Sorry guys. I know I may sound dumb but I am an ametaur with this stuff. How does the nut on the top of the strut work.
I know there is a hex bolt. What is it for? How do you losen and tighten the top of the strut? Thanks!

 

Use a hex wrench to keep the strut from spinning and then use a socket to tighten or loosen. Use a socket that you can use a box end wrench on (i.e. spark plug socket), then run the hex through the center of the socket. They have special tools, but backyard redneck tricks work too.

Nik

 

Cool. So when you losen and tighten you need the hex key to hold it down? Or only to losen?

 

Both, keeps the strut from spinning.

Nik

 

Ok. I'm just trying to figure out how it's possible to torque down the nut when you need the hex key in.

 

I'm not sure if 21mm is the size of the stock top nut on the strut, but these are a huge help.

http://www.eurosportdesign.com/p-438...FUJa4Aod7zQAgg

That way you can sneak your wrench or allen key inside the socket to tighten things down properly.

If you don't want to buy one, you could always buy a sacrificial socket and use a cut-off wheel to make one. That's what I did to make mine.

 

To set the proper torque for the top nut (I don't recall the torque setting), put the hex key bit on your torque wrench set to reverse and tighten the nut with a wrench. That's the way I did it.

 

BMW uses a specialty socket for this, as other people have said you have to hold the inside but while spinning the outer to tighten. I just installed my coils and instead of buying a $50 socket from mini I bought a 21mm deep socket and use a hand grinder to cut a hole in it, a spark plug socket would also work but I wanted to cut a hole in some for fun haha