E36 bumpy & dangerous to drive. Any ideas? (pic included)

[g3org3y]

Hi all,

My E36 Touring has been terrible to drive of late. Very unstable on any pot holes or bumps in the roads. Hitting any undulation makes it feel as though the back wants to overtake the front. Anyone familiar with the A12 can appreciate my travails as this is a genuinely awful road. Consequently I've had to keep my speed to 60mph as at higher speeds, the car feel really awful to drive.

Removed the (n/s) rear wheel to assess the situation:



Any ideas?

Edited by g3org3y on Friday 6th July 18:50

[helix402]

I recommend Bimmertune rear top mounts to go with your new dampers.

[E-bmw]

Is that one of them new bluetooth connected dampers?

[morgrp]

Too much air in (between) the damper

[Dave.]

Buyers remorse!

How much did you pay?

Have you informed the seller you want him to collect the car and give you a full refund plus compensation and a blowjob from the celebrity of your choice?

Etc...

[g3org3y]

E-bmw said:

Is that one of them new bluetooth connected dampers?

I'm not sure. I think it must be one of the fancy pants electromagnetic dampers and unfortunately the electricity (and consequently the magnet) has failed.

morgrp said:

Too much air in (between) the damper

Looks to be the case to me. Air is very poor at absorbing shocks from the roads it seems.

Dave. said:

Buyers remorse!

How much did you pay?

Have you informed the seller you want him to collect the car and give you a full refund plus compensation and a blowjob from the celebrity of your choice?

Etc...

I bought in Sept 2012. Private sale. Seller never mentioned issues with this damper.

Will be visiting Citizens Advice Bureau tomorrow.

(Scarlett Johansson btw!)


In all seriousness, in the last year or two, the Touring has been used for a lot of flat/house moving with a LOT of weight on the back (I blame the boxes of books, those bds are heavy!). That and 204k miles, not surprised the dampers are shagged tbh.

New vs old


Did the other side as well. Old one had no resistance to compression at all.


Hurrah!

helix402 said:

I recommend Bimmertune rear top mounts to go with your new dampers.

I ended up getting a Meyle HD kit online. About £80 for 2x top mounts, 2x dampers & 2x bump stops. Got all new bolts/washers from BMW. Realoem.com is invaluable as a resource for part numbers and assembly.

Night and day difference in terms of drive (as expected). The E36 lives for another year!