Control Arm Bushing Replacement // BMW E90

Today on JD Cars we will be replacing the rear control arm bushings and control arm ball joint bushings on a BMW E90. This process may seem a little overwhelming initially, but it is quite simple and anyone can do this job at home. Thank you to Bavarian Autosport for making this video possible! Thanks for watching, please like and subscribe!
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🔥 JD Cars Site -- www.jd-cars.com
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Veepeak OBD2 Bluetooth Scanner -- amzn.to/37y1o3K
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www.bavauto.com
Tools:
-Jack -- amzn.to/2KiPwbi
-Impact Wrench -- amzn.to/2FiQy3j
-Breaker Bar -- amzn.to/2JkW4IY
-Socket Set -- amzn.to/2JkufjW
-E82, E84, E9x Rear Trailing Arm Bushing Tool Set -- bit.ly/33T67wR
-Nitrile Gloves -- amzn.to/2A3JCYv
Parts:
-Trailing arm to hub carrier bushings -- bit.ly/33Gv8Lz
-Lower control arm to hub carrier bushings (ball joints) -- bit.ly/39eBfIa
Music:
DJ Quads - Spring Feelings
Music by: @dcuttermusic / www.davidcutter...
Disclaimer: Some links may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission when you make a purchase. Thank you for choosing to support the channel by using these links!

[@echoinnovationltd4759]

Thanks, picked up a kit like yours for £50 and following your guide its done the job.

[@JDCarsChannel]

Happy to help! Hope the job went well!

[@chrish7654]

Where'd you get the kit for 50?

[@javarriwashington9448]

I would also love to know where you found the kit for 50?

[@worldtraveler3901]

People with garages. It's a different universe when you live in a large city...garages are a luxury.

[@ArisFilms]

I work on an almost unpaved driveway and think about that every day

[@bluerobles]

We’ll get there one day homie

[@ruizmota3115]

​@@bluerobles Amen to that!

[@mattdrifts]

Hardly save m9ney when you gotta buy specialized tools

[@samnixon6198]

Good vid. Otto, Jr.? !

[@JDCarsChannel]

Hahaha

[@johnhanson9245]

JD. Will that BavAuto tool set also work to replace your inner bushings in your subframe or do you need a different tool set for that?

[@JDCarsChannel]

Great question, John! I believe this set will work for inner bushings and subframe too. Best to double check diameter by looking at the bushing specs and tool set specs.

[@Dutch79]

Another great DIY!

[@JDCarsChannel]

Thanks man!

[@silentescape818xsfvla8]

Hey boss so it was the ball joint on the lower control arm making the squeak ?

[@vinylrecords9364]

Hi mate Just did this not as easy on a uk car lol Did you get the tracking done after i have lined up my sharpe marks seams fine but should i get it done

[@JDCarsChannel]

I didn’t have anything done after... I probably should’ve but it was ok

[@flohartchi1327]

how your a lift your car ?

[@JDCarsChannel]

Using a floor jack, in this video

[@Twinkletoes1O1]

Hey! Did you get my instagram DM? Thanks!

[@adzzz8217]

Can these bushing cause really bad rear wandering if they are worn out? My rear end is all over the road 🤨

[@jyotiguin1007]

Great video. I would not recommend using power tools for the shock lower nut it will destroy the seals. I would also recommend replacing the bolts and nuts and torquing them to spec.

[@JDCarsChannel]

Good recommendations.

[@Kalium951]

Bolts do not need to be replaced as long as they havent been stretched but nuts should definitely be replaced.

Using the adjustable wrench backwards. The force always against the solid jaw.

[@ivanreyes_M3]

Im confused. What can i call the bushing holding the control arm to the (subframe). Mine is gone.

[@salembo]

It’s too bad these bushings aren’t serviceable with grease nipples. Way to go BMW.

[@2kcon491]

by far. the best rear bushing video for e90. thx JD

[@JDCarsChannel]

Glad it helped!

[@2kcon491]

@@JDCarsChannel hey, How much is that bushing tool? And where can I get a cheaper price for that?

[@PatricioGarcia1973]

Too bad bavauto is no more... great how to, helped me with the repair

[@jwmarc123]

Man I dont like the way the car is jacked and supported.

[@jouniranta-puska4699]

Where do you place the jack stands?

[@michaelweidelus]

where did you get that front bumper cover from? looks more aggressive and I like it

[@BMWFanatic]

As always, great DIY man!

[@JDCarsChannel]

Thank you! I appreciate the support from an excellent fellow KZbinr!

[@shaymc1977]

What would a mechanic charge for this.

