2007 R56 Hatchback, 126,000 miles

Removed the struts; with the help of vise and impact wrench, compressed the springs, removed the old shocks, installed new shocks, bumpers, and shock covers; put everything back on the car; torqued all bolts; cleaned tools and put away..

3 hours, 25 minutes, one busted knuckle.

Toughest part was getting the bottom of the strut out of the round holder at the bottom and getting the damn thing back in -- wound up using a jack under the steering knuckle to slowly force the end of the strut into the mount

What a difference in driving!! Feels solid like it did when new.

 

What make/model of strut and shocks did you install?

 

Stock, purchased from the dealer in Richmond VA. I think they are Bilstein.

 

Bilsteins are great, so are KONI as the preferred shock, glad you like them.

 

The stock versions on my 2009 had a Delphi sticker on them. I just replaced mine too. 151K miles (right front was dead, but the left front still had a little (very little) life (and I mean rebound) to it. I installed the Bilstein B4 units (all 4 corners). They make a spreader tool that goes into the gap on the inboard side of the steering knuckle. Insert it in the gap and rotate 90 degrees to open up the knuckle. That makes it much easier to get the struts in and out of the knuckle.

 

My 2012 MCS had Delphis all around. The car drove like crap, would skip sideways over bumps or expansion joints. I went the Bilstein route as well and couldn't be happier.

 

That unsettling feeling is what I love of mine..ROFL

Good grippy tires made up for the skipping, however the little bit of wiggle was there that I did not have with the B6 Bilsteins of my 2008 MCS.

 

Yep the factory Delphis are ok when the car is new, but soon get sloppy.

 

I'm about to do this but don't you need a special socket to hold the strut shaft? Saw the socket on Ebay but only across the pond.

I don't have a impact but I assume its not a good idea to install the nut with an impact anyhow.

Edit I think I found it - https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben...SABEgICzvD_BwE

and also just recalled that I have a 22mm oxygen sensor socket but not sure it will work and don't want to get stuck because of a $20 part

 

I was able to do it with a combination of pass through sockets, vise grips, etc. But I've got a lot of tools and even then it was a bit of a challenge to MacGyver it, so I'd definitely suggest buying the proper tool. IIRC the fronts and rears are different sizes. You'll also obviously need a good set of spring compressors.

The stock struts were just awful. Koni FSDs all around made a huge difference.

 

Guys do not forget to do a alignment after this job.

 

Anyone changed the front sway bar bushings? I took a look and saw right away that the bolt on the bushing bracket is right up against the body. So the sub frame has to be lowered.

There is a Youtube video on this and its about what you expect. I'm a diehard DIY'er but it might be bit difficult to get the car high enough using jack stands, I may actually take the car in for this one if in fact its bad.

I have a thumping noise in the car when driving even over relatively smooth surfaces. When I push the front of the car down I hear the noise and it seems to be coming from the strut top mount - I assume the rubber part can fail causing this noise? I need to get my assistant to hold their hand on the strut mount area while doing this to isolate the noise.

Anyhow ordered strut replacements with the mounts so if noise does not disappear after replacing I'll know its the swaybar.

Also on the rear shock did anyone have issues with the lower shock mount bolt? I don't live in a rusty state but probably a good idea to heat the bolt and apply penetrant, I suspect not too many people actually strip the control arm but better to be safe than sorry. Sometimes reading too much on the internet takes me paranoid because you only see the bad and ugly. I knew one professional mechanic and often they reduce the torque spec a bit on some aluminum parts and make up for it with some blue locktite. Apparently if you buy a new rear control arm it does not come tapped - can you believe this?

 

Yeah. I had horrible thumping noise driving over uneven surface and the sway bar bushing was the culprit.
It's not too bad to replace, but if you decide to go, replace the control arm bushing as well.

Also, look into rear sway bar bushing as well. I originally thought the thumping was all coming from front, after replacing rear sway bar bushing, it actually got so much better, and replacing front completed it.

 

I also replaced the front strut assemblies today as well. I am sure my Cooper S still had the originals after 87K miles. There didn't seem to be much shock or spring action and my road clearance was pretty scary. The car is now sitting up almost 2" higher. Now for an alignment.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northern

My 2012 MCS had Delphis all around. The car drove like crap, would skip sideways over bumps or expansion joints. I went the Bilstein route as well and couldn't be happier.

The Delphis and the Continental run flats made for some terrifying driving dynamics for sure!

 

The stabilizer bar attaches to shock body turning nut on forward end spins is there somewhere to hold the bolt?

 

There should be an Allen socket on the tip of the stud, or a flat spot on the opposite side of the sway bar bracket.

 

Flat spot I had not gone big enough 18mm
what about the knuckle joint does one dare? to use a wrench on brake disc to hold hub while turning off nut or go against the stops?

 

I used locking plier to hold the back side of sway bar bracket.