The left side of the part he circled in red is the lower ball joint (yes it is sideways). That is one of the key suspects as it wears over the years, but is a bitch to press out/in the new one. (clearance issues)

I've been getting this creaking too - recently noticed it going through a drive-through McDonalds and can reproduce by moving the back of the car up/down (putting weight on the tailgate).

Still under BMW extended warranty so will book it in. I've had several 'self level susp inact.' messages in the past but they have just fobbed me off saying the computer shows no faults logged.

I had the same creak -- took it to an Indy -- and it definitely was the rear upper control arm. I bought the parts (Febi Bilstein) from pelican and had both sides installed -- total cost $120 parts and $120 labor.

Now, no more creak, car feels much better driving (maybe my imagination) and I can tell the excessive camber on the affected (right) side is now MUCH reduced.

I have an '01 3.0 with 109,000 miles and I bet this is a major wear item that should be looked at/replaced on these cars. My car is totally typical in the way it is used -- just driven carefully, never abused, never taken off-road.

The OEM rear upper control arms are $352 each, and $50-60 by Febi-Bilstein. Pretty much a no-brainer for me -- plus, these parts are made in Turkey and Febi is a German company.

Yeah, the rear upper control arms and lower ball joints are the main wear items in the rear axle... and it does make a noticeable difference when worn. Odds are these are the culprits for the excessive rear camber many people are seeing on this forum.

I had my car re-aligned yesterday, and confirmed that the replacement upper control arms fixed the camber issue. My rear end actually had too much positive camber from a prior alignment and this was dialed out -- now the car is completely within spec on both sides.

So, I think this is the answer for a lot of people having the camber issue -- even if you don't have the squeak, worn upper control arms are likely to be the reason for your camber issues.

Have the same noise out of the rear left , is there any spray lubricant that can be used in there? Wd-40??

Mark can you send me a direct link to the page. Thanks

I took the advise from another member in another thread.....I sprayed penetrating oil all over the joints, no more creaking sounds.
He also advised not to use WD-40, only Penetrating Oil.

My Z creaks a bit...?
 

I know I'm late to this post, I am experiencing something similar. I replaced the front LL control arm May 2010 because I had a wicked shimmy on high speed braking. It started again a bit more than two weeks ago. Knowing I had replaced the lower arms on both sides I figured it must be the uppers. Yesterday I took it to my Indy and he said the LL front control arm was bad - rubber boot was torn and there was no grease. I bought the parts at the dealer (time constraint) and replaced the control arm again last night (so daughter could drive up to DE).

He also told me the front control arm bushes were going bad (cracked and dry). I have an '02 3.0i with 152,000 miles. So my answer to part of your original question is that I don't think it's "normal wear and tear" at 70,000 miles as I am only now beginning the replacements of suspension parts.

That said, I thought I saw a post a while back for a "make shift" press when replacing the bushes. I am not going to buy that specialty tool for what will surely be the only time in my life I will do this kind of repair. If I do it.

Does anybody recall a post about a bush replacement where such a tool is unavailable???

Any one in the New York City area, who has some free time and maybe take my car for a spin, and advise on next steps, or maybe help me out. I am far from knowing how to work on car. and if i take to either indy or dealer they charge just to look at it...