BMW E90 Control Arm Replacement & Upgrade DIY (BMW M3 Control Arm Upgrade – RWD E90, E91, E92 & E93)

BMW E90 Control Arm Replacement & Upgrade DIY (BMW M3 Control Arm Upgrade – RWD E90, E91, E92 & E93)

►If your rear-wheel-drive BMW E90, E91, E92, or E93 is due to have its control arms replaced, instead of replacing them with the flimsy factory steel arms, you can easily upgrade to the more robust BMW E90/E92/E93 M3 control arms.

Replacing the control arms on your E90 is a must as the bushings and ball joints wear out over time. Coupled with the fact that the arms bend so easily when encountering large potholes or a curb in the instance of this E90 in the video above, it makes sense to upgrade to the M3 control arms instead.

This DIY applies to any of the rear-wheel-drive E9x-series as well as the E82 and E88 1-series BMW.

Gareth Foley, FCP Euro’s BMW Catalog Manager, walks us through how to replace and upgrade your BMW’s control arms with only a small selection of basic hand tools.

00:00 – Intro
01:06 – Tools Needed
02:45 – Lower Control Arm Removal
04:17 – Tension Strut Removal
06:17 – Stock vs. M3 Upgrade
09:46 – M3 Control Arm Install
10:59 – M3 Tension Strut Install
13:16 – Torque Procedure
15:47 – Headlight Level Sensor
17:55 – Wrap-Up

#BMWE90 #BMWE92 #BMWM3 #BMW

Buy This Kit Here:
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-control-arm-kit-5-piece-m-upgrade-bmwmcakit?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=mps%20e9x&utm_content=tech%20tip

This Kit Fits:
BMW 330i
2006 BMW 330i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
BMW 325i
2006 BMW 325i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
BMW 328i
2007 BMW 328i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2008 BMW 328i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2009 BMW 328i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2010 BMW 328i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2011 BMW 328i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2012 BMW 328i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Body: Convertible, Chassis: E93, Position: Front
2012 BMW 328i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Body: Coupe, Chassis: E92, Position: Front
2012 BMW 328i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Body: Wagon, Chassis: E91, Position: Front
2013 BMW 328i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Body: Convertible, Chassis: E93, Position: Front
2013 BMW 328i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Body: Coupe, Chassis: E92, Position: Front
BMW 335i
2007 BMW 335i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2008 BMW 335i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2009 BMW 335i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2010 BMW 335i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2011 BMW 335i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2012 BMW 335i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Body: Convertible, Chassis: E93, Position: Front
2012 BMW 335i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Body: Coupe, Chassis: E92, Position: Front
2013 BMW 335i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Body: Convertible, Chassis: E93, Position: Front
2013 BMW 335i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Body: Coupe, Chassis: E92, Position: Front
BMW 128i
2008 BMW 128i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2009 BMW 128i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2010 BMW 128i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2011 BMW 128i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2012 BMW 128i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2013 BMW 128i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
BMW 135i
2008 BMW 135i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2009 BMW 135i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2010 BMW 135i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2011 BMW 135i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2012 BMW 135i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2013 BMW 135i Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
BMW 335d
2009 BMW 335d Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2010 BMW 335d Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2011 BMW 335d Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
BMW 335is
2011 BMW 335is Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2012 BMW 335is Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
2013 BMW 335is Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front
BMW 135is
2013 BMW 135is Suspension Control Arm Kit
Position: Front

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Comments

Razvan Moise says:

Hi there! Can you do a DIY of the rear control arms upgrade please ?! I think it will be as helpful as this one! Best regards from Spain!

Carlos Sport says:

what does it change…?series to M3?

Steve says:

Garreth! The man! Great video… I am going to do this exact same thing… Only one thing.. I wish I bought the parts from FCP :(. Next time I guess. #projectweltspeed #weltspeed

Phil P says:

Thang Kew so much Gareth. You give me the confidence to do this myself. I will be searching the FCP Euro videos for rear control arm, shock and strut replacements. When I find those I'll be ordering lots of parts. I really appreciate you.

Bobby Joseph says:

Is there a possible upgrade for the front suspension on the xDrive E9o models?

panji agus says:

Will this works on e84 x1 rwd?

jhncvngh says:

Any suggestions for removing rusty ball joints from the knuckle without air tools? I'm gonna be doing this job soon and have heard the ball joints are a bit of a treat

MHTPRO says:

Can you show us how to replace oil pan gasket on e90

Gary VanRemortel says:

Non-engineers say pressure, engineers say force.

Sagan Worshipper says:

What's the best option for xDrive owners? Can you still do the M3 control arm swap on just the rear or do those not fit on xDrive cars? I forget which but heard that either the front or the rear do actually fit but only one not the other. Think they said the rears work. Is that not true? Are there any other options to upgrade control arms and other suspension components like tie rods and end links etc. for xDrive cars or are we forever stuck with always replacing everything with OE parts?

Wergrun says:

Awd e91 ( ._.)

shize9ine says:

Been waiting for this!

Euro Boost says:

can you guys do a dedicated video on tools to use for BMWs??

Matt Armstrong says:

LOL Me and my brother installed these trw m3 control arms earlier today on my 2007 328i 6 spd and then I come inside wash up and relax to find this video released today. What a coincidence! Thank you FCP Euro!

nycshelbygt500 says:

Awesome DIY video Gareth. Look at the plate H4DES = HADES = HELL HaHa

Working on the M3 control arm upgrade on my F30 335i….not so simple. The M3 control arms can be done first. I think the long M12 bolt p/n has ended, so order the correct replacement p/n (different lengths). The M3 headlight arm is completely different, so you just pull out the little ball joint with the threaded stud and install it on your longer F30 arm before attaching it to the M3 control arm.

Then do the M3 thrust arms later on. The M3 thrust arm/tension strut balljoint is much narrower that the F3X thrust arm…so you need spacers. 6mm + 12mm width = 18mm. You can get aluminum spacers (SAE English units) from Summit Racing. Stainless Steel spacers (Metric) are available from the UK on eBay.

6mm + 12 mm width spacers is the same as 1/4 + 1/2 inch width spacers.
ID is for an M12 bolt (12 mm or 1/2 inch) – – OD is 1.5 inch (25.4 +12.7 mm = 38 mm)
Measurements are easy to remember. Check f30.bimmerpost.com for more details.

NOTE: You can get monoball joints pressed into the stock F30 thrust arms that come with spacers from Turner Motorsports.

nycshelbygt500 says:

WARNING: These M3 control arm upgrades are NOT for X-Drive 3-Series/4-Series models. You can probably get monoball joints at Turner Motorsports to insert into your existing control arms and thrust arms as an upgrade for X-Drive models. You will need a hydraulic press.
Make sure you don't need spacers, since the upgraded thrust arms with monoball joints might not fit into the subframe without them
(like F8X M3 Thrust Arms installed in an F3X).

Michael Hauser says:

How did you know my control arms are bad…

Ferryn Palmer says:

I bought my E93 335i almost a year ago. I bought the M3 control arms before I took possession oc the car. Just waiting for the proper amount of "want to" to hit me in terms of installing them. I don't have a lift and working on stands is no fun!

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