4.8 Front Air Suspension
 

Looks like I have a small leak in on my front left air suspension - settles about an inch overnight. Is this a DIY job ? I searched for instructions, but no DIY came up. I can purchase the replacement from Arnott or others. Are all 4.8 bags the same ? Do I need to do both sides ? Will I have any sensor issues with non OE parts ?
Thanks

" Bump "

All 4.8 is bags are the same. But, the front and the rear are different. Use the search function, I think there is a brief diy somewhere. Make sure its the bag and not the sensor

Hi i had same problem pass side was leaking i bought Arnott Strut work like charm i replaced mine at home very easy and you need power tools to change or pay $200 to local shop. good luck

I just got a Arnott strut put on today. Took a local shop less than two hours. So far so good!

you must do a ride height calibration via GT1.....

Did the arnott air struts seem like good quality? My front drivers side is starting to leak a little bit. After I drive the X a block it is back up to normal ride height. Is an alignment required as well as the ride height calibration?

I didnt realize a 4.4i had front air? or do you have a 4.8is?

Yup, it was an option and my X5 which is a 4.4 sport has it.

I replaced the front right about 6months ago and its working beautifully. I just ordered another (front left) and will put it on next week. No problems thus far!

Thats great to hear. Did you install it yourself? If so, is there any info you could pass along. I am thinking about doing the install myself.

I just replaced front left a few days ago with the Arnott strut. Product seems to be of good quality. Job was relatively easy as long as you have a decent selection of hand tools. Hardest part was finding a " pop-rivet " tool to install the plastic rivets that hold the wheel arch trim. Ended up purchasing a cheap one at auto parts store.
Suggest you pre-purchase the rivets from one of the vendors here on-line. Local stealer dinged me $ 36.00 for package of ( 10 ) !!!
Having an issue with ABS locking up my front right when backing down my steep driveway. Might need to have ride heights adjusted, although vehicle is pretty level with new strut ??

Thats good to hear. I think arnott has good products. Maybe better than OEM. I dont think these air struts should be failing on a 55,000 mile car. I think my air strut is definitely done with. It is not bottomed out but it is lower than all the others. When I go over rough roads i get a kinda clunking noise. Does this sound familiar? Maybe we can put together a DIY on how to replace the air strut. It sounds like it isnt a very difficult job but it is always helpful when there are pictures and guidance to go off of!

Got the same clunking sound from mine when shock was low. Try lifting the vehicle higher with the " off-road " setting, and run over same bumps....I bet the noise disappears.
As to your comment concerning quality, I agree 100%. I love this truck !... acceleration, handling, braking.....all great, however, it is killing me with " small " items.....window mechanism, door handle carrier, cracked temp. sensor housing on lower rad hose, suspension rattles / bushings, air-strut, seat heater.....and on and on ! I don't see another BMW in my future with issues like this.

I just had my left front air strut fail, and I had the same clunking. Also, during one mildly hard stop, my front left locked up, which is when I noticed the problem initially. I would try to raise the suspension everytime I dropped below 30mph to keep it full with air. That lasted for about 2 weeks, before I was driving down the Turnpike and noticed I was feeling every single crack and bump in the road. I pulled over and noticed that my front left fender was sitting about 1/2" above the tire. Time to call AAA...

Does anyone know what needs to happen after I replace it with an Arnott strut? Something about a ride height adjustment? Is it mandatory?

subscribing to thread.

No, I brought it to a local shop. They were able to switch it out and reset the ride height computer in just about an hour. Was not too painful time or money wise. :)

Thats great to hear. My indie told me that it isnt necessary to reset anything after installing the new air strut?

Hey everyone, I just called BMW North America to see if they could do any good will repair on the air strut because they are so notorious for failing. They were not able to make any accommodations. However, the gentleman I spoke with said they have not heard of this issue. He said that he will submit a notice about this part on our X5's. He also said that once a lot of people begin calling them and expressing their concerns about this part on their X5 then they will start looking into it as a real issue and hopefully eventually reimburse or offer some accommodations. So, I suggest that everyone who has had a failed air strut to call BMW NA and submit a claim about this faulty part. Even if you have already replaced it with arnott. Let them know!! This is a numbers game and I believe we have enough people on this forum who's air struts have failed for us to get noticed. CALL THEM: this is the number to BMW NA: 1-800-831-1117

They told my brother this almost 2 years ago! It's the typical BMW response to faulty ware-out parts. They know that they used cheap rubber compound to make the bags. And over time, they will fail, like everything else on the car. It's called planned obsolescence.

