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Left Cross Strut Failure.... Again!

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Old 09-05-2022, 05:11 PM
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Originally Posted by NSnyder996
My car (2015 E63S) just started having a horrible squeak, creaking from the front end. Came here to search for a thread and found this.... my car only has 14k miles (yes, 14k miles). Is this typically the cause?
They bushing is fine. The design is bad. They are tapered on one side, and so under heavy load it's simply slips out... Almost always the driver's side
Mine was failed at 10k, I've seen them failed with less.
Just replace it with an aftermarket until or track weld it like I show in my you tube video.
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Old 09-05-2022, 05:37 PM
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Originally Posted by kenneyd
They bushing is fine. The design is bad. They are tapered on one side, and so under heavy load it's simply slips out... Almost always the driver's side
Mine was failed at 10k, I've seen them failed with less.
Just replace it with an aftermarket until or track weld it like I show in my you tube video.
Thanks. Guess I'll get to see how good my Fidelity Platinum warranty is with the local MB dealer.
Old 09-06-2022, 10:00 PM
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14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
Originally Posted by kenneyd
They bushing is fine. The design is bad. They are tapered on one side, and so under heavy load it's simply slips out... Almost always the driver's side
Mine was failed at 10k, I've seen them failed with less.
Just replace it with an aftermarket until or track weld it like I show in my you tube video.
What aftermarket units are you recommending? How different is the sleeve compared to stock oem?
Old 09-07-2022, 12:59 AM
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2014 E63S; AMS 100 octane ecu tune; edok tcu tune; BB intakes; dyno tuned
Originally Posted by WANTED!!
What aftermarket units are you recommending? How different is the sleeve compared to stock oem?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353191058602

same design but apparently, anecdotally, same or better quality than OEM part, which is 4x more $

Last edited by PeterUbers; 09-07-2022 at 01:10 AM.
Old 09-07-2022, 06:16 AM
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Originally Posted by PeterUbers
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353191058602

same design but apparently, anecdotally, same or better quality than OEM part, which is 4x more $
...and I'm guessing that in all this time MB never made a revised part to fix this issue? Is there even a TSB on this?

Last edited by NSnyder996; 09-07-2022 at 06:29 AM.
Old 09-07-2022, 06:23 AM
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14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
Originally Posted by PeterUbers
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353191058602

same design but apparently, anecdotally, same or better quality than OEM part, which is 4x more $
I'm familiar with Mevotech. Coincidentally, and unfortunately, I literally had 2 of their ball joint boots fail prematurely thus killing the ball joints on a different vehicle and am going through their warranty process. They feel it was a fluke. My replacement parts are arriving this week so I'll see if these new ones last.
FYI, should you ever need to warranty their parts, it's done directly through the authorized vendor and not through Mevotech directly. If you buy from an unauthorized reseller, you're boned on your warranty.
Old 09-07-2022, 01:15 PM
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Originally Posted by WANTED!!
What aftermarket units are you recommending? How different is the sleeve compared to stock oem?
also on amazon for ~$60 ish https://amzn.to/3R47IqG
Old 09-08-2022, 05:20 PM
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14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
Originally Posted by PeterUbers
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353191058602

same design but apparently, anecdotally, same or better quality than OEM part, which is 4x more $
Originally Posted by kenneyd
also on amazon for ~$60 ish https://amzn.to/3R47IqG
Looking more closely at the pics on the Amazon link kenny provided, the metal and rubber sleeves are different in that they don't appear to have a split like the oem ones. I'm also noticing the metal sleeve appears slightly less exposed than the oem part with more of the rubberized sleeve exposed.
Old 09-22-2022, 01:30 PM
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'15 E63 Wagon
Originally Posted by WANTED!!
Looking more closely at the pics on the Amazon link kenny provided, the metal and rubber sleeves are different in that they don't appear to have a split like the oem ones. I'm also noticing the metal sleeve appears slightly less exposed than the oem part with more of the rubberized sleeve exposed.
Hey everyone - been lurking here awhile. Thanks for all the info. My driver's side arm is spitting out the bush (again, after 15k miles on the first replacement). @WANTED!! - any luck with the Mevotech arms? @kennyd would you mind sharing the link to your Youtube video/tack weld fix?

Cheers!
Old 09-22-2022, 03:33 PM
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14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
Originally Posted by suicidedoors
Hey everyone - been lurking here awhile. Thanks for all the info. My driver's side arm is spitting out the bush (again, after 15k miles on the first replacement). @WANTED!! - any luck with the Mevotech arms? @kennyd would you mind sharing the link to your Youtube video/tack weld fix?

Cheers!
@suicidedoors I haven't bought these ones yet. I did re-install their brand components on a different make/platform though. The set I replace seems to be doing better than the last ones I installed.

