struts going down?

[saeedakobiakov]

Hi Szhosain,i got very similar mileage on my 03 M to yours. You were looking to replace struts.So my question to you is : what were the symptoms you noticed that make you think that you need new struts, besides having 69k on the car?Thanks,Saeed.

[Q45tech]

Shocks are almost impossible to test CORRECTLY on a vehicle.

A sensitive experienced suspension engineer will FIRST notice reduce rebound control. Rear slow undulations at highway speed due to loss of upward stiffness.

The question is at what reduced stiffness [rebound or compression] do you replace them. If money were no object a case could be made to replace them every year because they would have declined in performance by some amount.

Shocks are temperature sensitive so they will be less stiff the hotter they get [Summer vs Winter]. So always replace them in Spring so you don't feel the as new harshness of Winter.

[szh]

For me, it is the increased lateral swaying in the rear and in the front when on curves. The handling on bumps in curves seems to trigger it a bit more than when it was new. No wheel hop or anything like that, but that would be too late anyway!

I am not getting the straight highway undulations that Dennis mentions above.

Z

[saeedakobiakov]

undulation?please explain.would the car have like tremling /wondering effect due to the shocks going down?thanks,caug

[saeedakobiakov]

how ofter should i replace strut mounts?struts are not that expensive, but the mounts are way over priced, $70?i got almost 70k on the car.thanks,caug.

p.s. what is undulation ?

[szh]

undulation?please explain.

Undulations are slow up and down motions on relatively smooth roads. Minor bumps trigger long (i.e., number of cycles) up and down movement. Relatively gentle, but clearly indicating the shock absorption capability has gone down a lot.

would the car have like tremling /wondering effect due to the shocks going down?

It could have some effect on wandering and steering/handling behavior. But, more commonly, it exhibits itself in being unable to absorb shocks with a simple, damped rebound - one damped cycle.

Most shocks tend to be pretty done by around the 60k mark or so - gradual degradation of performance over time so you don't notice the effect. Until you replace them, and then the improvement is dramatic.

Z

[saeedakobiakov]

Thanks for the info. i just wanted to make sure.Struts are definatly got to go, but again,should i replace just shock? but what about all the little peaces in between strut and the body of the car?in many other cars it call strut mount, one unit, but here looks like 4 or 5 differet things, which are expensive.should i replace them too?how long do they last?Do they make any special sound?i did replace bunch of strut mounts in the past on a few differet cars?but not sure about this one?thanks,caug.

[Boon]

I feel as though my struts are in need of replacement. When I go over medium size bumps or pot holes I get a pretty bad knocking sound our of the front pass strut. I think it is time to do them but I'm gonna wait to get some springs and do it all at once.

[szh]

Thanks for the info. i just wanted to make sure.Struts are definatly got to go, but again,should i replace just shock? but what about all the little peaces in between strut and the body of the car?in many other cars it call strut mount, one unit, but here looks like 4 or 5 differet things, which are expensive.should i replace them too?how long do they last?Do they make any special sound?i did replace bunch of strut mounts in the past on a few differet cars?but not sure about this one?thanks,caug.

Okay, I think I am confusing the situation a bit with my terminology. Sorry about that!

When I say strut, I really mean the shock absorber and the dust boot only.

In my old Q45, the front links also needed to be replaced every 25k miles for good handling, but I have not looked in detail at the 2003 M45 suspension to see what else is a part that would need to be replaced due to normal wear and tear.

I will do some reading of the Service Manual and parts diagrams and get back to you on this ... assuming I understand it in the first place!

Z

[szh]

I feel as though my struts are in need of replacement. When I go over medium size bumps or pot holes I get a pretty bad knocking sound our of the front pass strut. I think it is time to do them but I'm gonna wait to get some springs and do it all at once.

How many miles do you have on your M?

Z

[Boon]

66k, I know it's the strut, it feels like it is bottoming out. I just wish I could invest in some after market struts for the aftermarket springs. Kinda erks me that nothing is available.

[Armelius]

My tires seem to cup.

[szh]

66k, I know it's the strut, it feels like it is bottoming out. I just wish I could invest in some after market struts for the aftermarket springs. Kinda erks me that nothing is available.

True!

I did an extensive search. Only thing I found were coilovers from "Insurance" through one of our NICO folks (OneTonGarage). Quite pricey, though, so I think I will stick with the OEM shocks.

Sigh ...

Z