Also, it is strongly recommended to do a ride height calibration via GT1 computer and to get an alignment!

;emans4.8: I agree that this is the standard issue response but it cant hurt if a lot of us bombard them with the same problem and concern.

As far as the repair, do you know why it is highly recommended to do a GT1 computer ride height calibration? Everyone I have talked with says it isnt. Just curious as to if I should make sure the shop is capable of doing that. Is it crucial?

Allright, is my air strut failing or am I going crazy. After the X sits in the garage the front left drops lower than all the others. The last time I drove it there was suspension clunking noise from that corner and it had seemed as if it failed. Tonight, i took the X around the block to do some tests. I pulled it out of the drive and raised the suspension to the highest setting. All four corners went up fine. I lowered it down to normal ride height, all four corners were at normal ride height and there was no clunking noise coming from the front left. I will check the X in the morning to see if it the front left has settled back down. Does all of this sound normal and still sound like the front left air strut has failed? Could it be anything else like a resistor or fuse? Any input or experiences you guys have had would be much appreciated. I ordered the arnott air strut today and want to make sure I really need it. Thanks! As well, I have not had any warnings or "self leveling inactive" messages in the dash. Do you usually get those with this issue? If a fuse or anything like that was not working would the suspension even go up or down?

sounds normal. The air bag dry-rots and gets little holes in it. Over several hours, the air will leak out. But when the car is running, the air compressor is continuously pushing air into that airbag. As the hole gets bigger, the air compressor will have trouble keeping up and it may burn out. This is why it is suggested to replace ASAP. I was actually told by several BMW reps (both in Canada and US) that ride height calibration was needed (especially if going with after market parts like the Arnott). The BMW rep I last spoke to said that it was a "common problem". But of course, the e53 is an outdated model now and has been for a couple of years. If all the e53's with air suspension blew their airbags tomorrow, BMW would not care since they can not be legally held liable for this part (especially since it is a wear issue).

Ok, thanks. Today I took the X to a local indy. We hooked it up to his computer and it read out the ride height that each corner was at. The front left was a little lower. He reset the ride height, putting all four corners back to stock spec. I am keeping an eye on the suspension level and measuring it to see if it starts to drop back down. I think it is still possible that the system is failing. However, before I replace the air strut I am going to keep an eye on it for a while and see how it behaves. Does the air compressor run continuously when the car is running regardless of a leak in the system? Or does it run when the air strut looses air?

Arnott has no cores to rebuild for the front left. It seems like the options are to take mine off and send it to them which would be around a 3 week process or get the best deal I can on an OEM BMW part. My air strut leaking has been very unpredictable. Some days it wall drop all the way in a few hours. Other times it stays almost fully inflated for 3+ days. Does this makes any sense?

I just returned my left core ( 2 ) weeks ago. Guess it got snapped up ! Your strut is acting exactly like mine did....stays up a few days, then sags in an hour - no rhyme or reason to it. I did notice that it was getting worse over time. Had to keep pumping it up with switch. I finally just ordered the strut from Arnott on the phone. Guy taking the order told me they didn't have stock, but would ship ASAP, and darn if they didn't send one out within ( 10 ) days. I would say put one on order and hope for the best. Only other option seems to be dealer @ $ 1,000. +/-

That is reassuring to hear yours behaved the same before it totally failed. I do have an order in for the left front with arnott. Hopefully they get one soon. Last night I was looking under the X and saw a bushing that was shot. So I guess I have a couple projects!! One new thing, I am noticing that the times when my front left entirely deflates my right one deflates a little as well. Does this sound familiar?

Yes.....had same thing happen with mine. Since replacing the left strut, I still have a few issues with right being low. I have not had recalibration done yet - hoping that is the problem. If not, guess I will need to replace right side as well. Not such a scary job once you have completed one.

Just a note to everyone. I called Arnott this morning to check and see if they have any left front in stock. All of the sudden they have 4 in stock. So if anyone needs a front left air strut, Arnott has them right now!!!!! Cant wait to have my X fixed!! Now time to decide if I will do the work or take it to my indy?

I am glad they have them in stock. I will be replacing my left side soon so let us know how it turns out. When I do mine, I plan on taking a lot of pictures to show everyone that steps I took.

