Stock Problems/Issues Discussions related to warranty related issues and repairs, or other problems with the OEM parts and software for MINI Cooper (R50), Cabrio (R52), and Cooper S (R53) MINIs.

Is this my Shock Absorber? It's rattling, how can I fix it?

Old Dec 13, 2018 | 03:29 PM
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Is this my Shock Absorber? It's rattling, how can I fix it?


I'm guessing that this is my Shock absorber (Stabilus Stab O Shock) and it looks to have broken apart from something. I don't feel much difference in ride quality but it does make an annoying rattle noise. I don't see what the circular part attaches to and I'm not familiar with suspension setup but this is on the passenger side. Any help on how to fix this? 2004 R53
 

Last edited by Bruzee; Dec 13, 2018 at 04:05 PM.
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Old Dec 13, 2018 | 05:58 PM
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Look at the other side and you will see where it attaches. Looks like the bushing is missing from the shock, which is probably still attached to the bolt that’s probably still attached to the frame. You will need to replace them. You can find how-tos on the forum or the internet.
 
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Old Dec 13, 2018 | 07:50 PM
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Thanks. I tried checking the other side to see the positioning but I couldn't seem to locate that one, looks like there's more parts blocking the view. Anyway, I've never done work on suspension components so there's a slight learning curve for me on this, but I'll try more research.
 
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Old Dec 13, 2018 | 08:02 PM
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it seems to be a hood shock. it cannot be your suspension because you wont be actually able to drive the car.
 
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Old Dec 13, 2018 | 08:02 PM
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Well I feel like I'm being trolled, but that is the shock absorber for your belt tensioner. I think you can find just the shock absorber part, but here's the whole tensioner.
Amazon Amazon
 
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Old Dec 13, 2018 | 09:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Racingguy04
Well I feel like I'm being trolled...
 
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Old Dec 13, 2018 | 10:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Racingguy04
Well I feel like I'm being trolled, but that is the shock absorber for your belt tensioner. I think you can find just the shock absorber part, but here's the whole tensioner. https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-38404...belt+tensioner
No trolling here, looks like that's what I need. I appreciate the help, hopefully my car survives until I can get it delivered. Thanks.
 
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Old Dec 14, 2018 | 03:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Racingguy04
Well I feel like I'm being trolled, but that is the shock absorber for your belt tensioner. I think you can find just the shock absorber part, but here's the whole tensioner. https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-38404-Professional-Automatic-Tensioner/dp/B001KSDZOY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1544760059&sr=8-3&keywords=mini+belt+tensioner
Good catch. I thought it looked a littl small for a shock. Why couldn’t BMW design a spring loaded fulcrum tensioner like most of the sane automotive world?

 
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Old Dec 14, 2018 | 10:24 AM
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Interesting that they have that on a tensioner. Learn something new everyday lol
 
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Old Dec 14, 2018 | 02:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Tgriffithjr
...Why couldn’t BMW design a spring loaded fulcrum tensioner like most of the sane automotive world?
It is a spring loaded tensioner; the shock is there to control oscillation.
 
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Old Dec 14, 2018 | 02:47 PM
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looks like BMW didn't design it as it is an AC Delco part!

****************
editorial comment:

my first thought too was , "that's not a suspension shock" but beyond that was not sure what I was looking at.

Note for picture taker: while pictures help A LOT, consider having something in a picture of the problem that serves as a reference for location and or scale. Sometimes I'll use a wider area shot with an arrow to the issue, then a tighter shot of the specific ....
 

Last edited by Capt_bj; Dec 14, 2018 at 02:53 PM.
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