Have you ever noticed that your car “keeps going” after you use the brakes before coming to a complete stop? You might be experiencing thrust arm bushing failure, we believe.
Thrust arms and bushings are in charge of regulating the suspension’s motion to ensure a smooth transfer of force and pressure from the wheels of your car to the frame. This happens whenever the suspension’s inertia changes direction, most notably during braking. For instance, when you stop moving after moving forward or backward. For the trust arms, BMWs only use rubber bushings filled with fluid. Over time, when the rubber in these bushings deteriorates, fluid will seep out of them and they will stop giving the thrust arms the sturdy support they require. When you start or stop, this may cause clunking sounds, vibrations, and a hesitant sensation in the chassis. due to tire wear and misalignment
Racking and lifting your BMW is an useful way to check if the thrust arm bushing is worn. Once it is in the air, firmly grasp the wheel and push and pull it in the direction of the front and back of the car. Your bushings are worn if you can feel the wheel moving excessively. The BMW 335i, 325i, 328i, 528i, 550i, 545i, 525i, M5 and M3 all employ these kind of bushings.
BMW Bushings for thrust arms might be challenging to replace. The rust and vibration of the car can frequently cause suspension parts to seize or become locked in position. A hydraulic press is required to force these bushings out of the thrust arms. Use a jack to lift the suspension into the position it would be in if you were driving down the road before securing them back in place. If you don’t, the bolt will be subjected to a torsion force as the automobile is lowered to the ground. The replacement bushings may lose their durability after a few thousand miles or even less due to the extra strain.
Contact us if you believe your BMW’s thrust arm bushing has failed. We have a lot of experience fixing suspensions on BMWs and other manufacturers. The location of our store in Naperville, Illinois, is ideal.
In This Article...
Are control arms and thrust arms the same thing?
The control arm is shorter than the thrust arm. It also goes by the name Upper Control Arm since it rises higher to the frame and has a steeper angle. It absorbs a lot of the longitudinal (fore/aft) automobile shaking and, as a result, experiences a lot of damage and wear. There is a shorter control arm.
Is it possible to drive with a damaged control arm bushing?
A automobile control arm’s main job is to join the hub and knuckle to the frame. The control arm often has a ball joint on one side and a bushing on the other. As we use our cars over time, these components deteriorate. Is it possible to drive with damaged control arm bushings?
It is unsafe to drive with damaged control arm bushings. Because the steering becomes unpredictable and risky for you and other drivers when the control arms or bushings are worn out or damaged, Your car could be drifting to one side even if you maintain the steering wheel straight.
What occurs if the bushings in the control arm fail?
There are a variety of indications that a ball joint or control arm bushings are failing, such as:
- The wheel makes a clicking, popping, or snapping sound when it is turned. At the conclusion of a stop, when the gas pedal is depressed, and/or when turning the steering wheel, the clicking and popping can eventually change into a squeaking sound.
- a substantial change in the alignment of the vehicle’s steering, which could cause the steering to pull to one side. To steer the car straight, continual adjustment will be necessary.
- When going over bumps, the suspension makes knocking or clunking noises. As the component ages or eventually breaks, the sound will only increase louder.
- Wheel shimmy, which can result from worn bushings or ball joints, can rumble the steering wheel. Acceleration may cause an increase in vibrations, which may then decrease as speed increases.
- Dry ball joints typically have significantly higher levels of friction, which can make steering stickier or more challenging.
It’s crucial to have a feel for how your car handles so you can spot changes and issues right away. A brief test drive will enable you to detect issues under a variety of driving circumstances. To identify any noises or performance concerns linked to the control arm assemblies, it’s important to turn left and right, hit bumps, and cruise on straight and level terrain while stopping and accelerating. The control arm bushings can also be visually inspected for damage such as cracks, splits, tears, missing pieces, and oil saturation. See your mechanic as soon as possible if you notice any changes in the way the vehicle handles, feels, or looks.
How long should the bushings in control arms last?
To regulate the motion of the wheels, the control arm assembly aligns the wheels with the body of the vehicle. They are an essential component of your car’s suspension system since they take the impact of road irregularities and bumps. The control arm assembly connects the vehicle’s suspension to its frame. Ball joints and bushings connect the assembly to the frame and the wheels, respectively. Due to the rarity of cars with this design in the back, this configuration is typically found in the front of vehicles.
The control arm assembly may deteriorate or bend with time. Usually, these assemblies last 90,000 to 100,000 miles. If you drive over a big pothole or are in an accident, they may wear out more quickly. Additionally, the assembly’s bushings and ball joints may become worn out.
