Common issues & diagnosis
Control arm bushes & ball joints are service items that require regular replacing to keep your vehicle maintained. But the metal arms themselves shouldn’t need replacing unless they take impact damage (from hitting potholes or curbs.)
What is the part's function?
BMW steering/suspension systems utilise two lower control arms, otherwise known as the tension strut (front arm) and the bottom wishbone (rear arm.) These arms connect the wheel carrier to the subframe and allow for up and down movement, as well as playing a critical role in maintaining wheel alignment and stability.
The tension strut is specifically responsible for controlling the wheel’s fore and aft movement, affecting the caster angle and subsequently, the vehicle’s straight-line stability.
The lower wishbone is specifically responsible for handling lateral forces during cornering and helps maintain the wheel’s vertical alignment relative to the road.
In some larger vehicle, there is also an upper wishbone. See the upper control arm page for more information & stock availability.
How to determine fitment compatibility
Each model generation has traditionally has only one variant of each control arm—but this changed with the introduction of xDrive drivetrains into BMWs non-SUVs line-up—as now there’s usually an x-Drive and non-xDrive type for these models.
The best way to determine fitment compatibility of a control arm is to match the BMW part numbers from the catalogue. This can be done by decoding your vehicle’s VIN in a BMW EPC (electronic part catalogue.)
If you don’t have access to an EPC, provide our team with your vehicle’s 17-digit VIN—and we’ll check our stock for a compatible match.
Interchangeability between models
Control arms within smaller F-Generation model generations are highly-interchangeable. Otherwise they are relatively unique to each model generation.
