[DaanBMW]

I'm planning to replace my clutch. Will change a couple of parts on the propeller shaft and I'm wondering if anyone thinks I should replace my guibo as well.

I last replaced it at 80k mi with OEM part, now car is at ~125k. Old guibo looked pretty good at 80k when I replaced it thus I'm inclined to keep it. But I really have no idea what the reliable lifespan of this part really is... I will replace the bushing inside it and the bolts, and sure enough if the part looks on its way out I'll run to the stealer and get one (I bought all my parts online hence the question).

[hassmaschine]

I doubt it needs replaced, honestly.

[tlow98]

These seemed to deteriorate fast on e36s and older. They seem more and more like a part that lasts the life of the vehicle now.

See if it has any cracks. If not, keep it.

[DaanBMW]

hassmaschine, tlow98 = thanks

[Efthreeoh]

Why even replace the bolts? They are not stretch to yield and there are 6 of them with a cross sectional area each of a 12MM high strength steel bolt. Just one bolt has a sheer load of 10,000 pounds or so.

[tom9192]

I just removed mine after ~135k miles and it looked good, so doubt it needs replacement. But for $28 online, why not.

[hassmaschine]

$28 is probably not an OE/OEM one - they are usually $50-$60. There are knockoffs out there - and they aren't constructed properly (the sleeves are wound in a special way to help them stay together, it's not just rubber - it's more like the way a radial tire is constructed).

[boosthead]

If it's a part that is removed during the clutch replacement, then $60 or even $100 is a nominal expense to ensure you don't have to spend time or money to replace it in the near future. That said, at 40k miles, it seems unlikely it needs to be replaced.

[Efthreeoh]

I replaced my E90's guibo some time after 230,000 miles when I replaced the center bearing on the drive shaft (I was chasing a driveline vibration - DMFW). It was a waste of money. Other than being dirty, there were no signs of fatigue. I kept it as a spare. The guibo on my wife's Z3 is 20 years old with 185,000 miles on it and I just inspected it in September prior to a two week road trip. That one is in fine shape as well. Replacing it prior to it shredding is throwing money away IMO.

[DaanBMW]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Why even replace the bolts? They are not stretch to yield and there are 6 of them with a cross sectional area each of a 12MM high strength steel bolt. Just one bolt has a sheer load of 10,000 pounds or so.

All I recall now is that when I looked in TIS it said if the bolts get removed they need to be replaced. I even found the printout.

[tom9192]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

$28 is probably not an OE/OEM one - they are usually $50-$60. There are knockoffs out there - and they aren't constructed properly (the sleeves are wound in a special way to help them stay together, it's not just rubber - it's more like the way a radial tire is constructed).

Nope definetly not OEM, here's the one I have. It's actually pretty easy to replace this as it doesn't require removing anything other than the splash panels, so if it does go bad I'll take them up on their one year warranty. The Genuine BMW one for an E90 is $168

[hassmaschine]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I replaced my E90's guibo some time after 230,000 miles when I replaced the center bearing on the drive shaft (I was chasing a driveline vibration - DMFW). It was a waste of money. Other than being dirty, there were no signs of fatigue. I kept it as a spare. The guibo on my wife's Z3 is 20 years old with 185,000 miles on it and I just inspected it in September prior to a two week road trip. That one is in fine shape as well. Replacing it prior to it shredding is throwing money away IMO.

replacing stuff "just in case" when there's nothing wrong with it seems to be the MO of this forum. No wonder people think BMW maintenance is so high.

When I beat the shit out of my E30 (tracking, autox, drag launches, etc) I always wondered how much longer things would last if I just drove it normally.. now with my E90, I know - a long damn time...

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by DaanBMW

All I recall now is that when I looked in TIS it said if the bolts get removed they need to be replaced. I even found the printout.

Oh, I agree, BMW says to replace the bolts; I just don't see why it is necessary. When I did my clutch, now 50,000 miles ago, I didn't change the bolts. When I replaced the driveshaft about 10,000 miles ago, I reused the bolts once again. The nuts are pinch nuts and stay torqued even after several uses. They are huge bolts 12MM that share less than 1000 lb-ft of torque (transmission output), any one bolt could take 10 times that torque and there are 6 bolts in the guibo. Their size is based on the diameter of the ferrule that is needed to keep from fatiguing the rubber isolator.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

replacing stuff "just in case" when there's nothing wrong with it seems to be the MO of this forum. No wonder people think BMW maintenance is so high.

When I beat the shit out of my E30 (tracking, autox, drag launches, etc) I always wondered how much longer things would last if I just drove it normally.. now with my E90, I know - a long damn time...

