Wait till the front bolts snap off, that’s fun! 😨 The sacrificial corrosion within the top mounts and the chassis is absolutely off the charts and you might find a weird gel substance in there . never seen anything like it in any car I’ve worked on
Easiest way would be to mark everything before disassembly, but in case it doesn’t align you can use spring compression tool when putting shock back and align everything by hand. Just be careful and take your time 😉
@@Mr.BadMechanic Thanks for the speedy reply - I'm in the middle of the job right now! Got it all aligned ok but now way can I get the hub pushed down far enough to engage the bottom of the shock absorber 11:10 on the video. . I'm using a 4 foot bar and all of my weight buit it seems the bushes are just too strong and stopping the hub going far enough down. I'm stuck!
Mate, I feel your pain 😔 it took a while for me to get it in… that’s what she said 👹 make shure the car is stable and basically lay down on the bar with all your weight it’s very hard but that’s how I got the bottom bolt.
@@Mr.BadMechanic Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better! Finally got it in with a lot of swearing. The other side was quite a bit easier but I think that may be because I replaced the entire suspension leg a while back and likely didn't load the suspension up enough when I tightened the bolts on the suspension arms so the bushes are probably pre loaded now. I should fix that really.... Not a nice job for something that looks fairly simple. Doing the front shocks tomorrow - any words of wisdom?
Lest go!!!😀 for the front be careful with top bolts, 5 out of 6 snapped on my car. Also top mount’s shock bolt was pain in the A$$ to undo. Well to be fair mine car probably came from Nordic country so many bolts are seized and instead of reached tool I had to use angle grinder 🤬
For the labour involved, and because it’s about the only thing that’s cheap on a BMW, I’d have changed the bump stops. I’d also put a smear of grease on the top mount. Aluminium corrosion eats them. Just wait until you see the fronts with the top mount bearing!