I would be interested to know the difference in strut condition between the one they send you and the one you remove from your car.

I think you should order and make the detailed DIY before me;) haha. I am still on the fence about installing it myself. I am replacing all of the front end bushings at the same time. So, the X is basically getting a face lift. Cant wait!!! I'm just not sure that I am interested in working in my garage when it is 110 plus. I live in Phoenix and it is the heart of the summer. It might be worth the money for my comfort just to have my shop install the parts. I am replacing all the bushings. I am using Lemfoerder, Febi, and meyle HD bushings for the thrust arms (all ordered from autohausaz.com). My lower control arm bushing on the drivers side is completely shot so I figured it would be worth while just to do everything at once.

LOL!! Sounds like you know about parts though. I don't know half of what you just said. :) I know those Phoenix summers are "tourch"er! I lived in Tempe/Mesa/Chandler for 16 years before moving to El Paso. You can come here help me with mine and then I will come there and help you with yours. We are only 7 hours away. :)

Front Air suspension
 

This is exactly what happens to mine.

Here's another thing that makes me curious. Ok, so I know I have a leak on my front eft since I did the soap and water test. It so happens that something triggered the "SELF LEVEL SUSP INACT" error. I have a GT1 to reset this but i decide to just leave it there. With the self level suspension inactive, it seems my suspension does not fall overnight as it does when self level is active. I've left it for a week sitting in the garage and there is no noticable hat gives?

I just got the X back!! I had a local shop install all the parts. I replaced the front left air strut with a refurbished one from Arnott. I also replaced all the bushings up front. I used the meyle HD bushings for the thrust arms. The X definitely needs an alignment. So far, it drives like brand new!!! I cant wait to get a true feel for how it drives after the alignment.

Second day of new air strut and all front end bushings. I took the X to the dealership for an alignment this morning. The front end definitely feels tight and responsive!! However, i feel like when the car is tracking straight the steering wheel is slightly to the left. I am going to drive the car for another day or two and see if anything changes with the parts breaking in. Or it is possible that it still needs further adjustment. Anyone have similar experiences to this after replacing front end bushings?

do you have a link to the bushings?

I went back to the dealership this afternoon to have it put back on the rack to re-align it. They fixed it and the car is aligned now. Both the wheels and steering wheel. They said the machine needed re-callibration??? I don't know if I believe that... But either way the X is back and drives great!!!

I bought all bushings from autohausaz.com
Select Part to View

It is my understanding that you need to depressurinzing the air strut before removing the strut for replacement. How does one go about depressurinzing the air strut? Unfortunately the arnott site doesn't have any instructions on the x5.

Ambro.

I ordered the air strut from arnott for my right front. The front left i previously ordered and installed a month ago was in perfect condition. This one for the right side that arrived today is in unsatisfactory condition. It has rust all along the bottom, sounds like there is water in the air strut cylinder and the top mount plate is entirely different. It looks like it was fabricated and does not have a guide pin and it has a different outlet for the air supply hose. Has any one experienced this with their air struts from arnott? I am going to have them send me a new one and send this one back. I am not comfortable installing this one and am a little surprised they sent it to me in this condition.

AZ keep us updated on how arnott handles this very unsatisfactory condition. I need to replace my left side strut but now I am having second thoughts about them after your post. My car only has 46K miles on it and doesn't have a spec of rust. I can't imagine replacing my almost new (with the exception of the leak) with a strut that has many more miles and is not in similar condition. This is the reason why I was actually considering shipping them my strut, having them repair it and shipping it back to me.

Ambro

Both left & right struts I got from Arnott were great. No finish or fit issues whatsoever. They also were quick to refund the $ 100. core deposits both times. Could not ask for a better transaction.
As for depressurizing the strut before removal, all I did was unscrew the air fitting slightly and let the remaining pressure bleed out before removing completely. I also pulled the fuse in the rear compartment to disable compressor until new strut in place.

I got a response via email from arnott tis morning. They told me that these are refurbished and sometimes have a little rust on them. This was excessive and it sounds like there is water in the air strut. Not okay. As for the aluminum top cap. They say that majority of the struts they refurbish the original top caps are damaged and this one with fit proper. As well, the air supply hose will fit fine. I am sending this one back today and they will be sending me a new one.

I think arnotts product is fine but am very surprised they sent this one out.

