bent front cross member?? HELP !!

[m3f_Lith ///M3]

ok so i have had my car for a while now and im starting to wonder if my front subframe is bent or my shock tower in bent. from the look of it it looks like it might be my front subframe.. please help me understand what i need changed which part or wat is the best way to fix this issue,

any help is appriciated

[m3f_Lith ///M3]

as you can see my caster is way of so please if u can a knowledge me with some info

[m3f_twiggyapt]

post a better/ brighter picture.


also, when was the last alignment done?

[m3f_hcaleman]

Offset or centered control arm bushings?

[m3f_Jrrrrrrr]

Captain-obvious question: is the other front wheel that close to the front bumper as well? That does look way too close. That suggestion to look for mis-applied LCA bushings is a good one as well.


Have you actually tried getting a measurement of your front alignment? If so, what are the camber or caster numbers like on both sides? What are the specific numbers - not just cross or total ones. We can take stabs in the dark (like your picture) and tell you your frame rails or control arms are bent, but alignment numbers way out of wack will make for a more educated guess and approach to fixing the problem.

[m3f_pbonsalb]

I would want to know whether someone put the wrong front control arm bushings on the car. Someone has messed with the suspension because it is lowered. Whether the work was done correctly or wisely or with the right parts is the unknown.

[m3f_englishtom1596q]

looks like offset LCAB's on a 96+ car because the wheel sits exactly where mine are

[m3f_Lith ///M3]

well i just put new rear tires and control arms and went in to get a allignment and also thought ill ask the guys to see why it is so much in fornt,, ok so me camber in front, good

toe in front good by oe specs, and the caster is @ side1 4.4 degrees and other side is 4.7 degrees. the oe specs for that is 7.1-8.1.. and also there is no adjustment for caster.. is there?!?!i got oem control arms and center poly bushings in the front.. would of set bushings help??

[m3f_Lith ///M3]

here is another pic (closer up)

[m3f_Lith ///M3]

wat do u mean by mis-applied.? i mean i looked at it yesterday and seemed all fine besides that i think my driver side inner tie rod end is fu***d because my TOE is a little bit off

[m3f_Lith ///M3]

and also i got a little bit of play in the sterring wheel and also when i got over a bump while the wheel is turned there is a clucking sound, but it is very litttle

[m3f_zshakoblah]

Why not have a local BMW shop take a look at it? Obviously, there are plenty of symptoms, a learned professional could probably find the problem after a short test drive and a few minutes under the car. That sort of attention is invaluable compared to a bunch of guys on the internet making educated guesses using only half the available information. Good luck with fix, man.

[m3f_M3only]

Take your car to a specialist, let them diagnose/fix the problem, and be done with it. Good luck!!!