Im going to be buying a set of coilovers for my z4m and wanted to know does anyone know of any companies around the london or essex area than can fit adjust ride height and alignment. Ive used these guys before but only for tyres has anyone used them for suspension setup thanks. http://www.elitedirect.com/
suspension specialists
- Thread starter erol_h
- Start date
would you consider fitting yourself?? you can then adjust ride height pretty easily with trial and error, then your left only paying for an alignment...
it took me 3 evenings working from 8pm to 4am to install my competition race dampers, yes some parts were alittle tricky but i know for a fact no-one will take the love and care i will....
give it a go.. you may supresie yourself, after doing this id have no problem doing it again....
it took me 3 evenings working from 8pm to 4am to install my competition race dampers, yes some parts were alittle tricky but i know for a fact no-one will take the love and care i will....
give it a go.. you may supresie yourself, after doing this id have no problem doing it again....
+1 WHS^
It's not a difficult job to do yourself. The only special tool you need is a spring compressor (costs about £15 off ebay) and a 22mm socket to remove the front top mounts if you're using them with the coilovers. The rest of the tools will be in your kit. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have doing the job along the way.
It's far more satisfying doing these things yourself and you can ensure that the job is done properly and you get to know more about the car and how it works.
It's not a difficult job to do yourself. The only special tool you need is a spring compressor (costs about £15 off ebay) and a 22mm socket to remove the front top mounts if you're using them with the coilovers. The rest of the tools will be in your kit. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have doing the job along the way.
It's far more satisfying doing these things yourself and you can ensure that the job is done properly and you get to know more about the car and how it works.
Now youv'e got me thinking I am a engineer myself so i know my way around a spanner. I've never worked on my cars though i might give it a shot with a helping hand from a friend. I am going for a set of coilovers and it would be cheaper as ive been quoted £240 for just fitting the suspenion.
erol_h said:
You're as well-qualified to do this as anyone. There's only 8 bolts to undo on each front damper and 3 on each rear damper, and it's all self-explanatory mechanical parts. From the money you save by doing the job yourself, I'd recommend spending some of it on a Rear Trailing Arm Bush limiter kit (another 4 bolts to undo on each rear wheel). 8)
Like I say it took me 3 evening taking my time and doing things meticulously, yes I made some slip ups but I enjoyed putting it right , I also went OCD as usual on the details... For example
Here's my billet top mount , the studs were custom order so I could use my strut brace, the longer studs meant I could use my nut caps so I used a craft knife to cut out perfect wholes to allow me to refit.. Next I noticed my new top mounts when adjusted inward for more camber my wrench would catch the metal in the opening when tightening things so I ordered some samco vacuum tubing, cut them and made a protector....
Like I say.... No one does things better than you....
If you run a race damper be sure to look at reinforcements,
The devil is in the detail
Good luck op.
Here's my billet top mount , the studs were custom order so I could use my strut brace, the longer studs meant I could use my nut caps so I used a craft knife to cut out perfect wholes to allow me to refit.. Next I noticed my new top mounts when adjusted inward for more camber my wrench would catch the metal in the opening when tightening things so I ordered some samco vacuum tubing, cut them and made a protector....
Like I say.... No one does things better than you....
If you run a race damper be sure to look at reinforcements,
The devil is in the detail
Good luck op.
As much as this is a bolt on .... I wouldnt call it easy.... It's time consuming but 100% doable at home lifting each axle respectively. I started fronts and went back.
My car is very clean with no rusted parts as I've never used it in the bad weather so that made life easy as hell.
Btw I was quoted 980 quid for fit n adjust by centre gravity.
Seriously.
My car is very clean with no rusted parts as I've never used it in the bad weather so that made life easy as hell.
Btw I was quoted 980 quid for fit n adjust by centre gravity.
Seriously.
I think that BMW specifies high quality materials in all its components from its suppliers and I've never come across any really rusty nuts and bolts on any of the BMWs I've worked on. Some of the bolts used are self-locking and take a bit of force to undo so I now use "3 in 1 High-Performance Penetrant" on all fasteners before I attempt to undo them. I also use "Threadlok" when reassembling using the original fasteners on any of the major suspension parts. I avoid using open-ended spanners like the plague. If you take your time doing any of these jobs, it's a great way of enjoying your car when you're not driving it and I think you come to appreciate it more. What you save on labour charges, you can use to buy more parts. 
8)Ive found a chap on the m3 cutters forum that has fitted suspensions to a few of the members and is willing to come down to me and fit the suspension and adjust on a sunday for £160 which is reasonable plus i can be there and watch him and make sure everything is does which sounds good to me.