e39s Leaning to the offside
Discussion
I recently bought my second e39, a 530i manual SE. I had previously owned a 520iSE that departed for the scrapyard in the sky at nigh-on 190k miles. My 530 has covered 110.
The old 520 sat noticeably lower on the offside. I put this down to its age and mileage (I acquired it with 145k on the clock) and the distinct possibility that under the stewardship of its previous owner it had a new shock on the nearside but the offside item hadn't been replaced.
Shortly after purchasing my 530 I noticed the same, perhaps not so pronounced but there's definitely a lean to the offside nonetheless.
Now, before you all link this phenomena to my traditional P'Heads powerfully built frame, I should add that I only had the 520 for 3 years and the 530 for 6 weeks. I've always had older cars and with the exception of a 306dTurbo that had knackered suspension, they've all sat level despite their years of use. Having googled this issue it seems to be a BMW "thing" not limited to the e39.
Is anyone able to shed some light on this? I really like the car, but this issue really bugs me.
The old 520 sat noticeably lower on the offside. I put this down to its age and mileage (I acquired it with 145k on the clock) and the distinct possibility that under the stewardship of its previous owner it had a new shock on the nearside but the offside item hadn't been replaced.
Shortly after purchasing my 530 I noticed the same, perhaps not so pronounced but there's definitely a lean to the offside nonetheless.
Now, before you all link this phenomena to my traditional P'Heads powerfully built frame, I should add that I only had the 520 for 3 years and the 530 for 6 weeks. I've always had older cars and with the exception of a 306dTurbo that had knackered suspension, they've all sat level despite their years of use. Having googled this issue it seems to be a BMW "thing" not limited to the e39.
Is anyone able to shed some light on this? I really like the car, but this issue really bugs me.
I had an E36 which had what I took to be their normal stance as I had seen so many with a similar lean. It turned out to be a broken spring, which had got through at least 3 MOTs and that 2 fast fit places didn't find when I took it in for new tyres and tracking. It sounds like you need to get the suspension checked out with a fine tooth comb.
RichardM5 said:
I'm not sure how much 'noticeable' is, but I've heard that E39's were designed to sit lower on our off side so that they were level with a driver in a LHD car.
That's what I heard as well. I haven't noticed my E39 leaning particularly, by my E34 is slightly lower on the offside. I've had four e39's, all of which seemed to sit slightly differently on one side to the other now I think of it, I didn't realise it was a 'thing' until I read this! I always put it down to the ground being slightly uneven under the car or the camber of the road. I wonder if having a big heavy battery mounted on the offside has anything to do with it?
And saying that, on both my e46 touring and my mates compact which were both fitted with coilovers one side always needed to be adjusted slightly differently to the other side for the cars to sit at the same height on both sides ........
And saying that, on both my e46 touring and my mates compact which were both fitted with coilovers one side always needed to be adjusted slightly differently to the other side for the cars to sit at the same height on both sides ........
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff