Suggestions for places to buy shocks/springs pls

[mrscalex]

Ordered everything I needed this week and will be fitting this weekend:
View attachment 95225
2x front springs and 2x front dampers (which altogether cost the same as one BMW damper!); upper and lower spring pads; and impact gun and sockets (not strictly necessary, but will prob make things easier/quicker and no doubt be useful in future)

Have ratchet straps arriving tomo morning which I’ll use in conjunction with spring compressors I’ve borrowed, because I don’t want to take any chances with that part of the process

Well done

There are some other small parts you may reflect you would want to change when you are in there. Numbers in brackets refer to diagram labelling:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=CN12-EUR-02-2001-Z3-BMW-Z3_22i&diagId=31_0209

1. (1) Top mount. Good practice to change these unless you know they are quite new
2. (10) The rubber bump stop - often nasty buy not cheap
3. (11) The dust sleeve - usually alright and not cheap
4. (8) The top plate. These are nearly always rusty. It's not worth cleaning them up. New ones are cheap
5. (13) A paper gasket which sits between the top plate and the underside of the inner wing.

The bolts that secure the strut to hub should either be replaced (expensive) or Loctited back in place.

Also note the Monroe top nut is a non-standard size if you are going to torque up with a pass-through socket.

If you have any issues (some aspects are a bit frustrating using spring clamps) I will happily work through it with you using my floor standing hydraulic spring compressor if you want. But it depends where you are as I'm in Swindon.

If you don't understand any of the above now don't worry. You'll understand it by the time you've sworn at it 200 times and lost most of the skin off your knuckles It's soooo much easier when you do it 2nd and subsequent times but one of those things you just have to get stuck into first time.

 

[t-tony]

Just some advice. Do you have a plan B for the spring compression. These springs are a right pain in the arse. They nearly double in length when they’re not compressed. The issue I found is the highest and lower coil make contact with the seats and the logically next inner coils won’t compress enough if that makes any sense.

Look for a local garage with a hydraulic spring compressor as a plan b.

When I do these I compress under the lower cup on the strut then you can get the upper "jaw" off the spring easily. With the type of compressor you have @Lee, you can removed the pins which hold the jaws onto the upright and slide the jaws off their mounting. Then you can tap them around the coils till they're loose enough to pull out. Commonly required on Mercedes front springs which are much worse than Z3 or Z4 ones.

Tony.

 

[DrWong]

Just some advice. Do you have a plan B for the spring compression. These springs are a right pain in the arse. They nearly double in length when they’re not compressed. The issue I found is the highest and lower coil make contact with the seats and the logically next inner coils won’t compress enough if that makes any sense.

Look for a local garage with a hydraulic spring compressor as a plan b.

Thanks for that mate. I suppose plan B would be a combination of the spring compressors and ratchet straps. But I don't even like typing that out let alone the thought of doing it. There's a garage five mins away which I'll give some serious thought about taking them to instead.

 

[DrWong]

Well done

There are some other small parts you may reflect you would want to change when you are in there. Numbers in brackets refer to diagram labelling:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=CN12-EUR-02-2001-Z3-BMW-Z3_22i&diagId=31_0209

1. (1) Top mount. Good practice to change these unless you know they are quite new
2. (10) The rubber bump stop - often nasty buy not cheap
3. (11) The dust sleeve - usually alright and not cheap
4. (8) The top plate. These are nearly always rusty. It's not worth cleaning them up. New ones are cheap
5. (13) A paper gasket which sits between the top plate and the underside of the inner wing.

The bolts that secure the strut to hub should either be replaced (expensive) or Loctited back in place.

Also note the Monroe top nut is a non-standard size if you are going to torque up with a pass-through socket.

If you have any issues (some aspects are a bit frustrating using spring clamps) I will happily work through it with you using my floor standing hydraulic spring compressor if you want. But it depends where you are as I'm in Swindon.

If you don't understand any of the above now don't worry. You'll understand it by the time you've sworn at it 200 times and lost most of the skin off your knuckles It's soooo much easier when you do it 2nd and subsequent times but one of those things you just have to get stuck into first time.

Thanks muchly Rob, that's really helpful, particularly as this as my first time doing this

I was just going to re-use as much as I could as cashflow is still recovering from Christmas. I didn't order new top mounts as the rubber on them look pristine from the engine bay, but not sure if that means anything. Pretty much everything you list looks very sensible to replace on reflection, particularly the top plate and gasket. I was just being tight Oh well, back to the dealer tomorrow then

Thanks for the kind offer of the press mate but I'm up in Newcastle unfortunately. I was originally from Yorkshire, which explains the tightness

 

[Lee]

When I do these I compress under the lower cup on the strut then you can get the upper "jaw" off the spring easily. With the type of compressor you have @Lee, you can removed the pins which hold the jaws onto the upright and slide the jaws off their mounting. Then you can tap them around the coils till they're loose enough to pull out. Commonly required on Mercedes front springs which are much worse than Z3 or Z4 ones.

