[tadaska]

Sometimes it feels like the rear wheels have unattached from the car. It's brief when going over a bump (or maybe a pothole, not sure which) and not all bumps/holes make it feel that way. When I was young I'd check my dampers by pushing down on a corner of my car and letting go. If it bounces up and down a couple of times I'd fit a new damper. So I did this test on the rear of my current car but it didn't bounce. I assumed it was the multi-link suspension at fault not the dampers. But I had it on a lift recently and I couldn't see anything alarming when I looked at the bushes. I'm sure it's not perfect at this age but could it be that the dampers are in more urgent need of replacing than the bushes at the rear?

[Sheepy]

Well I’ve changed them on my last 3 beemers & on every occasion at least one of the dampers when removed from vehicle & compressed in did not rebound out again. Lowest mileage on my cars when I replaced them were 63k. They really don’t last long. I’ve used eurocar parts for M-Sport Sachs dampers that were identical to the oem ones without the BMW logo & price tag!

[therealdb1]

Dampers are often the forgotten part of a suspension set up.

People spend their time and money on poly bushes and control arms etc. but carry on with dampers with 100k miles on them.

You certainly will not do any harm fitting new ones and you may well find that the "floatiness" disappears.

As Sheepy says BMW do not manufacturer dampers they are a bought in component so shop around and save £'s for the same item without the BMW part number written on the side!

[m20b25]

Just replaced mine which still has the originals on at 175k. Fronts were ok, rears were shot.

Went with eibach springs and dampers. Can't remember the make of the dampers but it's a great comfy setup with a slight drop

[tadaska]

Ordered a set of Meyle damper struts. Everything else suspension related I've bought so far is Meyle so why stop now. And they were cheap.

What else should I get? Which parts are likely to be kaput and not reusable?

[tadaska]

I also ordered bump stops with dust covers. But what about these:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-Genui...53.m1438.l2649

and

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2X-SACHS-....c100005.m1851

I don't know if they get exposed to lots of forces or not. The first one (fits on top of the strut) looks like the sort of thing that could wear out. But the second one (goes under the strut) looks quite durable. Any ideas? My car's done about 130k miles. I guess chances are none of them have been replaced before. I don't want to be throwing money away but if replacing them makes things better then I will buy them.

[rasa bmw]

i fitted a meyle rear shock set,included were bunp stops and top mounts//whole set was £80 still good after 2 years or so

[tadaska]

Originally Posted by rasa bmw

i fitted a meyle rear shock set,included were bunp stops and top mounts//whole set was £80 still good after 2 years or so

That sounds like a very good deal. I paid £60 for my pair, doubt they will come with anything extra like the top mounts. Were your top mounts worn out?

[rasa bmw]

nope,,i just bought the kit on the safe side,,my rear shocks were leaking badly,,then i waited a week or 2 and they got worse,,bouncing in fact round bends,forgit to mention,,this was on my e46,,aint changed them on my e90,although the front ones have been done(sachs)also went sachs on my e46 for the fronts a few months ago

[rasa bmw]

here is the kit i bought,,still the same price..https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOR-BMW-E...EAAOxySoJTRnF2

[rasa bmw]

oops quite a difference for the e90,,hope mine last on my e90 now ha ha https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOR-BMW-E...YAAOSwz9FZyln-

[tadaska]

That is a huge price difference.

I want to clarify something... I asked about the top mounts being worn out but I was thinking about these:



Were they worn out?

[rasa bmw]

mine were dirty and didnt really check the old ones,,i assume they were original to the car from new,,but im sure they were ok,,but for the price id just do them,,nowt worse than getting everything pff,,then realise you need them,,motorfactors would stock them but quality is hit and miss.

[tadaska]

Twelve years, 137k miles and with the original dampers...

And maybe the most impressive thing is that when I push it in it still pushes all the way out.

But wasn't able to remove it without destroying the top mount (the one that's at the bottom on the lower control arm).

My advice to those changing their dampers if they been in there for a long time - buy ALL the bits that go above or under the dampers.

[bee-ma]

Originally Posted by tadaska

Twelve years, 137k miles and with the original dampers...

And maybe the most impressive thing is that when I push it in it still pushes all the way out.

But wasn't able to remove it without destroying the top mount (the one that's at the bottom on the lower control arm).

My advice to those changing their dampers if they been in there for a long time - buy ALL the bits that go above or under the dampers.

What other parts would I need to buy when replacing the front shocks on my E92?

Part numbers?

[tadaska]

Originally Posted by bee-ma

What other parts would I need to buy when replacing the front shocks on my E92?

Part numbers?

No idea, I only did the back ones. The fronts are not too bad. Maybe some one else will be able to help.