My BMW dealer suggested replacing both front control arm and rear differential bushings on my 2004 E46 325i. The car does not get driven hard very often and the mileage is low (50000 miles). I am the original owner, so there was no abuse. The total repair cost looks to be over $1000. I don't feel any difference driving the car; is is necessary to replace them now? I live in Arizona so I am not sure if the climate will age the parts more quickly here...
If they are torn, they need to be replaced. You may not feel a difference because it's been gradually going. My guess is you will fill a difference once replaced. $1000 is a bit steep but I haven't been to the dealer in years.
I replaced the rear bushings on my 2002 325Ci at 65K miles. The fronts have some wear but they are still not sloppy. That said, I have no idea how my car was driven for the majority of its life as I bought it used 2 years ago. My car is lowered and also has 18" wheels and wide tires which I would think would accelerate the wear on the bushings. When purchased my car had a decided wander. I bought new tires to replace the separated tread on one and worn out other 3. A 4 wheel alignment at a competant Inde Shop after the rear bushing install and I now experience "The Ultimate Driving Machine." The difference was night and day. I would strongly suggest finding a good Inde shop to do the work and save yourself some coin.
Thanks for the input. My car has the factory sport suspension and driving it on the beat up freeways in the Bay Area (where I used to live) probably accelerated the wear. I'll check out some shops here in the Phoenix area.