I never replaced my E30's guibo after 18 years and 256K. I looked it up, the E90 quibo is over $100. Unless it gets oil-soaked and the rubber deteriorates, for a street driven car, I just don't see the thing going bad.

Same goes for suspension bushings. I just replaced the wish bones on my E90 at 336K. I didn't need to. The left side wishbone bushing barely had a crack in the surface of the rubber. I clamped it into my bench vice, and it moved a bit more easily than the fresh wishbone I was putting in. The ball joint was a little less stiff than new, but not by much.

And I drive the car daily on some really excellent back roads. On the last 8 miles back into my house in the mountains, I hammer an 11-turn corkscrew that drops about 600 feet in a mile. Then up my road that follows a small river. I've done that drive literally 2,000 times in 10 years. That's 16,000 miles of serious road work. The E90 is a tank.

[hassmaschine]

The lock nuts maybe shouldn't be used more than a couple times - but yeah, there's no reason the bolts need replaced. It's probably simpler if BMW tells their brainless techs to just replace it rather than have to warranty it for a loose nut..

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

replacing stuff "just in case" when there's nothing wrong with it seems to be the MO of this forum. No wonder people think BMW maintenance is so high.

When I beat the shit out of my E30 (tracking, autox, drag launches, etc) I always wondered how much longer things would last if I just drove it normally.. now with my E90, I know - a long damn time...

Agreed. It's crazy how much people like spending money. A good friend of mine owns a body shop and he has certain clients that are suspicious if the bill isn't high enough. You can guess which cars they own.

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

The lock nuts maybe shouldn't be used more than a couple times - but yeah, there's no reason the bolts need replaced. It's probably simpler if BMW tells their brainless techs to just replace it rather than have to warranty it for a loose nut..

I also don't wonder if these statements are influenced by the dealer network maintenance divisions? Replacing more parts is more money in everyone's pocket in the chain...

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by hassmaschine

The lock nuts maybe shouldn't be used more than a couple times - but yeah, there's no reason the bolts need replaced. It's probably simpler if BMW tells their brainless techs to just replace it rather than have to warranty it for a loose nut..

Blue Loctite costs less than one bolt and comes in a gel with a convenient applicator

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Agreed. It's crazy how much people like spending money. A good friend of mine owns a body shop and he has certain clients that are suspicious if the bill isn't high enough. You can guess which cars they own.



I also don't wonder if these statements are influenced by the dealer network maintenance divisions? Replacing more parts is more money in everyone's pocket in the chain...

Since I'm the lonely old man around here, I've been working on BMWs before there was an internet (you actually had to buy a book! ). Back then BMWs had a reputation of requiring an extraordinary amount of maintenance (but they were worth it!). American cars never even called for brake fluid changes. Diff juice at 30,000 miles? It was WTF! Now BMW goes to the level of American cars as far as maintenance, and people now over-maintain the things. The internet helps greatly with this. The part retailers publish a DIY video, and poof, parts sales out the kazoo.

Hell, I'm still on my original radiator. I wish I hadn't done all the hoses. None of them needed to be replaced. Keep an eye under the hood, and replace stuff when it fails. The BMW maintenance schedule works just fine IMO.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Since I'm the lonely old man around here, I've been working on BMWs before there was an internet (you actually had to buy a book! ). Back then BMWs had a reputation of requiring an extraordinary amount of maintenance (but they were worth it!). American cars never even called for brake fluid changes. Diff juice at 30,000 miles? It was WTF! Now BMW goes to the level of American cars as far as maintenance, and people now over-maintain the things. The internet helps greatly with this. The part retailers publish a DIY video, and poof, parts sales out the kazoo.

Hell, I'm still on my original radiator. I wish I hadn't done all the hoses. None of them needed to be replaced. Keep an eye under the hood, and replace stuff when it fails. The BMW maintenance schedule works just fine IMO.

These are times I know not of, haha. Realoem and pelican parts were well on their way to internet fame by the time I picked up my first bimmer.

I'll admit I was on the over-maintain bandwagon, at first, but then after doing a lot of wrench turning, you start to know what's actually worth doing. That, and the E36 cooling system failures I encountered really shook me in my first year of ownership. People think a $350 N52 pump is expensive, but try replacing the E36 system one piece at a time over a year. I kept thinking "another piece just cannot fail with these odds". I was wrong

BMW cooling systems and their plastic parts have come a long way!

[simon]

The ZNS coating on fasteners is relatively abrasive compared to other coatings. Frequent loading and unloading of these types of abrasively coated fasteners, especially when removed and installed can deform threads and increases stresses on screw thread flanks.

This is the main reason why ZNS screws are sometimes recommended not to be reused. Whether it's a big deal or not who knows, but there is actually a reason on why they should not be reused.

Simon