BMW F30 Rear Control Arm Replacement DIY (BMW 228i, 328i, 428i, & More)

►BMWs are known for their handling and driving experience, and BMW's F30 chassis is no exception. However, being ten years old, the BMW F30 rear control arms will need to be replaced. When factoring in the stamped steel construction and rubber bushings that are now standard on all BMWs, these components are susceptible to curb strikes and potholes, bending very easily, and should be serviced regularly.
While we're completing this DIY on a BMW 328i, the job also applies to most 2-series, 3-series, and 4-series BMW F30s.
Follow along with Gareth Foley, FCP Euro's BMW Catalog Manager, as he walks you through the relatively simple job of replacing all four rear control arms.
Read this DIY on our blog: blog.fcpeuro.com/how-to-repla...
00:00 - Intro
01:58 - Tools Needed
03:39 - Toe Link Replacement
09:07 - Trailing Arm Replacement
10:51 - Upper Control Arm Replacement
14:52 - #2 Upper Control Arm Replacement
19:28 - Wrap-Up
Buy This Kit Here:
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#BMWF30 #BMW #FCPEURO
This Kit Fits:
BMW 328i
2012 BMW 328i
2013 BMW 328i
2014 BMW 328i
2015 BMW 328i
2016 BMW 328i
BMW 335i
2012 BMW 335i
2013 BMW 335i
2014 BMW 335i
2015 BMW 335i
BMW ActiveHybrid 3
2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 3
2014 BMW ActiveHybrid 3
2015 BMW ActiveHybrid 3
BMW 328i xDrive
2013 BMW 328i xDrive
2014 BMW 328i xDrive
2015 BMW 328i xDrive
2016 BMW 328i xDrive
BMW 335i xDrive
2013 BMW 335i xDrive
2014 BMW 335i xDrive
2015 BMW 335i xDrive
BMW 320i
2013 BMW 320i
2014 BMW 320i
2015 BMW 320i
2016 BMW 320i
2017 BMW 320i
2018 BMW 320i
BMW 320i xDrive
2013 BMW 320i xDrive
2014 BMW 320i xDrive
2015 BMW 320i xDrive
2016 BMW 320i xDrive
2017 BMW 320i xDrive
2018 BMW 320i xDrive
BMW 428i
2014 BMW 428i
2015 BMW 428i
2016 BMW 428i
BMW 435i
2014 BMW 435i
2015 BMW 435i
2016 BMW 435i
BMW 428i xDrive
2014 BMW 428i xDrive
2015 BMW 428i xDrive
2016 BMW 428i xDrive
BMW 435i xDrive
2014 BMW 435i xDrive
2015 BMW 435i xDrive
2016 BMW 435i xDrive
BMW 328i GT xDrive
2014 BMW 328i GT xDrive
2015 BMW 328i GT xDrive
2016 BMW 328i GT xDrive
BMW 335i GT xDrive
2014 BMW 335i GT xDrive
2015 BMW 335i GT xDrive
2016 BMW 335i GT xDrive
BMW 328d
2014 BMW 328d
2015 BMW 328d
2016 BMW 328d
2017 BMW 328d
2018 BMW 328d
BMW 328d xDrive
2014 BMW 328d xDrive
2015 BMW 328d xDrive
2016 BMW 328d xDrive
2017 BMW 328d xDrive
2018 BMW 328d xDrive
BMW 228i
2014 BMW 228i
2015 BMW 228i
2016 BMW 228i
BMW M235i
2014 BMW M235i
2015 BMW M235i
2016 BMW M235i
BMW 428i Gran Coupe
2015 BMW 428i Gran Coupe
2016 BMW 428i Gran Coupe
BMW 435i Gran Coupe
2015 BMW 435i Gran Coupe
2016 BMW 435i Gran Coupe
BMW 435i xDrive Gran Coupe
2015 BMW 435i xDrive Gran Coupe
2016 BMW 435i xDrive Gran Coupe
BMW 428i xDrive Gran Coupe
2015 BMW 428i xDrive Gran Coupe
2016 BMW 428i xDrive Gran Coupe
BMW 228i xDrive
2015 BMW 228i xDrive
2016 BMW 228i xDrive
BMW M235i xDrive
2015 BMW M235i xDrive
2016 BMW M235i xDrive
BMW 340i
2016 BMW 340i
2017 BMW 340i
2018 BMW 340i
BMW 340i xDrive
2016 BMW 340i xDrive
2017 BMW 340i xDrive
2018 BMW 340i xDrive
BMW 330e
2016 BMW 330e
2017 BMW 330e
2018 BMW 330e
BMW M240i
2017 BMW M240i
2018 BMW M240i
BMW M240i xDrive
2017 BMW M240i xDrive
2018 BMW M240i xDrive
BMW 230i
2017 BMW 230i
2018 BMW 230i
BMW 230i xDrive
2017 BMW 230i xDrive
2018 BMW 230i xDrive
BMW 330i
2017 BMW 330i
2018 BMW 330i
BMW 330i GT xDrive
2017 BMW 330i GT xDrive
2018 BMW 330i GT xDrive
BMW 340i GT xDrive
2017 BMW 340i GT xDrive
2018 BMW 340i GT xDrive
BMW 440i
2017 BMW 440i
2018 BMW 440i
2019 BMW 440i
BMW 440i xDrive
2017 BMW 440i xDrive
2018 BMW 440i xDrive
2019 BMW 440i xDrive
BMW 440i Gran Coupe
2017 BMW 440i Gran Coupe
2018 BMW 440i Gran Coupe
2019 BMW 440i Gran Coupe
BMW 440i xDrive Gran Coupe
2017 BMW 440i xDrive Gran Coupe
2018 BMW 440i xDrive Gran Coupe
BMW 430i
2017 BMW 430i
2018 BMW 430i
2019 BMW 430i
BMW 430i xDrive
2017 BMW 430i xDrive
2018 BMW 430i xDrive
2019 BMW 430i xDrive
BMW 430i Gran Coupe
2017 BMW 430i Gran Coupe
2018 BMW 430i Gran Coupe
2019 BMW 430i Gran Coupe
BMW 430i xDrive Gran Coupe
2017 BMW 430i xDrive Gran Coupe
2018 BMW 430i xDrive Gran Coupe
2019 BMW 430i xDrive Gran Coupe
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[@kamilberan6409]

