DIY: Meyle Control Arms w/replaceable balljoints

did this today with my friend, total took about 2 hours for the drivers side and 1 hour for the passenger side.

the hardest part was that stupid top bolt.

my friend used his own spit to get the bushing on, which was gross but still worked!

the car feels so much better, i bought Meyle control arms and bushings btw.

Meyle HD control arms & bushings

anyone here that has problems with these control arms?
i have already had a set sent back to the factory bequase the bal joints where bad after 2 months. and the reinforced buschings have these two smal rubber parts in it these keep popping out i am thinking about going back to oem's i hate thes meyle parts and have no confidence in them.

Originally Posted by BM-MAN

^^^ Thanks for the replies guys. I called bimmerworld and was told not to use these.

Any of you guys have an aluminum plate instead of engine brace bar underneath? If so can I replace the control arms without removing the plate?

Were you able to replace the arms without removing the support plate? I'm hoping to avoid removing mine and replacing the 8 bolts.

Originally Posted by ACS3_e46_coupe

anyone here that has problems with these control arms?
i have already had a set sent back to the factory bequase the bal joints where bad after 2 months. and the reinforced buschings have these two smal rubber parts in it these keep popping out i am thinking about going back to oem's i hate thes meyle parts and have no confidence in them.

see post #37 and #38 on the second page

I'm planning to tackle this tomorrow but I don't see how it's possible to get a torque wrench on even the outer ball joint nuts. I have a 1/2 in drive torque wrench and with the socket, it won't clear the strut. How did you guys manage to torque the nuts (excluding the inner ball joint on the right side)?

Job completed and what a difference with the handling. My bushings and ball joints didn't show significant movement when testing on the car even though the front end seemed a bit loose but they were clearly worn after removing, especially compared to the new Meyle parts. The car is tight and the steering wheel kick issue when braking is completely gone. I wasn't able to try the crowfoot wrench on the inner ball joint because no one carries it in 22 mm. Even Sears online was out of stock so I gave up and hand torqued using a Crescent wrench. I did have to buy a 3/8 drive torque wrench to clear the strut for torquing the outer ball joints and even with that, it just barely cleared the ABS sensor. I tried removing one of the sensors but it was so tight, I gave up before stripping it.

I've read a lot of complaints about difficulty knocking the ball joints free. I used a pickle fork and all 4 broke loose in less than a minute. I left the bushings in place and started with the outer ball joints. Also make sure the orientation of the fork is correct (flat side down.) I also didn't have the issue of the ball joint spinning while trying to tighten and didn't need to use an allen key like some. For once a repair went 100% smoothly. Total time was about 3 hours.

I've read through this entire thread and I confused on removing the control arms via the ball joints.

What specific tools will I need to get this part done and what is the best way to go about this?

Thanks

Did you apply any loctite to the new bolts on the ball joints and carriers?

Thank you so much for the write up it will help! Doing mine this weekend and installing bavauto ultimate rotors and new brakes pads all the way around!

what exactly do i need the "puller" for?
is it to pull the bushing on, or for taking the old one off?

Originally Posted by snikwad

what exactly do i need the "puller" for?
is it to pull the bushing on, or for taking the old one off?

to take the old ones off, but if you are buying new control arms & bushings dont worry about it.

ok, thats what i thought. thanks. im probably gonna do this next week. i dont wanna work when its less than 60 degrees outside.

im doing mine now, and well

2 jack stands
Torque Wrench
Philips Head scewdriver
16mm socket
19mm open ended wrench
22mm open ended wrench
22mm socket
Pickle Fork
3 lb hammer

3 jaw puller (Not neccesary but helpful)
Possibly some extensions (3 feet not neccesary but helpful)

And some grease (white lithum will work just fine)

New Control Arms:

i didnt get a hammer and the fuker aint moving, ill hit tomorrow when i get the hammer.

boo hoo, i shouldve prepared better.

yeah i'd say the hammer is a must

i know now

post on how your experience goes with doing this....I want to do this as well...just waiting when the weather warms up to above 60 as well...

Originally Posted by sportrider90

post on how your experience goes with doing this....I want to do this as well...just waiting when the weather warms up to above 60 as well...

i went and got a dead blow hammer, wasnt working, then i went and bought a 4lb metal hammer, still wasnt budging, i got sh1t to do so i put the scres back onto the ball joint half way and said fukit.

my boy has a 10lb hammer, says he'll attack it when he gets time, if not, i'll be back at it next week probably. my car is at his storage place, thats our li' "garage" and its about 40miles away from me, so im in no rush to ride 40mins to go jack it back up and bang on it again.

truth be told tho, i didnt bang on it that long, because im so irritated i didnt wanna fux with it all day. im half tempted to put the screws on losely and go ride up the interstate and back. but id prolly fukup the strut mount doing that BS.

Well, you don't just BANG on it. You need to pry it loose too.