[@chconger]

Hey Thanks - perfect video. -One note: The link you provided for your ball joint kit directs folks to the wrong kit. Should point to B8800101. You have it pointing to B8800137; that's not the kit you used there. Cheers

[@JDCarsChannel]

Chris! Thank you for the correction! Much appreciated

[@mikeblaszczak5346]

Does that BavAuto kit also fit the inner bushings that are in the subframe? There's the 8800137 kit and the 8800101 kit, and I can't figure out which I need to do both the inner and outer bushings.

[@ramosc40]

You said your car was making a Squeak?? Well my 2006 E90 325i, makes a thump, sort of like the sound of a heavy box rolling in my trunk. That's how I found your video!! Do you have any videos addressing a thumping sound when accelerating?

[@bernie2108]

Ha Ha, many a year ago working in body in white @Ford, guys would place a blob of grease with a ball bearing inside a former before spot welding. Years on grease dries. bearing free to rumble.

[@huckilt]

You aware you used the crescent-wrench backwards every time? Doing it the way you were can cause the jaws to slightly spread under heavy load which can cause it to slip and strip the nut your trying to loosen.

[@sebastian3004]

I didnt know that lol. Sometimes its better to switch side to have better clearance. I thought they designed to use it either side for this reason?

[@OpenBarGarage]

@@sebastian3004 in a pinch yes you could use either side. But one side is much stronger and less prone to slipping and rounding the edges of the bolt/nut.

[@josephpapillo9131]

My e90 hasn’t been touch since the factory in terms of bushings and suspension at all, but my rear wheels have a slight camber to them which causes the inside tread of my rear tires to wear down fast. Could bad bushings be the cause of this? Pls lmk thanks

[@killersaint89]

could be, BMW's are known to have a slight bit or rear camber from the factory though so this could be causing part of it as well

[@Logicnaut]

Get an alignment instead. Check the before and after rear Toe numbers. Out of spec Toe is what usually causes tire wear.

[@JDCarsChannel]

That could be due to your shocks sagging a little, or your car just needs suspension adjustment.

[@bizkit2k]

Just did this myself and some of the things explained in this video is just wrong. No need to loosen the inner roll-over strut bolts and risk having to do a new alignment and no need to unbolt the shock and have the spring fly away. To replace these: Remove wheel Loosen the inner trailing arm bolt Remove outer trailing arm bolt and let the trailing arm hang Remove the outer roll-over strut bolt Jank the wheelhub/brakedisk to loosen it from the roll-over strut and now both the bushings are ready to be replaced. Use a jack with some wood or something to push the wheelhub/brakedisk upwards to get better access. When reassembling, remove the jack from the wheelhub/brakedisk and use the jack to lift the roll-over strut so the bolt holes match. Remember to retighten the inner trailing arm bolt. All bolts with bushings should be tightened when in a normal position (all 4 wheels on the ground). So try to jack up the hub a bit before tightening, this will ensure longer lasting bushings.

[@orumas1]

Savage love it

[@Alpejohn]

You wouldnt happen to know the diameter of the press tool for the trailingarm bushing? I dont have a kit so i have to make it my selfe but its seems impossible for people that do this to inform what size is used.. 😏

[@Adeus555]

funny, basically a knock out kit... Thanks for the vid. I feel like if your taking out hardware though it would be nice to put new stuff back in. Saw a guy suggest it and it just made sense to me.. Maybe ocd but im ok catering to it.

[@kenendres4484]

The Tool kit part number is incorrect. It gets you the inner subframe kit. This is the kit he used, B8800101 T#: 587611 | Part#: B8800101

[@6Wojcieech]

Great Video! A small question, what should be the tightening torques in this case? Or where can I find such information?

[@dawids90999]

What is the bushing called on the other side of the arm that you skipped to replace. I am to do same stuff on my e92 and i cant find info which one it is. On autodoc its like 6 different type of bushings for rear end suspension and im like omg which one is for this center bush -.-

[@szycha13]

Super film, what dimensions of the puller are needed for this operation?

[@teodormihai2244]

After this process , do I need to go for alignment back wheels just because I replaced this bush ? Thanks if you answer to me !

[@TheChooChooTrainEd]

I'm in CT and can drive up. Can I pay you to do my valve cover gasket? 👀

[@JDCarsChannel]

Never done a valve cover gasket before!

[@SD-pi9co]

I just did my VC gasket. I'm in PA.

[@Alpejohn]

Hi, i would love to know the tool size for pressing out the railing arm bushings!

[@kurtm54]

I found getting the swing arm bolt hole to line up with the ball joint a pain.

