I have a 1998 M Roadster, and when I put two new tires on the rear, which I do frequently because of the negative camber, I had the tire place try to align it. They said no can do because it looked like I had a bent right rear training arm. In searching for a replacement I was told by BMW that there wasn't one in the country, but they would have one sent from somewhere outside. That was four months ago, and they finally told my mechanic that they don't have any of them in their inventories around the world. I tried the online junkyard search engine, and got a lot of calls or emails from people who said they had one, only to find out that they were for Z3 regular models, not M Roadsters. Different animal.
Does anyone know the source of a replacement trailing arm for a '98 M Roadster?
Have you taken it to another alignment shop or the dealer? I would want a second opinion on that one.
Last edited by pine1000; 02-15-2019 at 11:00 PM. Reason: deleted misinformation
On this issue when getting new trailing arms installed make sure to install the ireland toe and camber correction kit so that you can adjust it (posi-lock style). These cars have weak rear control arms with the posi lock kit you might even be able to weld them into your current arms and get the necessary adjustmsnt you need. But I would do both arms and the posi lock toe/camber correction if i had this issue.
to ease the pain of your current issue keep your tires inflated at 40+ psi.. benefits also include better mpg.
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Maybe one of these will pan out.
New:
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...227968#fitment
https://www.bimmerworld.com/Genuine-...322227968.html
https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-BMW-Gen...frcectupt=true
Used: (Sold but contact seller)
https://www.cafr.ebay.ca/itm/1998-20...-/322974844670
Rebuilding service:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Z3-M-Tr...frcectupt=true
https://store.vacmotorsports.com/vac...ice-p1650.aspx
https://www.z3mcoupe.com/forum/showp...42&postcount=1
Axle:
https://www.ebay.com/p/BMW-Z3-M-Road...OEM/1853302401
https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Z3-M-3-...cAAOSwolpcR01P
Last edited by Adker; 02-15-2019 at 10:26 PM.
Your tech's statement that they couldn't align your rears because a trailing arm is bent is a bit misleading--our ///M's are not 4 wheel alienable--there is no adjustment for the rears whether the trailing arm is bent or not. Be sure to get a print out from the shop showing the specs for all 4 wheels and have them point out (circle) which one they say is out, and what the readings are that show it is out and by how much. There are adjustment kits that can be added, but these require removing the trailing arms and welding them on. I agree with taking it to a different shop for a second opinion--just ask them to check the alignment all around--and don't tell them about the other shop or their opinion. Get a print out from the second shop as well, and see if it says the same thing. Now, if the second shop identifies the same wheel as being out in the same way, then perhaps replacement is called for--depending on how far out the reading is and how your tires are wearing. On a good set of sticky summer-only tires you should get about 10-13,000 miles out of the rears (assuming you maintain tire pressure properly and depending on how you drive) before the inner edges wear down. If you get significantly less than this, and especially only on one side, then there is a problem worth talking about, otherwise I wouldn't go buying a trailing arm on just based what an alignment tech says.
I had the tire shop try to align it and my repair shop try to align. Same results.
I hate to be the bearer of bad (or worse) news, but if you suspect that you have a bent trailing arm, it is just as likely that the suspension carrier itself is bent too.
Unfortunately, without taking drastic measures, or relying on luck, you don't know which component piece(s) are the culprit when the alignment tech says that it's out of spec.
While it's true that weld-in adjustable toe/camber can compensate for minor misalignment, you can even bias their installation (as long as you don't go too far that a new/straight trailing arm can't be aligned).
I fabricated test fixtures from brand new trailing arms and a suspension carrier, so as not to waste any labor by installing adjustable t/c kits on cars that were too far gone and needed new replacement parts.
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