Have this assembly inspected each time your suspension is checked out to protect it from wearing down as quickly. In this approach, a qualified expert may appropriately evaluate each component of the control arm assembly. A qualified mechanic can then replace the control arm assembly if one of the parts is defective. Because your car won’t vibrate while you’re driving because of a defective control arm assembly or a bad suspension, the ride will be smoother.
The control arm assembly will eventually malfunction, thus it’s critical that you can identify the signs. As soon as you notice the symptoms, you may get your car checked out and fixed, which is a rather simple procedure.
You should replace your control arm assembly if any of the following apply:
- While you are traveling along the road, the steering wheel or car rattles.
- loud pounding sounds when you cross bumps or potholes
- irregular tire wear
- There is a decrease in responsiveness of the steering wheel.
- While you’re driving, the wheels wobble or move.
When something goes wrong with the control arm assembly, which is a crucial component of your car’s suspension, have it changed as quickly as possible so you can get back on the road safely.
If you replaced the control arm bushings, do you still require an alignment?
Control arms can effect wheel travel, suspension durability, wheel alignment, and wheel travel when you install a raise kit or other modifications to your car’s suspension. The steering wheel may begin to pull to the left or the right if the control arm is damaged. This can make driving straight more difficult because it requires more effort to turn the steering wheel. As the control arm gets worse, the car will need more force to stay on its straight track. Control arm replacement is an excellent place to start if you’re seeking for suspension upgrades that improve vehicle performance without sacrificing quality. Does an alignment follow the replacement of the control arms?
Toes, cambers, and casters are a few of the alignment’s parts. The primary alignment angle is also affected by every suspension component, including shock absorbers, control arms, and ball joints.
How long does it take to change a car’s bushings?
To access the control arms and attachments, mechanics typically need a specific tool, which increases labor costs and time. Depending on your car and the degree of the damage, changing a bushing should take a professional between an hour and two hours.
Thus, replacing a set of four can take anything from four to eight hours.
How durable are automobile bushings?
Rubber bushings would be made to last roughly as long as rubber hoses; typically, this would be 15 years, or for the majority of cars, the lifespan of the vehicle.
How can I tell if the bushings in my control arm are worn?
Bushings become more flexible as they age. When turning the wheel or applying severe braking, the driver could feel a shimmy from the front of the car or hear clunking or rattling noises on bumpy roads. Additionally, drivers may notice loose steering or poor handling. Since they are not impacted by the steering system and may be less vulnerable to failure during cornering, rear suspension bushing failure may be more difficult to identify.
Bushings are used in engine and gearbox mounts, control arms, stabilizer bars (also known as sway bars), ball joints, tie rods, shock absorber and strut mounts, and other suspension and steering components. They deteriorate and crack due to friction, aging, heat, exposure to lubricants and salt from the road, stress from repeated movement, and weight loads.
When bushings deteriorate, the joints and related components are put under more strain, similar to how cartilage protects the knees and elbows. Worn bushings can allow metal-on-metal contact, similar to bone-on-bone contact. Control-arm bushing wear can cause the front end of the car to slide out of alignment and hasten the deterioration of the tires.
It’s possible that the bushing that cushions joints and mounting points is to blame for what feels or sounds like worn shocks, worn ball joints, or another suspension issue instead of the component itself. An extensive suspension bushing inspection should be able to identify the offender. For instance, a loose stabilizer bar will cause increased body lean (and sometimes noise) during turns, but if the bar is not bent or damaged, it may merely require new bushings.
On the other side, repair companies might advise replacing the part altogether rather than simply the bushings because if they’re worn, it might mean the item is outdated and won’t last for very long. Additionally, the difficulty of removing several bushings that have been pressed into a metal sleeve drives up labor expenses. Because control-arm bushings on some vehicles cannot be changed separately, the mechanic may have to change the control arm as a whole.
Squeaks can also be caused by dried-out bushings. Regular lubrication and oil changes are necessary for an older vehicle with grease fittings (the “lube” part of oil and lube). The problem of today’s cars’ more advanced “permanently lubricated” bushings is that they aren’t necessarily genuinely permanent; once a bushing of this metal-encased kind dries up, it might need to be completely replaced to stop the squeaking.
The entire cost can be significant compared to the cost of the bushings individually because of the labor-intensive nature of installing new bushings on some cars. However, installing new bushings can significantly enhance the ride and handling of a vehicle that has been in service for a while.