[roastbeast]

my car has 65k miles on it now. certain potholes create a loud BOOM sound from the rear suspension. one of my kids even got hurt a little from the jarring; i was pulling out of a parking lot a few weeks ago and there was a pothole, which wasn't even that big, and when my right rear wheel hit it all hell broke loose. i was just pulling out so i wasn't even going that fast yet.

so i assume i need to address the car's suspension, especially the rear. do i need to just get new shocks, or will i need more than that? i hear that sachs is just as good as bmw oem but is cheaper. is this true?

by the way, i do NOT have the sport suspension.

[minus13]

It is unlikely that you'll really need to change any bushings, and it is highly unlikely that you'll need to replace springs. My bet is that you need new shocks/struts (dampers). That shouldn't set you back too bad. You really shouldn't expect stock shocks to last you 65K miles, so you're due.

[roastbeast]

thanks for the response.

ok, so is it a better idea to buy the parts myself and have a mechanic install them, or have the mechanic do it all? my guess is having a dealer mechanic do it would be more costly? any particular shock/strut brand you recommend?

[minus13]

Really, the replacement of shocks/struts can be done by just about any competent mechanic. It can be done in your garage if you have a healthy supply of tools on hand.

There are many brands to choose from. I'm sure others will chime in. I have heard good things about FSD, but my personal favorite across all of my vehicles is Bilstein. You'll have to do a search and read up on brand preference. There is a lot of information out there.

[Cir14]

any updates on if the shocks/struts (dampers) were replaced? I'm experiencing the same problem and am going to be in the market soon for an upgrade. I'm @ ~83K and can feel that the suspension has gotten more jarring (perfect word) since I purchased 3.5 yrs ago which can certainly be expected.

[roastbeast]

actually, pretty soon after my last post i got an invitation from one of my local dealers to have a "free" inspection of my car with a mechanic going over the details with me after he was done. the inspection included a gift bag which ended up including a stainless steel tumbler and coupons to local vendors.

so of course i took advantage of this, set up an appointment, and took my car. after the mechanic had a look i was called into the garage, at which point i was taken for a tour of my car on a lift, whereby i was told that everything looked really good, including the suspension.

i told the mechanic what had happened and he said that it was a normal sound to hear when the wheel drops down and up like it did when i went over the pothole. now, i don't think that he would lie to me about it NOT needing to be replaced, so i guess i can trust what he says. my car has 75k miles now and the suspension still feels good - i have not experienced any of the jarring that you describe.

i live in the northeast and we've recently had a flurry of snow storms which have caused the roads to become pothole/snow-crater nightmares and the car again felt good going through these hazards, so i guess i'm fine for now...

[tres]

a good rule of thumb is to replace shocks and struts at 50k. If any of you are interested I have a full 335is suspension for sale. The fronts come with springs shocks end links, top hat etc, its also pre assembled so you wont need a spring compressor its direct bolt on. The rear is also direct bolt on.

[roastbeast]

is it a sport suspension?

[Cir14]

it’s an xi, it has the sports package but not the sports suspension. The difference was mentioned to me by another member on the forum (Thank you). I've been trying to read as much as I can on this; I also don’t think it’s possible to have the sports suspension retrofitted to the xi models.

It was mentioned to get coil overs but want to spend about 1K. (OEM or Bilstein?) anyone out there w/ an xi performed something like this? Examples of the parts I’ve come up w/ are below:
- Shocks - HBS 1230 - Koni FSD Shocks
Should I be getting replacement springs too? A small drop could be considered (Eibach)?

I will be doing this along w/ a VCG sometime in the near future so I have some time to figure out what type of setup makes sense.

Appreciate the support

[CALWATERBOY]

Originally Posted by roastbeast

my car has 65k miles on it now. certain potholes create a loud BOOM sound from the rear suspension. one of my kids even got hurt a little from the jarring; i was pulling out of a parking lot a few weeks ago and there was a pothole, which wasn't even that big, and when my right rear wheel hit it all hell broke loose. i was just pulling out so i wasn't even going that fast yet.

Originally Posted by roastbeast

after the mechanic had a look i was called into the garage, at which point i was taken for a tour of my car on a lift, whereby i was told that everything looked really good, including the suspension.

i have not experienced any of the jarring that you describe.

Mech lifted your vehicle and looked. That's one magic way to evaluate shock / spring performance!

Me being me I'd prob of driven you car to experience the issue. At your mileage shocks are usually performing poorly and replacement might pleasantly surprise - they degrade so slowly that you may think they're still OK.

Test drive a new xi for good perspective. Now whattaya think?

Koni makes excellent replacements.

[u170who]

Originally Posted by CALWATERBOY

Attachment 837718


Mech lifted your vehicle and looked. That's one magic way to evaluate shock / spring performance!

Me being me I'd prob of driven you car to experience the issue. At your mileage shocks are usually performing poorly and replacement might pleasantly surprise - they degrade so slowly that you may think they're still OK.

Test drive a new xi for good perspective. Now whattaya think?

Koni makes excellent replacements.

Totally agree here. I would even avoid that mechanic since he obviously doesn't know what he is doing. To test the shocks, you have to have the car on the ground and just press down on your car above the wheel area. You observe how hard you need to press to get the car to move up and down. BMW's are not supposed to move much at all, so if it moves up and down pretty easily and you feel like it's hitting the potholes too hard, you probably need to change them. I am in Brooklyn, have 54k on mine, and i want to change mine also. Koni is having a pretty decent sale. You can get Koni Yellows for around $600, and a FSD kit for $700. check them out.

[roastbeast]

the mechanic also pressed down on the car and it did not depress much. there is also no visible fluid leakage evidence from the shocks, but you're all probably correct in saying that i need new ones.

[u170who]

eh, if your satisfied with it, don't bother. i'm holding off for a little while also.