need help with E39 issue

[qube 3570]

Hi everyone,

I have a slight problem with a 1999 528i e39.

here is the story:

Driving at motorway speeds, then stepping on the brakes, the steering wheel would vibrate, i had a bmw mechanic who told me i had to change..

reaction arm bush set (part # B31129068753, also described as "set rubber mounting fpull rod") $92.59

two brake hoses $127.09 each

and Rh top wishbone $346.68

I didnt do anything after getting this quote for some time, maybe a year or so..

but then then i went to another mechanic and got the reaction arm bush set replaced both sides, and it seems the car is the same if not worse than before... the steering wheel still vibrates or shakes when i step on the brake from motorway speed, it doesnt do it at low speeds though.

but that aside, after getting the reaction arm bushes replaced, the car seems to be very slightly shaky at high speeds. and when driving even on smooth surfaces, it feels slightly bumpy at times.. very hard to describe.

anyways heres a pic of the passenger side reaction arm bush (just for reference)

ALSO,

i had the passenger rear tyre blow out on my on the motorway.. turns out it was cuz the inside was wearing out way way more than the outside (for both rear tyres actually but more so the passenger one)

thought this was cuz of the negative camber (which was like 3 degrees) but after getting a wheel balance and alignment and taking out as much camber as possible (ended up with around 2 degrees still) nothing was going well.

got tyres replaced btw.

front is 235/45/18 on bridgestone eagle f1

rear is 245/40/18 on toyo proxes4 now

bbs mags

NOW, i just had the car hoisted up and was wobbling the rear wheels. it wobbles up and down a fair bit on the passenger side and a tiny tiny bit on the driver side.

apparently this is because of this part - ball joint

i got told by a guy at bmw that e39's have a common problem with the "Rear lower ball joint" wearing out.

i got quoted $78.59 for the ball joints for 1 side.. plus about 4 hours labour to replace them..

now i dont want to spend that much money on this car.. but at the same time i want the car to be safe and road worthy..

now at the moment, car feels not as smooth as it used to be.. and its just not a comfortable drive.. before it was amazing though..

do you guys think that i have the correct diagnosis done by these guys or could it be something else?

please help, i dont have the time or money to go fix one thing, then go fix another thing to find out it was something else again!

thanks for all your help in advance and sorry for the long post!

Edited July 21, 2011 by QUBE

[oscar90 0]

have you checked the brake rotors arent wearing thin or arent warped??

If stuffs not working how it should or buggered ya need to replace it..you put your own life at risk and others really,

if you can't afford it, park it up and save money oooor sell it and buy a corolla til' you can afford to maintain and repair a E39 so you can enjoy it... doing some of the work yourself will save money

[BreakMyWindow 1874]

If the rear lower ball joints are worn, then the control arms, subframe bushes, shocks are probably not far away, they will affect the handling/comfort just as badly. It's best to get all these items replaced in one hit. As for the worn upper front control arm, i'd definatley do them in pairs.

[westy 614]

Sell it.

[qube 3570]

its not exactly my car (mine is the e36 in the sig) so its not like i am in any way "emotionally attached" to it..

if i get the whole job done - ball joints, control arms bushes shocks, how much am i looking at?

its probably not going to be worth it is it considering the car's value these days..

[Jono51 59]

unfortunately it appears that you have left things for way too long,

now it has all finaly caught up, and you have very little options left

fix it, or unfortunately sell it

the problem is now that the car will be worth quite a lot less in this state

I can't stress enough ; maintainence and service inspections are very important investments in your vehicle

those eccentric bushes are common, the mechanic whomever he is , is trying to make your car safer for you and other road users

[allan 295]

As Jono has stated you or your friend have left things way to long.

Your shudder under braking, worn suspension joints, support arms as you have shown, contorl arms, these could be both the bushes and the ball joints gone, worn or warped brake disc's, out of balance wheels , tyres to a lesser degree worn anti sway bar links.

These prices and parts are from Pelican parts in the states and at the present x rate

Front support arm $139.50 each these are the OME brand

Front Control arm $152.076 each " " "

The rear ball joints are $45.40 each

Frieght estimate only $80.00

The ball joints in the rear my require speical tools to fit but mine cost me around 400 fitted. This included a full alignment / front and rear set up. You may find more rear links are/ have failed so it could more expensive so the price is only for what you have told us of.

You will be in the realm of 750 to 1000 to remedy this mess that is using good quality parts other wise you are fooling your self. Little joy in this I know but I hope it helps you out

Cheers Allan

[elmarco 56]

Sell it to Aslan - he seems to be looking for a project like this...

[BM WORLD 1283]

basically its all rubber and it all wears out .

just buy a complete kit like this and fit the whole lot at once will costs less in the long run , then the car will drive like new again.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E39-20-...=item1c188365e2

there are other kits that just do the front arms or rear arms or bushes etc etc just look them up .

us dollar is good at the moment

Edited July 24, 2011 by Brent HARTGE535i

[allan 295]

Not to throw sand in the works Brent but have been stung by these sorts of kits before. The quality of the parts are a big ? mark. The reason I know I bought one and just over one year later, warranty finished the rubbers failed and then the ball joints also. Trying to save a few dollars in the short term cost me almost if not double the price and frustration in the end. Just make sure the quality is good and their is back up service if it all turns to custard. Just my experience with things like this off ebay

Cheers

[qube 3570]

thanks for everything guys.

for now i think the owner is going to go ahead and replace the ball joints and check some of the connected parts as well.

will be using genuine parts from bmw.

I myself have always used genuine parts and although it may be slightly more expensive, nothing goes wrong..

(ps. original bmw window wiper blades are so superior lol)