i just found a bolt in my 540i/a oil pan....

i had replaced my leaking oil pan gasket last year before i knew about the loose oil pump bolt issue. so i decided that i would check the bolts when i install my new thrust arm bushings & center link. i dropped the pan today & found one of the long bolts for the oil pump rolling around. we re-adjusted the pumps chain tension & tightened all bolt to spec. i plan on checking this every 18-24 months now.
as for the new center link, i bought a "trw" last year from FCP Groton along with tie-rods & thrust arms. we replaced the center link after we found a worn joint that was loose. this time i purchased a center link from the bmw dealer. it came with a bmw sticker & trw molded into the casting on boths ends & the caps on the joints. the "trw" i purchased from FCP Groton did not have any trw markings at all.
i will not buy from FCP Groton again.

i did decide to use these heavy duty bushings from lemforder.
http://www.tntcomp.com/hd_bushing.jpg
i already put 50 highway miles on them. so far they are noticably stiffer, but not to harsh. and this time i did torque them under load.
thanks
tim s.

those are m5 bushings, the stiffness is noticeable because the old ones were allready squashed, it happens slowly so until you replace them it feels normal