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Triton540i
04-10-2004, 04:41 PM
Hey Guys,
It's been awhile since I've been able to visit here, but always value the feedback I get, so here it goes. I just replaced the Thrust Arms on my 540i, but still have a shimmy at times? I was wondering if that could be because of the Control Arms that might be worn, or maybe bad tires? The tires I have on the car are factory style Contis, they do have a bit of weather cracking in the treads, but have a lot of tread life all around. I know they should be replaced soon since they are hockey pucks and I have stored the car with them over the wintertime for the past two years and I don't know how old the tires really are. Have any of you found the Control Arms to be worn at the point of inspecting the bushings and finding the plastic inner part to be extreme lose? I had that problem with the Thrust Arms, the plastic part inside was so loose, I was surprised it didn't almost fall out when I was looking at them after removal! Are there any other possibilities of causes for the shimmy?
-Eric

632 Regal
04-10-2004, 05:23 PM
here (http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?p=14850)

dave b
04-10-2004, 05:37 PM
I've found that taking my tires in for a balance helps with the shimmy. At any rate, it's worth the $30 for the balance...

MO525
04-10-2004, 09:22 PM
Take it from me.....
Did you have the Thrust Arms installed UNDER LOAD?
I THOUGHT I did it right but wound up taking my car to an indy shop and they did it for me: 1 hour labor. WELL worth it!
Take some quiet time with your car, jack up the front end and start wiggling/prying/etc. to find the other loose points in it. You WILL find more. If your thrust arms were shot, there WILL BE more worn-out parts.
Start making a list of the items and call BMA immediately.

Do it right the first time.
I learned the hard way....thinking the Thrust Arms were the "magic fix".
WRONG! They are but one piece of a VERY complex steering/suspension system.

Good luck and don't hesitate to do it yourself.
These cars aren't TOO bad to work on.