I just did this and learned alot, one thing I would suggest is to do it the other way around opposite as shown in the video,. Start with your upper arms, then move to your lower arms. Once you mess up your alignment on your lower arms, it's super hard to put the upper arms in. I followed the video on one side and ended up cross threading 1 bolt on upper arm, next day I did the other side but decided to start with upper arms, and it was sooooo much easier. The video is a good guide for DYI. But from the experiance I got this weekend, I suggest start with upper arms. Will make your life way easier

[@nerdzilla5041]

Please do a turbo replacement for F30 N20. Need to change mine at 50k miles :’(

[@carterchiaramonte7584]

I love your Volvo series, would you guys consider doing a Saab series?

[@davec5237]

Cool, thanks for posting 👍

[@fcpeuro]

Thanks for watching!

[@mehdinachir7524]

If i tighten the excentric bolt of toe arm more than 100 nm, will i have to change the bolt the washer and the lock nut or just the lock nut ?! Thanks for.your reply 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@scottcrawford4148]

Nice looking car!

[@fcpeuro]

Appreciate that, Scott!

[@bsingh8048]

Can you make a video for replacing the battery and the registration? Also for coolant change please, love your videos.

[@mehdinachir7524]

what can happen if the bolt of the rear toe arm is tightened with a torque more than 100 nm ?

[@diewlaylomei]

Couldn't you use a stubby 18mm offset too?

[@10msivana]

My left control arm nut went loose for some reason and busted my side shaft rubber open. For some reason my brake line slit and leaked brake fluid all over the place. This happens only 4 months after replacing my wheel bearing 😭😭 Talk about bad luck thanks for the videos

[@georgefernandez8737]

Is the toe link upper or lower

[@mikechristie6515]

How many suspension arms are needed for just one side? I only need to replace the drivers side rear once’s and I don’t. Know if I need this full set of 8 or just 4

[@MariktheWolf]

you guys should get those nice charge pipes in from vrsf or something...

