Excessive movement in both front wheels

[Boats530i]

Hello Mini forum members,

My coworker's 2003 Mini front wheels have abnormal level of play. He was advised by the safety inspection station that the car needs to be fixed before it can pass safety inspection. With the car on the ground I'm able to rock the front wheel on both sides of the car with my hands and there is at least an inch of movement in both direction.

We are going to put the car on the jack stands and take the wheels off to see what suspension components are loose and require replacement.
I'm suspecting torn strut mounts, worn out lower control arms bushings, ball joints or struts.

Anybody on the forum experienced anything similar? and if you did what corrective measures were taken to correct it.

Thanks a lot !!!

[geowit]

My money's on the LCA bushings. They're notorious for wear. Save yourself some heartache and replace them with aftermarket polyurethene. I doubt it's the struts. Mine are still OK (barely) with 168K.

[mab01uk]

Kicking the front tyre like this will show the back and forth movement caused by a bad Lower Control Arm Bushing:

YouTube - Mini Cooper - Tire Movement from...

More here:
Control Arm Bush Replacement - Forums

[Boats530i]

Thanks a lot fellas, that VID shows exactly the same problem our 2003 Mini with over 100K miles is suffering from.
Would you happen to have a link to DIY on replacing the LCA's and any tips from someone who just recently replaced their LCA's?

I'm thinking about replacing front struts and mounts while the front end will be apart. Any other front end components that should be replaced at the same time?

Thanks

[Boats530i]

I did some searching around the forum and there are few very informative threads on how to replace the bushing, but honestly the procedure looks to time involving. If that was my car, i would not mind doing it, but i'm helping a coworker, and he needs the car for his day to day commute.

Is replacement of the entire lower control arm a matter of disconnecting the ball-joint and removing the bracket/bushing end of the LCA? It looks lot simpler and easier that way, and $300 for new OEM LCA's is reasonable.

[mab01uk]

These links below show different methods for the job and may help you:

YouTube - MINI Cooper service on control...

Front Control Arm Bushing Install - Lone Star Mini Club Forums

[Boats530i]

Thanks, I'm leaning towards a complete LCA replacement in order to save time spent working on the car. Is removal of the LCA simple bolt it out job, or the lower sub frame needs to be removed?

I've done LCA's on BMW, Nissans, Infinitis, Oldsmobiles and other cars and some are easier than others.

[Boats530i]

well it looks like the MINI sells the LCA's incomplete, the ball joint and the mounting bracket must be purchased separately. That's a bummer.