Hi Steve -
Thanks for your good advice and commiseration. I obviously need it.
Sweet car you have there.
YES - I just ordered all 4 shocks for the same money (650.60 EURO incl tax and shipping) that my erstwhile mechanic "friend" defrauded me out of - not to mention he could have gotten my family and other innocents killed.
Are you coming to the Austria ho-down in August?
Cheers, Jack
Hi Steve -
Thanks for your good advice mate.
Sweet car you have there.
Are you coming to the Austria ho-down in August?
Cheers, Jack
Good morning folks:
My 850 was born in 1992 and I purchased it in 2004 from a respected dealer in Nurnberg - it was in near perfect condition with only 80,000 KM - admirers often think it is a new car.
When I imported it into Austria the TUV Technical Inspection Office issued an import and title certificate with no major deficiencies noted.
The OAMTC Motor Club certified my car as Class II mechanical condition GOOD and I drive it mainly on weekends and good weather and store it during winter.
To get the best possible maintenance I took my car to a BMW specialist workshop run by a noted BMW race car driver.
Despite tender loving care and very moderate use - gradually more and more serious mechanical problems developed and at only 100,000 KM the right front shock started clacking at low speed while close to home.
I ordered an OAMTC tow truck and took the car to my trusted workshop.
The owner repaired the tracking links (spurgelenke) for 259.00 EURO and without test-driving the car - despite my assertion that the right shock was at fault.
I trusted his advice but when I test-drove the car after the repair the right shock was acting exactly as before - thumping and clacking at every slight bump in the road.
I immediately returned and invited the the mechanic to test-drive the car with me and he then proclaimed that the right shock was defect - just as i has reported to begin with.
We arranged to repair the car again in circa 2 weeks provided he could obtain a special order of two front shocks of equal quality to my BMW factory originals but at a lower price (from Bilstein or equivalent) for circa 175 EURO each and total circa 600 EURO including labor.
On my way home I stopped at another workshop and has the master mechanic check the right front shock - we found that the piston was completely broken just off below the upper engine compartment mounting bracket lock nut.
Several weeks later - the first workshop notified me that the special order shocks has arrived and so I had an OAMTC tow-truck pick up and transport my car for repair - total miles driven since th first repair was only 19.
When the car was again repaired I asked for the replaced parts and was told that the right shock was "broken" and that both shocks had been thrown away. The cost was 759.00 EURO including 4 hours of labor.
I drove home and noticed no defects - so I put the car in winter storage.
Several months later when I drove my car to the OAMTC Inspection Station for an annual sticker I noticed that the shocks did not look new or repaired in any way. I removed the upper mounting bracket lock nut dust covers in the engine compartment and it became readily apparent that the left shock was never removed but the right lock nut looked new or refurbished.
My lawyer initiated a civil law suit to recover my costs circa 1000 EURO and enable me to replace the shocks correctly with BILSTEIN as intended which will cost only 500 EURO including labor.
In the meantime waiting for the court hearing - I was driving at 130 KPH on the autobahn and noticed that my left front shock was acting exactly as the right one had - so I immediately drove to the nearest BMW dealer and when we lifted the car the left front wheel nearly fell off - it hanging from the strut and the shock absorber piston was broken cleanly off just below the upper lock nut.
My car is now awaiting the civil court hearing and technical inspector determination of what happened before I can repair or drive it - total kilometers on my car still only 108,000.
Upon reflection it seems to me that during one of my routine minor maintenance visits my "trusted" mechanic induced the shock defects by deliberately over-torquing the upper mount lock nuts beyond 64 NM which stretched the pistons and caused metal fatigue failure at some uncertain point in time and thereby necessitating a repair - which he then did not fulfill according to his own bill.
In his written response to my attorney the mechanic stated that he fixed the right shock with a special procedure and inspected the left shock although his repair bill clearly charged me for front shock absorber (2) units and 4 hours of labor.
QUESTIONS:
1. Do front shocks normally fail in this manner or at 100,000 KM?
2. Do these pistons really break cleanly under the lock nut?
3. What are the odds that both shocks would break like this?
4. Any specialists in this field of fraud?
5. My theory is that these BMW shocks are perfectly suited for fraud because the shocks are within the spring mount housing as one unit and the customer can be easily bamboozled - according to BMW these parts cannot be repaired but most be replaced. I have seen the repair articel on e31 website which required 8 hours and saved very little money compared to Bilstein or equivalent replacements.
6. Are Bilstein BMW 850 shocks adequate and reliable?
See photos.
Your comments and experience would be very much appreciated.
Many thanks, Jack