Tony.

That's exactly what I do, it was more that DrWong only has spring clamps and they are a nightmare to use.

In the past I've launched a spring into the woods

 

[Lee]

Thanks muchly Rob, that's really helpful, particularly as this as my first time doing this

I was just going to re-use as much as I could as cashflow is still recovering from Christmas. I didn't order new top mounts as the rubber on them look pristine from the engine bay, but not sure if that means anything. Pretty much everything you list looks very sensible to replace on reflection, particularly the top plate and gasket. I was just being tight Oh well, back to the dealer tomorrow then

Thanks for the kind offer of the press mate but I'm up in Newcastle unfortunately. I was originally from Yorkshire, which explains the tightness

Long as the rubber is not delaminating itself from the core and the bearing still moves freely you'll be fine to use. Every penny helps.

 

[DrWong]

Long as the rubber is not delaminating itself from the core and the bearing still moves freely you'll be fine to use. Every penny helps.

Cheers mate, that's good to know

 

[t-tony]

Yes i know that feeling mate. I had the front spring off a Peugeot 205 in my face years ago, not something you would want to do for fun.
Separate clamps aren't so bad if they have a wide jaw but sadly most don't which allows them them to cockle over and slip round the coils.
Squeaky bum time as Fergie used to say.

Tony.

 

[DrWong]

Long as the rubber is not delaminating itself from the core and the bearing still moves freely you'll be fine to use. Every penny helps.

The Yorkshire is strong in this one..

 

[t-tony]

Tha dunt spend a penny where an 'apenny will do.

Tony.

 

[DrWong]

Yes i know that feeling mate. I had the front spring off a Peugeot 205 in my face years ago, not something you would want to do for fun.
Separate clamps aren't so bad if they have a wide jaw but sadly most don't which allows them them to cockle over and slip round the coils.
Squeaky bum time as Fergie used to say.

Tony.

I watched a video on YouTube yesterday called something like 'what happens when spring compressors let go'. I'm not sure that was entirely a good idea on reflection. Anyways, it showed a spring compressor letting go at head height cos the car was on posts. The spring shot out between the two guys working in the wheel arch and it was a miracle neither was seriously injured. To be fair, they seemed like a pair of absolute numpties but it still put the jeebies up me. It was then I did a bit of googling on safety and saw guys on Pistonheads had used ratchet straps, which seem a sensible back up to use alongside the spring compressors. The ratchet straps might also mitigate the compressors trying to move around the coil?

 

[DrWong]

Is this what you mean by a ‘wide jaw’ @t-tony ? This is what I’ve borrowed off a pal - don’t worry, there’s another one not pictured!

 

[t-tony]

Is this what you mean by a ‘wide jaw’ @t-tony ? This is what I’ve borrowed off a pal - don’t worry, there’s another one not pictured!
View attachment 95240

Yes, there is chance those will slip round the coils. I never ever seen one of these type totally let bro of a spring it's just they can slide round towards each other and then you have to start all over again.


Tony.

 

[Ianmc]

Surely a garage would fit the springs to the strut for a few quid, or am I missing the point?

 

[DrWong]

Surely a garage would fit the springs to the strut for a few quid, or am I missing the point?

They probably would mate and there's a garage five mins away that I've got in mind as a last resort. I'd like to at least have a go though, as I've done all the work on the car since I got it and I've never done this job before

Also see message #84 above re: tight Yorkshire man

 

[DrWong]

I jest of course. Given the choice between paying a few quid and a spring in the face, I'll pay the few quid.!

 

[gookah]

do not use the impact gun to tighten up the front strut piston nut, in fact I wouldn't use it for tightening at all, they can just tear threads apart. (ask me how I know)

I use mine for tightening wheel nuts only, but I have a torque adaptor bar that I use which limits the output to 120Nm

like below

 

[DrWong]

@gookah cheers for that matey

Got the gun mainly to help remove rusted bolts as it's very crusty under there. I won't be using it for tightening. It's rated at 350nm and has a variable trigger which is surprisingly sensitive given it was only fifty quid. There was another one a tenner cheaper rated at 500nm but it had no variable trigger and so delivered everything in one blast

Used it to remove a wheel last night and gotta say, it does make me feel like a pro to be using a rattly gun haha

 

[gookah]

Impact guns are great for removing stuff, but use impact sockets as others may shatter and injure you.

They are great for wheel nuts and bolts, make sure you get the impact version wheel socket too (for £8), and get a torque stick just for the tightening (Only £15)


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kennedy-...h=item1a3f46bd87:g:A0UAAOSwVYhb7Foo:rk:4:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VS2246-S...h=item2391f9b189:g:c50AAOSw5XJbnLok:rk:1:pf:0


I use both all the time now, and don't need to worry about under or over tightening wheel bolts anymore.
Quickens the job up loads, just make sure you run the bolts in a few threads first, then whack 'em up,

 

[DrWong]

These torque sticks look great! Never knew about them til just now, may have to invest