Suspension tolerance/ ride height ?????

[Pip1968]

To cut a long story short my CSL is sitting at least an inch lower on one side compared to the other at the rear. The difference is possibly even more than an inch.

Does anyone know the tolerances that are acceptable for a performance car that is obviously not sat straight.

BMW Maidstone have said it is fine and within BMW's limits.

Pip

[HustleRussell]

Did BMW put it on a ramp and check the springs haven't snapped?

[Pip1968]

Apparently so. I also looked at them and they appear fine (I just took the wheels off and did a quick visual). I think that they (the shocks and springs) really need to be taken off and inspected as it is not immediately apparent what the problem is.

Personally I cannot believe they have not just replaced them and then taken it from there. If it was from my own pocket they would have done. As it is a potential warranty claim they seem reluctant.

Pip

[E30M3SE]

3 words for you, you've probably heard them before,



Gareth.... Elms...... Cambridge.

Even if the springs are intact he'll probably be able to pinpoint the issue, eventhough it might be a bit of a trek for you.

[Salom]

Have you had the car from new?
If not maybe it has had a broken spring and the previous owner / seller removed the broken bit and put the now shortened spring back in; I did this with my 840 which made it much lower on rear one corner, (until the new suspension kit arrived)
Has it broken and been replaced with the wrong spring?
Has it been replaced and put back without the spring pads?
Are the spring pads worn or damaged?
Has the side that is higher had a new spring fitted which is too long?

Edited by Salom on Thursday 3rd January 16:28

[nonuts]

Has anyone checked the strut tops?

[Pip1968]

I am not sure what the format is with BMW. They have come back to me to say the tolerance is 10mm which it is apparently within. I know for a fact it was not at 10mm when I parked it up both abroad and in the UK (flat surfaces). I could get my whole palm between the tyre and wheel arch on one side but not the other.

I am going to have to have it out with them in person on Monday.

Thank you for all the pointers. I have had the car since 2007 and never replaced any springs or suspension in that time. I may have to take them off myself and inspect each part and compare accordingly.

F**king BMW. The warranty is a waste of money. Four/five years and no claims and you have to service it at the robbing gypsy network.

And breathe out........

Pip

[stevesingo]

They are not expensive and easy doable by yourself if needed, I did the wife's touring in about an hour. Or tell the dealer to replace them and when it fixes the problem, make a warranty claim retrospectively.

FWIW bmwfans.info shows 72.50 euro each

http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog/E46/Coupe/Europe...

item 14

Edited by stevesingo on Thursday 3rd January 17:49

[phelix]

nonuts said:

Has anyone checked the strut tops?

The rear strut tops should not affect the ride height - its pretty well solely determined by the suspension arms and the springs.

[phelix]

The official ride height measurement is from the lower edge of the wheel lip vertically through the wheel centre point to the lip of the wing. Easy to do with a tape measure. If its more than 10mm demonstrate to the service writer how a tape measure works.

Standard E46s are well known for this issue - my partner's E46 328i has done this over the years. No signs of a broken spring - just slight metal fatigue.