I just got the word from my local Mini dealer that the mysterious metallic clunk in left front suspension of '08 MCS is a busted left front shock. That one they agreed to replace under warranty. It's a bit weird to loose a shock at 35K miles (nope, no accidents/incidents or pot holes come to mind), but **** happens. Alas, they will absolutely NOT replace the matching right front unless I pay out of pocket. I'm underwhelmed about the prospect of driving on 2 un-matched shocks: 1 new + 1 near end of life and from a batch that saw its sibling bite the dust.

The only time I had a similar experience was on my E36 M3 that ate one rear OEM shock under warranty. The BMW dealer in TX had replaced both shocks on their own initiative. Mini of Morristown guys are not budging.

Other then obvious suggestion to ditch OEM and upgrade to Koni's or Bilstein's, any advice on how to get Mini/BMW to replace the matching right front shock under warranty?

TIA,
alex f

 

35k miles is not near end of life for a shock, but I do agree that I'd be more comfortabale replacing them as a spare. Instead of trying to get them to do it for free try to work out a deal where you only pay for parts (maybe even at a discounted rate). They'll have it up in the air already, so the labor should be easy for them to swallow.

 

Is an alignment needed after new shocks are installed?
Are they the strut type?

 

Front and rear suspension setups are classic coil-overs:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.d...31&hg=31&fg=10

Assuming you replace the same parts as what was there before (same camber plates, strut assembly, springs, carrier/control arm), you can swap parts without changing the suspension geometry. Thus - no need for alignment.
As a matter of fact, the dealer did not do an alignment after replacing my left front strut assembly. Nor did they replace any other "while you are in there" parts.

YMMV,
alex f

 

On all the cars I've owned, the longest I had ever gone on OEM struts was on my E30 M3 on which the shocks started leaking (i.e.: beyond dead) @~80K miles. Strangely, the car still handled OK with dead shocks, but was instantly transformed with the new ones. On E36 M3, I took out OEM shocks as soon as warranty ran out (@~45K miles) and by that time I could fully compress both front shock shafts with a pinky. They did not leak, but did not work either ;-)

Funny thing is I could not tell they were dead - the decay is very progressive over the lifespan and imperceptible. However, once you replace them, you will instantly appreciate the difference!

I don’t know whether Mini is using higher quality shocks than BMW, but assuming it doesn’t, I would not expect OEM shocks to be of much use past 50K miles.


Good idea - explored that - they were willing to comp 2 hours of labor for the RHS shock if I bought it for $175 and spent another $500 on Service 2 (brake fluid flush + filter change)

Sound like it's time to quit complaining and order proper suspension for the MCS. The factory washboard ride on 3 decaying and 1 new OEM shocks is leaving plenty of room for improvement. In 2 months the warranty is out and off we go shopping:

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/BMW-...uspension.aspx
Bilstein PSS10's ?
H&R Coil-overs ?
.... choices ... choices...

alex f

P.S.: non-RFT tires helped, but only so much