DavaiLave

Hello,

My BMW dealer told me that the thrust arm bushing on my high-mileage E60 (2004 525i) is torn. They want nearly $800 for replacement. I do hear a slight "clunk" when I go over speed bumps after the car has been sitting for a while, and it feel somewhat rough when I go over pot holes, but I really don't mind it too much.

What would be the implications if I continue to drive it without addressing the torn thrust arm bushing? Being that this E60 is 10 years old, I'm not super concerned if it feels a bit bumpy, as long as it's overall generally safe to drive?

I'm cost-conscious and don't want to invest too much money into a 10+ year old BMW if it's not absolutely necessary (please don't flame me )

Have any of you folks had to replace your thrust arm bushings? Any input is appreciated.

Thanks

champaign777

so you drove your car 10 years 150k miles and never changed trust arm bushing ?

pcy

That 'clunk' will get worse and you will feel steering shaking/vibration from front wheels. Tire wear may have an impact if the problem is severe.

Thrust arm bushing set (Lemforder brand) is around $60 and any mechanic can replace the bushings for 1 to 2 hours labor. If I were you, I'd buy bushing set online and take it to any independent mechanic.

DanL

You could certainly go the route pcy recommended and if you do, get a good set of bushings like the Lemforder brand he suggested. But with that many miles, I'd replace the entire arm since the ball joint on the other end is probably worn as well. You can get a decent Moog brand arm for around $75 and replacing them is very straight-forward. It's easier (and maybe cheaper) to simply replace each arm than to remove the arms and press in new bushings. If you're the DIY type, there's a great video on the Bav Auto site. It takes about 30-45 minutes to replace each control arm and it can be done with some basic hand tools.