ZeroDfx

I noticed in the "High Mileage" thread that there are quite a few folks who are still driving their E60 with lots of miles. My 2008 550i has 145k miles and feels like it's due for some suspension work.
Most of the high mileage cars listed new suspension arms, struts, shocks as work they had done. My question is whether most of you had this work done for you, or whether any of you did that work yourself?
I have done the struts/shocks on previous E39's and wrestled with changing control arms breaking several fork tools in the process. But that was 20 years ago when I was a much younger man and was more able to lay down under the car; lately it's just been oil/filter changes. I'm wondering how the E60 suspension compares to the E39.
FCP Euro sells "control arms, ball joint kits" that appear to include all the main components; are any special tools needed to swap out these parts?
Does it make sense to do the strut/shocks at the same time while everything else is dis-assembled?
Your thoughts would be appreciated.
TIA

seanjordan20

I'm just under 200k and just did a suspension refresh. The struts were almost dead but didn't feel it in my ride. There's no special tools needed to do the job. I think the hardest thing was to get the front lower thrust arm lined up to go in but nothing a pry bar can't handle. I would say don't forget to jack it up to ride height before tightening your bolts or you'll be doing it again due to the bushings ripping. I would also knock out the tie rods also while you have everything loose.

ZeroDfx

Thank you very much for your comments. I hope you won't mind a few follow-up questions.
Sounds as if you did all the control arms/tie rods/bushings at the same time you did the struts/shocks, correct?
How long would you estimate it took you to do the work?
Did you compress the springs yourself to swap out the struts or did you have a shop take care of that portion?
Did you have a Bentley manual or the BMW TIS to guide you or did you figure it out on your own?

Many thanks for your time and insights.

seanjordan20

Yes I did everything at the same time. I don't know how long it took me really as I was only going to change the struts and mounts then as I was breaking down the front I noticed some wear on other parts and decided to do a complete refresh on the front and rear. As I was waiting on parts I did some more looking around and noticed I needed to replace the engine and transmission mounts. I would say if I had all the parts in it would of taken me about 6 hrs for the front (taking my time) and about 4 hrs in the rear. This is a job that can definitely be done in a weekend. I did front in one day and rear the next day. Fronts were longer because I wanted to change the engine mounts at the same time. I also changed the differential fluid while I was doing the rear.

I did not use any manual to perform anything as the suspension is like any other car. I already knew to load it before tightening bolts as I work on BMWs more than the average owner. I did not have a shop to compress the spring as I have a tool I've been using for a few years that works great from Amazon. I attached a pic so you can see what was used.

To change the engine mounts I just looked at a brief video to make sure I was taking the proper steps.

I would say at least have 2 jacks (or 1 jack and jack stands), a good breaker bar, and at least the 3 common size pry bars, and a small piece of 2x4 (no more than 8")

ZeroDfx

Sean, thank you for all that detail; that was super helpful. I am familiar with that type of spring compressor as that's the type tool I used when I did my E39's.
I have a hydraulic jack, ramps, and jack stands to get the car up off the ground. But since you need to load the suspension before tightening all the bolts, how did you access the bolts with the car sitting on the ground? Or were you able to reach them with the car sitting on ramps? The sport suspension and bodywork doesn't leave a lot of ground clearance.
Would I be correct in estimating the parts alone for the front and rear will run about $2k?

Your help is greatly appreciated.
Nick

seanjordan20

I load it by jacking the knuckle when the car is sitting on jack stands. The only thing you're trying to do is tighten the bolt when the suspension is a little higher than ride position to obliviate stress on the bushings when the car is at ride height. BMW adds weight to the car before tightening when the car is on the ground so I jack a little higher than ride height. You don't have to be exact just jack until you feel comfortable that it's going to relieve stress at ride height.

It should not cost nearly $2k. I think all together with new tires I spent $2.5k and the tires were $800. I also am counting all the mounts and fluid and other parts I replaced while I was at it. You should spend no more than $1.2k on all the parts. I went with Sach struts, mounts, bellow and dust cover kit. I did not go with Lemforder (OEM) suspension parts because a car this old doesn't warrant the price to me. I stuck with Moog/Mevotech parts since they haven't failed me this far. Remember your ride height will stay the same unless you change out the springs

ZeroDfx

Your insights have been invaluable; I hope you won't mind if I call on you again as questions arise.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me.
Nick

habbyguy

You're going to need a few tools you don't have already (maybe)...

Set of impact-rated 12-point sockets for the axle nuts (30-36mm is what most sets come with)
Axle puller tool (very thin socket that allows you to pull the axle back through the hub to reassemble - you might get away without this, but it's a big help).
If your car has spent much time in the froze north, be prepared to have an "interesting time" getting the axles out of the hubs. On my E61, it took several hours per rear axle (and a 10-ton puller, two torches and an air chisel). Hopefully this won't be the case, but I did a video on the subject that is (sadly) very popular. ;-)

seanjordan20

He shouldn't have to deal with axles as his car is not an Xi

ZeroDfx

Thank goodness; it's going to be challenging enough already!