Just a little back story on this. Car is a 2006 530Xi with ~90k miles. Symptom: I am getting some knocking/cracking/clunking sounds from the front suspension, so I went and had the suspension inspected. And while this is possibly not the actual culprit to the issue I'm trying to eliminate, we did notice these bushings (BMW calls them "hydrobearings") are cracked on both sides. This is a VERY common problem with BMWs in general, and particularly with our cars, so I'm hoping to find some solution through aftermarket heavy duty parts. I know there are a few threads about this already, but none of them ever suggested any solutions for Xi - maybe bushings from another BMW model fit? Maybe there's something we don't know about? I'm hopeful...

From realoem:



Parts 9 and 10 need to be replaced. 10 being the hex bolt, is minor. Now, part 9 - upper control arm bushing ("hydrobearing" as per realoem.com), that is cracked - both sides. You can see it vividly if you manipulate the tension strut (or "control arm" - whatever you want to call it). My indie confirmed, this is a common issue on BMWs, so I'm wondering if anyone knows an aftermarket HD part I can get for this as a replacement?

OEM part numbers are as follows:
31120406872
31126768302
07119902742 (that's the hex bolt)

I was about to place an order for OEM ones, but decided to search some more for a better quality/more durable part. Also, I emails TMS and Rogue, hoping they might have something...

 

I tried to get a polyurethane kit going a couple of years ago Vladdy, had a company lined up to make the kits. All they needed were samples of the bushings we wanted and an initial order commitment, no one signed on so I dropped it.

 

Hmm, interesting. I'm hearing some kind of clicking/ ticking coming from the front end of my '07 M6. Only time I hear it is when I make a right/ left turn, like at an intersection....or if going down a straight road zig-zagging side to side. It seems to be louder on the left side, but both sides make the noise. I wonder if M6's have these same parts? I've got an appointment next week at the dealer for front brake work, so I'll have them check out the noise. I originally thought it might be brake related, but when I hit the brakes when I hear the noise, the noise doesn't change at all.

EDIT: I just looked at Real OEM's site and apparently the M6 does have the same part....number 13 and 14 in the diagram

 

Ironic thing is, there are a couple of companies that make excellent racing polyurethane bushings for E46 M3's, nothing for upmarket cars. Too bad, I would've easily overpaid for this Well, I guess, I'll email Garry Romani and be done with it. Too bad though - this is really a common issue - so much so, I'm willing to bet most people on this forum have, or had this issue at least once.