DIY: Front strut rebuild with new shock absorbers - 2009 Xdrive 4.8i Adaptive drive

[agjon]

I’m in the process of replacing a broken spring and I’ve run into a snag and would appreciate an opinion. I had a battle to get the bolt out of the upper control arm swivel. Lots of corrosion on the bolt. After a battle royal, it’s out. Now the problem is that the upper control arm swivel is absolutely frozen in place. Any one run into a similar problem? Is there a BMW-specific tool I need to remove it?

[DEADF15H]

Originally Posted by smassey321

Also, don't attempt to do this with the Auto Zone/Advance/Oreilly lonor spring compressor tool. It will take foroever and is not safe. Use the type of tool that the OP shows and you can safely compress the spring in 5 minutes.

Here's pics of the one I ordered from Eastwood, it's no longer available. I will never use the old style spring compressors again, they are just scary.
You can find different versions of the "pancake" style on Amazon.

[DEADF15H]

Originally Posted by agjon

I’m in the process of replacing a broken spring and I’ve run into a snag and would appreciate an opinion. I had a battle to get the bolt out of the upper control arm swivel. Lots of corrosion on the bolt. After a battle royal, it’s out. Now the problem is that the upper control arm swivel is absolutely frozen in place. Any one run into a similar problem? Is there a BMW-specific tool I need to remove it?

If this is the piece your talking about, when new they are a little stiff, when worn out they are usually fairly easy to move. If you've got corrosion elsewhere, it may have migrated into the joint and caused it to seize. I'm no expert, but recently replaced all those pieces in the front on both sides. You'll probably need an alignment after you're done.

[TriX5]

Are you referring to getting the pin of the knuckle joint out of the upright(hub carrier)? A BFH is probably your best friend.... As to the knuckle it self, it is an integral piece with the wishbone.

[simt]

Originally Posted by smassey321

I finally got around to doing this job but unfortunately I waited a little to long. I had very minor clunking which all of a sudden became major clunking very quickly. I think the bushing completely fell apart so there was nothing left. This caused the strut shaft to crack the rubber in the upper strut mount. I had to stop in the middle of the job and park the car while I waited for parts to come in.

Hey Smassey, which rubber bit is this? Is it inside part#9 - Support Bearing flange?

My car has also gone from a minor thunk to a major (super squeaky) clunk as well. I'm assembling the parts for this job and I would guess that I'll have the same cracked rubber to replace that you've mentioned.

-Sim

[smassey321]

Originally Posted by simt

Hey Smassey, which rubber bit is this? Is it inside part#9 - Support Bearing flange?

My car has also gone from a minor thunk to a major (super squeaky) clunk as well. I'm assembling the parts for this job and I would guess that I'll have the same cracked rubber to replace that you've mentioned.

-Sim

Yes #9 is where the rubber cracked. You can inspect the rubber if you remove the nut and washer from the top of your strut.

[Mistercamp]

Yes, very annoying. I did not realize there was rubber inside the 'support bearing flange' and non-replaceable at that. Added 5 days to fixing my car, but luckily I work from home so it was not a huge issue. Do yourself a favor and order parts 4-10 so you don't end up needing parts and waiting. If using FCP you can return what you don't need. Also, I used the Lisle 62300 spring compressor - it worked very well and def worth the $45.

[SeanC]

I am bumping my own thread. Replacement parts lasted less than 40k miles and I'm wondering if somebody found better aftermarket parts. Foam is just not the right material for these things... What was BMW thinking!?

[conix67]

Originally Posted by SeanC

I am bumping my own thread. Replacement parts lasted less than 40k miles and I'm wondering if somebody found better aftermarket parts. Foam is just not the right material for these things... What was BMW thinking!?

What brand did you get? I recently got KYB brand parts (11, 10, 8 from the diagram) because that's the only one I could find at rockauto. Mine started making noise recently and got worse quickly in matter of days.

Every 40K miles is no big deal since they are easy to replace without taking out the whole strut assembly.

[Sam Lin]

Powerflex has poly replacement donuts for the front tops. Haven't found a similar option for the rear.