Control Arm Brands

[hemi_fan]

One of my ball joints is worn out so I'm considering replacing both control arms. There's a few brands listed on Pelican Parts:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/cata...pg7.htm#item33

It says Lemfoerder is the OEM for these parts so I was thinking I would use them but the right front is out of stock. Is anyone familiar with Febi or Meyle parts? Are they of comparable quality to the Lemfoerder?

Thanks,
-Matt

[doogee]

Meyle HD would be the only other choice you should make for control arms.

[SickFinga]

Febi is good, but they are not Lemfoerder. When I was shopping for control arms for my e34 520i I decided to go with Febi mostly because they have a Bilstein name behind them and they were 3 times cheaper than Lemfoerder. So far I have no problems with them, but I only got about 10-15k of shitty roads on them. One problem with Febi/Bilstein is that no one knows where the parts are made. It says Germany on all the parts, but that's is not where the parts are manufactured.
Mayle from what I gathered is of the same quality as Febi.

btw, autopartsway has both control arms in stock, but are more expensive. The total might come out the same after you factor in shipping from the US.

http://www.autopartsway.ca/PartList..../pagenum1/tabS

[ScotcH]

Febi is chinese (usually). Nothing wrong with them for some parts, but suspension bits I would use Lemforder or Meyle only. Meyle is definitley NOT the same quality as Febi. It is german made, and up to TUV standards. They are usually over engineered.

[hemi_fan]

Thanks for the comments. Have you bought from autopartsway.ca SickFinga? Any issues?

Someone on BimmerForums directed me to these parts on e-bay;
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_W0QQ...ht_4334wt_1010

Does anyone have any experience with this kit? I'm skeptical of it as they list a bunch of parts manufacturers that 'could' be the ones who made the parts for the kit but doesn't specify.

I will probably order the parts from autopartsway.ca.

[SickFinga]

Originally Posted by ScotcH

Febi is chinese (usually). Nothing wrong with them for some parts, but suspension bits I would use Lemforder or Meyle only. Meyle is definitley NOT the same quality as Febi. It is german made, and up to TUV standards. They are usually over engineered.

I suggest you to Google Meyle better. In fact you will find more negative reviews about Meyle than Febi.
And here is proof that Meyle parts are made in China
http://forums.audiworld.com/showthread.php?t=2123236

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w210...-bushings.html

http://www.linkedin.com/company/wulf...meyle-products

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w126...a-quality.html

Febi also makes parts in China, but I've seen parts marked as made in France, Germany as well. Problem is a lot of time, they are not marked in any way, so it's a gamble.
According to this seller, control arm by Febi for Audi are actually made in Germany, unlike Meyle.
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...=1#post4183781


I think you guys confusing Meyle with Mahle.

Originally Posted by hemi_fan

Thanks for the comments. Have you bought from autopartsway.ca SickFinga? Any issues?

Yes, many times. Never had any problems. Parts are usually delivered the next day.

Originally Posted by hemi_fan

Someone on BimmerForums directed me to these parts on e-bay;
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_W0QQ...ht_4334wt_1010

Does anyone have any experience with this kit? I'm skeptical of it as they list a bunch of parts manufacturers that 'could' be the ones who made the parts for the kit but doesn't specify.

I will probably order the parts from autopartsway.ca.

That's a big of a gamble. They list URO parts in their list, and those are complete shit. As a sport, google them and find at least one good review

Anyways, when buying suspension components either Lemfoerder or TRW is the way to go, the rest are of an inferior quality.

[ScotcH]

Originally Posted by SickFinga

I suggest you to Google Meyle better. In fact you will find more negative reviews about Meyle than Febi.
And here is proof that Meyle parts are made in China

(snip)

Anyways, when buying suspension components either Lemfoerder or TRW is the way to go, the rest are of an inferior quality.

Fair enough, google knows all, and I learned something about Meyle today ...

However, I stand my my statement that the Mayle suspension parts (control arms and tie rods in particular) are equivilent or better engineered and built than the OE parts (in the case of non-M control arms, solid ball joints), and we have used them in all our race cars for 4 years now without a single failure. Even in very hard hits the ball joints held out without any problems at all. They have a proven track record for us, and I have no problem continuing to recommend them.

[craz azn]

Originally Posted by ScotcH

Fair enough, google knows all, and I learned something about Meyle today ...

However, I stand my my statement that the Mayle suspension parts (control arms and tie rods in particular) are equivilent or better engineered and built than the OE parts (in the case of non-M control arms, solid ball joints), and we have used them in all our race cars for 4 years now without a single failure. Even in very hard hits the ball joints held out without any problems at all. They have a proven track record for us, and I have no problem continuing to recommend them.

+1.

The E36 in my sig got into a bit of a hit earlier in the season, and it was catastrophic enough to bend a wheel, subframe, etc... even though the ball joint bent, it didn't break, and that is good enough proof that the Meyle joint is a quality part. Any cheap joint would have just snapped, and I've seen that happen many times.

[Ceeker]

TRW and Moog as they specialize in front end components. I have heard that Lemfoerder has had returns also on certain models so it could be 2nd line. Hard to tell now days where stuff is man'd. like many things, companies are getting clever at misleading the public into believing something that is not. Such as the quality of todays BMW's LOL!!

[hemi_fan]

Thanks for the info guys! I ordered two Lemfoerder control arms from autopartsway.ca and while I was in there I ordered new KYB shocks/struts for my parents' '03 Honda Pilot. A little more than Pelican parts but they had items in-stock and I am probably ahead when I factor in cross-border shipping costs.

Also, when reading about autopartsway.ca I found two other similar sites;
http://www.bestpricecarparts.ca/
http://www.autopartsonlinecanada.com/

They seem to have the same catalogue as autopartsway.ca. They were slightly more expensive (a few dollars) but I read autopartsway will price-match them if their price is lower so if anyone else is ever ordering something it might be worth a few minutes to check all 3 prices.

[InfiniteDice]

Do not use the TRW/Moog (same thing) control arm outer balljoints on the e30, they have a bleed nipple on them that will rip into your rim. I bought one and essentially had to use the grease fitting to fill it, then remove the fitting and cap it with a bolt.

TRW units simply don't last as long as lemforder.

[hemi_fan]

I got the control arms in and I had assumed they would come with FCAB's but they did not. What do you guys recommend for FCAB's (brand)? The car will be a daily driver also driven in winter but it will probably see occasional lapping days.

[5style]

in this boat too, my outer balljoints are now officially dead

[Vrbovsky]

just get poly bushings, autopartsway.ca sells them

[hemi_fan]

Originally Posted by Vrbovsky

just get poly bushings, autopartsway.ca sells them

Do they sell poly with the M3 offset? Do you have a link, I only saw rubber ones on there.