Bent Wishbone on a 318is, easy to fix?

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DJL1987
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Mon Aug 09, 2010 9:11 pm

Hi all, buckled the nearside wheels thanks to car meeting curb sideways at speed, anyway, the rear nearside isn't sitting correctly, it's towing in, like a reverse camber haha. Anyway, any suggestions what this could be? I think bent wishbone, in which case, is this an easy fix, or is likely to cost me hundreds and hundreds of pounds? Cheers in advance.
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peterjcollins
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Mon Aug 09, 2010 10:18 pm

Hi,
Sorry to hear your bad luck but you need to jack it up and remove the wheel and have a good look. If the wishbone is damaged you can pick up a new one complete with ball joints for approx 55 pounds.Replace the lolli pop and bush at the same time.
Check the front strut and shock absorber as this could be damaged as well, in which case pick up a couple of secondhand ones from ebay.
E30BeemerLad
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Mon Aug 09, 2010 10:22 pm

It will take a fair bit to bend a wishbone as they are a heavy cast item. Worth checking the other components and the subframe as mentioned.

A new wishbone is about £50 for a Lemforder one, which is as close to OEM as you'll get.
rix313
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Mon Aug 09, 2010 10:28 pm

Think he means the rear wishbone is buggered.
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DJL1987
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Tue Aug 10, 2010 8:43 am

Basically, the rear wheel is pointing inwards at the bottom. I've had the original wheel off, which was mullered, and I actually can't see anything out of place, or anything obvious! But when the new wheel was put on, it still points inward at the bottom so something is buggered somewhere. Any ideas? Replace the whole lot?

The front looks fine, wheel sits correctly and there wasn't much damage to the alloy, just the tyre popped off so I think now I might have hit it rear first!
octanejunkie
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Tue Aug 10, 2010 1:59 pm

You've probably bent the rear sub frame, and possibly rippled the floor too. Could be an expensive fix. Best bet would be second hand items to replace any damaged bits, but you need to take it to someone who knows what they're looking for to get a proper diagnosis before chucking any money away.
If its not all straight it'll never drive properly again, and might cause another accident in the future. Doh :(
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