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hi. it could be listed as a tie-rod end, or tie-bar end. it may also be shown as a stabiliser bar.
you may find you have to buy the complete rod as some of the ends were not removable. it may be worth asking the mot tester is he knows what they are called
I understand that there is a tool designed to press out the outboard ball joint. I have never heard of anyone using one.
You can press out the ball joint using a hydraulic press. Actually you would need to do both ball joints because you will trash the inboard ball joint getting the control arm off to take it over to your press. Neither the dealers nor the independent shops do that either.
Your front suspension has very little adjustment, and those aluminum control arms get bent. You would cry if you went through all the effort of replacing the individual ball joints and then realized that the control arm was bent.
So far as I know, Dealers, shops, and DIYers all buy complete control arm assemblies and bolt them on. Be prepared to hit your pickle fork with a big hammer to separate those ball joints from the car.
You will almost certainly need fresh control arm bushings if you replace the arm, and you probably need them even if you are using the old arm.
You'll need the repair manual for this. There are upper and lower ball joints front and rear. You also have to deal with a number of suspension components to access the ball joints. Lower ball joints can be replaced by pressing old out and new in using a large socket to match circumference of the ball joint.
There are a couple of things that can cause it. The first and easiest to diagnose, is the strut. BMWs sometimes get "creaky" struts...diagnose this my pushing down on the car on each corner, and when it moves, see if it makes any noise. If this doesn't yield anything, then the next step is to look under the car at the rubber or plastic bushings at the pivot points of the suspension. while you're under there, look at the ball joint boots as well and see if any are torn. If so, they will need replaced. If you still haven't found anything, place a jack on the suspension arm at each wheel, one at a time. if the tires slides out a little when it just starts clearing the ground, you likely have worn ball joints.
Ball joints can have wear without producing any noise. Even slight wear will be classed as an MOT failiure because ball joints are a critical component. The only way to check if the work has been done is to inspect the car afterwards. A new ball joint should stand out because it will be spotlessly clean. If you turn the steering fully to the right the ball joints may be visible or they may be obscured by the wheels. It is much easier to see them when the car is on a ramp. If you have not had the work done yet you could ask another garage or tyre fitter to check the ball joint for you. It is advisable to have your tracking checked after changing a ball joint. Some tyre companies will check the tracking for free and charge only if they have to adjust the tracking. Hope this helps.
you have to put the wishbone on 1st, the ball joint nut on and the front one den guide it in the hole and use a big lever with plenty of wd 40 and it will go in, i jus did one the other day, i had to change dat rear wishbone bush which was a nightmare to do
You need to get or rent a ball joint splitter, maybe $20? or so to buy. Some parts stores (autozone does this, one reason i recommend them, but other stores may also) will rent you some tools for "free" when you buy parts there .. they take a big deposit in case you bolt ... but give it all back for return of the tool in good condition.
It's easy ... if you know how to work on suspension .. if not, get a Haynes manual for your car from part store, amazon or haynes.com for around $20, the blood and busted knuckles you save due to reading it will be worth the money ;~).
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