as tight as I was able to, given the lack of leverage from being underneath the truck while it was resting on all four tires.
I then took it to a (so-called good) wheel and tire shope and did an alignment which had them tighten the bolt through the thrust arm bushing to spec. This is the only place I ran into trouble as they just really screwed up the alignment. The truck was just about going perfectly fine before i took it to them and now my wheel is off-center and i have an ever so slight vibration which most people probably wont notice but i do when going around 70-80mph on the highway.More noticeable on a smooth road surface. Dont know if this is a result of the control arms, bushings or just a really bad alignment. Im so pissed that im not even going back to that place to fix the alignment. My X is home resting until this Friday when I will just suck it up and take it to the steeler for an alignment. Price isnt that bad at 150 considering nobody wants to do an alignment on an X for less than 100 anyway (at least in my area).
Any ideas what this slight vibration might be coming from? I feel it ever so slightly on my steering wheel and foot pedals. But only at the above mentioned speed. This is what I have done so far in the past month if it may be of any help....

1: Brand New Tires installed and balanced.
2: New brakes and rotors.
3: New Front Bilstein Struts and upper strut bearings.
4: New sway bar Links.
5: New lower control arms (thrust rods with bushings)
6: New ball joints.


Other than the mentioned vibration, the X is driving like new. Very tight once again when cornering, driving on the highway as well as winding roads. Maybe too tight in some ways given that i have the truck since new and im near 100k and got used to it softening up the past year or so. She just feels a lot more responsive.

Anybody????? Any ideas what this might be?

I am waiting to see what the real alignment will turn up, just make sure you tell all those details to the dealer as it will help them figure out your vibration as well.

By the way, just remembered I'm gonna be in Atlanta for training all next week and will be away from the computers the whole time... Is there a patch to help people not have withdrawals from Xoutpost?

They'll probably tell me i need a whole bunch of more things.... But all jokes aside. Could the control arms be causing this vibration? maybe the bushings werent tightened correctly or in the correct place and went bad abnormally fast as you stated earlier in this post? Maybe something is loose?

Shouldn't, but I'm sure they will look over the suspension and let you know what she needs if anything, and they might shoot you a price on wheel balance. You say you recently got new tires mounted and balanced, odds are the shop didn't properly balance the wheels as that seems to happen more often that you think with shops that have cheaper equipment and undertrained employees.

Ok... Got my X back from the dealer today... SHE RUNS PERFECT AND LIKE ABSOLUTELY NEW!!!! THE SLIGHT VIBRATION WAS, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AT LEAST THE TECH AT BMW SAYS... THE WHEEL ALIGNMENT. THATS RIGHT, I DIDNT BELIEVE IT EITHER. He put the X on the lift, inspected everything that was done with the suspension as far as installation and tightened to spec and said that everything looks and is perfect. The thing he said that was FAR from perfect was the alignment. He said that it was so off that it mustve felt like driving a boat. He said that the tires were not evenly on the road surface which likely caused a slight vibration at higher speeds because of way off and uneven wear. When he did the alignment the X ran like a baby. Just like new!!!.
So, In conclusion, the clunk noise is gone, the X doesnt vibrate and she handles like an amtrak express train does on its rails. New front suspension, new tres and a complete and thorough inspection and fluid flush of the engine and I feel like im driving a brand new X. You wouldnt know it if you didnt look at the ODO which says 95K!!! Here is a pic for those of you just wondering what the baby looks like......will post more pics as well....

i know this is an old post, but wanted to find out which Bilstein's you'd installed and how you liked them....assuming you still have this little beauty!