Honestly, I'm not averse to ordering a pair and trying them. If you're needing to replace yours, I say go for it. You'll be fine.
Old 09-22-2022, 03:38 PM
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@WANTED!! appreciate the vote of confidence. That's what I was thinking, too. I'll report back after I have some miles on them.
Old 09-22-2022, 06:03 PM
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Originally Posted by suicidedoors
Hey everyone - been lurking here awhile. Thanks for all the info. My driver's side arm is spitting out the bush (again, after 15k miles on the first replacement). @WANTED!! - any luck with the Mevotech arms? @kennyd would you mind sharing the link to your Youtube video/tack weld fix?

Cheers!
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Old 09-24-2022, 11:46 AM
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Thanks kindly @kenneyd ! Subscribed.
Old 11-20-2022, 08:23 PM
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14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
Finally pulled the trigger on a set of Mevotechs. Even though I don't need to, I'm replacing the pair and not just the failing driver's side one. I'll post a side-by-side comparison after I get the parts in hand.
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Old 11-26-2022, 11:30 AM
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14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
As promised, comparison pictures between oem and Mevotech. Seeing these in person compared to the stock photos really highlights the difference between the two parts. No real difference in the ball joints. The true difference is indeed in the bushing itself. Radically different.you can clearly see not just the difference in the sleeve, but also the dramatic difference in both the center bushing and the flex surface.​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Last edited by WANTED!!; 11-26-2022 at 11:34 AM.
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Old 11-26-2022, 11:35 AM
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14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
Here's a closer look at the two bushings.

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Old 11-26-2022, 11:44 AM
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14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
In case anyone's curious, here's the weight of stock.

Old 11-26-2022, 11:45 AM
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14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
Here's the weight of the Mevotech.

Old 11-26-2022, 11:52 AM
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Originally Posted by WANTED!!
As promised, comparison pictures between oem and Mevotech. Seeing these in person compared to the stock photos really highlights the difference between the two parts. No real difference in the ball joints. The true difference is indeed in the bushing itself. Radically different.you can clearly see not just the difference in the sleeve, but also the dramatic difference in both the center bushing and the flex surface.
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​ IMO the bushing looks like it will flex much less than the OEM which is a good thing since I also have a hunch these wiggly bushings also contribute to tire wear and alignment issues on these cars. While my weld fix works perfect, I think I might just upgrade both sides to these anyway
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Old 11-26-2022, 12:27 PM
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14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
Originally Posted by kenneyd
IMO the bushing looks like it will flex much less than the OEM which is a good thing since I also have a hunch these wiggly bushings also contribute to tire wear and alignment issues on these cars. While my weld fix works perfect, I think I might just upgrade both sides to these anyway
​​​​​​​I've been thinking the same thing the more I scrutinize the parts. Frankly, I'm surprised the front control arms aren't also doing this. ​​​​​​​

​​​​​​​I was only half joking when I wrote it, but given how the problem seems to only occur on the driver's side I suspect when the engineers did the math on allowable flex they did it for perfect balance and didn't accout for the driver.​​​​​​​
Old 11-26-2022, 02:58 PM
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Originally Posted by WANTED!!
the problem seems to only occur on the driver's side I suspect when the engineers did the math on allowable flex they did it for perfect balance and didn't accout for the driver.​​​​​​​
The bushings are actually slightly tapered, meaning they can only be installed from one side. Since both sides are identical, one is pushed from the front to the rear of the car, the other one is pushed from the rear to the front of the car.

My theory is that during heavy braking, the force from the wheels puts an inward and forward pressure on both control arm bushings. The passenger side pushes towards the taper thus it doesn't fail, however the driver side being opposite, that force causes it to slip off the bushing
​​​​​​​
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Old 11-26-2022, 03:29 PM
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14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
Originally Posted by kenneyd
The bushings are actually slightly tapered, meaning they can only be installed from one side. Since both sides are identical, one is pushed from the front to the rear of the car, the other one is pushed from the rear to the front of the car. My theory is that during heavy braking, the force from the wheels puts an inward and forward pressure on both control arm bushings. The passenger side pushes towards the taper thus it doesn't fail, however the driver side being opposite, that force causes it to slip off the bushing
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Interesting theory. I'll take a look at mine when I get home in an hour see if I observe similar tapering on mine. ​​​​​​​Assuming your theory is true, then do you surmise that a solution for MB would be to produce a new part number for the driver's side arm and simply press the bearing in for the opposite direction?
Old 11-26-2022, 04:37 PM
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14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
@kenneyd So after an extremely close examination of the two, yes you can see how pronounced the taper is on one side vs the other. Something else of interest is the amount of corrosion between the driver's side, which I already replaced once compared to the passenger side, which I've replaced never. Something is clearly causing that.
​​​​​​​

Last edited by WANTED!!; 11-26-2022 at 04:41 PM.
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Old 11-26-2022, 04:43 PM
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14 E63, 05 E55, 03 Evo 8, 08 F250, 06 R6R, 92 Talon TSI, and instability
More of the seam corrosion difference between the 2.


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Old 11-26-2022, 07:17 PM
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This is excellent info - I vote for this t obe a sticky and "required" maintenance/upgrade.


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