Have the air struts others have bought from arnott come with this fabricated aluminum top cap? Reference the 3rd picture below.

Here are a few photos of the air strut I just received from arnott. I will be sending it back.

That rust looks pretty bad to me. It probably will only be a matter of time before it eats up the strut. I am afraid that the same thing would happen to me. I have a strut in mint condition, with the exception of the small left side strut leak. Almost would rather be without the car for 3 weeks and see if they can repair my old one. The car only has 46K miles on it and it has been taken well care of over the years.

Is Arnott taking care of you?

Yeah, i was very shocked that they even send that air strut out their door. I cant imagine how they would think someone would be satisfied with that part? My X is in perfect condition so I can relate to what you are saying. I called arnott and they are replacing this air strut. I sent it back last week and am now waiting for the new one to arrive. I told them to only send me one that is rust free and in good condition. We will see what I get. The first air strut I got when my left side went out was in perfect condition. I thought of sending the air strut that is on the X but it concerns me to leave my X on jack stands for so long. However, at the end of the day this process of return and receive is going to take close to three weeks. I hope to get the new one this week but im not sure when it will come. I think they don't have any ready to send out. They have to rebuild some cores is what he said.

Overall, I guess they are handling this pretty well. I wish they would expedite the shipping to get it back to me and that they had one ready to send out but I cant really control that.

Wow...those pics are pretty bad ! Don't blame you for rejecting it. Both the struts they sent me were like new condition. Hope they treat you right on the replacement.

A month ago when I replaced my front left the one they sent was in great condition. So, I was surprised!

What was the top cap like on the ones you received? Was it the OEM top cap or was it one of arnott's fabricated aluminum top caps? (I am referring to the top cap that has the slot for the air hose and the bolts that mount on top of the air strut under the hood/ Refer to my 3rd picture) This one they last sent had an aluminum fabricated top cap and the previous one I received from them did not have that.

Both top caps were like OE - had locating tabs and new studs. Left side came with new nuts and washers for top as well / right side not.

Interesting. This junk one had an aluminum top cap like you can see in the photo. I prefer having an oem top cap.

I just received and installed my Arnott struts today, and they look and work great. No rust or appearance issues, and they fit perfectly. The install itself is not too difficult for a DIY project. All you need are some basic hand tools, a floor jack, and jack stands. Took about 4 hours total to do both sides. An extra set of hands helps to line up the strut bolts. My X now rides and turns like new again. Boy, what a difference! Now I just have to figure out how to clear the SLS inactive warning from the computer.

Would you mind making a step by step little DIY on how to do this job? Just saying the process from unscrewing the top bold, the air supply hose, etc.... I think it would be helpful.

My new air strut from arnott was sent out yesterday. It should arrive by the end of the week! I am very pleased with their customer care and quick responses to emails. I am excited to get the new one to see the condition it is in and get the X back on the street. I will give you guys an update when it arrives!

I didn't take pictures, but as you proceed with the project, you will see what parts and locations on the vehicle I'm describing. This install was done on my '06 4.8is, but I think all the X5 front strut air suspensions are the same. Although only my driver's side strut was bad, I changed both sides as it is the recommended procedure.

1. You need to gather the necessary tools (this is what I used): 10mm and 13mm (3/8in drive and univ. joint), 17mm, 19mm, and 22mm sockets (1/2in drive and extensions); 1/2in breaker bar, torque wrench; 12mm, 13mm and 18mm wrench; large adj. wrench; punch; hammer; floor jack; jack stands.

2. Remove the negative terminal from the battery, or pull the fuses for the air compressor in the cargo bay.

3. Jack up the car, set it on jack stands, and remove the wheel (I started w/the driver's side).

4. Open up the hood and locate the strut tower. Remove the plastic center cap from the top of the strut assembly.

5. Note the location of the strut top mounting bolts. The mounting holes are slotted and the bolts will sit forward, middle or back in the slot. Mark a reference point to reassemble in the same position later and retain original camber as much as possible (I had no problem w/camber angle and my X still tracks straight after the install). I did this by removing one bolt and marking the bolt's location on the strut tower. Loosen the remaining nuts, but do not remove all of them yet as they will hold the strut in place until you are ready to release it (one nut on each tower is near the firewall and hard to reach. I used a 3/8in universal joint to turn them). On the passenger's side, you will need to move the washer fluid reservoir (remove the 2 plastic retaining nuts and lift the reservoir up and slightly to the side to expose the hidden strut retaining nut).

