Rear trailing arm bushings DIY??

[m3f_dboffa_1e4798cde8]

Has anyone here replaced their own rear trailing arm bushings?



If so, is this a reasonable DIY, or is there a writeup online somewhere? My car has about 93K on it and I'm thinking it's definitely time for a new set. Not sure if I should have my shop do this or just attempt it myself.



Thanks.

[m3f_Sirius_880bd69485]

I remember seeing a DIY write up on bimmerfourms on this. It was a very good write up and had plenty of pics.

[m3f_SG_M3_d1201712b5]

Its a PITA, but not hard. We did mine and my friends with out the bmw tools.

[m3f_Stinky]

Ok, this is how my experience went....



I prepped the car the night before. Threw it up on jackstands, took the wheels off, undid a few bolts. My biggest fear was pressing the bushing in. I read a thing about making your own press out of things you can get at Home Depot and Autozone. It was like a puller using allthread, bolts, and a oil filter wrench(cap type). So I got all that ready and slept in preparation for what I didn't know at the time would be HELL...



So after reading a bunch of DIY's I planned on drilling around the old RTAB, and using something to cut from the hole to the edge and the thing could be hammered out. Easier said than done, especially if you don't have a Sawzall. I stupidly thought I can use a jigsaw. Of course that didn't work. So I busted out the air chisel and hammered away at the thing after it was drilled to hell. Drilling was also a pain because the bushing material would melt and the bit would get super hot. Fixed that by using those flat wood bits. Forgot what they're called.



So after a few hours of banging, I caved in and decided to head to Home Depot and buy a Sawzall. Only problem was my car was on jackstands and out of service. So I hopped on the bike and brought some tie downs to strap the thing on the back. I looked pretty ridiculous with a 3 foot long container hanging off the back of my sportbike. It was funny...



So I finally got the damn thing off after so many hours. The air chiseling actually made it harder to sawzall out because it was all deformed. Now to the pressing part. I assembled my trusty homemade presser and was ready to finish up. The damn thing didn't work. No way the thing was strong enough to press the bushing. So I was off to the store again to get a gear puller and try a different DIY I read.



I finally got it in and it took me almost a whole day to do ONE SIDE! But the good news is that when I tackled the other side it only took me about 15-20 mins to get the bushing out and new one in.



So now that I have the right tools and know exactly how to do it, I would do it again if I had to.

[m3f_rab986]

Fixed that by using those flat wood bits. Forgot what they're called.







Paddle bit



I have seen several tools for this for sale in bimmerforums. I just picked one up for $75. I hope I have better luck than you did.