BMW (2012-2019) 3 Series - F30 Front Control Arm Replacement (BMW F30, F31, & F34 xDrive)

►Replacing the front control arms on your BMW F30, F31, and F34 xDrive models is one of the most important jobs you can do to restore the handling that degrades over time.

Control arms are a crucial link in a vehicle's suspension, connecting the suspension to a vehicle's subframe. These pieces are usually hinged to allow for the suspension to travel and articulate as the vehicle rides over obstructions in the road and while the vehicle turns. Many vehicles, such as those with independent suspensions, have multiple links and feature several connection points and arms to offer better ride quality and comfort.

As bushings and joints in a control arm begin to wear, you may notice a looseness feel in your suspension. While many arms have replaceable and serviceable individual components, many still require the replacement of the entire arm. If you're feeling any play in the suspension, notice any uneven tire wear, or can hear a buckling noise coming from the suspension - it's time to take a look at those control arms.

In this video, Gareth Foley, our BMW Catalog Manager, walks you through removing and installing the new control arms for your BMW F30 from Lemforder. This job is fairly straightforward and does not require the use of any specialty tools.

Shop the parts used in this video:

Index:
00:00 - 00:42 Intro
00:42 - 01:51 Tools Needed
01:51 - 02:44 Tire & Axle Nut Removal
02:44 - 04:11 Ball Joint Nut Removal
04:11 - 04:43 Lower Control Arm Bolt Removal
04:43 - 05:04 Lower Control Arm Removal
05:04 - 06:18 Lower Control Arm Reinstall
06:18 - 07:50 Wishbone Removal
07:50 - 08:35 Wishbone Reinstall
08:35 - 09:09 Axle Reconnecting
09:09 - 12:14 F30 Front Control Arm Torque Specs
12:14 - 13:33 Thanks for watching!

This video applies to the following vehicles:
BMW 328i xDrive
2013 BMW 328i xDrive
2014 BMW 328i xDrive
2015 BMW 328i xDrive
2016 BMW 328i xDrive

BMW 335i xDrive
2013 BMW 335i xDrive
2014 BMW 335i xDrive
2015 BMW 335i xDrive

BMW 320i xDrive
2013 BMW 320i xDrive
2014 BMW 320i xDrive
2015 BMW 320i xDrive
2016 BMW 320i xDrive

BMW 428i xDrive
2014 BMW 428i xDrive
2015 BMW 428i xDrive
2016 BMW 428i xDrive

BMW 435i xDrive
2014 BMW 435i xDrive
2015 BMW 435i xDrive
2016 BMW 435i xDrive

BMW 328i GT xDrive
2014 BMW 328i GT xDrive
2015 BMW 328i GT xDrive
2016 BMW 328i GT xDrive

BMW 335i GT xDrive
2014 BMW 335i GT xDrive
2015 BMW 335i GT xDrive
2016 BMW 335i GT xDrive

BMW 328d xDrive
2014 BMW 328d xDrive
2015 BMW 328d xDrive
2016 BMW 328d xDrive

BMW 435i xDrive Gran Coupe
2015 BMW 435i xDrive Gran Coupe
2016 BMW 435i xDrive Gran Coupe

BMW 428i xDrive Gran Coupe
2015 BMW 428i xDrive Gran Coupe
2016 BMW 428i xDrive Gran Coupe

BMW 228i xDrive
2015 BMW 228i xDrive
2016 BMW 228i xDrive

BMW M235i xDrive
2015 BMW M235i xDrive
2016 BMW M235i xDrive

BMW 340i xDrive
2016 BMW 340i xDrive



Get free parts from FCP Euro:

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[eddamoo]

A top tip to prevent having to counter-hold the ball joints is to also loosen them at ride height. If you jack the wheel up to ride height from the lower wishbone, the resulting increased friction against the seat will prevent the ball joint from spinning. Great video!

[itschrislaw]

I bought my arms and bolts from FCP Euro because of this video. Clear/concise narration, easy to follow along, good lighting and proper video for all tasks. Thanks for making this.

[acroracing]

You know I just watch your videos because they are so well made and I just love them. I don’t even have that car.

[garrettdlouhy]

Huge fan of these videos. Ultra high quality content for any f30 owner. Thanks for everything you do for us. Its abit stressful to own a modern bmw 😄

[CastroJordan]

Wow I missed this f30 video. Thanks like always. These f30 videos are gold.

[ChrisHessJD]

Awesome video and great price on the OE parts! My friend and I knocked this job out this weekend with the help of this video and at a fraction of the cost BMW wanted!

[solidmajor]

This is so helpful for any bmw owner. Great content.

[stevenpower]

Just FYI your always suppose to torque the nut. The nut is used to stretch the bolt to the required tension.

[joshtheld]

I managed to replace my front tension struts yesterday on my F25. Luckily, I had help and had access to a lift:)

It would be great if you guys could make a tutorial for the F25 for future individuals though. I definitely had to combine knowledge from numerous places online (I.e., this video, your X5 video, other videos, and data directly from ISTA).

[Tanu.]

I have a bmw f30 and I hit a roundabout at over 70 miles per hour on the side. Now i need to replace 3 arms in front, and all five in the back on the left wheels. Unfortunately i'm from Romania, and some mecanics guys can fuck you up, lying about the damage and replacement... so now i'm on youtube and google learning how is done and looking for prices to make an ideea. Sorry for my English, awsome video!

[ScoopRolla]

Do you absolutely have to use new axle bolts.

[pratikwiips]

What’s the part numbers for the replacement hardware, thrust arm bolt and wishbone bolt and nut?

[paulacklam]

Hugely helpful. Thanks so much for an excellent video. Front lower control arm done successfully 😁

[bradsalluom]

So i had BMW replace the track arms on both sides. The car rides funny now and almost feels overly stiff. Like difficult to handle when hitting a bump. They mentioned that they did NOT lift the hub to ride height when torquing down the inner nut. Would that cause this? Also should i be concerned they did not do this properly?

[morbus]

Thank you! This video was really informative!! Unfortynately i need to do this on garage floor with floorjacks and jackstands, so there's really not gonna be so much space as you had but i think it's still vrey much doable

[purplepurplesaurasne]

Thanks again, this one is very helpful on the Meyle HD thrust arms!

[tommears]

What an amazingly informative video - thanks

[charlesberry]

My front hub bolts were mush. The metal just decayed. I had to cut a big notch in the bolt, and I hit with full power with an air hammer to back it out. Worked really well. I used fluid film on the new bolts.

[GaryB_OutandAbout]

Great video 👍🏼

I need to do this on my U.K. 2018 F30 335d xdrive. I can’t see this in the list of vehicles this applies to.

My thinking is it should be the same, would you agree?

Cheers,
Gary.

[davem]

Just finished installing upper and lower controls arms on my 14 428 x drive. On the passenger side I was having trouble getting the upper out so I removed the lower as well. Feel like that was a big mistake. Have massive toe in now and getting chassis stabilization message on the dash. Going to try to adjust toe back out a bit and see if that helps. Thoughts?