Hello all. A pal gave me a '94 525i with 170,000 miles that he's had for the last 70kmiles. Needless to say it sounds wobbly up front and I'm thinking thrust arms - not the lower control arms. All the ball joints seem to be pretty tight despite cracking on the rubber bits at the tie rod ends. Steering (tie rods, steering box, idler bushing) seem to be in good shape. I need to check the shock tube nuts and upper strut bearings but the shocks seem okay, ride is good.
I have a goodly stack of receipts spanning about a decade, mostly my pal, and there's no mention of thrust arm or control arm replacement. The control arms must have been replaced at some time over the life of the car, I just don't have the receipt to show for it.
Rockauto will deliver a Uro pair of thrust arms with bushings for $95. FCPEURO will deliver a Meyle set for $189, almost exactly double. Both appear to have green bushings installed.
Given that I don't plan to keep the E34 longer than another several months, has anyone got direct experience with the Uro control arms? I am so tempted to try Uro stuff just this once, despite the evil reputation they seem to have.
A forum search doesn't yield anything specific.
"Come over to the dark side, Luke, we have cookies!"
Charlie
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to add value to these threads, either by pictures or by descriptions, so the next person with the same or similar problem stands on your shoulders.
I’ve heard not great things about Uro. The way I see it is you’ll save the money now, but they will last half as long as better brands. Meaning same about of money spent. I have meyle in my e34 and have had no issues. I don’t remember meyle being that expensive though. $180 is closer to lemforder pricing I thought.
let us know how they turn out? Nothing wrong with wanting to save money but when so much today is made in China with inferior methods and materials that simply meet the most minimal comparability with Original Equipment and in my experience everything else of that nature is literal garbage that breaks down relatively swiftly I would be inclined to go with established manufacturers who supply auto makers with OE... do you find Uro supplying BMW with OE parts?
I used URO tie rods and I believe center link some years ago and the rubber end link boots were all dried up and torn within about 1-2 years. My E34 is only summer driven and not much at that.
DON'T! Proven JUNK even the parts sent to the OP of this thread. Keep reading, folks.
They WILL be short lived. Whatever rubber they use is trash and fails in short order. If you are only changing two arms the cost difference for better quality ones is nominal and you won't need to do it over again in a short time. Lemforder is best.
If you ball joints are tight you could consider replacing the bushings only but this requires a press.
Last edited by ross1; 05-11-2019 at 08:53 AM.
If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue
Not keeping the car? Save $100 and do nothing
I know you're looking for someone with personal experience of uro control arms, but I doubt you'll find many in an enthusiast forum.
You'll probably get people barking 'old known truths'
Maybe the meyle ones are worth $180, maybe the uro ones aren't worth even $90. Seems a waste to take the gamble, after all fitting isn't free and neither is the wheel alignment needed after - even if doing DIY your time is worth something so $90 poor quality parts can be a rip off.
If you aren't going to keep the car why bother changing them at all? The new owner might be an enthusiast and might have to pay to rip them out after buying anyway (I would, I have bought a few other uro parts and have not been impressed). Maybe what ever is in there currently is better than uro part replacements? You say the ride is good and don't plan to keep the car so why replace the control arms anyway?
Last edited by fo3; 04-11-2019 at 01:19 PM.
Thanks for the commentary. (Only) one if five actually admits having used Uro parts, the rest don't say.
I expect much of what we buy nowadays is made in China and that's not necessarily a good thing, or a bad thing. It has to depend on the QC imposed by the party contracting the supply, and their level of effort to ensure their standards are met on the assembly line.
I will install myself, having done work on my own several dozen bimmers starting in about 1980. Control arm R&R is an amusement for a morning, BTDT. Set toe using a length of string and driving over different surfaces, turns, braking.
The FLAP sells Meyle for about $100 each.
