Yes they can go bad, and whatever you do don't use KYB replacements.

 

I replaced all mounts except for the rear left, I forgot to order that one.........Doh! Luckily I had new bushings for it laying around from another project.

 

I have done a lot of repairs including strut mounts and I try to buy parts made by Lemforder-------they are an OEM manufacturer for BMW and I have had very good luck with them. I tend to buy them from Pelican if they have them in stock and they usually ship from their vendor in Georgia to me in Florida.

 

it's a fairly common problem. The problem really is the shocks get worn out, but not changed, so bang on the mounts harder than fully functioning shocks and tear the rubber. The rubber also dries out over time which doesn't help the situation. The failure is pretty easy to spot, the rubber starts to crack in a circular pattern around the center nut. I've changed the shocks on my car twice, the first time, the strut mounts were torn so I replaced them. The second time, they weren't torn, but they were looking a little old/dry so I changed them out while I had everything apart. They're not super expensive so it seems like good preventative maintenance while it's apart.

If they fail and your shocks are still good, it's not super hard to replace them, you just pull the shock out, compress the spring, pull the old mount off and put the new one on. Probably a 3 hour job to do both sides for me, and I'm a slow mechanic.

 

Yes. However, since you have access to them while you're doing the job it's a good idea to replace them even if they seem to still be fine. As suggested, the OEM supplier brand is Lemforder and is what I would recommend if you don't want to purchase Genuine MINI ones.

 

Is it Lemforder or Lemdorfer?

 

Lemfoerder

 

BTW, Lemfoerder and Lemförder are the exact same company.
I think Lemdorfer sells golf clubs to Tim Conway.

 

 

I've read several posts on here that say Lemforder, Sachs, and Boge are the same since they are all essentially the same company https://www.zf.com/corporate/en_de/a...ds/brands.html

Put the Bilstein B4s in this week, and I went with Sachs front strut mounts, since they were the best price, and replaced front and rear bump stops with OEM instead of going with the universal Powerflex stops. I did put the Powerflex bushings in the rear for the shock tops, and I greased them up. I ordered an extra packet of grease in case they get squeaky down the road.

Definitely less body roll when first applying steering input than when I bought the car with 68K miles on the original struts. A world of difference than it's been the last few weeks with a blown front strut.

I've never tried the FSDs, but I wouldn't say this is a rough ride - more of a solid ride. I like the fact that the dampers are linear so I don't have to guess how they are going to respond based on the force applied.