dominica

I own a 2005 530i. I've own the car since new and have had AC Schnitzer 19" type II on it. A few weeks ago the rear suspension suddenly got lowered. Now the tires are rubbing when I hit a bump in the road or have passangers in the back.
I took the car to a BMW shop and the guy there try to tell me that I had aftermarket AC Schnitzer springs installed on the car. I told him that I never mess with the suspension and only had the wheels installed before I got the car from the dealer in Germany. Now 5 years later the wheels are rubbing.

Before I spend unecessary cash replacing springs of shocks, I would like to get some opinion from you guys out there. I my heart I believe maybe some kids of electronic malfunction. Correct me if I wrong.

Thanks in advance.

wanker

It simply sounds like your suspension is shot. It's not unheard of for a car that is over 5 years old. You probably need new bushing and likely springs and shocks. Plus IMHO BMW's suspension seems to wear a bit early compared to other manufacturers.

toyota2bmw

If you had the car since new and have never swapped the struts/shocks in the back, they are pretty much done. The shocks must have lost some hydraulic fluid over the years and the rear is pretty much sitting on the springs. A good test to perform is, push down on the rear section of the car, if you can push it down easily and the rear comes back up quickly then down again, there's a good chance you'll need new shocks. You will feel the same sensation when you go over speed bumps. The rear will feel "bouncy".

I have the same thing happening to mine right now but in the front. My front struts are shot and the car is about 12mm or so lower than when it was new. I can push down on the on the front easily and it bounces quite a bit. I've talked to people in this forum who swapped their shocks at 30,000 miles. You are one of the lucky ones for having it last 5 years.

Don't worry, it's normal wear and tear. Time to get some coilovers!

I've got mine in hand ready to swap out this weekend. Contact Michael at Acute Performance for a set of KSports.

dominica

Thanks Wanker for the feedback. I need some opinion because the dealers sometimes give us the "want to make money" vibes and I was not feeling them at all this time. Now I am feeling better getting that second opinion.

Blessings bro.

turboawd

i'd inspect your springs to make sure they're not cracked, or missing a piece.

dominica

Excellent feedback and I will take your advice and I will do exactly what you recommended. Swap rear coilover for new and better quality ones. I will begin shopping tonight.

Blessings brotha

toyota2bmw

Try to get the whole set and not just the rears. The front ones would have had a lot more work to do actually holding the weight of the engine all these years. For the price of replacing the two rear ones with OEM, you can get a whole new set for the car. Koni FSDs come highly recommended if you want to stay OEM with everything but don't want to pay OEM prices. I suggested coil-overs because they would give you the ability to adjust the ride height as well as the dampening characteristics. Your choices for coilovers would be KW v1,2,3 or H&R or JIC Cross or KSports. The cost differences are pretty drastic so be aware what you are getting.

Consult Michael at Acute Performance or other members here for opinions on various coilover setups. Not all coilovers are created equal. Good luck!