Unofficialbmw.com

[haber]

IIRC, the last ball joints I replaced took something above 5 tons but less than 10 to break free and then went out smoothly at less than 5 tons on down to zero. Less force to push in the new one but as far as a press goes this is not much force anyway. The more difficult part is getting the fixtures and such all safely situated in place and then it takes about 10 seconds to push out or in.

I'm fortunate to have access to a press at work that can do it easily. I suppose if you have no idea where to go you're better off with a whole new control arm. However, you might also find a machine shop willing to do it for just a few bucks if you have the parts. That would make sense if for example you just replaced your CA bushing and realized a ball joint is also bad. You cannot reuse a CA bushing once its installed and since a ball joint is <$30, even if you paid $10 to have it pressed in it's much cheaper than than a control arm and a bushing.
_________________
-------- -x--x-- SI ByePass

[dale]

Just ordered some Lemfoerder balljoints, about $60 for both, from a local source, Autosport Imports on S Hwy 99 just south of Seatac.
Tell Paula that Dale sent you. Should have them Tuesday and I can take some pictures of them and the press in/out process.

Dale
_________________
http://www.unofficialbmw.com
UnofficialBMW.com Webmaster
dale@unofficialbmw.com
sold in 2016
87 325 5spd eta

[325Girl]

While we're on this subject, Id like some opinions on my situation...

I bought my car for 1000bucks and im trying not to put any excess money into in...In the last months it has developed a vibration in the steering wheel and some random pulling while driving down the road, I had my fiances shop look at it on the alignment rack and they say it needs CA bushings-ok, I work at a wholsale parts shop-no problem! But after looking prices(with my discount) I can get the CA bushings for about 50 bucks OR through MOOG I can get a whole LCA for 125 each(dont know who makes the arm though)...Now should I spend the extra cash to get a whole new arm(comes with CA bushings and ball joints usually doesnt it?) considering I have no idea how good the ball joints may be or when they were last replaced or should I just get the CA bushings and call it a day?

opinions?
_________________
~Brittney~
87 325es *new DD*
83 Trans Am
78 Blazer
http://camaroz28.cardomain.com/id/83transamgirl

[kyshadetreebmw]

The new control arms will have the ball joints installed but they won't have new bushings. The bushings are separate in the "lollipop". The control arm sticks into the bushing that is mounted in the lollipop that mounts to the frame. So bushings are not already on the control arm.

[dale]

325Girl,
Just an FYI, $125 is paying a lot for a control arm.
You can buy an Ocap one for $80, a Meyle one for $90ish, and a
Lemfoerder for $100-$105 range.
Pelican has good prices and is in CA so shipping won't be expensive.

You can buy the 2 ball joints for less then $60 if you can find someone
with a press to press the new ones in, those are the main wear part of the control arm. If you haven't bent it in an accident you should be fine with just new ball joints.

Dale
_________________
http://www.unofficialbmw.com
UnofficialBMW.com Webmaster
dale@unofficialbmw.com
sold in 2016
87 325 5spd eta

[Quincy56]

I purchased a control arm from the dealer a little less than one year ago, I paid $104 for it, not over $200 like you quoted. Not all dealers charge the same prices for parts.
_________________

92 325ic - Isabelle
91 318i - Oscar - RIP
89 325i - Otis - RIP

[dale]

It all depends on where you're located, here in the Seattle area, we only have 3 dealers for about 3 million+ people and they don't really compete.
They mark prices up by 15-20% _over_ MSRP, then if you are a BMWCCA member give you a 10-15% discount.
Sure I can mail order and get 25% off MSRP, but then have to pay shipping on a heavy part.
Just checked RealOem for an MSRP price and they list $137.
I believe the $200 price I saw was for the Aluminum E30 M3 arm.
25% off of $137 sounds like a pretty good deal. 137-25%=$103

Updated earlier post with this info.

========
04/2009 update on prices:
Online dealer like MileOne is now selling control arms for MSRP $216, discounted to $172,
The aluminum E30 M3 arms are now up around $400!

Pelican has the Lemforder for $119 and the Febi for $89

Just looked at AutoHausAZ, they are listing Meyle/OCAP/Febi for $85, I assume this means they may ship any one of those 3 parts.

Dale
_________________
http://www.unofficialbmw.com
UnofficialBMW.com Webmaster
dale@unofficialbmw.com
sold in 2016
87 325 5spd eta

[dale]

I started pressing the ball joints out and the new ones in tonight.
Pushing the new ones in is no big deal, but man, pushing the old ones out,
what a pain. If you don't have some special adapters for your press, I wouldn't try it. I have one for the bottom of the ball joint, and I'd never have been able to get that inside one out without it.
The control arm isn't remotely flat right there so it won't fit on the normal
plates at all the way the outer ball joint will.
I finally applied the propane torch to this and after a few minutes of that it
slid out.
These may have been extra difficult. As I learned as I pulled them, I only really needed to do the outer one. The inner one was just fine after ... 100k+ miles.
The outer one was trashed, the grease was caked almost solid inside, I assume from the heat of the brakes very near by. The inner one still was smooth and easy to move and the grease looked fine when I opened it.
Both inner and outer had good boots so were protected from water and dirt.

Just changing the outer ball joint for around $30 is a much less expensive option then spending $100+ on a complete control arm.
But how much is your time worth? And do you have the tools?

Dale
_________________
http://www.unofficialbmw.com
UnofficialBMW.com Webmaster
dale@unofficialbmw.com
sold in 2016
87 325 5spd eta

[menuhin]

I have a really naive question...
Does BMW "OEM" parts = BMW factory parts?
_________________
My E30 101 finished: Red 1986 325es (103K miles only)
- completed: tbelt, h2o pump, rust holes, tie rods, ca & m3 cab, sports s&s, backup light, tranny seals, 3.25 LSD, short shifter
FAREWELL my 325es!

