130 thousand mile control arm Picture
 

figured i would post up a picture of what my arm bushings looked like after 130thousand.

they move in all directions about .5 inch. and turn freely with no friction.
No more bump steer with the new arms. And i dont have to compensate for the arm movement in turns anymore...heh. Feels like it did at 50 thousand miles when we got it.


http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u...i/_C048893.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u...i/_C048894.jpg

Interesting :)

Thats what my right front one looks like right now.

time to change.^^

i think the E30 part is not as strong though..cause i have gone through two sets outside of the originals that i bought the car with. Were as the 330 this is my first change.

Did you do the work yourself? My car is at 133,000 with original arms and bushings. I'm considering doing the work myself. Any tips are appreciated.

I have a pothole the size of my car to thank for the control arm bushing problem. Damn Detroit roads.

i could have done it myself, but im too tired after i get off work, and i have one day off every two weeks usually.

but its a basic procedure. 2 bolts holding the arm on. two bolts hold the arm bushing on.

Looks like you took them out with a pickle fork.

A easy way to check your control arms is to.
drive straight at about 5-10mph.
start tapping the brakes lightly, if you hear a knocking noise from the front end they are worn.
While your tapping the brake lightly stick your head out the window and watch the tire move back and forth in the wheel well.

Another way is to jack the car up, front eh front of the car pull the tire towards you, you can exert enough force to mvoe it and see if your bushings have play.