6. Locate the area in the center of the strut downtube that holds the brake hose and sway bar end link. Remove the brake hose retaining clip, and pull the grommet out of its slot. Keep the loose hose out of the way so it doesn't get damaged.

7. Remove the sway bar end link connection (this was actually the toughest part of the job). You need to lift the rotor/spindle assembly up until tension is relieved from the sway bar and the end link is centerd in the mounting hole (I used a floor jack under the brake rotor to lift the spindle asssembly). Remove the retaining nut and check the angle of the stud to make sure it is pointing straight. Locate the small indentation in the end of the stud, and use a suitable punch and hammer to knock the stud loose from the mounting hole (it should pop out). Be careful not to damage the threads, or the end of the stud, or you will not be able to reinstall the retaining nut. After the end link is removed, lower the spindle assembly to its lowest point to take pressure off the strut assembly.

8. Leave the floor jack in place under the brake rotor to support the spindle assembly. Depressurize the air bag at the top of the strut (mine was leaking, so all the air was gone, but you can just cut a hole in the bag to let any air out since the bag is not going to be re-used anyways). Locate the two large bolts holding the bottom of the strut downtube to the spindle assembly.

9. Remove the top retaining bolt and wire bracket from the strut downtube and spindle (I used a 1/2in breaker bar to loosen the nuts as they are torqued very tight). You will need to hold the opposite end of the bolt to keep it from spinning (an adj. wrench works fine). Make sure not to damage any wires and keep them out of the way while working.

10. Make sure the rotor is still supported, and remove the lower retaining bolt. At this point, the spindle assembly can be pulled away from the bottom of the strut downtube, and the strut assembly will hang freely by the remaining top retaining nuts. Be careful as any air pressure remaining in the bag will cause the strut to extend unexpectedly and possibly do some serious damage to you or your vehicle. Make sure to de-pressurize the air bag first!

11. Support the bottom of the strut tube, and remove the remaining nuts from the top of the strut tower (the strut assembly weighs about 15lbs+, so be careful not to drop it as it will hit the hoses and wires below it, and pull out the air supply line too). Lower the strut assembly a few inches to expose the brass air connection on the air bag at the top of the strut assembly (I used a wooden block to support the bottom of the strut tube so I didn't have to keep holding it). You might have to remove the inner wheel well liner to access the air line, but I didn't have to do that in my case. Remove the air supply line from the air bag and clean the tip of the air hose connector (keep any dirt out of the line).

12. Remove the old strut assemlby from the wheel well.

Installation of the new strut assembly is basically the reverse of the above. Again, re-installing the end link was the trickiest part as the stud will often spin and you will not be able to tighten the retaining nut. You can use a wrench to hold the stud (look for the grooves at the end of the stud near the ball joint). You might also be able to tighten it by pressing the back of the stud/ball joint up against the mounting hole really tight (this worked on the driver's side, but on the passenger's side, I had to resort to using a pair of locking needle nose Vise-Grips to hold the stud). Make sure to double check all your work.

After everything is back in place, lower the vehicle and reconnect power to the compressor. The strut air bag should fill automatically and you will see the vehicle rise. If not, try jacking it back up to fully extend the strut, and then lower it back down to get the compressor to start up and pressurize the system.

Feel free to PM me if you need any other info. or help with your install. I'd be happy to help.

jek889: Great write up. I think this will be very helpful to many people!!

AZ,

I ordered the left side strut the day before yesterday. Still haven't received any confirmation emails letting me that it has been shipped. I just hope that I don't get the one you shipped back to them. :)

Haha, you probably wont. I don't think that one is going to go back into circulation. If you haven't received notification just give them a call and they will be able to help you. I think for one of my orders I didn't really get any email confirmation.
My new one arrives possibly today or tomorrow!! I am anxious to see what I get.
One other thing. When I ordered my left front they were out of refurbished cores and there is no indication of this on their website or on any emails. So, it could be worthwhile to give them a call and get confirmation that they have them in stock and it has been shipped.

AZ,


I just called them, they told me that they already shipped and provided me with a tracking number. Looks like they shipped it the next day after the order. I have a delivery date of Monday.

Did you use the 10% off coupon that is floating around the internet? It at least saves you from having to pay shipping.

