[Tambohamilton]

Yep, it'll be interesting to hear what you think - how much difference there is. Are you changing anything else at the same time?

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

Yep, it'll be interesting to hear what you think - how much difference there is. Are you changing anything else at the same time?

Indeed. Just been checking and Its only Autodoc who stock the Lemforder RSFB but they're out of stock. If its not much expensive at BMW I'll buy direct from them.

Just rear ARB bushes, diff mounts and diff fluid maybe.

If there is a decent improvement on handling and rear comfort (I am suffering from a lot of side to side jiggle over bumps which is a clear symptom of worn RSFB if I'm correct + the body roll on turns) then I'll look at getting the ARB links done too + other arms if and when required.

[Tambohamilton]

About 3x the price at the dealer, as far as I can see (£33 Vs £109 each)

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

About 3x the price at the dealer, as far as I can see (£33 Vs £109 each)

Wow, that's insane! I'll ring my local dealer up tomorrow just to confirm anyway but if that's the case then I won't be able to locate the Lemforder ones.
On the Lemforder Parts Catalogue website too, it says "This part is no longer deliverable by the manufacturer" - Then who is making it if they can't supply it? Maybe that's why Autodoc are out of stock too.

If the Lemforder ones aren't available because they've been discontinued, then who would be the next best manufacturer? MEYLE, TRW, SACHS, FEBI, MOOG?
It'd be nice to know for an option B.

[bmw_solid]

No, I think Lemforder has stopped making them. This is bizarre and weird, why would they do that. Where is BMW getting the RSFB for E9x models then?!

I have checked all websites Inc. amazon and eBay, no one is stocking it. That's an ashame.

LEMFORDER 29812 01
LEMFORDER 29813 01

These are the Stock E90 Lemforder part numbers

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by bmw_solid

Wow, that's insane! I'll ring my local dealer up tomorrow just to confirm anyway but if that's the case then I won't be able to locate the Lemforder ones.
On the Lemforder Parts Catalogue website too, it says "This part is no longer deliverable by the manufacturer" - Then who is making it if they can't supply it? Maybe that's why Autodoc are out of stock too.

If the Lemforder ones aren't available because they've been discontinued, then who would be the next best manufacturer? MEYLE, TRW, SACHS, FEBI, MOOG?
It'd be nice to know for an option B.

In that list I'd ignore meyle and Moog. Take your pick from the rest, IMO. Trw and Sachs are owned by zf, as is lemforder, so may be good options. Febi makes parts like the OE guibos for the e9x, so may also be a good option.

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

In that list I'd ignore meyle and Moog. Take your pick from the rest, IMO. Trw and Sachs are owned by zf, as is lemforder, so may be good options. Febi makes parts like the OE guibos for the e9x, so may also be a good option.

Yes I agree too.

But, this is turning out to be a sucker now as TRW and SACHS don't manufacture RSFB for this model and Febi only seem to supply 1 of the 2 bushes (rear axle-front bushing only). This is getting weird now.

I think I won't be able to change them at this rate!

I have a feeling that due to safety reasons, maybe BMW is telling all aftermarket suppliers to not offer bushings to promote people to go and buy the whole rear subframe instead. I Hope this is not true

[Tambohamilton]

That'd be crazy. I bet they just don't replace many, nowadays. Most that needed it will have had it done, those which need it now can't justify Vs the price of the car or will 'upgrade'...and folks like you are stuck in the middle.

[335i54n]

imo wasting ur time going stock, its a design flaw based on comfort but the wear doesnt degrade enough that 99% of the cars dont service them or notice it. either you enjoy driving and notice it Right off the bat or After you become modified, rsfb likely arent ur main issue and inserts are enough to upgrade/restore performance but gl

[Tambohamilton]

Likely a different story in the OP's 20d compared with your 35i! Also he really wants to retain maximum comfort

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

That'd be crazy. I bet they just don't replace many, nowadays. Most that needed it will have had it done, those which need it now can't justify Vs the price of the car or will 'upgrade'...and folks like you are stuck in the middle.

