Identifying a small part please...

[ydkcioc]

Hi guys,

I’m new to the forum and hoping if I can get some help with identifying this small rubber part that fell out from underneath of my E85... I’ve emailed and asked 3 different bmw dealerships but nobody seems to know.

Thanks!!

 

[Roberltd2]

So would the measurements be in inches or centimeters perhaps?

 

[ydkcioc]

So would the measurements be in inches or centimeters perhaps?

Sorry my bad it is in centimetres, thanks.

 

[Conrod]

An non-original exhaust hanger maybe?

 

[Crazy Harry]

Fell out - you saw it drop or was under where your car had been?

If it was on the garage floor I'd be looking at kids bikes for missing bits. I assume its stiff plastic and the square lugs look like locking tabs.

If on the drive than you might have parked over it or driven over it and flicked it up into the wheel arches - you are going to torture yourself about this you know :lol:

 

[colb]

Since it has a 2008 date stamped on it what year is your car? Also what else is stamped embossed on it is the round one a BMW logo, any sign of a part number on it?

 

[Scooba_Steve]

Looks like the spacer from inside the lollipop bushings.

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/part?id=BU52-EUR-03-2006-E85-BMW-Z4_30si&mg=31&sg=05&diagId=31_0642&q=31126783376

 

[ydkcioc]

Hello & thanks!

It is 100% a BMW specific part because on both sides these are engraved: a “bmw logo”, an “arrow”, a “2008” and a “130”... however there’s nothing else.

The part was found sitting on our garage driveway immediately after a routine “start up” — car isn’t insured in the winter months so I circulate its fluids once in a while...

The driveway, is a private space that is directly in front of our garage door (for our household to park extra cars) and is not a common driveway with random traffic so it couldn’t have been left by another car.

I’m not sure if any of these facts would be helpful but during the “start up” I did have my steering wheel on full lock... and hmm... I removed the foam from inside the sound generator about 9 months ago... the material of this part seems to be rubber instead of silicone due to its stiffness... it was covered in your usual road dirt but no grease... oh, vehicle is a 2004 3.0i model year.

Since there’s no part # of its own, I wonder if it actually broke off from another part....

Thanks guy!

 

[Scooba_Steve]

Since there’s no part # of its own, I wonder if it actually broke off from another part....

Thanks guy!

I've just said that.

 

[ydkcioc]

you are going to torture yourself about this you know

This cannot be more true haha, but I keep thinking what if this jeopardizes safety...

 

[ydkcioc]

Looks like the spacer from inside the lollipop bushings.

Thanks Steve, that’d scary because the rubber part remains a full circle without any opening... so what gave so that it could escape from there

 

[Scooba_Steve]

Looks like the spacer from inside the lollipop bushings.

Thanks Steve, that’d scary because the rubber part remains a full circle without any opening... so what gave so that it could escape from there

From the back

 

[ydkcioc]

From the back

Thanks Steve!

 

[colb]

Yes if indeed its from that part it could only escape from the rear side of it otherwise it would be hanging on the suspension arm at the front side.

 

[Scooba_Steve]

Yes if indeed its from that part it could only escape from the rear side of it otherwise it would be hanging on the suspension arm at the front side.

I've had them do that before too!

 

[ydkcioc]

So when the time comes would you guys recommend having it towed to a mechanic instead of driving it there?

 

[Scooba_Steve]

So when the time comes would you guys recommend having it towed to a mechanic instead of driving it there?

It's just a spacer, I bet there are many lost in the wild!

I'm not really sure what it does, the centre of the bushing is pretty solid. I would put it back but not lose any sleep over it until then.

 

[ydkcioc]

I would put it back but not lose any sleep over it until then.

Awesome thanks!

 

[RKM]

Just gave me an idea for a great practical joke.

 

[GuidoK]

So when the time comes would you guys recommend having it towed to a mechanic instead of driving it there?

I think the ring maybe reinforces the bushing, makes it stiffer. The thicker side of the bushing is pointed towards the inside of the car, where the bushing gets it's forces from the suspension.
So maybe your bushings are quite worn (they are a wear item) and it's time to replace them.
Towing to the garage is not necessairy, and neither is stopping to drive the car imho.
But maybe time to find a good indy and buy the bushings online for a decent price (you can also opt for Meyle HD or Powerflex if you want a stiffer bushing with more lifetime; otherwise go for Lemförder branded, they are the OEM) and have them replaced in the near future.

For people who don't have a clear picture where they're situated, here's a highres pic where you can see them sitting inside the rubber bushing:
http://buyparts.co.kr/shop/largeimage.php?it_id=1438329061&t=3

In these bushings you see the bmw logo removed by hand (probably with a dremel tool).
This is normal practice in the aftermarket parts business. These were made on the same production line as the original ones (so at lemförder). Usually parts manufacturers hold the rights to sell the parts themselves that they make for a car brand, but the embedded brandlogo has copyright so they need to remove that. Sometimes by hand (in this case) and sometimes they have an insert that they can place in the mold that blanks out the logo and you can see the traces of the insert.