Alright, just looking for a quick answer because I need to get back to my mechanic as soon as possible but what is generally accepted as the preferred FCAB for the E46? I think I remembered seeing something about how the UUC ones squeak a lot or something. Any help would be appreciated.
My latest CABs came from bavauto.com. I got the heavy duty ones- they're solid rubber instead of the gell filled stock ones. They replaced some powerflex bushings that basically fell apart around 15k miles. They are somewhat stiffer than stock, but I like that (personal preference). So far they've got about 4k miles on them and still have zero play in them. I usually bang the old CAB's off with a rubber mallet and push the new ones on after lubricating everything with Duragloss car wash soap (it is super slippery). Very easy job; the only snafu is you have to remove the lower brace plate to get to the LCA's and that requires new bolts ($20 or so) as they are a torque to yield type set up ( in other words you torque them in stages: 1) torque to 43 ft-lbs, 2) torque 90 degrees more and wait a minute or so for the bolts to stretch a bit and then 3) turn them another 30 degrees to finish the installation. They are supposed to be a one time use item only. It's not rocket science, I torque them, then mark the bolts with a magic marker and turn them the additional stages by eye. I'll bet there BMW dealers that just bolt the brace up up with out all this rigermareau. Hope this helps!.