I rang BMW and as you said, circa £80 and £90 each for front and rear.

Febi does the the front ones but not the rear? How weird is this? What's going on?

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by 335i54n

imo wasting ur time going stock, its a design flaw based on comfort but the wear doesnt degrade enough that 99% of the cars dont service them or notice it. either you enjoy driving and notice it Right off the bat or After you become modified, rsfb likely arent ur main issue and inserts are enough to upgrade/restore performance but gl

I'm not after E39 handling (although i'd definitely love to have it) but Im just after the factory E90 stock handling - NO STOCK BMW SHOULD ROLL ON BENDS - THAT MUCH I KNOW. Yes unless we absolutely push the car to the edge like high speed going arounds bends then of course these cars loose it.

I have test driven:

2010 E90 M Sport with 92k miles (18" standard tyres): Perfect ride, not overly crashy, didn't roll on turns and felt responsive enough, and was comfortable.

2008 E92 SE with 19" Runflats: Again, no body roll (but SE hence felt bit disconnected) and comfortable ride (bit harsh compared to 18" + standard tyres)

So I expect mine to drive like that too. If it were a Mercedes I won't be complaining but its a BMW.

[bmw_solid]

OK - SO AUTODOC ARE STOCKING LEMFORDER M3 RSFB!

Wow - this is insane - Its almost like BMW have told their suppliers to not manufacture Stock RSFB!

Lemforder Part numbers are:
Front 37798 01
Rear 37797 01

I selected E90>M3 ('07 to '11) so will these be the correct ones or do I need to search for E92 M3 or are they both the same?

At this rate, it seems I'll have to go for M3 RSFB

[Tambohamilton]

E90 Vs e92 Vs e93 (and e91, though there was no e91 M3) rsfb are all the same.

I really don't think you'll regret it. Unless you're very sensitive to nvh

[whyzee125]

Originally Posted by bmw_solid

Yes I have made up my mind now. Its got to be the Stock Lemforder RSFB. I am fearful of what solid rubber can do the these cars. Just using the Monroe upper rear shock mounts caused me grief for 1 week which i'll never forgot so I can't risk it again with these M3 rubbers. The E9x chassis is under-dampened by nature for extra road feel and driver-focus and I don't mind that but I can't take the risk of worsening it - that's when these cars become unpleasant.

The worst part is this: On the forums, people have polarizing views of mods. Upper Monroe mounts, Poly subframe bushings: You'll get people praising them and you'll get people cursing them! So I'd rather sacrifice on sharp handling and settle for 'good' handling with no effect on comfort.

If I do go ahead on replacing the bushings (just need to make sure my mechanic is confident for the job), then I'll definitely give my feedback here. Stock RSFB is not documented on these forums.

Just curious, what went wrong with the Monroe upper shock mounts? That's a pretty common mod that most people seem to love. Which I guess further goes to show the polarizing nature of mods lol

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

E90 Vs e92 Vs e93 (and e91, though there was no e91 M3) rsfb are all the same.

I really don't think you'll regret it. Unless you're very sensitive to nvh

You are correct here.

However, Ive been looking into the Febi Stock mounts further and I've come down to the reason. It appears FEBI only manufacture the front bushings (which are universal irrespective of engine type) but they only manufacture the rear bushings for PETROL engines only, hence why I couldn't see the rear ones on their website under my reg. So it appears the rear bushings are engine-specific and front ones are not.

Now to make it even more complicated, Lemforder parts catalogue lists two bushings under my reg and their rear bushing is too cross-referenced with the Febi PETROL-only bushing but they are still listing it on their catalogue for my reg.

Is this a part number error from factory or is it actually true - are the rear bushings engine specific??

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

E90 Vs e92 Vs e93 (and e91, though there was no e91 M3) rsfb are all the same.

