Tricky Question: Average Suspension Life-Span
 

Hi All,

I know there's no cut-and-dry answer to this question but I'm going to ask it anyways: What is a ball-park estimate of the amount of miles an X5's suspension can take before it's in need of replacing?

My X5 has 150,000 miles on the clock, of which 75-80% are highway miles; most of the remainder took place on decently paved city roads. Also, the truck went about 10,000 miles towing a 5,000lbs load.

It's difficult to tell whether the suspension is getting soft/bouncy because I've driven the car since it had 85,000 miles and, as you all know, it's often times quite difficult to realize when something gradually wears out.

I'd appreciate any input. Thanks a lot, folks.

The suspension won't really get too soft and bouncy on the X5. But at 150,000, it's definitely worn. I'm surprised that you're not able to feel any knocking, shimying, etc. Rear sub-frame bushings should be bad by now too. I've got the sport suspension and I've on my third set of front suspension at 132,000 miles. I've just replaced all the rear suspension including air springs and subframe bushings.

I don't have much experience with the e53, but with my other cars there really isn't a given number of miles where they need to be replaced. Usually the lifespan of the rubber bits in the suspension varies depending on how the car has been driven and on what kind of roads. Plus chronological age and climate both come into play -- a car that isn't driven often but isn't kept garaged will show some deterioration in the suspension bits before one that is driven more but spends its downtime in a climate-controlled garage.

The best ways to judge if yours needs attention is inspection, and watching for symptoms that would indicate something isn't right. For instance, tires that wear quickly or with odd wear patterns indicate problems with wheel alignment; paying attention to tire wear patterns will help identify what bits are worn & causing the problems. A good service or drivability tech knows what to look for and the right questions to ask. If you do the work yourself, it might be worth taking it in to the dealer or independent shop for an inspection and repair estimate; most places will do that for free or a nominal fee and help you budget repairs. The estimates can get into big money quickly, and they don't expect you to just give them the go-ahead when the repairs might add up to half the vehicle's value. With the estimate in hand you can judge whether you want to do the repairs yourself or check around with other shops to see about getting things done more reasonably.

The X5 we just bought has 154,000 on it, and the service records the previous owner gave me show that the front suspension parts had been gone through a few years back, but not the rear. It was making some clunking noises when the clutch was engaged, which indicated worn subframe bushing, and the rear wheels had an excessive amount of negative camber, plus the inside of both rear tires was worn. That indicated that the bushings that keep the camber & toe in spec were worn. That's my project for the coming week, to get all of the worn bits in the rear end replaced. I spent about $500 on parts, $70 on a Bentley repair manual, and another $300 on a tool to extract & install subframe bushings, but considering a shop would charge probably three times that amount, I'm happy to do the work on my own. And this forum has helped me a lot in figuring out what's needed and whether I could do the jobs on my own. Search around and you'll find lots of info. Also, the BMW X5 Tips and Tricks has a lot of good info.

Hard to answer, because the suspension isn't one thing, it is a collection of parts. If it feels like it is floating, it is time for shocks. They will be worn at that mileage, but not necessarily worn out.

Bushings and links wear depending on the loads they experience. You don't list your model and wheel size, but a 3.0 with standard wheels could be fine at that mileage, while a 4.4 with sports package and larger/heavier wheels will show much more wear. Rough roads will accelerate wear further.

Thanks for all your replies. However...

I just realized how vague my original post was. I was not referring to the entire suspension - I meant to ask only about shocks and struts. My apologies for making you guys waste your time.

Now, my bushings, ball joints, tie-rods, rear shock mounts, etc. are destroyed; this much I know. Everything is GONE. If I'm replacing all that stuff, I figured I should consider the socks and struts (possibly springs; maybe do the bilstein and eibach stuff together with the rest of the overhaul).

One thing I did not consider were the subframe bushings. Flatlander, do you really think those need replacing? I KNOW that's gunna be quite a hefty bill...

Anyhow, as I said, what I'm mostly concerned about are the shocks and struts. JCL, thanks for the damper comment. What would you do if you were in my shoes? I am, essentially, replacing every single suspension component other than the dampers and springs.

Anyone one else with any input on the dampers and subframe bushings?

If I was replacing all the bushings I would do the struts at the same time.

i've been wondering about this myself (03 3.0L w 125k). every other set of Sachs/Boge struts on my other old Bimmers has been shot by 75k miles. on my e36, i changed em at 75k and couldn't believe i'd waited for so long. new struts brought the car back to life.

That's what I figured you'd say - makes sense. Now I have to decide what shocks/struts to buy; OE, Bilstein, etc. In regards to the Bilstein shocks, some members have complained about the ride quality of the Bilstein HD/Eibach Sport combo. IIRC, a member did the HD with some other springs brand (which I don't recall at the moment) and reported that his setup was much more comfortable than the Eibach setup. What about using OEM springs?

I also think I recall seeing other members posting that Bilstein, in fact, produces a more "OE" type shock than the HD. Any idea? If that's true, maybe I could do that with OEM "is" springs (or would you recommend something else?) with such a shock. Perhaps such a sock can entertain a higher performance spring?

I'm so confused. Business as usual with me.

Lots of questions, I know.

Thanks for any feedback.

I just put Eibach lowering springs and Bilstein HDs on my e32, and the ride is a bit harsher than the stock suspension. I thought at first it was just the fresh shocks -- no idea how many miles were on the old ones -- but from what I've heard from others, it can be a harsh combination. If I were you, I'd try keeping the stock springs and just refresh the shocks/struts & see how it is. Springs don't wear out like shocks & struts, so yours probably still have plenty of life in them.

I don't know how much of a DIYer you are, but changing out the subframe bushings isn't a super tough job; I just did mine this weekend, and with the right tool it went pretty quickly. I ended up buying the Baum Tools puller/installer (which was far less expensive than paying someone else to do the job) and will be renting it out to others. (/shameless_plug ;) )

with the subframe bushings - they don't need replacement, as there is probably nothing left to replace. They need to be REINSTALLED... lol...(or other proper word to "have new ones installed"!!) When I looked at mine on the 4.6, i wasn't sure what i was looking for... the rubber material was simply gone...