ebay control arms - Okay?

[DivineStyler]

My ball joints have some play and need to be replaced...

Was wondering if any of you can give me feedback on some Ebay Control arms...

Anyone purchased them on ebay pro vs. cons... dependable?

thanks

[kronus]

I have Mehle ebay replacement arms, about 10K miles. No problems to report.

[DivineStyler]

I have Mehle ebay replacement arms, about 10K miles. No problems to report.

Thanks for the feedback...

There is quite a few sellers such as listed below and seem like pretty good deals... I'm just not sure about the quality...


Deusche Parts - $150

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120442778083&crlp=1_263602_304642&ff4=263602_304642&viewitem=&guid=05eaf7a712c0a0aad39732d7ff9910ca&rvr_id=173853395962&ua=%3F*F%3F&itemid=120442778083

Fcp - $120

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350414475844&crlp=1_263602_304652&ff4=263602_304652&viewitem=&guid=05eaf7a712c0a0aad39732d7ff9910ca&hlp=false&rvr_id=173867745310&ua=%3F*F%3F&itemid=350414475844

Mehle - $180

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350414475844&crlp=1_263602_304652&ff4=263602_304652&viewitem=&guid=05eaf7a712c0a0aad39732d7ff9910ca&hlp=false&rvr_id=173867745310&ua=%3F*F%3F&itemid=350414475844

[Wh33lhop]

I wouldn't bone around with chinese stuff. Meyle, maybe. I went with Lemforders, even with my piece of shit.

[DivineStyler]

Maybe it's there marketing but the FCP looks tempting with the polyurethane bushings... but considering the feedback so far guess leaning towards mehle since even FCP brand referenced them as one of the better brands...

Didn't see Lemforders brand on Ebay...

Anymore feedback welcomed and appreciated... Thanks guys.

[Dominic49]

i use the fcp arms on the track car. at $120 I can afford to replace them yearly.

[Wh33lhop]

i use the fcp arms on the track car. at $120 I can afford to replace them yearly.

Can you afford to replace your car if they crack and send you into a wall at high speed? Why would you replace $120 arms that have had incidents breaking yearly instead of $200 OEM arms bi-yearly as is recommended?

[DivineStyler]

i use the fcp arms on the track car. at $120 I can afford to replace them yearly.

I kinda see your point of changing it yearly... plus, I think they really have good marketing cuz it looks so appealing... looks like good quality... lol...

Can you afford to replace your car if they crack and send you into a wall at high speed? Why would you replace $120 arms that have had incidents breaking yearly instead of $200 OEM arms bi-yearly as is recommended?

But, I also see your point... safety is always a priority and I definitely do not want to take any chances...

So it seems like people really like Lemforders...? from what I research on R3v so far it seems like they are the only OEM around for a decent price...

Does anyone else know of OEM brands to purchase from? If so can you list a website or name brand... thanks...

[Dominic49]

Can you afford to replace your car if they crack and send you into a wall at high speed? Why would you replace $120 arms that have had incidents breaking yearly instead of $200 OEM arms bi-yearly as is recommended?

please link me to breaking incidents.

[Atreus]

blunttech.com

good stuff.

[DivineStyler]

please link me to breaking incidents.

I'd be interested in that as well...

blunttech.com
good stuff.

Thanks man... I'm trying to go cheapest route... Besides Lemforders, how are the other brands... Febi and Ocap...?

E30 Front Control Arms – Steel Please specify driver’s / passenger’s side. 3 brands avail: Lemforder 105.90 Febi 89.88 ea Ocap 83.44 ea

[Cloudbase]

I got the FCP control arms and tie rods. The control arms came in a FCP box. The tie rods and sway bar links are Karylin (can't remember the exact spelling). I don't track my E30 and am going to give these a shot for the near future. Once I get my other issues caught up I'll go with the Lemforders.

[DivineStyler]

Thanks for the feedback... I actually was able to grab a deal on R3v for some Lemforder controls at a good deal... but now I'm looking for some m3 offset bushings... Anyone know where to get a good deal on some?

Would any ebay Polyurethane M3 Offset bushings work compared to BRAND name brands? I mean if it's made with the same stuff I figure it should work the same right?

Thanks again.

[Voluted]

I've had FCP's control arms on my car for 3 years/75,000 KM and only the passenger side outer ball joint is showing slight signs of wear. I am assuming this is due to manhole covers on the right side of the road being very deep in my area. I have gone through 2 Lemforder tie rod ends in the same 3 years on the passenger side only. However, when it started to get cold outside during the first year of having their control arms on my car, the ball joints started to squeak a lot. This was fixed once I injected some more grease in there (which I have been doing twice yearly since).

I will be replacing the ball joints on the arms with Lemforder units since I have my own hydraulic press now. FCP sells these as well at a very reasonable price.

As far as brands go, Lemforder, Meyle, and Febi are all premium brands. Ocap, Karlyn, and FCP's stuff (which is likely made by Ocap or Karlyn and repackaged) is all economy stuff.

For the price I have been really pleased with the performance of their stuff. Since then I have ordered quite a few more suspension and chassis components directly from their website, including stuff for my old e39, a BTS kit, and some parts for my motor swap. I love their service and prices (as well as cheap fast shipping to Canada).

[bmw325csi]

I have been using the FCP kit with m3 bushes for around a year now with no problems to date. They went on great and they have been solid through many canyon runs.