BMW 330 crash - help me diagnose issue

[ExPat2B]

My friend span his 02 BMW 330 ci sport yesterday on ice and the rear wheel struck a kerb. Accident happened on ice so speeds were low, maybe ten miles an hour . The alloy is damaged and tyres is bulging. I have been tasked with damage assessment.


Anyone know what might be damaged ? I don't know a great deal about BMW z axles, but I understand they are mainly alloy and quite soft.

I am going to take a plumb line and my ruler to measure alignment of the wheel , any other tests to perform ?

[The Wookie]

I'd say get the wheel off and have a look, it should be reasonably obvious if anything is bent enough to be worth worrying about. If not then get the alignment checked properly to reveal if it needs readjustment, or whether it has been damaged beyond the point of readjustment

[ExPat2B]

Is there any adjustment on the rear axle ? Is it done with shims:.........

[mat205125]

You'll want to be fitting a pair of arrow straight rims before measuring the rear geometry.

Before getting the rulers out, I'd get it up into the air and have a visual inspection of all of the suspension comonents, and the mountings onto the body.

[The Wookie]

ExPat2B said:

Is there any adjustment on the rear axle ? Is it done with shims:.........

Good point and I don't know. With that in mind it could quite easily write off the back axle with not much effort.

Mat makes a good point as well, well worth checking any mounting points for damage

[ExPat2B]

mat205125 said:

You'll want to be fitting a pair of arrow straight rims before measuring the rear geometry.

Before getting the rulers out, I'd get it up into the air and have a visual inspection of all of the suspension comonents, and the mountings onto the body.

Thats a bloody good point, and I am fairly sure the rear wheels are wider than the front so I can't swop them.....could make things interesting.

Going to take my 3 ton jack, lift it by the diff, and then support on both sides with stands, then get a creeper underneath to have a proper look with my torch. My experience is that its hard to find slightly bent things unless you know what you are looking for.

[mat205125]

ExPat2B said:

My experience is that its hard to find slightly bent things unless you know what you are looking for.

Agreed, however something more than a couple mm out should just look "wrong" and stick out like a sore thumb.

The narrower front wheels will be fine for checking the geometry of the rear end. Camber and toe angles will be the same no matter what wheels are fitted.

[Eggman]

Sounds like a plan. Consider where the force of the impact would have gone and look there first.

Personally, I wouldn't worry overly about measuring anything - if the alignment is out a lot you'll probably find the culprit during your inspection and if it's out a tiny bit it'll be difficult to measure. Tell your friend to keep an eye out for uneven tyre wear.

(I hope he's buying tonight, btw? I wouldn't be in any hurry to grovelling around under someone else's car in this weather!)

[ExPat2B]

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BN52...

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BN52...

Parts diagrams. Dammed if can figure out what would bend, wishbones look most vulnerable.

[Eggman]

I would have a fairly critical look at the lower wishbone and check to see whether that bracket (18) has moved - it'll probably be covered in road grime and I'd be looking for any clean metal that's been revealed. Apart from that, a glance at the hub carrier (for cracks) and a general jiggle and prod should about cover it.

[ExPat2B]

Thanks Eggman, will do. He is cooking me dinner and putting me up for Christmas eve, so I owe him a favour. Don't mind the weather, I put a new ball joint on my car while it was snowing the other week.

[Dave J]

if your asking on tinternet what to look for - are you realy the best person to look for any damage ??

why not take it to a specialist before he sets off on the next journey ?

[anonymous-user]

ExPat2B said:

I have been tasked with damage assessment.


Anyone know what might be damaged ?

What % are we getting for this subcontracting?

[Eggman]

Yeah, like post us some of your dinner or something!

(@ Symbolica: I had also considered quoting those exact words )

[ExPat2B]

Dave J said:

if your asking on tinternet what to look for - are you realy the best person to look for any damage ??

why not take it to a specialist before he sets off on the next journey ?

Well, I am fairly handy with suspension, having done a lot of suspension work on my previous cars, but I don't have specialist BMW E46 knowledge. I am probably the best "free" advice he is going to get. He has a large amount of mistrust of his local BMW specialist, as they recently did work without his permission and fitted the wrong parts, so wants a independant opinion before approaching anyone else.

I am probably going to reccomend he gets a 4 wheel alignment done at the local crash repair ( they have a full jig ) unless the damage is VERY light anyway.

I figured a lot of E46's would get damaged in this way, and there might be someone out there who has done the same before and knew what they damaged, hence asking here.

[jeff666]

Might pay to ask in the BMW forum if you havent allready, and yes, the rear wheels are wider than the front.