[@paradeinberlin]

They aren’t because those are not OE or OEM spec

[@realsaxual2357]

I laughed hard during the 18mm segment

[@BlahBlahBleh317]

Can you do one on how to replace the rubber door handle bump stops? They age a lot and when it rains it stains the paint :/

[@nicholaslegat7585]

Great video. Are all of these bolts, specifically the last arm you replaced, necessary to be replaced with new ones.?

[@nicholaslegat7585]

Also is the nut a necessary buy as well.?

[@fcpeuro]

Anything that is a torque to yield piece of hardware (which is the majority of them) need to be replaced!

[@za1831]

if im just replacing the eccentric bolts because theyre rusted, do i have to set the wheels at ride height when I torque them?

[@fcpeuro]

Yes you will want to have it all tighten down at ride height!

[@oldjarhead1125]

Great video & explanation! FYI, delete the (2) linked comments below from Elna & Pavel, they take you to bad sites. Where do these jerks come from? (I just reported them)

[@fcpeuro]

Thanks for lookin out

[@robertlaldee]

Do a undercarriage replacement for n26

[@fcpeuro]

We can certainly pass the idea along to the team!

[@robertlaldee]

Thank you 🙂🙂

[@jordanbiswurm8667]

Super helpful - thank you! Any reason why you did not replace the rear trailing arm bushing located in the wheel carrier? Would you recommend changing that bushing when doing this overhaul?

[@fcpeuro]

Hi Jordan, the vehicle we used, in this case, had lower mileage. However, a special tool is needed for that bushing. Perhaps something we can queue up for the future!

[@tonyfrazzini5416]

@@fcpeuro any chance the future is now? I'm planning on doing mine soon

[@There1sn0spo0n]

@@fcpeuro Would love to see a video about this if possible. At the very least, can you provide a link to the tool you mentioned please? Thanks!

[@tonyfrazzini5416]

@@There1sn0spo0n I ended up doing mine last weekend. The squeak and problems became more than I could ignore. What ended up working for me was the standard ball joint tool you can borrow from advance auto. Used that to force the center of the ball joint to flush and then used a perfect sized washer to force it out the rest of the way with a 2" cup on the opposite side. Washer was at my local hardware store, think it was a 5/8 flat washer in the thick washer section. Getting the new one in I got a short piece of 1.25" pipe with a threaded end, using an angle grinder I took the OD down until the threads were gone and it was a near perfect size to fit over the new ball joint and push on the rim of it. I then used a piece of 1/2-13 threaded rod, a stack of washers, my modded pipe, and the 2" catch cup from the advanced auto kit to force in the new one. Starting it in was a little nerve racking, but once it started it was really easy. All in all side one took about 4 or 5 hours (replaced lower control arm too - not necessary), second side took probably 45 minutes since I had a process down.

[@garrysidhu2636]

@@fcpeuro have you done rear subframe replacement on a F30? Looking to replace it on a 2018 340ix. Thanks

[@plugas2k]

F36 Xdrive after changing rear springs only from M Sport springs to lowered Eibach springs 1 month later the car started to behave crazy. Hitting small potholes, man holes or other uneven road surface the rear is shockingly unstable. The rear end of the car feels like fish tail. So unsafe to drive. Could be that when changing rear springs i tightened control arms bolts and other things NOT at the ride height??

[@fcpeuro]

definitely wouldnt hurt to give the nuts and bolts a once over, something could be loose

[@plugas2k]

@@fcpeuro rear tyres have 0mm thread left. Concerning. Now I have replaced rear tyres with another set that have 2mm remaining thread. The car is more stable when hitting pot holes. Next month i will replace all 4 tyres to brand new Michelin PS4S to check if worn tyres are affecting handling.

[@plugas2k]

New Michelin PS4S tyres have fixed my car. Bmw Suspension and xdrive system doesn't like worn out tyres.

[@rubenlopez6160]

hello do you know the part number for the one time use bolt please??

[@fcpeuro]

Hi Ruben, the listing for the kit used in the video has a diagram that highlights all the arms and bolts, as well as their part numbers.

[@txmball1993]

why not create/design new stronger control arms?

[@fcpeuro]

Someone out there might have! But manufacturing parts isn't something we personally do