[sabino56]

I have 2006 E90 non-sport. built 05/2006
I'm replacing stuts/strut mounts.
I'm looking at 31306775098 PN for strut mount.
There is a Sachs 802397 for $75 which says it is equivalent to 31306767451, 31306775098
There is a Lemfoerder 31306775098 for $28 on different seller website.
I read threads where it was said 31306775098 was steel vs aluminum on alternative PNs which could be used.
There is a Lemfoerder 31336760943 for $29 on another website which I've read was an aluminum mount.

Does anyone have experience in buying any of above? what was quality or construction differences?
Generally, I feel you get what you pay for on these big online sites and given pain in replacing this, I don't want to be cheap. But that's big difference for supposedly same part - some I'm guessing there are differences between the Sachs and Lemfoerder 31306775098. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

[PerfectAce]

Lemforder is a quality OE brand -- they're a subsidiary of ZF. When I replaced my struts a couple months back, I used the Lemforder mounts. I compared them to the original mounts that I took out of the car and couldn't detect any meaningful difference. As far as the steel vs aluminum question...I have no idea. The Sachs part may cost more because it may still have the BMW part number on it.

[sabino56]

Thanks, I appreciate the response. I shopped around a bit and the Sachs were more expensive on every website but, in the end, rockauto’s prices on Sachs struts were enough lower it almost washed difference out so I got the Sachs strut mounts too. Since I had no experience on these, I decided that for amount of work to replace them I’d err on side of paying too much for same quality than paying less and getting something lower quality. We’ll see when they arrive which it was.

[feuer]

Why did you go with Sachs? Granted they are OEM but almost every name brand aftermarket is a better choice.

[johnmyster]

I searched posts regarding the same. Consensus is that BMW had two OE parts. One for sport. One for non-sport. Dimensions are the same, but the sport version was stronger. Don't know if this referred to the rubber or the cup. Years pass, and they decide to only offer the sport version as replacement, so part numbers get superseded, combined, etc. Confusion ensues.

I just replaced mine with whatever was handy. I'll probably regret it. Note, the new ones you buy will stand "taller" than your old ones. It'll raise the front of your car a bit, but the rubber will settle in over time.

[feuer]

johnmyster short vs long refers to the strut/shock shaft not mounts.

[sabino56]

I’m want stock suspension feel. I don’t race and have liked the way the car rides and handles for daily driving. The stock stuff lasted 125k before I noticed some noise in front end, so I figured replacing with same would be good for life of car the way I drive.