I really don't think you'll regret it. Unless you're very sensitive to nvh

Maybe the M3 rear bushings are petrol specific hence more NVH if fitted to diesel cars like yours

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by whyzee125

Just curious, what went wrong with the Monroe upper shock mounts? That's a pretty common mod that most people seem to love. Which I guess further goes to show the polarizing nature of mods lol

Don't ask! It firmed up the ride to a point of a bouncy jolty rear end over all bumps, no handling improvement and more NVH, a lot more NVH. They literally revealed how under dampened the E9x stock shocks are.

The E9x chassis needs foam upper mounts unless you're on high performance shocks and springs etc. Hence why I dread what the M3 RSFB can do to my car.

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by bmw_solid

You are correct here.

However, Ive been looking into the Febi Stock mounts further and I've come down to the reason. It appears FEBI only manufacture the front bushings (which are universal irrespective of engine type) but they only manufacture the rear bushings for PETROL engines only, hence why I couldn't see the rear ones on their website under my reg. So it appears the rear bushings are engine-specific and front ones are not.

Now to make it even more complicated, Lemforder parts catalogue lists two bushings under my reg and their rear bushing is too cross-referenced with the Febi PETROL-only bushing but they are still listing it on their catalogue for my reg.

Is this a part number error from factory or is it actually true - are the rear bushings engine specific??

I never noticed that before. Front ones are universal like you say. Rears are specific to the diff/driveshaft type - all d and 25+ (6cyl) i cars have larger diffs and driveshafts. So I guess they need firmer bushings to deal with that extra mass on the subframe. Or to cancel out a resonance or something.

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

I never noticed that before. Front ones are universal like you say. Rears are specific to the diff/driveshaft type - all d and 25+ (6cyl) i cars have larger diffs and driveshafts. So I guess they need firmer bushings to deal with that extra mass on the subframe. Or to cancel out a resonance or something.

Yes indeed, BUT, i was checking Meyle's parts catalogue too and even they don't have a rear subframe bushing for diesel engines E9x either.

So I'm led to now believe that this could may well be a cross-referencing error from BMW or real oem because its impossible all OE/OEMs do not make a diesel engine bushing!

I think its an error and and I'm most probably going to buy the Febi ones. There's millions of 320d models here in the UK and surely folks have not all been buying direct from BMW!

I'll order the Febi ones tomorrow

A side question, what is wrong with Meyle? Why don't anybody recommend them? They are a reputable OE/OEM right?

[Tambohamilton]

It's not just diesel cars; it's all diesel and 6cyl petrol that use the same rear bushings. But I agree, it's odd that so few manufacturers seem to be making them.

Meyle should be ok, but their products just don't seem to last. Good branding/marketing, crappy products. I've got a bunch of their ball joints in the back end of my car that I need to replace after 20k miles.

[bmw_solid]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

It's not just diesel cars; it's all diesel and 6cyl petrol that use the same rear bushings. But I agree, it's odd that so few manufacturers seem to be making them.

Meyle should be ok, but their products just don't seem to last. Good branding/marketing, crappy products. I've got a bunch of their ball joints in the back end of my car that I need to replace after 20k miles.

I've gone and ordered the Febi ones as no other makes were available (Meyle was available but after reading your post, I decided to go with a brand that has a bit more confidence).

I really hope Febi are a good quality product. I used Febi control arms and tension arms on my 330d SE and they didn't make the car feel any worse so that's a good thing.

Do Febi manufacture bushings etc for German car makers? HOW TRUE ARE THEY TO BMW SPEC? DO THEY MAKE SIMILAR QUALITY TO LEMFORDER?

I'm not bothering regarding theSE rear side bushings being for petrol models only - It could be BMW slightly changing the rubber composition for the diesel models to aid longevity due to weight and NVH etc and that doesn't bother me, AS LONG AS THE HANDLING PERFORMS GOOD.