My oem cores went back this week, and other than the leak in the driver's side bag, there were in great shape. I hope that whoever gets them after they are rebuilt gets some good use out of them!

Yup, I did use one of the 10% discount codes. The one I used was from a mercedes forum I believe!! That was a lot of fun to find that discount!! Arnott is about to get a nice supply of cores from all of use real soon! We are all probably running on each others old air struts haha.

I received the new air strut from arnott today! It is in excellent condition (probably someones air strut from this forum). The quality of this one has exceeded my expectations. No rust or any imperfections. Looks like a brand new one!

Thanks for the information AZ. I get mine on Monday, hopefully it will be as good as yours.

Keep us updated on how it goes with your repairs. Take pictures if you do it yourself.

I think I might have my indy do the work because I want to take the X in to have a couple other things looked over. However, if I do end up doing the work I will take pics.

Just got my strut today. Looks like it is in good condition. No rust. The guide pin turns as you twist it, but maybe that is the way it is supposed to be.

So, my mechanic replaced the right front air strut today and after installing it he found that it was still a little lower on the right side. He has a smoke tool to find leaks in air tight systems. It turned out that there was a small leak close to the compressor on the hose delivering air to that right front strut. Now the entire system is air tight and functioning as it should!!!

I still think it was worthwhile to replace the air strut because the front left had recently failed. I am sure this one was close behind. And it was sagging more than an inch over night sometimes.

I share this because his smoke tool made checking the system much easier. This would be a good tool to have to check the system. It feels great to know the entire front end is new on the X and should be good to go!!

AZ

Thanks for sharing your experiences. My wife is out in Phoenix right now, but as soon as she returns I am going to work on replacing the strut on mine. (In case something goes wrong I am not stranded :) ) It looks like a simple process though. Should be a lot of fun.

So Arnott struts have a life time warranty so I guess if these ever go out again for you, they will just replace it for free? This beats paying $800+ labor every time one of these go out.

Is she out here on business or a conference? I ask because my mom's business is a vendor at a nurses conference that starts tomorrow. She sells southwestern/contemporary jewelry...

Yup, they do have a lifetime warranty but that doesn't discount the labor required to get it back out. When I picked the X up i noticed that the normal ride height was much lower than before. My mechanic who I am very happy with showed me the print out from his diagnostic computer showing that all 4 corners were put back to spec. It turns out that the previous mechanic who installed the left front (a mechanic I no longer go to) had put the ride height to high. The normal ride height is now aprox 27 inches in the front and 28.5 in the rear. These measurements were taken with the car off and when I say aprox error on the lower side. As well, when I adjust the ride height it goes lower than it did before and higher than it did before.

The X tracks straight with less effort, handling feels more crisp. Basically, it feels like a BMW should. I don't think my suspension was ever right. It feels so different in a good way. Keep in mind I had all the front end bushings replaced last month. So the entire front suspension is brand new! I am excited to do some more driving tomorrow on some twisty roads and get an even better read on the new front end.

And I think you are totally correct. This doesn't seem like it is to difficult of a job to do. I chose not to do it because I wanted this mechanic to check the work the previous one did.

No she is in town to see family. Pleasure. Who is your mechanic? Maybe when I travel to Phoenix and need any work done, I can see him.

His name is Sam and his shop is EuroCar Center (602.994.6744).He doesn't do any advertising his shop is basically word of mouth. He mainly works on Mercedes but he has the knowledge and tools to work on everything. He has been in business for 21 years with this shop and 10 with another shop he owns in Los Angeles. His hourly rate is $90.

Instead of spending money with Arnott stuff for your suspension
 

Just wanted to share with you guys, I have had problem after problem with this $%^* suspension. After dumping about $3,500 into compressor, struts, module, then another compressor I looked around and found a company that has a kit that you install regular struts/springs. The kit doesn't lower the car like those other spring kits that they sell online. I am no Mechanic by any means but the guy I spoke to "Diego" actually encouraged me to do it my self. It took me most of the day, followed the instructions, but it wasnt that bad and I just have normal tools. This is the absolute best thing I could have ever done. I should have looked online before I threw away all that money at my BMW mechanic. It rides fantastic !!!!!couldnt be happier!!!! I wanted to tell you DONT waste your money on replacing the factory stuff, my guy's name is Diego and his number is 1-877-401-8028. best purchase I could have ever made for my X5.
thx
BMWX5r