Front control arm bushing wear
Attaches to E9X at chassis level · Suspension · carried by 65 variants across 4 chassis
Overview
Front control arm bushing wear is a universal fault recorded against E9X at chassis level, typically from 80–150k km. It shows up as knocking over bad surfaces, vague or wandering steering, uneven front tyre wear, steering shimmy under braking. Where it's documented, the repair runs €300–€700 (pair of arms fitted and aligned, costs dated 2026-07), and it can be checked before you buy. 65 variants across 4 chassis in this database inherit it.
What happens
Symptom. Knocking over bad surfaces, vague or wandering steering, uneven front tyre wear, steering shimmy under braking.
Cause. The front lower arm bushings are a known wear item on this chassis and go well before the ball joints.
How to check it
On the drive
Drive over a rough road at low speed with the windows down and listen. Check the inside edges of the front tyres for feathering.
Include low-speed manoeuvring, not just an open road.
Every variant that carries this
| Variant | Chassis | Body | Years | Risk | Good buy | Cost as % of good buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 318i N46 | E90 | sedan | 2005–2011 | R3 | €3,100 | 16% |
| 318i N46 | E91 | wagon | 2005–2011 | R3 | €3,300 | 15% |
| 320i N46 | E90 | sedan | 2005–2007 | R3 | €3,400 | 15% |
| 320i N46 | E91 | wagon | 2005–2007 | R3 | €3,600 | 14% |
| 320i N43 | E90 | sedan | 2007–2011 | R4 | €3,950 | 13% |
| 320i N43 | E91 | wagon | 2007–2011 | R4 | €4,200 | 12% |
| 320i N43 | E92 | coupe | 2007–2011 | R4 | €4,550 | 11% |
| 320i N43 | E93 | convertible | 2007–2011 | R4 | €4,450 | 11% |
| 323i N52 | E90 | sedan | 2005–2007 | R2 | €4,050 | 12% |
| 323i N52 | E91 | wagon | 2005–2007 | R2 | €4,300 | 12% |
| 323i N52 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2007 | R2 | €4,650 | 11% |
| 325i N52 | E90 | sedan | 2005–2007 | R2 | €4,750 | 11% |
| 325i N52 | E91 | wagon | 2005–2007 | R2 | €5,050 | 10% |
| 325i N52 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2007 | R2 | €5,450 | 9% |
| 325i N52 | E93 | convertible | 2007 | R2 | €5,350 | 9% |
| 325i N53 | E90 | sedan | 2007–2011 | R4 | €5,250 | 10% |
| 325i N53 | E91 | wagon | 2007–2012 | R4 | €5,550 | 9% |
| 325i N53 | E92 | coupe | 2007–2013 | R4 | €6,050 | 8% |
| 325i N53 | E93 | convertible | 2007–2013 | R4 | €5,900 | 8% |
| 328i N52 | E90 | sedan | 2006–2011 | R2 | €5,150 | 10% |
| 328i N52 | E91 | wagon | 2006–2012 | R2 | €5,450 | 9% |
| 328i N52 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2013 | R2 | €5,950 | 8% |
| 328i N52 | E93 | convertible | 2007–2013 | R2 | €5,750 | 9% |
| 330i N52 | E90 | sedan | 2005–2007 | R2 | €5,600 | 9% |
| 330i N52 | E91 | wagon | 2005–2007 | R2 | €5,950 | 8% |
| 330i N52 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2007 | R2 | €6,450 | 8% |
| 330i N53 | E90 | sedan | 2007–2011 | R4 | €6,000 | 8% |
| 330i N53 | E91 | wagon | 2007–2011 | R4 | €6,350 | 8% |
| 330i N53 | E92 | coupe | 2007–2011 | R4 | €6,900 | 7% |
| 330i N53 | E93 | convertible | 2007–2011 | R4 | €6,750 | 7% |
| 335i N54 | E90 | sedan | 2006–2010 | R4 | €7,350 | 7% |
| 335i N54 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2010 | R4 | €8,450 | 6% |
| 335i N54 | E93 | convertible | 2007–2010 | R4 | €8,250 | 6% |
| 335i N55 | E90 | sedan | 2010–2011 | R3 | €11,700 | 4% |
| 335i N55 | E92 | coupe | 2010–2013 | R3 | €13,450 | 4% |
| 335i N55 | E93 | convertible | 2010–2013 | R3 | €13,100 | 4% |
| 316d N47 | E90 | sedan | 2009–2011 | R5 | €4,200 | 12% |
| 316d N47 | E91 | wagon | 2009–2011 | R5 | €4,450 | 11% |
| 318d N47 | E90 | sedan | 2007–2011 | R5 | €4,100 | 12% |
| 318d N47 | E91 | wagon | 2007–2011 | R5 | €4,350 | 11% |
| 320d M47 | E90 | sedan | 2005–2007 | R3 | €3,800 | 13% |
| 320d M47 | E91 | wagon | 2005–2007 | R3 | €4,050 | 12% |
| 320d N47 | E90 | sedan | 2007–2011 | R5 | €4,400 | 11% |
| 320d N47 | E91 | wagon | 2007–2012 | R5 | €4,650 | 11% |
| 320d N47 | E92 | coupe | 2007–2013 | R5 | €5,050 | 10% |
| 320d N47 | E93 | convertible | 2007–2013 | R5 | €4,950 | 10% |
| 325d M57 | E90 | sedan | 2006–2010 | R2 | €5,200 | 10% |
| 325d M57 | E91 | wagon | 2006–2010 | R2 | €5,500 | 9% |
| 325d M57 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2010 | R2 | €6,000 | 8% |
| 325d N57 | E90 | sedan | 2010–2011 | R3 | €7,200 | 7% |
| 325d N57 | E91 | wagon | 2010–2012 | R3 | €7,650 | 7% |
| 325d N57 | E92 | coupe | 2010–2013 | R3 | €8,300 | 6% |
| 330d M57 | E90 | sedan | 2005–2008 | R2 | €5,950 | 8% |
| 330d M57 | E91 | wagon | 2005–2008 | R2 | €6,300 | 8% |
| 330d M57 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2008 | R2 | €6,850 | 7% |
| 330d M57 | E93 | convertible | 2007–2008 | R2 | €6,700 | 7% |
| 330d N57 | E90 | sedan | 2008–2011 | R3 | €8,500 | 6% |
| 330d N57 | E91 | wagon | 2008–2012 | R3 | €9,050 | 6% |
| 330d N57 | E92 | coupe | 2008–2013 | R3 | €9,000 | 6% |
| 330d N57 | E93 | convertible | 2008–2013 | R3 | €8,750 | 6% |
| 335d M57 | E90 | sedan | 2006–2010 | R3 | €6,900 | 7% |
| 335d M57 | E92 | coupe | 2006–2010 | R3 | €7,950 | 6% |
| M3 S65 | E90 | sedan | 2007–2011 | R4 | €35,700 | 1% |
| M3 S65 | E92 | coupe | 2007–2013 | R4 | €35,000 | 1% |
| M3 S65 | E93 | convertible | 2007–2013 | R4 | €30,800 | 2% |
The last column is the point. The same repair is an inconvenience on one variant and a reason to scrap the car on another. A failure costing a quarter of the vehicle's value changes the purchase decision regardless of how rare it is.