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Broken springs? Yes, plural. Anyone else?
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07-30-2018, 05:13 PM | #1 |
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Broken springs? Yes, plural. Anyone else?
Front driver's side broke last winter. Rear driver's just now. Is this a thing? I searched and only found a couple of broken springs. Just curious if im unlucky or if I should whine to BMW
08 xi 126k miles. Harsh winters |
07-30-2018, 10:44 PM | #3 |
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Lots and lots of salt? Post some pics of your springs and car.
I spent years and years in a mountain ski town and always tried to leave my car outside during cold spells while lots of salt was being used. Reason? It kept the salt suspended in ice, and if I parked in a garage every night the salt would melt with the water(created salt water) and soak into every nook and cranny(and every paint chip on the spings). When it warmed I would give the underside the best rinse off I could at a spray and wash. Went though lots of exhausts(most cars didn't have ss then as oem, and as a fledging ski bum I sure as hell wasn't going to spent the cash on one for a replacement... lots of coat hangars were used in my life...) and every car I owned rusted through the fenders but never a spring. Car chassis rustproofing has come a long way in 10 yrs... but in a harsh winter environment it's gotta be tough on things like springs... My 2 cents probably won't give you any answers you are looking for but gives some perspective. |
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07-31-2018, 09:52 AM | #4 |
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No damaged wheels or tires. You are insinuating that i drive in holes? I dont. Mostly interstate. I have a truck for the shitty roads. All of them broke while the care was bone stock with 16" wheels. The front one snapped while the car was parked. I know because it was immediately obvious when I drove off.
It tried to cut a hole in my new tire, but I caught it pretty quickly. That is the only damaged wheel or tire on this car |
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07-31-2018, 10:56 AM | #5 | |
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How is the rest of the car as far as rust? Body panels? Suspension bits? Brake lines? |
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07-31-2018, 11:12 AM | #6 | |
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Thanks, just wondering if it was odd to you guys too, as i didnt find much on this |
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07-31-2018, 01:12 PM | #9 |
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Yes, broken springs. They always break on the bottom. The first cool collapse and break off from all the salt and debris that hasn't been power washed off. Here in Chicago is very common as people tent to use the car wash drive thru. With e9x getting old we will see more and more.
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bluewater328625.50 |
07-31-2018, 05:35 PM | #10 |
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The fact that you broke both front and rear springs is weird, since obviously springs are matched left to right, and f/r springs are completely different. Is it possible you managed to get debris wedged between the coils? Do you have pictures of the broken springs? I am curious where on the spring the fracture occurred (ie 1.5 coils from end, 1.75 coils from end), and where on the wire the fracture began (ID or OD of spring).
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07-31-2018, 06:35 PM | #11 |
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The front broke in the middle; a very long spiral fracture. There was no impact or obstruction. I got in and it was very obvious that it had broken overnight.
I haven't examined the rear in detail. It looks to be on the lower part of the spring, but not in the bucket where the moisture would be trapped. The springs arent very rusty at all. feuer makes a very good point though, and I have heard that. The rear could have been any time. It drives pretty well, but I started hearing it clang. I think it may have happened when backing out of a driveway. The car was diagonal off the curb and there was a lot of weight on that wheel. It made a clunk, and I did hear the clang after that |
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07-31-2018, 07:01 PM | #12 | |
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07-31-2018, 08:02 PM | #13 |
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Im sorry guys. I have one pic of the broken front that is not that good. I still have it, in the scrap some where. Pics are a pain in the ass too. I cant remember what image host site i use.
I remember the (front) coil appeared to be cracked for a while as half of the crack surface was rusted on both pieces |
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08-13-2018, 01:50 PM | #14 |
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Update, I have pics but damn the uploading...
Rear broke well above the lower bucket. No trapped salt or moisture. surface rust on all the oe springs; no other signs of damage. Realized that the rear spring may have been halfway broken for a very long time as it stopped making a rattle that i attributed to tools in the trunkwell after the replacement. It may have more recently snapped all the way. No clue,but the noise and look of the car had suddenly changed enough for me to look at it again. Also, new springs are H&R sports. FYI the car looked best with the H&Rs on the front and the oe in the back (with one broken). Ha! It looks and handles great with them all around, but i feel most would regard the rear a tad low relative to the front. #xiprobs. Its pretty low, but id like the front to match, ideally. |
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08-14-2018, 11:11 AM | #15 | |
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Conjecture: Rust might only be visible in the seated areas at the point of the coating damage, but then cause the spring to fail at another point due to internal deterioration and stress. |
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Jklad421.00 3srsntswngr4.50 |
08-15-2018, 10:35 AM | #16 | |
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I can see how deep rust and pitting can create a stress riser, but, none of the rust seemed like it was severe enough, and the worst rust was no where near the breaks Im fairly confident that both springs were at least cracked at well under 100k mi, when the car was less than 10 years old. They both appeared to have been broken for some time before complete (and premature) failure Im not upset, but I think its noteworthy |
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