This article briefly describes the work carried out to replace a BMW Shock Absorber for a 2011 320d. The Cartisan Service team installed brand new Bilstein shock absorbers in place of the BMW OEM shocks.
The BMW 320d E90
Despite the BMW E90 being launched in 2003, the 320d E90 was launched only in 2007. This particular E90 was manufactured in 2011 and came equipped with a N47D20 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine producing around 180 bhp & 380Nm of Torque. As a result, it remains one of the most fun cars to drive on Indian roads to this day.
The 2011 E90 comes with a variety of upgrades as compared to its predecessor. Changes made include those to the front and rear bumpers, wing mirrors, headlights, taillights, boot lid, wider kidney grills and revised crease lines on the bonnet which gives the ’11 320d a slightly more aggressive look.
BMW has fitted the 320d with aluminium MacPherson struts in the front and 5-link Multi Link suspension in the rear.
BMW Shock Absorber Replacement — 2011 E90 320d
The Cartisan Service Engineer drove the 320d to a Cartisan Preferred Workshop where he parked the car in the service bay. The Mechanic propped the stands of the two post lift underneath the 320d and lifted the the car up.
He proceeded to remove the wheels from the front axle. The Mechanic disconnected the suspension linkages connected to the lower end of the front left strut kit. Afterwards, he removed the bolts connecting the strut kit to the chassis of the 320d. Finally, the Mechanic manages to extract the strut kit from the 320d after disconnecting all other connected components such as the link rod, tie rod ends, control arms & knuckle.
The term strut kit is used to describe the assembly of the shock absorber, dust boot, buffer & suspension mounting.
Similarly, the Mechanic removed the strut kit on the front right side of the BMW. He removed the shock absorbers from the strut kits by unscrewing the bolts connecting the strut mounting to the shock absorber. The customer opted to use the same strut mountings. Therefore, the Mechanic assembled the new Biltein shock absorbers along with the used strut mountings, spring. However, he installed new buffer and boot as the old ones weren’t reusable.
After the Mechanic assembled the strut kit with the new Bilstein shock absorbers, he began refitting them back to the 320d. Finally, the Mechanic connected the lower end of the shock absorber to the other suspension linkages.
The Mechanic lowered the BMW 320d to the ground and after a routine set of last minute checks, The Cartisan Service Engineer drove the car to the wheel alignment center. As a result of the suspension replacement, the BMW 320d’s wheel alignment was off. The Alignment technician made necessary adjustments to the toe angle of the front wheels so that they were perfectly aligned. Finally, Cartisan delivered the BMW 320d to the customer.
BMW Service & Repairs — Simplified
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Originally published at Cartisan.
