Control arm bushings

[Otto2005s60]

Hi all,
My name is Otto and I am new to the group. I just purchased my first Volvo, an 05 S60 2.5T with 122,000 miles on it. I got it for what I thought was a good price with the knowledge that it had "some" front end issues. The car is immaculate but has a shimmy "imagine that" that starts at about 60 miles per hour and occurs intermittently. When it happens, it does so under acceleration and when coasting. It also clunks when going over bumps but not when turning.

So, here is what I know, or think I know. The strut mounts are bad (Extension through the tower when pushing up and down on the front end) parts ordered. Struts are bad (Evidence of fluid leak from seal down the strut, told by an excellent mechanic, too far away to use, that strut failure causes excessive force to be transferred from the spring to the mount, hence breakage) parts on hand. Bearings are good as are ball joints and end links.

Now to the million dollar question. The mechanic I spoke of does not have e-mail so he can not view these pics:

The lower front control arm bushings are cracked on both sides. Rear and upper bushings are fine. The mechanic I spoke of said he would not necessarily replace them, could not advise without seeing them. There seems to be no play at all, even when manipulating the control arms with a jack. My question is simple, should I replace them now or wait and see what happens when the other parts are installed? Thanks and I look forward to sharing with the group.

[JRL]

Replace them
(You need a press to remove the old ones and press in the new ones)

[Gunther]

Were you able to take off the control arms without raising the engine? I have new bushings and struts and I was going to make this a project in the next couple of weeks. If you have any step by step information or procedures, I would greatly appreciate it.