[@ianking25]

u suppose to use the wrench the other way, way to teach kids how to ruin wrenches, good job!!!!!

[@chrisnamaste3572]

BavAuto is gone....

[@phil_aesthetics]

will this kit work on my F30 as well? I have an e90 and an F30...

[@FalseShxpherd]

0:35 lubed her up so she stopped squeaking.

[@JDCarsChannel]

Lolol

[@r.innovationsweinnovatesoo2915]

Nice tools, should the nuts be torqued when the arms are under normal loading ie with wheels on bearing weight etc ?

[@Kalium951]

Yes, they should be tightened in normal position.

[@JDCarsChannel]

Correct, they should be torqued under normal load-- this can be difficult without an alignment table

[@Kalium951]

One way to do it is to measure from rim to fender while car is on the ground before you start working. Then write down that number and when you are to torque your bolts you use the jack to load the suspension to the right height. I forgot to measure before I started working on my car but you can find normal ride height numbers online and use that too.

[@OoDub]

Do these BavAuto kits come with any instructions? I found instructions for some of their other kits online but not this one. Obviously you can figure this out but it would be nice to have something in writing. ECS doesn't have instructions available

[@JDCarsChannel]

I don't recall the kit coming with much instructions other than maybe a bit of basic info about what each part of the tool is and how they work together. Sorry

[@allanfrantzen9023]

Good work, but that really is a ball joint. Not a bushing :)

[@larrycreason8024]

How did you jack the car up like that?

[@kzyt87]

you make it look easy for DIY projects

[@matarcher3145]

Just curious JD Cars, what was or were, the actual symptoms other than the squaking, that lead to replacing these bushings in the first place? Any knocking on bumps?

[@JDCarsChannel]

No serious knocking... mostly just the squeaking

[@Cdswjp]

heavy knocks could be the struts / shocks going bad

[@DaEverything1]

if I just replace the entire control arm instead of the bushing, is it the rear lower control arm?

[@JDCarsChannel]

Yes

[@deo2614]

Great video! Nice job! Curious… Why didn’t you replace all of the linkage bushings?

[@JDCarsChannel]

Thanks! I probably should have replaced all bushing while I was in there, but was only doing what was needed at the time.

[@TK-gd9td]

do you think that kit will work for changing front side tension strut bushings?

[@iAlwaysSpeakTheTruth]

I just today replaced both thrust and lower control arms, and sway bar links. Including the bushings and ball joints. Lmao

[@JDCarsChannel]

Good stuff!

[@matthewweisdorfer7757]

You should have marked where the slot was on the old bushing in reference to where it was clocked on the subframe with white out. before taking it out. Where the slot on on the bushing in reference to it’s position to the subframe is very important. It was smart to mark where the special alignment bolt was prior to taking it off or moving it. Also, a specific amount of torque is used for these bolts & you should recheck them in a month, after initial install. I would have used a Dremel with a sand paper wheel to clean up the inside of the subframe where the bushings go in. You can also use some silicone grease to help ease the install of the new bushing, and it won’t deteriorate the rubber of new bushing. Link to the bushing tool kit? Price?

[@JDCarsChannel]

Good tips! Links in the description!

[@SaladDodgerMedia]

Good work

[@Shamus71]

I did this job on one side of the car today.. the worst part was trying to get the bolt holes to line up with trailing arm and lower swing arm.. took me pretty much all day and couldn’t get the right side done.. second time around I’ll know what to do. As for the bushing tool.. do not attempt to do this job without it.. extraction and only took minutes and was effortless.. just had to be methodical about clocking the gap and depth positioning on inner and outer RTABs and ball joint. It wouldn’t hurt to have a second person and a second floor jack.

[@JDCarsChannel]

Yes, the bushing tool is crucial! Good job and good luck on the other side!

[@Zalle335]

JD Cars how did u get the bolt holes to line up? I’m having issues with that too

[@Shamus71]

You’ll have to finagle a bit.. jack the spindle up.. I had to disconnect one of the upper links, then I was able to get enough movement to line up the RTAB holes. Second time around I decided to not take all bolts out, rather I removed one.. replaced bushing, reinstalled bolt.. repeated that process.. then after the fact I torqued everything up. It worked out well. No issues with hole alignment at all.

[@Zalle335]

@@Shamus71 ah, kinda what i was thinking, either i replace the bushing next time i do unbolt the lower swing arm(or whatever the one that the damper goes into is called) or i just dont unbolt anything.

[@abel.gonzales]

Awesome!! Thanks

[@illleo9969]

Great

[@kodystokes2893]

What’s that part called that fell when you undid the bolt?

