jamiepstewart

I am getting ready to pull the trigger on replacing all the suspension pieces on 530XI wagon and need guidance for what to select and a very good DIY site.

First... I am going to replace the struts and springs. May as well do both at the same time. Would you stay with OEM or go Bilstein? What about the springs? H&R or OEM? I do not want to lower my ride, nor do I want a rougher ride. This is primarily my wife's car, so I gotta take it easy on her.

Second... I am going to replace all the bushings associated with the sway bars, control arms, etc. I am assuming OEM is best. I dont want poly for fear of vibration coming into the car. Anyone have a recommendation based on experience?

Third... The Bentley manual...I have one for my Audi and find it ambiguous. Does anyone know of an excellent, detailed site on how to DIY the suspension (the right way) and also ALL the rubber bushings? I will more than likely do a detailed photo shoot while I do this to help out others on this site.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.

My BMW has 78K on it, one of the struts is actually leaking! WTF. So, i figure do it all at once and be done with it.

mmitev

First, I find it very hard to believe that the car needs all those parts replaced at 78K. I am very suprised that the strut is leaking. I replaced mine with aftermarket at 90K, and they were all fine. I haven't heard of many failing struts on these cars (although there must be some exceptions..).

There are some good threads in the DIY section of this forum about replacing some parts. I think your best bet is to find them and collate the needed info. The only complete guide I know of is the Bentley manual, but as you said, its not perfect.

If you want to retain the DD character of the car, them OEM is clearly the way to go, however also using Meyle HD (reinforced series by Meyle) parts where you can (and if you can get hold of them, which in Europe is not a problem). Check Meyle's website on what they offer for your particular E61.

Would be very interested in your findings and experiences about the replaced parts. I won't be doing i myself, but I will soon do something similar to the front axle, and later in the year probably also on the rear axle. Any insights would be useful for me as well.

jamiepstewart

Thanks mmitev and I totally agree with you. I had the dealer do a pre-inspection when I bought the car and the strut was one of the items they identified. I am unsure what is causing it, but when I turn the steeringwheel, it seems rather 'heavy' and require more force then our last E61. I figured that since I was I was updating the struts and probably springs, may as well replace the bushings for the other bits.

I will have a look at Meyle and see what I can come up with. I am in the planning and research stages of this so it may be not be for a few more weeks before I start digging in. I will definitely document my efforts. I will probably buy some of the correct tools too as to avoid fighting certain challenges.

Stay tuned...

mmitev

The heavy steering wheel is usually caused by gradually failing hydraulic pump. BUT I have driven a few othe E60's of friends and the wheel has been heavier on some cars. That must not necessarily mean a problem!

And also, I would be very careful when listening to the dealer identifying problems on my car. In most of the cases its only the bucks in your wallet thats their main motivation in searching for issues with the car..

When I bought mine, the dealer said the inlet manifold had failed (oil leak was visible) and I should to buy a new one for ca. $2,200 (incl. installation). A few months later I was a bit wiser and let my independent mechanic change a set of seals in the manifold for ca. $30 (the manifold was removed for a clean-up already), and guess what - the oil leak disappeared.