OldNate

Ever since the rims were changed on my car, I have been hearing these popping noises. I then changed the rims again with the hope that it will go away and they did not. I looked through some archives and found that the Lower Control Arm Bushings may be the problem. My car has never had these replaced and my car is at 160k miles.

Around how much does it cost to get this changed? Also, is there any other things that could be the problem? I read some things about ball joints as well? Help would be appreciated and thanks.

Musikmann

From how many wheels, and from which ones, are you hearing these noises please?

OldNate

I'm hearing them from the two front wheels.

uberwgn

ball jts.

Musikmann

Sounds like uberwgn has your answer. I guess the replacement wheels was just a coincidence, and I have heard of these going bad in a lot of cars. I don't know what the average mileage, or time frame it should be for W210s, but 160,000 sounds like a reasonable lifetime for a lot of things.

OldNate

So not lower control arm bushings? how much does it cost to replace the front ball joints on both arms?

Racin_fool

so when are you hearing this popping noise anyways?

OldNate

When I drive over uneven inclines or make hard turns.

Racin_fool

hmm... It could be either of the 2 items mentioned before (lower control arm bushings, or the lower ball joints). The lower control arms would be easy enough to inspect under the car with a flashlight, but the ball joints, if not externally damaged or showing torn boots, can really only be diagnosed with the car in the air on a lift or the front end off the ground on jack stands and inspecting them for wear or internal play.

OldNate

So around how much do you think i'm going to pay for either one to be done? 300 for the front two ball joints and 300 for the front two lower control arm bushings?

Racin_fool

the lower control arm bushings if needed will probably run you about $160 in parts, but will be about $500 in labor if I remember correctly. As for the ball joints, I can't remember the price for them or the labor for them right now. Sorry.

loubapache

$300 for the lower ball joints are about right. I think the parts are about $50 each (dealer price).

When I had the spring perches done, the lower ball joints were replaced in order to do a correct alignment. They had some play in them.

OldNate

Hmm, is there any other downside to having the popping noise besides just being annoying? So, i'm going to be looking at around $500-$800 to get this problem fixed.

loubapache

The noise is just an indication that there is wear or play in the suspension. There is probably no immediate issue.

One thing you can try first is to spray some silicon spray on the rubber parts to see if the noise goes away. Some people have used WD-40 as it claims it will not damage rubber either. But silicon spray is definitely safe on rubber.

OldNate

I'm not exactly sure what's even damaged lol. Would you happen to have a picture on what i'm supposed to be looking at? I do not even know where these ball joints/bushings are located. And, are you saying spray silicon spray on the ball joints, or the bushings?

loubapache

I mean the bushings. Spray on rubber parts, not metal. Control arm bushings and sway bar bushings. You cannot miss it by jacking up the car and remove the wheels. They are round and heavy duty rubber that prevent metal to metal contacts.

OldNate

Knowing me, I will miss it haha. Are they close to the disk brake? or are they closer to the control arm part attached to the car.

DoubleA

and got them for 25.00 each. They were good quality and got them installed for 60.00 each. So I paid 170.00 in total for install and parts. Control arm bushings shouldnt be that much more labor then the ball joints but im not sure theyre cost. Good luck

E-Klasse

I got a cheap set of ball joints off of ebay and went to change them myself but they didn't fit. I ran to the dealership and paid $75.

You have to support the lower control arm to put tention on the spring in order to change them out. The brake rotor and caliper has to be removed so that the dust cover can be moved out of the way. After that, the old ball joint can be knocked out of place and replaced with the new one.

lkchris

Ah yes, the good ol' American "liquid" solution!

Parts that are new don't move and parts that are worn out do move and the solution is to lubricate the moving parts so you don't hear the noise.

Right.

Loose parts mean inability to hold wheel alignment which means abnormal tire wear.

Since we're apparently looking for "cheap" here, try to factor in cost of tires.

E-Klasse

Bad ball joints and tie rod ends can cause abnormal tire wear and poor steering or handling. Popping noises can come from bad bushings in either the upper or lower control arms.

vinceC

Other things to check:
Spring perches
Sway bar links

clkal

i might be way out of line, but could it be the incorrect length of lug bolt?... like the bolt being too long and it is hitting on something????

OldNate

I doubt it seeing that I used two different types of bults for the different rims that I tried.

KGT1965

Check the front coil spring ends where they sit in the lower control arm pockets. The spring ends tend to fracture allowing the the spring(s) to shift and pop under heavy side loading conditions. Replace both springs if cracked. Other good place to look are the swaybar links. If the car rides and handles okay with no steering abnormalities, it could be shifting springs.