I'm starting to get the front end shimmy that you would expect from the e39.
I want to by new thrust arms. I've found this item on eBay.

I can't post the link but the seller is Vines Automotive.

It's 130$ for the pair. Which is a pretty good deal.

My garagist says only buy Lemforder the rest will fail within 1 year.
Has anyone bought this item, or similar?

Can you give me your opinions?
Thanks

listen to your "garagist." Lemforder or nothing. Get the 750il bushing, or better yet get the M5 if possible.

The probability is that the ball joint on the thrust ar is fine and it is just the bushings that are bad. A pair of OE busings is about $100 (with BMWCCA discount) from a dealer. With a bushing press they can be changed w/o removing the arms from the car.

For some reason, I had to replace the thrust arm bushings every 20,000 miles on my 540. My mechanic indicated that BMW changed them to an all rubber style which is not as good as the original versions which had a metal sleeve in them. I'm wondering if the thrust arm bushings were getting worn out as a result from another problem in my case.

I just switched to an 2002 M5 this week and took it to my mechanic and he thinks I need to switch its thrust arm bushings also. Maybe he just likes doing that job??!

Changing at 20k seems quite a bit early, but road conditions and driving style have a lot to do with the life of the bushings. I've never seen an OE bushing that didn't have the metal sleeve, so I don't know what you mechanic is talking about.

How hard is it to remove the bushing. Can a mechanic easily do the job.
Is there a DIY write-up?

If you have the tooling changing the bushing is no big deal, on or off the car. The key lies in having the right tools. To change the bushing off the car you must have a ball joint tool that can remove the ball joint without damaging the dust boot. They are really in there tight and something along the lines of the special BMW ball joint tool (~$200) is required. Then you'll need a press to push out the old bushing and press in the new one.

To change the bushing with the arm still on the car you need a bushing press set matched to the size of the bushing. It is a fairly simple device consisting of a sleeve, endplates and threaded rod, but something that not all mechanics will have.

How hard is it to remove the bushing. Can a mechanic easily do the job.
Is there a DIY write-up?
you really ought to go thru the FAQ post. Hotswimmer did a GREAT writeup.

super super easy DIY - about an hour each side. Don't bother just replacing the bushing - do the entire thrust arm. If your bushing is gone, then depending on your mileage, I'm betting your ball joints will need replacement soon anyway. Long term, I think it'd be more cost-effective to replace the entire thrust arm.

super super easy DIY - about an hour each side. Don't bother just replacing the bushing - do the entire thrust arm. If your bushing is gone, then depending on your mileage, I'm betting your ball joints will need replacement soon anyway. Long term, I think it'd be more cost-effective to replace the entire thrust arm.
Febi makes arms that do not come with the bushings. i am going to get a set because i've still got that crazy hybrid rubber/PU bushing to press in.