Control Arms, Bushings, or both?

[clmautz]

I just bought a '99 e46 323i, and was told by 2 shops the control arm bushings are gone. $600 or so to replace.

Now, my buddy and I believe we can just remove the control arm, remove the bushing, and put a new one on.

Is there any way I can tell if I only need bushings, or both bushings and control arms? Something I can look for on the control arm itself?

I see that BavAuto has the whole arm for $119. Is it such a pain to remove the bushing that people just replace the whole thing?

Not sure what I should do. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Chip in GA
'88 BMW 528e
'99 BMW 323i

[peterkulesza]

i do not know whether the bushings are integral to the design. since 119 is so cheap, and bavauto are reputable. i'd buy the whole thing.

[woobiee]

its usually the bushings that go bad.

i JUST got my control arms and bushings replaced under warranty. They almost charged me for the fix but for some reason they didnt charge me anything.

[Mach 5]

If you order the control arms from Bavauto you will not get the bushings. They are an additional $109.95 for the pair. (You need to replace these in pairs or handeling will be affected) The ball joints are prone to fail though and you may want to replace the control arm at the sametime as the bushings to save on labor.
Ben