Front Lower Controller Arms????

[TSilver330CI]

So I went for an oil change this week and my mechanic said the bolt on the end of my front lower controller arms was lose and that its best to change both arms or something to that effect. I didn't know what he was talking about so he had me walk out and he showed me these 2 long metallic arms from under the car reaching out to the front wheels. He then put his hand on one and shook it to show it wasn't that stable.


Does anyone know the viability of having this repair done? I never heard of the "front lower control arms" but with parts and labor its going to cost around $900 bucks.

Am I being swindled again? I honestly thought these mechanics were very honest and fair priced until now.....

Thanks all

BTW I have about 118K miles on my car.

 

[TSilver330CI]

Oh and for the breakdown its like this

The 2 arms are 244.00 and he says a brushing kit is needed at 145.00

Those are for the parts. With Labor, again its 900 big ones!

 

[Kirby]

Yes, this is a common maintenance item. Some people get only 30K - 60K miles. The price for the parts is not out of line for a repair shop price. Bimmerworld parts would cost about $350.

So that leaves $550 for labor. Seems slightly high but not a rip off. You could call around for a competitive quote. You WILL need a front end alignment after this is done or you will wear out your tires faster.

Here's what he showed you, right?

 

[Wallaby]

BMW stealerships will typically charge $95 to $110 per hour; and I can see where they would charge 4.5 to 5 hours to do the job.

If its a stealership doing the work then they ought to have included the wheel alignment.

If you're a DIY'er, there are sites available just for this kind of task; but don't look at me, I know my limits and changing out LCA & bushings is beyond my scope. [fake]