The objective of this is to lose the wobbly sound when driving over uneven surfaces. We have more than our share of the most poorly maintained roads in USA, right here on Oahu. The car's exterior is about a 7/10, interior 6/10, so I'm not looking to put lipstick on a pig. But I've admired the E34 since they arrived on the scene, replacing the E28, which replaced the E12, which replaced the E3. I've had at least one of all those.
Charlie
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to add value to these threads, either by pictures or by descriptions, so the next person with the same or similar problem stands on your shoulders.
My experience:
I've never used Üro. I boycott them for 1. fake umlaut, and 2. pretenses of being European while actually being Chinese, and low quality at that. Chinese factories can make as high quality as any, the problems are 1. inconsistency of quality control, 2. I don't want to vote with my dollar for their environmental standards, labor conditions, and government.
I've cheaped out on control arms with other brands (Karlyn for one), and regretted it immediately. Rubber parts are harder to make just right than metal; in a tierod for example, there's not much wiggle room (pun intended) between good and bad - either there's slop or there isn't - but in a rubber bushing, the wrong durometer can pass inspection but cause driving issues in service. This is especially true for fussy suspensions like ours. With Karlyn LCAs, the balljoints were fine but the bushings were so soft that I had highway wander from day 1. When I tried to replace the bushings with OE, I found the arms wouldn't accept them. Total fail.
I've never heard E34 control arms making noises. They cause front-end slop and a shimmy, mostly around 55mph. I suggest your problem lies elsewhere. Onomatopoeias can vary, but for a "wobbly sound" I'd investigate tires first.
Last edited by moroza; 04-11-2019 at 04:04 PM.
ever looked into Meyle? Lemforder with some poly bushings? Original teile?
Crap, sorry, just saw moroza mention Karlyn and that's the cheap brand I used and had the rubber boots fail, not URO! Sorry for misleading. I believe (hard to trust anything I say anymore..) I used a URO center driveshaft support on an Audi and it failed pretty quick.
No shame in admitting I've tried my share of cheap parts. I've learned that they can resolve a problem for a short amount of time but they definitely don't last as long as name brand. If I had a beater I'd honestly probably cheap out, but on my S4 and 530, only name brands.
I see a lot of "lemforder (or whoever) is made in china now etc etc" but I agree with what Honolulu said. I used to work at an OEM (not car related) and it's all in the design and subcontract management. We were having parts built overseas (not china) to our specifications and we would require a certain amount of material certification (mill certs, third party chemical / mechanical tests, NDT, etc) to ensure the material we specified is the material we were getting for the parts. We would also subcontract a third party on occasion (local to us) to verify the tolerances we specified have been met. After a certain amount of confidence is established in the supplier the spots checks would reduce in frequency. Anyway, all that to say, made in china gets a bad rep because you can definitely buy junk from there, but you can also buy junk in NA. For the record I'm not advocating to run out and buy Chinese parts, just saying that because something is made there doesn't automatically make it crap. But URO and Karlyn... : |
"Onomatopoeias" - is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes.
Learn something new everyday!
Rockauto now has a new website setup showing under sus first economy = cheapest stuff and then Daily Driver with a bit more higher prices than the economy. So depending on your wallet you get a upper arm/thrust arm from $11.99 in wholeseller close out up to
$43.79 for Beck/Arnley https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...rol+arm,10401?
Shogun tricks and tips for the E32 series are HERE!
Beck/Arnley is often repackaged products made by someone else. My experience with BA has been mostly, not entirely, good.
My recent experience with Lemförder parts made in China was that they came with casting defects and overall sloppiness, a far cry from German-made Lemf. that I replaced them with a week later (and had to get through BMW). Strict quality controls as you describe would fix that, but we're still left with problem #2.
Anectodally speaking... Yes, I have also bought junk (bad build/assembly, regardless of design) made in the USA. About as often as Chinese products, come to think of it. However I have yet to encounter something made badly in Germany (now, *designed* badly in Germany is quite another matter. See: Audi/VW).
Last edited by moroza; 04-13-2019 at 02:35 AM.
