E39 M5 front suspension arms…

[FlyingTomato]

Howdy! I think it’s time to freshen up the front suspension arms and perhaps the dampers too… Feels a bit loose and there’s the odd clonk at low speed.

I see that range of aftermarket brands are available (TRW, Lemförder, Sachs…), but would anyone have a recommendation, please?

Thanks

[Caddyshack]

Speak to Andy at walkers auto tech to see what he recommends.

[Pupp]

I’ve only ever come across TRW and Lemforder when ordering pattern bits for an old Laguna 2 come MOT time; they seemed to be staples of the budget offerings from Euro Car Parts. That old Lag went through a lot of bushes in my years of running it (regardless of brand).

Sachs, in my experience, are a venerable maker of parts and an OEM supplier; of the three, would be my choice but I imagine their cost would be higher.

All that said, the supply chains serving factors seem convoluted. Of necessity (as no other stock available), I sourced an EGR valve for a Seat a few months ago that was ostensibly, I thought, a lower order pattern part; what was in their branded packaging when it was collected was a Valeo item, which was the OEM part being replaced… it’s sometimes a job to distinguish manufacturer from supplier.

[helix402]

I found that Lemforder quality has dropped a little in recent years. TRW are good as are Sachs. Genuine BMW are also good.

[Pupp]

A couple of moments’ idle googling has just revealed all three brands are part of the ZF conglomerate…

[JamesRR]

If Meyle do the arms you want for it, I’d go with them. Failing that, Lemforder

[bucksmanuk]

It’s always worth a look on rockauto.com.
https://www.rockauto.com/
The prices are in sterling now, so the taxes have been taken care of. It’s worth getting a decent order together as the delivery eats into the cost.
https://www.daparto.de/ is worth a look too, but there are a number of suppliers on there who won’t do deliveries to the UK because of Brexit, but there are plenty who didn’t do it before as well…
I stick to reputable brands that I’ve heard of, or I know to be OEM. Extra cost doesn’t always mean extra quality