An alignment technician told me that my front lower control arm bushings are getting worn, and he said I might wanna replace them. After that, I took the car to a BMW/Mini/VW mechanic who would work on my European cars for years, and he said those bushings are fine. What are the symptoms of bad bushings? I will be taking the car in for the 3rd opinion, but is there anything I should look out for myself? Thanks.

 

I'm in a similar situation.....my Clubman has 151,000 miles on it and still has the original lower control arm bushings.....most of my driving is on reasonably good highways, so perhaps they aren't as worn as they could be.

I'll be watching this thread for guidance!

 

I've installed OE replacement rubber LCA bushings on a 2005 Infiniti G35 couple, and polyurethane LCA bushings on my 2009 Clubman S and in both cases I noticed that the steering responded quicker, I didn't have to move the steering wheel quite as far to go around a corner on fun twisty roads (there was a twisty road I took home from work every day, so I got really used to every turn), and it was easier to make small steering adjustments and the car responded better to adjustments mid turn. I suspect that new LCA bushings help with even tire wear, but I don't know for sure or what type of wear you'd be seeing if they are worn.

 

The factory bushings are liquid filled. If they are like leaking then replace them. I noticed an improvement going with urethane.

Have fun
Mike

 

The lower control arm bushings on the R56 are not liquid filled. They are metal and rubber. You might be thinking of upper engine mounts or maybe some R53 parts...

I noticed an improvement going from rubber to polyurethane LCA bushings in my 2009 Clubman S around 60,000 miles but it wasn't a huge difference. In my G35 it had 90,000 miles and I noticed more difference replacing the rubber LCA bushings with new rubber ones than I did going from rubber to polyurethane at 60,000 miles in the Mini.

I just replaced the lower engine mount in my Mini at 66,000 miles, and that made a remarkable difference. Best $40 I ever spent on the car.

All these rubber mounts and bushings wear by 50,000 miles... It's just how much farther and how much longer do you want to push them?

 

Bushing failure can cause a number of ride quality problems. You may have a shudder when braking or a clunk when you hit a bump. Inspect your control arm bushing and ball joints for looseness by jacking up the front of your vehicle and moving each wheel side to side. If you feel looseness in the attachment points, this indicates a problem. You may need help from a friend to watch the control arm components while you wiggle the wheel.

You can go with Powerflex replacement bushings HERE or superpro/Genuine options HERE.

 

That is false - they do have fluid in them.
I just had a set let go on my 2009 Clubman; they leaked purple fluid from the units.

- Erik