My 2005 Mini Cooper S has about 42,000 miles and it starts to shake when approaching 68-70 mph, I assumed it was the balance of the tires but I took it to a shop today and they claim it's the front control arm with bushings, they pushed a rod into the assembly and wiggled it around claiming it was loose.

They want $1,200 to make the repair and claimed they are the only shop in the city with an "alignment rack" that is needed to finish the job.

Are there other shops in San Diego that are recommended and does this seem like the real issue?

Thank you!

Not sure if it’s causing your issue, but front control arm bushings are definitely a problem on these cars. The stock FCA bushings don’t seem to last very long, and Power Flex street version urethane bushings seem to be the popular replacement when not going with stock bushings.

A few other causes could be non-hubcentric or bent wheels, bad tires or balance, and shake from axles after lowering.

It can be expensive to do the job “right” without shortcuts like cutting the old bushings out, but $1,200 still sounds high. Also not sure what special alignment rack is needed. Hopefully Way Motor Works can provide some info on this repair.

At which point, with a perfectly straight face, you politely thanked them for their input, got back in your car, and drove away...right?

1200 bucks is way too much for the work stated. I hope you followed the advice from RedSky455!

That's exactly what I did.

Does anyone have a legitimate shop in San Diego they can recommend? Should I order the parts directly?