arktis 59 Report post Posted October 16, 2023 I need to replace my front control arms. Intuitively it seems like I should replace the tension struts as well. Do you guys replace them together when they're worn, or only if needed? Also, if I'm doing it myself (and don't mind extra labour), should I be looking at replacing the bushings instead of the arms? I'd consider taking the arms into a shop to have them pulled out and new ones pushed. This question has been answered a few times on international forums, but I'm keen to know what this community thinks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1680 Report post Posted October 17, 2023 The lower control arms on earlier models like E34 and E39 rarely went bad in my experience, always ball joint failure rather than the bushing. The tension struts\upper control arms are the ones that take the most load and its usually the bushing the fails. I tend to replace only the bushing if the ball joint is still good because i believe the OE ball joints are superior\tend to last longer than most replacements. The main downside is a chance to damage the ball joint boot upon removal even with the proper tool. In your situation id probably just buy the complete arms with bushings installed either Lemforder or Meyle HD. Not sure what the labour costs would be,but its certainly easier and less hassle with complete arms. Dont have to worry about anyone stuffing the job up either. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arktis 59 Report post Posted October 18, 2023 Cheers man. I’ll just get the tension struts done. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
