Help - front suspension problem messed up by indie
 

I have a 2005 X5 4.4, and about a week ago, while driving over small imperfections on the road, I heard a rattle/knocking sound from the left front wheel area. Occasionally, also, when turning the wheel, there was a low intensity knocking sound when initiating the turn. I took the car to an indie repair shop in Bethesda, MD (where I live), having moved from another indie shop where I had some problems with the quality of the repairs. The new indie shop was very highly rated in the Washington Checkbook (a Consumer's Report of sorts) as well as on Yelp. I communicated with two of the Yelp reviewers before taking the car in, and who highly praised the shop for their BMW's. After the shop checked out the noise, I was told that the problem was the ball joint (I was surprised about this as the car only has 55,000 miles on it). The ball joint and the control arm were replaced at a cost of $550 (BMW (parts were used). I picked up the car after hours, and immediately noticed that the noise was still there. They didn't even driven the car to test out the repair. In addition, a warning light was on that my suspension leveler was inactive. Was I livid! A mis-diagnosis that cost me $550 plus they messed up the air suspension. I went back the next morning, asked for a refund, and was told they would do this, but would place back the original parts, which they held on to. Does anyone have any idea what the noise, may be, and what many have occurred with respect to the air suspension being messed up with a ball joint repair? Do I trust them to put back the ball joint and control arm that was in place before having them do the repair? Can anyone in the Bethesda, MD-Washington, DC area suggest a reliable and knowledgable indie shop? Thanks for any help you can provide.

Maybe it's something as simple as the tech forgot to tighten the steering plate completely? Four of the bolts secure the sway bar brackets, and if one was loose, it could create a clunk on bumps...

PS, 55k isn't unreasonable for ball joints/bushings, these are heavy vehicles with aggressive suspension setups, so they eat suspension parts

Curious, which independent? Autobahn...?

It is most likely the swaybar end-links...

Part number 7...

RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 3.0i Stabilizer, front

Be very careful with your decision. They might charge you labor for replacing back your existing parts and it will end up you paid $550 with your old parts. :dunno:

Highly recommend Ricauto Service in Kensington, MD (301) 933-7888.

Ask for Junior, he's the owner. I personally have my X5 serviced there so I know first hand. You're more than welcome to tell him I sent you (Tell him it was Jose with the blue X5).