[RAJENT]

My 2014 X3 with 112k miles has had a lot of steering play and the car has been drifting in either direction, depending upon the banking of the road. Last week the dealer did a wheel alignment and that did not fix the issue. Its right now at the service shop again and the dealer wants to replace Thrust Arm Bushing; apparently its cracked and the reason for steering play. They want to charge $900 to replace the thrust arm bushing and I wanted to know if anyone else here had it replaced in their X3? Even though its at a BMW dealer, I still think the dealer is overcharging and $900 is too pricey for bushing replacement

I obviously will get it replaced with them this time, but if I learn that they are significantly overcharging, I might think about taking my cars elsewhere in the future.

Thanks

[brianhinton77]

The actual bushings themselves are about $50-60 each, so $100-$120, the actual control arm with bushing is $177 each (BMW), so $354 for both. Labor, IMO should be 2-3 hours. Not knowing your local dealer labor rate, my local dealer is $150 here in Alabama. Now, when my 328 was doing this same thing, they wanted to take the control arm off and just replace the bushing…they quoted me a little over $700. I ordered after market control arms (Lemforder - OEM supplier) from FCP Euro, for $175 for the pair. Had them installed at an Independant Euro Shop for $150 and then went to local dealer for the alignment, $175. So i was all in for $500….

Now, my X3 bushings are cracked and I am looking at doing the same thing again…except this time, a friend of mine has a lift….so I’ll be in for $350 and some sweat, but hey, I try to do as much as i can on my Bimmers. If anything, I can tell you, most BMW dealers dont have a problem installing Genuine BMW parts that you bring to them. That may save you some $ right there …just a thought

[Bdavi011]

Completely over charging you. But that's dealership prices. I would honestly buy two new control arms and take it to an independent bmw mechanic.

At that mileage I would honestly just replace the front suspension. Control arms, tie rod and sway bar links. I would assume everything is worn out and needs replacing. Most bmw suspensions don't last more than 100k. Its the price we pay for these cars because they are performance oriented.

Replace the front suspension and enjoy it for another 100k miles.

[RAJENT]

Thank you both for your comments. Just got the car back yesterday. You are right, they charged me $140 for two bushings (apparently the control arms didn't need replacement) and $150/hr labor for 3 hours. They did alignment after, but I wasn't charged for it since they just did the alignment a week ago. The car drives fine now. The dealer gives a 15% discount on cars beyond 100k miles, so I ended up paying $527 overall; not sure why I was quoted $900 initially. May be they added the price of alignment and before discounts.

I agree that having it done elsewhere would have been even cheaper, unfortunately I know very little about cars and probably won't even have the time to explore and get it done thoroughly.
Again, I appreciate both your time and advice

[brianhinton77]

Originally Posted by RAJENT

Thank you both for your comments. Just got the car back yesterday. You are right, they charged me $140 for two bushings (apparently the control arms didn't need replacement) and $150/hr labor for 3 hours. They did alignment after, but I wasn't charged for it since they just did the alignment a week ago. The car drives fine now. The dealer gives a 15% discount on cars beyond 100k miles, so I ended up paying $527 overall; not sure why I was quoted $900 initially. May be they added the price of alignment and before discounts.

I agree that having it done elsewhere would have been even cheaper, unfortunately I know very little about cars and probably won't even have the time to explore and get it done thoroughly.
Again, I appreciate both your time and advice

IMO for $527 at the dealer, you did well…even if the actual bushings were a little overpriced. Drive and smile!