Stiffening plate bolts

[cn90]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

Great! So if anything bad happens you accept the liability?

Boring reply...

- All dealer mechanics laugh at this issue.
- The dealer mechanics reuse the bolts.

[Crowz]

I have followed this thread (its entertaining) but hadn't planned on posting anything since I didn't see a point.

What dawned on me is unlike EVERYONE in this thread I actually have pushed my reused bolts to the max. None have fallen out and none have broke.

The reason I say I have pushed them to the max is because DAILY that plate supports most of the weight of the vehicle going over some rocky spots in my driveway. The plate looks like battle scared tank armor.

Also I have completely suspended the x5 on that plate a few times high centering it.

So beside crashing the car the plate on mine has been beat to death with no ill effects other than the scaring. Bolts are fine. I have had that plate off at least 10 times since I bought it. Reused the bolts every time.

Im not getting into the "book calls for replacing them" argument.

Just pointing out real world extreme conditions my plate has seen with reusing the bolts and no issues.

Take that info and do with it whatever you want. Your results may vary.

[oldskewel]

Originally Posted by Crowz

... Bolts are fine. I have had that plate off at least 10 times since I bought it. Reused the bolts every time...

Thanks for the data point. Not surprising, and that's good to hear. What torquing procedure do you use for re-installation?

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by cn90

Boring reply...

- All dealer mechanics laugh at this issue.
- The dealer mechanics reuse the bolts.

Didn't post it to be exciting, was just food for thought if it came down to the nut cuttin' point. If they were a dime each there would be no threads on this topic and no boring replies. I wonder if the reason is crash safety.

[Crowz]

Originally Posted by oldskewel

Thanks for the data point. Not surprising, and that's good to hear. What torquing procedure do you use for re-installation?

I usually run them down lightly to make sure nothings binding. Then I apply the German Gudentight torque value.

[Crowz]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

Didn't post it to be exciting, was just food for thought if it came down to the nut cuttin' point. If they were a dime each there would be no threads on this topic and no boring replies. I wonder if the reason is crash safety.

Well Im going to leave THAT test to one of you.

I have hammered it via underside impacts with rocks and ground but Im not going to crash test it

[tempest411]

Is everyone talking about what I think they're talking about-that 1/8" thick aluminum panel under the engine? In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't add much if anything to crash safety, and you could surely drive around without it without even noticing it wasn't there. The only reason why it's even made of metal is in case someone actually tries driving off the beaten path between their home and the nearest shopping mall.

[crystalworks]

^I wish mine were aluminum. Mine is steel. I might look for one of the aluminum ones for some weight savings.

BMW's reason for replacing those bolts will probably never be known. Could be anything from liability avoidance to something more insidious like not wanting DIY'ers to service the transfer case, drive shafts, etc. Generate more money for the dealer service departments after warranty. Or worse, drive more sales of new X5's. Could be anything.

As with most here, I'll keep reusing them until the bolts snap during torquing. Cost of the bolts sucks, but if they were head bolts, they'd be getting replaced. As of yet there has been no demonstrable reason to replace the stiffening plate bolts, regardless of price. Suspension lock nuts are "single use" items as well, but they get reused all the time also. And they are extremely cheap...

[crystalworks]

Replying here as it makes more sense here.

Originally Posted by bcredliner

I am not qualified to take a position either way. My bet is you aren't either.

By this reasoning none of us should be turning wrenches on a BMW, or any other car for that matter, as we are not trained auto technicians. Or working on our houses because we aren't contractors, or any other number of examples. A bit reductio-ad-absurdum admittedly. But to say that anecdotal evidence and personal experience of members should be disregarded (especially one as mechanically inclined as Andrew) is like saying we should all ignore our father's when he is trying to teach us something. Doesn't make sense.

As I said, BMW recommends replacement of suspension fasteners as well. But they routinely go unchanged during maintenance. If the stiffening/reinforcement/skid plate bolts/nuts were $1/ea I still doubt many would replace them due to inconvenience, just like the suspension fasteners. I'm sure the dealerships would stock and replace them if they were so cheap. Many more DIYers than do now (which is in low single digit % I'm sure) would replace, but most would just zip them back on and not think twice.

We all understand your position. BMW recommends replacing the bolts every time they are loosened. You've stated it, we accept that, or at least I do. You do as you see fit obviously. We disagree that they need to be replaced. We've stated it, along with our experiences.

If someone comes here asking about whether they need to be replaced or not, our responses would be wildly different. Yours would be: "BMW recommends replacing them." That should be the end of that as no one knows why BMW recommends that. Our responses would be, "BMW does recommend replacement, but not many here do, we don't see a reason to, and my/our experiences are..." There is no debate that needs to happen... and yet it does.

[SlickGT1]

You know why I reuse the bolts. Because my impact can remove axle nuts without unbending the lock clip. My impact will cross threat a 3/4 thick bolt as if the threads were there for it. But my impact can whale on those bolts for an hour, and they don’t snap or stretch, or some other silly shit. My impact bottomes out and will stop turning them. And I actually did tighten them up breaker bar. 1/8 turn takes a shit load of effort. Those shits are tight enough. Even my buddy with bmw specialty shop laughs at me when I ask him if we should change bolts. He literally guns them max tilt on impact and calls it a day.