Need advice and help
 

Hello!
My tires are cupping from the outside edge so I took it to get it check to see if I could get it aligned. The tech told me it can't be aligned because my degraded struts, I have the Adaptive Drive option on my 2010 X5 48i and they're not cheap! It's there any test I can do before I pull the trigger on buying new struts? By the way I changed the tension strut bushings with heavy duty ones to see if that was the problem.

Here's the print out
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...be5eeb941b.jpg

I would take it to a front end shop. I can't understand how the numbers on the page can translate to replace the struts. Did a tech get under the car and inspect the front end components?

Seems to me that the free "alignment check" provided at the dealer check in is a revenue raising machine. A cursory view of the hardware used appeared to me to leave something to be desired in the manner with which it attaches to the wheel leaving questions, in my mind at least, as to the level of accuracy and repeatability.

A strut is made from 2 components the spring that is the suspension mechanism (i.e. it supports the car) and the shock absorber.

I would assume that the sloppy technician meant the shock absorber has degraded.

Could you post a picture of your tires?

The shock absorber is normally not considered a part of the suspension and as such does not affect the STATIC alignment you get from an alignment rig. At least that's what I've always knew, but that may not apply to the geometry of the X5. In other words, it's tough to diagnose a bad shock from an alignment...

Have you inspected the various bushings and ball joints in the suspension?

For example I've recently replaced the bushing #6 in this diagram: it is filled with an hydraulic fluid so it's pretty easy to spot when it's damaged. Another person had them replaced and they are fairly common failure point:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/f/i/446.png

Incidentally the suspension arm #5 is called "tension strut"... Perhaps the tech was not sloppy, but used the correct term and you mis-interpreted struts

Ill take it somewhere else to see if I got the same diagnostic. He check every bushing and he said they were all fine. They have a laser alignment machine called Hawk Eye.

Mine looks exactly like this one.
I also replaced the same bushing you did and it helped a little.
He explained that the strut might be bad because as the car is in motion the tire might be bouncing up and down getting that "weave" pattern. But I also read that this pattern is also "scalloping" caused by under inflation due to heat.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...789d371761.jpg

To me that seem like bad toe, plain an simple.

If it was a bad shock (not the strut, just the shock absorber) you would first feel it in the steering wheel as a vibration but also be more irregular...

Are shocks in the back and struts in the front? Or the x5 has a different set up? I had a vibration going 80, when the tension strut bushing got changed the vibration is gone.

Here's some readings:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1ep...p=docslist_api

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1ep...p=docslist_api

What would you recommend me to do