[dale]

[dale]

Looks like the MSRP on the control arm is now $143 and
mile one parts is selling for $114.39
_________________
http://www.unofficialbmw.com
UnofficialBMW.com Webmaster
dale@unofficialbmw.com
sold in 2016
87 325 5spd eta

[peerless]

As most of you know I run a small E30 only garage. I have in the last year replaced numerous E30 front suspensions as it is a very popular service item since most of the cars are 20 years old. Alot of my customers are purchasing their first E30, other have had them forever.

Anyways I have tried/used all the brands mentioned. In regards to quality/price/installation ease...

Myle brand wins hands down. OCAP is the worst in quality. Lemforders are good quality but include no hardware(nuts and washers). Quality wise, Original BMW wins hands down.

I want to go over a few of the pictures shown and place some debates.

First is the quality of the ball joint structure itself. If you look closely at the OCAP ball joint, you will see where the inner circle metal piece appears to be of poor quality with what appears to be fragmented fractured edges, poor casting. Almost like the inner ball joint is pressed in from the bottom.
One other note of interest, note the lack of a country name. Every part I get from a European manufacture is marked, whether it be Germany, France, UK or any other European nation. Also notice the horrible machining under the ball joint itself, looks like a blown out insert at way too fast of a feedrate. One other item of interest, look at the SE corner and notice the ball joint appears to come off the edge of the control arm, Look at the following picture of the Myle and see it is supported all the way around. The BMW is the same. (Maybe its a optical trick from the angle of the camera, Dale can you verify?)


Now here is the outer joint, see the unclean edges in the center insert, again pressed in from the bottom?
I mean that just looks like horrible quality!


Now look at the Myle ball joint, it is a solid one piece cap. Just from the looks of it, I certainly believe the Myle to the stronger in design. The Myle also appears to more closely resemble the BMW joint.


And here is the outer ball joint, looks clean and beefy huh?


The next argument is regarding the counter sunk outer ball joint. The BMW has it, the OCAP is a copy cat of the bmw, the lemforder is not pictured, and the Myle is not counter sunk.

This is countered on the Myle by design of the ball joint itself. It is much more productive and economical to redesign the ball joint stud and simply incorporate this to the CNC lathe operation when the stud is machined. With the recessed design you have to add a separate Milling operation for a 360 counter sink operation. Have worked as a machinist myself I can see this logic and it is obvious from my perspective.

In the following picture, I would have to say the Myle looks better designed and beefier around the ball joint area.




Ok a few more last notes of interest. In regards to the OCAP brand, I purchased a set of their tie rod sets for a E30. Upon installation one side would not go all the way into spindle. It got tight but the stud itself was mis-machined. I returned it and got a set of Myles, perfect fit.

When I am working on cars for profit and a living, I can't afford to waste time with poor quality parts. You lose time and money, every time. I also don't like having to run to the bolt store to buy nuts and washers when they should be included. (Lemforder)

In the end Myle products have gone under many a E30 under my watch. I have not had any problems with them whatso ever. You pull them out of the box and bolt them on with confidence, every time. Consistency is of great value.

I get Myle control arms for $65 each and $40 for a set of Myle M3 bushings, how can you possible go wrong with that combination?

Oh and free shipping always, if your paying for shipping on controls arms your shopping in the wrong place.

One more note on parts quality. Stay away from MTC products, they are chinese imports and they will fail, they will not fit correctly, and in the end you will not be happy. I have used them in the past and they have cost me time and money, not to mention customer inconvenience. I have now barred them from my orders, I will go to the dealer if a vendor has nothing alternate to order.

Factory BMW parts are bare none the best quality parts you can put on your BMW, period!

Well that was fun
_________________
Robert

E30 Repair and Maintenance Services
714-398-8405

[DJB]

I think MTC / Mission Trading Co. is almost like a store brand. They put their name on aftermarket parts from all over the world, not just China. A few of the parts are OK quality, and some even reach "standard" quality. But unless you hear good reports about a specific part, you should keep your expectations very low.

[dale]

Time to do another front suspension job, this time on my '92 325ic at 95k miles, and 17 years, the original outer balljoints are shot.

Checking some prices:
Pelican has the Lemforder for $119 and the Febi for $89
Just looked at AutoHausAZ, they are listing Meyle/OCAP/Febi for $85, I assume this means they may ship any one of those 3 parts. They have Lemforder for $118.
Online dealer is now selling them with discount for $172.

I picked Lemforder from Pelican this time. They came in a few days, _complete_ with nuts and washers! I suspect Pelican adds those as I know Lemforder didn't come with them in the past.

I'll get full pics of the Lemforders up here soon and update the older posts on this thread with the closeup shots of the Lemforders.

Dale
_________________
http://www.unofficialbmw.com
UnofficialBMW.com Webmaster
dale@unofficialbmw.com
sold in 2016
87 325 5spd eta

[idanity]

still working on them Dale? wheres the pix ?


anyways, im doing a full setup too....and notice Beck Arnley parts..are they ocap, or some other company? (as ive also noticed febi/bilstein are now producing them as well,

and peerless stated "myle" did he intend meyle ? (guessing so, )

(and the prices have actually GONE DOWN since your report 4 years ago)...i can get a set of lemforder for 93.99, and Meyle for 73.8... always wanting to get more stuff for less.

but, Dale, did you actually post which was your preference ?
_________________
..........