MOT Fail - Springs
- Thread starter cj10jeeper
- Start date
So I've got to stand at the rack reading all the mags to see which one. 
I'll see if I can find that thread
I'll see if I can find that thread
T20Lau and myself changed the rear springs on mine about 6 months ago. Turned out to be a very easey job that simply requires a jack and 2 bolts loosening at the base of the shock mounts. 1 hour job tops!
This is a very simply task on the rear of the car and I am 110% confident in your ability to do this yourself Phil based on your past posts. PM T20Lau for an exact how to as I'm sure he'd love to help. 8)
This is a very simply task on the rear of the car and I am 110% confident in your ability to do this yourself Phil based on your past posts. PM T20Lau for an exact how to as I'm sure he'd love to help. 8)
DannyBoy said:
2 bolts, I can only remember undoing the lower shock mount to allow the rear axle to drop a bit more on the side we were changing, the biggest problem we had when changing mine was to find Spring compressors that would actually compress the springs enough, with your ability Phil if this job takes you more than 2 hours then you have had far to many coffee breaks while doing it.
This is what I needed guys. I have not had time to take a look underneath, but seeing the TIS seemed to indicate a mountain of work, for what was logically a simple job
Time to get my spring compressors out Saturday
Time to get my spring compressors out Saturday
CJ - IIRC you won't need the spring compressors for the rears. The fronts, yes you'd need spring compressors, but like Richard says it's a nightmare finding spring compressors that compress the springs enough (there's so few coils that it's difficult to get the compressors across a full wind). We gave up with my fronts and took the shock/spring assemblies off to Kwik Fit where they managed them in 20mins for a tenner (nice guys in my local one).
Undo the lower shock mounting bolt on both sides and you should be able to lower the axle down enough that the old springs fall out, so you can easily insert the new ones. If I can manage it, with your previous projects on here I know you'll be fine
Undo the lower shock mounting bolt on both sides and you should be able to lower the axle down enough that the old springs fall out, so you can easily insert the new ones. If I can manage it, with your previous projects on here I know you'll be fine
Cheers a11y - I don't have any doubt as to my ability to do it, just wanted to get the inside track before starting and ending up with half the car in bits and a day gone.
Fronts I'm sure are a different animal with struts to pull off :thumbsdown: Thankfully I'm on rears only for now.
Funny that the dealer told me they are such common breakages and reorders a pair the day they are sold - ouch
Fronts I'm sure are a different animal with struts to pull off :thumbsdown: Thankfully I'm on rears only for now.
Funny that the dealer told me they are such common breakages and reorders a pair the day they are sold - ouch
Hi cj10jeeper,
It may be worth you trying to push the dealer to replace them out of goodwill - my car is an 04 plate, only done 28k miles, so I spoke to Dick Lovett BMW in Swindon and just cheekily asked if they'd replace the rear broken spring as a gesture of goodwill as I'm out of warranty, and they did it without so much as a debate - all they needed to do was take a look on the ramp and they did it FOC the next day.
Corf
It may be worth you trying to push the dealer to replace them out of goodwill - my car is an 04 plate, only done 28k miles, so I spoke to Dick Lovett BMW in Swindon and just cheekily asked if they'd replace the rear broken spring as a gesture of goodwill as I'm out of warranty, and they did it without so much as a debate - all they needed to do was take a look on the ramp and they did it FOC the next day.
Corf
Aye, total different (and complete PITA) beasts the fronts are. Just in case anyone's wondering, the front struts contract within the body of the shock when you remove the top cap - I've changed springs on a few cars and not had that before! Made getting the top cap assembly back on a bit of fun, hence I handed them over to Kwik Fit to do that task.cj10jeeper said:
Oh, and reading magazines at the rack: Borders bookshops with Costa Coffee in them are the best - grab a magazine, grab a coffee, grab a seat, read away for free
Never made it to WHSmith to buy/read
Took a look this morning and it took longer to get the tools out than do the job.
Jack up, wheel off, drop bottom shock mount, press down hub, pull spring out, clean up area of grit, press hud down, slot in new spring on pads, reconnect shock, wheel on and done.
First took 15 mins., second <10
Springs were a disgrace. Both cracked in half at the bottom, one with a piece missing. Annoyed I had missed them because it was the bottom coils not the top and I shoudl have seen it sooner.
Remains of bottom coil
New fitted (sorry for poor photo)
New next to old
Pile of junk
the corf - sorry - missed your post about 'gesture of godwill' I'll call BMW UK next week.
Took a look this morning and it took longer to get the tools out than do the job.
Jack up, wheel off, drop bottom shock mount, press down hub, pull spring out, clean up area of grit, press hud down, slot in new spring on pads, reconnect shock, wheel on and done.
First took 15 mins., second <10
Springs were a disgrace. Both cracked in half at the bottom, one with a piece missing. Annoyed I had missed them because it was the bottom coils not the top and I shoudl have seen it sooner.
Remains of bottom coil
New fitted (sorry for poor photo)
New next to old
Pile of junk
the corf - sorry - missed your post about 'gesture of godwill' I'll call BMW UK next week.
Shipkiller
Veteran
a11y said:
The fronts are not very hard at all. See this post:
http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2733&p=39729
Good write up, but it certainly wasn't the case with mine. As soon as we took the top assembly off, the shiny bit of the strut disappeared inside the rest of the shock body, i.e. it compressed. No amount of pulling would make it stay out while we tried to reattach the top assembly. No idea how the garage managed it (health and safety meant they wouldn't let me into the worshop...) but they managed fine.Shipkiller said:
Notch me up for a broken rear spring too
Backend of the car didn't feel quite right, booked it in, service desk couldn't find anything wrong first time
Went back and took the road tester out for a driver this time, thought it might be a rear spring, put it on the ramp and bob's your uncle it was. Don't know how they missed it the first time.
I could hear the thing flapping about, like there was metal bang against metal in the boot.
Waiting for a set of springs now from Germany, it's been 2 weeks already :thumbsdown:
Backend of the car didn't feel quite right, booked it in, service desk couldn't find anything wrong first time
Went back and took the road tester out for a driver this time, thought it might be a rear spring, put it on the ramp and bob's your uncle it was. Don't know how they missed it the first time.
I could hear the thing flapping about, like there was metal bang against metal in the boot.
Waiting for a set of springs now from Germany, it's been 2 weeks already :thumbsdown: