paran

Vehicle:

2005 545i Sport 100k miles. (Looking to stay with original OEM ride performance)

I make it a habit of replacing struts/shocks at this mileage regardless of there being a stipulated maintenance requirement. The car rides noticeably better after replacing these suspension components and associated bumpers, guides and pads.

The Players:

1. BMW - OEM

2. Sachs Super Touring

3. Boge Automatic.

(I "thiink", they're all one in the same). ZF - AG owns Boge & Sachs which OEMS to BMW.

4. Bilstein (Do they offer a E60 OEM ride)

BOGE | Online Catalog

SACHS | Shock Absorber, Suspension Springs, ComplementaryProducts

I'm familiar with all 3 brands from my Mercedes days (actually, MB uses a lot of Bilstein).

Bilstein seems to be "out of the loop" on BMW OE ride performance.

I'm opposed to putting any Japanese/Asian struts/shocks on the car although I own an Infiniti Q45 and Lexus LS430.

Boge: Sold almost exclusively in Europe to Indy shops and some OEM supplier applications.

Sachs: Marketed as more of the OEM supplier.

Can anybody confirm that Boge and Sachs come off of the same manufacturing line with simply different part numbers stamped on them?

I'm also looking for online retailers that emphasize Sachs and Boge struts/shocks.

I'm having a hard time locating many sources, and prices remain pretty tight between OEM BMW and Sachs. (Boge is tough as nails to find in the USA).

Part numbers seem to be all over the board as well.

I use BMW of SouthAtlanta for the actual BMW numbers BMW Parts - Authentic OEM BMW Parts direct from BMW of SouthAtlanta | BMW of South Atlanta as they appear to be one of the very few BMW dealers that post the part numbers when searching/ordering.

But when I cross reference to ZF's website, many retailers are offering items for my car that a Boge/Sachs reference does not match.

Adding to the frustration, is that most online retailers do not offer complete parts availability. They might have the struts, but not the shocks, nor the boots, pads or guides.

Struts = a coil spring pad and Shocks do not have this. (That's my understanding.)

Normally, struts on the front and shocks on the rear but notalways.

I've checked out these online guys so far:

rockauto.com

FCPEuro.com

thebmwpartstore.com

Ebay.com

Anybody ordered Boge or Sachs struts/shocks recently? And from whom?

I might just have to suck it up, and go OEM, but it's (real) pricey.

AchtungE60

if your car is not bouncing on its springs you are wasting your $. Replace thrust arm bushings and so forth. But from reading all this posts you're making it seems like you want a 2013 ride from a 9 yr old vehicle? I see 'people' all day long buy a $500 automobile, paint it (sometimes) and put a set of $5000 rims on it. Doesn't make sense to me but I guess it does to them. When it breaks, fix it. Or spend your money. Take sound advise or don't. Up to you.

pjinca

I agree wwith Achtung, but if you are looking to change them anyway - pelicanparts.com sells OEM parts.
Also get the upper and lower control arms (or control arm bushings, whichever you prefer) if you want the "new car" ride, at 100k if they haven't been replaced they DEFINITELY need to be.

paran

Any time I have replaced shocks/struts (either Boge, KYB, Bilstein, etc) at 100k miles, there is an actual difference in performance. The old shocks/struts are so much easier to compress than the new. But just as important, the many rubber parts associated with the shock mounting also show signs of cracking/hardening vs the very pliable new ones.

The strut mount being the most important component and should be replaced with the strut. It acts as a pivot point for the steering and supports the vehicle along with the spring coil for supporting the car.

The old test of standing on your bumper or pushing on the front of the car and moving up and down is long gone. If your car bounces during such a test, you've gone way, way, way, too long on bad shocks and all suspension and tire components are affected by the worn shock.

Many people have confused the term lifetime warranty on shocks/struts as meaning they last a lifetime. But that just isn't the case.

Here's what KYB says about their "Lifetime Warranty"

The KYB Limited Lifetime warranty covers the product against manufacturing defects. Just like tires, shocks and struts are products that normally wear over time and miles driven. The KYB Limited Lifetime Warranty does not cover normal wear and tear.

I'm not sure why people apply the notion of wear and tear to just about every item on their car but not shocks/struts. Their dampening internal components are moving around 2000 times per minute but were to assume that all of that has no affect on wear. Wouldn't that be nice if our engines could go a lifetime on its engine oil since nothing is wearing.

But a strut contains many moving parts that are gradually wearing:

A twin-tube shock or strut has two cylinders:

The inner, or working cylinder, is where the piston and shaft move up and down. The outer cylinder serves as a reservoir for the hydraulic fluid. There are fluid valves in the piston and in the stationary base valve. The base valve controls fluid flow between both cylinders and provides some of the damping force. The valves in the piston control most of the damping. The term Gas Shock usually refers to the same twin-tube design, but with one improvement. Low pressure Nitrogen gas is added to replace any oxygen air. The effect lessens aeration and performance fade.

People also assume a strut is simply another name for a shock. But a strut is a structural element of the suspension. You cannot dirive a car without a strut but you can drive a car without a shock.

paran

I'm sorry, but a lot of this advice applies to a 1972 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, but not a 2005 545i.

You could stand on the bumper of this baby and it would bounce like a basketball:



I've done it!

Letting your suspension go to hell before maintaining it, follows along with the never change your oil because the engine is still running concept.

Shocks/struts wear, but it is gradual. Therefore, you grow accustomed to the sloppy/loose handling over time. What you don't see is the additional stress a worn strut/mount places on all of the other integrated suspension components.

MAINTAINING my vehicle as close to OEM spec's is important to me. I think it is for most people who take the time to become involved in a forum such as this.

The: "Hell with maintenance, drive it into the ground and then dump it." has its devotees and more power to 'em. It's just not my thing.

I checked my control arm bushings and they're still tight, it's a precise, and visual test, that's easy to perform. Not so with a strut. But once you remove one with 100k miles on it and compress it with your own strength vs the new one, you'll understand that wear has indeed been taking place.