peachykonan

Noticed my '04 525i w/ 79k miles was lower in the front right than the left by about an inch. Not sure why I didn't notice before, but the car did suffer a collision in that area (before I owned it). Car currently drives somewhat ok, but I do notice clunking/noises going over bumps, and ticking in the wheel when turning.

Brought it in to a suspension / alignment shop who did an analysis.

Luckily, frame's fine, but it turned out the original collision repair basically hacked the existing coil. They also discovered struts are leaking and bushings need replacement.

The fix-it list includes:

front suspension - coil + suspension struts + lower C.A. bushings.
rear suspension - lower C.A. bushings + link w/ bushing.

The total for parts alone are about $2.1k. Add $1.2k for labour and that's the estimate I have from a indy alignment shop. Does this sound about right? I'm in West LA.

[EDIT] Reading up on DIY for these items.

karman

my 2005 525i is an inch lower on the front passenger side. dont know if its due to the collision.

peachykonan

Thanks for the info Karman - apparently I haven't done my research, this issue has came up before on this forum. I'm a bit unsure, but it seems like this may be normal? Not sure, but normal to the tune of 1 inch? I have a full tank of fuel and the battery is on the right side...

https://5series.net/forums/topic/382...er-side-lower/
https://5series.net/forums/topic/100...assenger-side/

https://5series.net/forums/topic/475...ront-than-pas/

Hmm, this might be an interesting opportunity to finally lower my car and get some bigger wheels instead of the OEM 16" I have on.

Logging info here for my reference... I've done minor work before (spark plugs, oil changes), hopefully this isn't a big jump in difficulty.

Misc DIY references:
https://5series.net/forums/topic/107...1#entry1282333
https://5series.net/forums/topic/853...l__diy%20shock
https://5series.net/forums/topic/970...placement-diy/
https://5series.net/forums/topic/116...g-replacement/

OEM non-sport lowering options (not going to oem sport, maybe coil-overs?)
https://5series.net/forums/topic/651...e60-questions/
https://5series.net/forums/topic/916...or-equivalent/
https://5series.net/forums/topic/651...e60-questions/

Suspension HW options:
https://5series.net/forums/topic/100...n-replacement/

jgt

The total price for parts seems to be on the high side. My guess is they are charging you full MSRP which isn't uncommon for a shop. You can definitely find the parts for the less if you buy them yourself at a BMW internet dealer or one of the vendors on the forum.

The only part you may not be able to do replace yourself, you need a special BMW tool although I did see someone make a tool to do his 740i, is part number #2 in the diagram. Is that the part you are referencing when you said "link w/ bushing"?
The integral link shouldn't be a problem but that ball joint will be.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...65&hg=33&fg=30