My background in E34 suspension comes from replacing thrust arm in my pal's E34 - the bushings were completely gone. I disremember where he got the replacements I installed for him one morning, but it was a pretty quick job. Breaker bar, 1/2" sockets, BFH, pickle fork. No hesitation or screwing around! Git 'er done!
I've owned 15 2002s (two of them twice), 2 E3s, 2 E12s, 1 E28, 1 euro 635CSi, 1 E46. All needed this or that. I break even most of the time, but I wish I'd kept a 2002 or several.
Then I had a very early ('87 build, they didn't come to USA until as '88 models). EVERYTHING about the front of that car was wobbly AND it had an unimaginably vicious shimmy at 55. Turned out that the steering box was only loosely attached to the subframe as a result of accident damage. I dropped $800 for an indie to weld it... and it still shimmied like nobody's business. Changed all the bushings (had access to a press) and it made not a bit of difference. The early versions had an extra set of bushings in the front end, changed those too. Gents, I busted my chops trying to fix that car, and learned some. It had metric rims and tires, which for some unknown reason I never balanced nor replaced... might have been the problem all along. I changed the muffler b/c the exhaust was loud. It needed that, but was still loud, even though the rest of the system was intact. Live with it. Long story short, one day the inside rear view mirror fell off, and I clumsily broke the windshield trying to jam it back on (don't ask). That was the end. No longer economically repairable, it sat alongside the house for ten years. I told my wife it was a storage unit for the engine I was going to put in my 3.0CS. Never did. She called the city and had it towed. The E34 sits where the E32 used to. I'm movin' up!
I've not bought from Rockauto, scared of the crazy low prices. They seldom stock Meyle, Lemf, or OE, so I can see where they're trolling and I won't bite. The E34 makes too much wobbly sound, I know it should be better, and when the time comes I'd rather sell it mostly intact rather than a needy old shitbox. I like the car, but after the thrust arms it'll be the VANOS, them maybe to craigslist. Having gotten the car fo' free, overall I guess I'll realize a couple hundred bucks and some experience.
It's been a nice daily driver while I contemplate diving into the K1300GT to replace $600 worth of ignition coils. I've looked, no two ways about it, NOBODY sells BMW m/c parts at any discount, lemme tell ya. The bike is a freaking ICBM on any decent highway. About 3 secs 0-60 if one needs, and top end about 160, if you have the road and cojones for it.
Charlie
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to add value to these threads, either by pictures or by descriptions, so the next person with the same or similar problem stands on your shoulders.
Last edited by ross1; 04-13-2019 at 12:38 PM.
If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue
mine shimmies and going over the steel grated drawbridges in miami sometimes the car wants to slide. I would say meyle might be your best value. they seem to have a very high quality bushing that will last.
Hi everyone, we sent Honolulu a PM to see if he'd like to review our Thrust Arms (front upper left 31 12 1 141 097 and front upper right 31 12 1 141 098, with green bushings 31 12 1 136 607) and haven't heard back yet, but he hasn't been on the forum in a few days. We sell about 140 of each side annually and have only had two pair returned under warranty in the last year, reason for return unknown (customer didn't provide any details).
It might surprise some folks, but URO is an OEM supplier for Jaguar, Saab, Mercedes, and a legendary German marque we're not allowed to name. These automakers thoroughly vet their suppliers, and we're proud to have made the cut.
New tech video from BAVHAUSTV: BMW E92 M3 DCT Transmission Fluid Service - How To DIY
Yes, Uro does supply obsolete parts to Jaguar. I've had experience with your thermostat housing for the AJ V-8 which looked like it had been cast using a corroded original for a pattern.
There is place at the bottom of the barrel for the cheapest stuff available, usually cars that are intended to be "repaired" and quickly sold off. Perhaps the reason for your claimed warranty rate. Anyone such as myself that has tried your parts on a car intended to keep and saw them fail in short order is now smart enough not to want more of same.
Warranty. Are you going to come to some guys house and lay on YOUR back to replace this junk? You could GIVE me the parts and I won't put them on a car I care about.
