Damper spacer blocks - any ideas?

W

wonkydonkey

Senior member
 Somerset
Evening all. I picked up my E85 Z4 on Monday and am addressing issues one by one. It was taking pot holes/drain covers really harshly on the nearside front wheel, almost as though the damper was seized. Removing the front wheels has revealed an oddity.

Both dampers have a rubber bump stop fitted, but the nearside damper had these two hard plastic spacers fitted around the rod. They would explain the crashy ride, but I'm not sure why they were fitted. Has anyone else come across these?

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I guess they're the kind of thing you'd normally sling in if you wanted to reduce your suspension travel (e.g. if you fit big wheels that tend to scrub in bumps). My car is on 17" BMW wheels (225/45/17 up front) so needs no special treatment.
 
srhutch said:
Think they are for transportation when new. Should have been removed at pdi inspection.
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Strong theory. Can they really have been left on for 15 years? Even more bizarre is that they were both fitted on one side...and it felt awful :lol:
 
They are used to block out the shock when a spring breaks so the car can be loaded / recovered to the garage, then they should be taken out when the spring is replaced by the garage.

If they slip inside the boot the garage may not of see them and left them in.

We use them on The AA , I usually take them out once at the garage.

Stuart
 
Stuartt said:
They are used to block out the shock when a spring breaks so the car can be loaded / recovered to the garage, then they should be taken out when the spring is replaced by the garage.

If they slip inside the boot the garage may not of see them and left them in.

We use them on The AA , I usually take them out once at the garage.

Stuart
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Well that's the final piece of the puzzle. Thanks Stuart. I cleaned one off and saw the moulded AA logo - that confused me, but you've just explained it. It'll feel like it actually has suspension now!
 
wonkydonkey said:
Stuartt said:
They are used to block out the shock when a spring breaks so the car can be loaded / recovered to the garage, then they should be taken out when the spring is replaced by the garage.

If they slip inside the boot the garage may not of see them and left them in.

We use them on The AA , I usually take them out once at the garage.

Stuart
Click to expand...
Well that's the final piece of the puzzle. Thanks Stuart. I cleaned one off and saw the moulded AA logo - that confused me, but you've just explained it. It'll feel like it actually has suspension now!
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As I said, transportation blocks :P
 
wonkydonkey said:
Stuartt said:
They are used to block out the shock when a spring breaks so the car can be loaded / recovered to the garage, then they should be taken out when the spring is replaced by the garage.

If they slip inside the boot the garage may not of see them and left them in.

We use them on The AA , I usually take them out once at the garage.

Stuart
Click to expand...
Well that's the final piece of the puzzle. Thanks Stuart. I cleaned one off and saw the moulded AA logo - that confused me, but you've just explained it. It'll feel like it actually has suspension now!
Click to expand...

Did you not ask when you test drove it why it was so hard ? I’ve driven with these in a short distance before and it’s bloody awful, so I’m surprised the previous owner hadn’t said something?

Stuart
 
Stuartt said:
Did you not ask when you test drove it why it was so hard ?
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I would've done had I felt it on the test drive :wink: It was only on the drive home at higher speeds and with sunken drain covers etc that it became apparent to me. I've only driven it four times in total so I'm glad to have diagnosed and removed the problem :) I've also discovered that the car has mismatched rear springs, resulting in a 20 mm ride height difference across the axle. I like dismantling and fixing, so this is all rewarding for me!
 
wonkydonkey said:
Stuartt said:
Did you not ask when you test drove it why it was so hard ?
Click to expand...
I would've done had I felt it on the test drive :wink: It was only on the drive home at higher speeds and with sunken drain covers etc that it became apparent to me. I've only driven it four times in total so I'm glad to have diagnosed and removed the problem :) I've also discovered that the car has mismatched rear springs, resulting in a 20 mm ride height difference across the axle. I like dismantling and fixing, so this is all rewarding for me!
Click to expand...

:thumbsup: the main thing is your sorted now and happy.
Still can’t believe someone left them in, wonder how long they’ve been in for ?

Stuart
 
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