I noticed a big improvement because the replaced stuff was absolutely knackered - you could put anything in there really and it would help, can't comment on the longevity of the parts as I didn't have it for more than a few months longer but I've never had an issue with Meyle stuff
BMW and M Power Owners
- Thread starter panthro
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There is almost certainly something up with my Z4m. When I press the clutch to change gears or come to a stop sometimes (quite rare at the moment) the revs drop to low and the car almost stalls before it recovers and the revs go back up to just under 1k. Its going in on Thursday for its brake fluid change so I will mention it then but I can just see it costing me a £100 for them to find no errors or problems again 
Have just driven to Ireland and back over the Easter break and apart from this problem it didn't miss a beat, and in the lovely sunshine over in wales yesterday it was great. Just need to get to the bottom of this and I can really start to enjoy it and plan a trip to Europe for the summer.
Have just driven to Ireland and back over the Easter break and apart from this problem it didn't miss a beat, and in the lovely sunshine over in wales yesterday it was great. Just need to get to the bottom of this and I can really start to enjoy it and plan a trip to Europe for the summer.
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Can’t comment on how much of a difference there is but when I replaced the bushes on my 318Ci I was going to go for Meyle ones as they were the same price as the Lemforder ones pretty much but after doing some owners club searches the most common thing I read was increase in ride harshness on long journeys It could well be those guys also had other upgrades to suspension components I don’t know but I just opted for OEM Lemforder components instead and never looked back. Car rode as good as new once again.
no matter what you get though you will see a big difference as the old bushes (aftermarket or OEM) will be shot so anything new will be an improvement.
no matter what you get though you will see a big difference as the old bushes (aftermarket or OEM) will be shot so anything new will be an improvement.
Soldato
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Thats great thanks. Is it a pretty simple diy to fit the above or best left to pros?
Nvm YouTube to rescue.
Nvm YouTube to rescue.
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Just noticed you've got 2x track rod ends and 2x tie rod ends - are one set of these supposed to be drop links?
If so the drop links and TRE's are likely to be the biggest pain in the balls you encounter when doing it - Don't waste time messing about with them as there are pretty simple solutions to both.
Rather than spend time under the car trying to use heat then major elbow grease to release the track rod ends I tend to replace the full track rod on both sides - if the ones already on it have been adjusted recently or are reasonably new there's no real need, though it's also easier to loosely match up the threads if you do this.
Drop links will either come off very easily or you'll just need to cut them off, again don't mess about with them there's no point
The control arms will be fine if you've bought the full lot, doing the bushes alone is a bit more of a pain but still simple enough
If so the drop links and TRE's are likely to be the biggest pain in the balls you encounter when doing it - Don't waste time messing about with them as there are pretty simple solutions to both.
Rather than spend time under the car trying to use heat then major elbow grease to release the track rod ends I tend to replace the full track rod on both sides - if the ones already on it have been adjusted recently or are reasonably new there's no real need, though it's also easier to loosely match up the threads if you do this.
Drop links will either come off very easily or you'll just need to cut them off, again don't mess about with them there's no point
The control arms will be fine if you've bought the full lot, doing the bushes alone is a bit more of a pain but still simple enough
Soldato
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Dont have any option for heating things up and just have a basic spanner and socket set and would get a cheap ball joint splitter.
Videos make it look pretty easy.
Videos make it look pretty easy.
I'd hand it to a mechanic.
Videos always make it look easy otherwise no one would watch them. They edit the part when they spend 30 mins just trying to free one seized nut.
A cheap ball joint splitter will not work, you need the scissor type. Also, go and buy a camping gaz blow torch. If the track rods have never been changed before, you literally will not be able to undo them without a scissor type ball joint splitter, a blow torch and a breaker bar.
Actually I'd just give it to a garage if I were you. Should cost around £150 including parts and labour.
Soldato
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So how much time would you expect a mechanic to change the above?
Needed a bigger hammer
The clamp types are easier mind you - but there's no point buying a crappy cheap one
As for labour, probably about 3 hours for the main work, then the cost of a 4 wheel alignment so say £180 labour then about £75 for the alignment
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I had made an offer on a 2013 X3 at the weekend and the dealer just phoned me back today to say in the interests of full disclosure that the car had a full drivetrain replacement in March 2015 and it looks like someone painted over some damage on the driver's door with unofficial BMW paint to cover a ding 
I'm not a car buff but that seems like fairly major works to me involving taking large parts of the engine to pieces. Is this significant enough of an issue to make me turn away? Not sure I'll settle for less than perfect, but sad as I thought my long search was over
I'm not a car buff but that seems like fairly major works to me involving taking large parts of the engine to pieces. Is this significant enough of an issue to make me turn away? Not sure I'll settle for less than perfect, but sad as I thought my long search was over
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Soldato
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Sounds like a bonus to me. 
What would make you turn away, if its from a main dealer and has warranty.
What would make you turn away, if its from a main dealer and has warranty.
I had made an offer on a 2013 X3 at the weekend and the dealer just phoned me back today to say in the interests of full disclosure that the car had a full drivetrain replacement in March 2015 and it looks like someone painted over some damage on the driver's door with unofficial BMW paint to cover a ding
I wouldn't buy it. AFAIK the unofficial paint job invalidates the BMW 12 year anti corrosion warranty. If you planned on keeping the car long term, and it did start to rust, BMW wouldn't cover that area or any nearby surrounding area under the corrosion warranty. The replacement engine and gearbox would concern me, but if it was done by BMW, then it's not an issue.
I would be equally as sceptical about the paint issue. You could request that the dealer fix it, note it in the system, and give you written proof that it was an official repair and wouldn't affect the BMW corrosion warranty.
The new engine and drivetrain may be an worry. Is whatever caused this a common trait? Did this swap actually fix the problem? Are these parts and labour covered by a further 2 years worth of warranty? If the answers are reasonable, then you've basically got a new engine and gearbox which should, in theory at least, be fine. But the worrying thing is a car around 2 years old has needed this work at all. Will it be needed in another 2 years? Was it needed in the first place because it was never driven above 40 mph?
This one is in NI so normal speeds apply, 20k miles and work was done too recently to know whether the problem will reoccur as it was only at the end of last month. P'eed off the salesman I was dealing with didn't tell me at the time as I let another one go when I thought I had this one. I think it would always nag at me and also the door is annoying as he said they've tried to get the ding out but can't short of replacing the door which they won't do.