You are opening a can of worms here among mostly knowledgeable folks that have been there, done that and have the dirty T-shirt. Uro's poor reputation is well earned.
Last edited by ross1; 04-17-2019 at 12:48 PM.
If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue
If you want to send me a set of thrust arms for my e34 I would be more than happy to do an honest review of them
Okay, gang, I found the PM from Drew at Uro parts, and sure enough, he's offered me a set in exchange for a DIY. I told him that I'm in Honolulu, Hawaii - it's not just my forum moniker, it's Zone 8 shipping from just about anywhere. I'll keep this current; I'm looking forward to this.
While I've got the microphone, a little rant about that Zone 8 business. Many parts vendors offer free shipping to CONUS after some minimum purchase. That gripes me, because we all know that there's no free lunch, so someone is paying the shipping. Maybe it's built into the parts price, but I've not found a single supplier that will extend the free shipping offer to those of us in the Paradise of the Pacific. So what, you ask. Well this is what: it means that I'm subsidizing shipping to the rest of you CONUS guys. You should, at the very least, thank me. Maybe even offer a set of thrust arms, no, wait, those should be coming... how 'bout Lower Control Arms... no might not need those... I'll think of something. AHA! the VANOS needs rebuilding... parts, please? I see excellent DIY's at both Pelican and Beisan. The ball is in your court, I await your response with flame suit on. This could be better than an oil thread! Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.
Last edited by Honolulu; 04-19-2019 at 03:22 AM.
Charlie
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to add value to these threads, either by pictures or by descriptions, so the next person with the same or similar problem stands on your shoulders.
I laughed.
Funny post but isn't as good as the one I read in another forum last week. Some guy in a toyota/lexus had a fault code and wanted to reset it. They didn't want to disconnect the battery, they were asking around everywhere if there was an iphone app to reset the ECU.
Laff some more: For my 2010 BMW K1300GT (and many "modern" CANBUS Beemers) one can scan for codes and reset them using a bluetooth GS-911, a handy fist-sized gadget made in South Africa. It also offers live reporting of about 20 operating parameters.
The Torque apps do a lot of live-action monitoring, but I've not used them. They're customizable as well with (I think) up to six monitors running on the screen of a laptop.
Generally in the USA, disconnecting the battery doesn't erase codes. Things could well be different Down Under.
Charlie
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to add value to these threads, either by pictures or by descriptions, so the next person with the same or similar problem stands on your shoulders.
Nothing but support here in Canada. Despite being on the same continent and being linked by rail and road we pay zone 8 or worse rates for shipping from U.S. companies (if they even bother to offer shipping north of the 49th) plus "brokerage" which equals an additional 20% charge. So I get the same financial hit without the Hawaii weather and Kona. //end rant.
Last edited by zubbie; 04-20-2019 at 07:27 AM.
For a DIY? As if this is lacking on the internet. Be sure to let us know when these parts fail. We'll also be expecting another shipping rant as you'll be on the hook to send this junk back to exchange for another set, unless one spanking is enough for you too.
I suspect Uro's hope is that our E34s are so elderly even a short lived component will out live them, or at least an owner's patience to keep the car. Perhaps not a bad strategy.
Here's my control arm DIY:
Lift the car to a suitable working height and support on jack stands. Put down your purse, go get some big wrenches and big hammers. Remove whatever is in the way. Unscrew the old part, two fasteners folks it should be self evident. Use a pickle fork and BFH or ball joint separator or both to release the taper on the ball joint end. Put the new part in place leaving the pivot bolt loose. Replace whatever you removed for access. Lower the car on the ground or ramps to load the suspension and tighten the snot out of the pivot bolt. Done. If using "crappy" parts repeat in a year or so.
Last edited by ross1; 04-21-2019 at 09:58 AM.
If you can leave two black stripes from the exit of one corner to the braking zone of the next, you have enough horsepower. - Mark Donohue
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