[@austumaspapartis6722]

LOL marking nuts with a sharpie??? What engineering is this? In Europe we secure bolts to manufacturer’s specified toque! That’s the only proprer way to do it! Plus you should not reuse the same bolts/nuts! Always use new sets. Also I must say I have never seen anyone jacking up the car like that... seemed very unsafe. On the plus side though, it gave better access to parts (if no ramp is available)

[@brendenbanks9293]

he's marking alignment

[@AlessioSangalli]

Use of a torque wrench is very widespread in USA maybe even more so than in Europe. Those nuts have a cam mechanism that sets alignment. If you say that you need a torque wrench, you show that you have no understanding of the problem. Also, I am not aware of these fasteners are stretched to plastic deformation, so unless they are corroded, there shouldn't be much benefit in replacing them (also they are moved around when you perform an alignment.

[@alexsmith7801]

Has anyone successfully used this to remove the trailing arm bushing from the subframe? I snapped two of the rods trying.

[@Shamus71]

Alex Smith ... from this special tool kit?

[@Shamus71]

Today I successfully removed and installed a trailing arm bushing from the subframe with this toolkit.. no issues

[@GarryReyom]

I wish my E90 had gas rn

[@roblesinline6642]

Haha these gas prices are rough man

[@GarryReyom]

Robles Inline 6 today I saw premium for $3.18 at Costco and felt relieved; what’s wrong with me? Even $2 was too much for 91

[@JDCarsChannel]

Indeed you do... it's all worth it tho

[@freniforme]

Where did you buy the bushings and how much each cost?

[@JDCarsChannel]

I've updated the links in the description to where you can purchase them

[@crazydogdancer5303]

Hi do u have a video of the inner rear as well not outside, as mine need replacement ASAP thanks

[@BrainActivity1]

Should be samesame

[@crazydogdancer5303]

Thanks for reply that’s great do I have part numbers at all to hand ? Topman

[@BrainActivity1]

bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E90/Europe/325i-N52/L-N/feb2006/browse/rear_axle/rear_axle_carrier/ bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E90/Europe/325i-N52/L-N/feb2006/browse/rear_axle/rear_axle_support_wheel_suspension/ This special tool he is using to press the bushing together should not be needed, you should be able to use a hoose clamp. Im going to change all bushings today after weeks with rustwork on stupid e92. Also check this video out kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGnInJyHbbyfZsU

[@BrainActivity1]

Put in your car info bmwfans.info/parts-catalog I think most of these 90,91,92 bushing is samesame but in case

[@theprincessnetwork4901]

Would bad rear bushings cause one of the rear tire to wear faster than the other three? It’s always in the inner side of the rear left tire that goes faster. I’ve tried alignment, and I have staggered tires, so I can’t rotate.

[@gane8817]

I've been told that bent wheels wears the inner side of the tire faster, which happened to me for both rear wheels

[@RustyRaine1]

Why not replace the bushings at the subframe?

[@JDCarsChannel]

Also a good option--

[@RustyRaine1]

@@JDCarsChannel I was able to answer this question after performing the replacement in your video. The subframe does not allow for clearance for the press tool to be used. The subframe would have to be unbolted from the car. I also imagine the bushings in the subframe wear less then the ones at the knuckle, so it might not be necessary to replace the subframe bushings.

[@AlessioSangalli]

@@RustyRaine1 the subframe bushings need to be replaced. Once you drop the subframe it's relatively easy to change all the inner-outer and differential bushings

[@martynassapiega6904]

Where is the link to the bushing replacement kit?

[@JDCarsChannel]

In description

[@thefaster69]

Superb....

[@JDCarsChannel]

Thanks!

[@pennypacker2000]

cool vid

[@nebojsa1976]

Is your garage in another universe where different gravitational forces exist? How is that car standing the way it is? What did you do to it? Did you put the spell on it? Maybe you are from Mars.

[@dgaz3057]

Good Communications

[@richiec9077]

Excellent vid cheers

[@JDCarsChannel]

Thank you!

[@izyfication]

Great job !

[@JDCarsChannel]

Thanks!

[@Orlandobori]

Nice bro

[@JDCarsChannel]

Thanks man!

[@romcon7097]

one of my hero e90 top DIYer mechanics in KZbin.

[@drfish69]

Does this tool work for the two bushings on the subframe side too?

[@JDCarsChannel]

It should!

[@ObadahH]

I have the same exact problem and it got really bad and loud. I didn't weather to use lithium grease or silicone lube but I went with the silicone lube and it worked for me. Will probably replace the bushing soon though

[@JDCarsChannel]

Hahaha same here... I just used the short term grease method, but finally got around to replacing the bushings.