Where to get rear struts for touring glass?

[marek]

I did a search and found nothing. Need the struts for my Touring rear glass, as they are dead and I'm tired of getting hit in the head with the rear window. Yes I tried the dealer but since I live in Canada and the dealers here love gouge people like no tomorrow (they are $75.35ea) I am looking for alternatives.

Pics for views and yes it's real and the rear throwing star is now pointing in the right direction :D

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y214/marekd174/IMG_1760.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y214/marekd174/IMG_1748.jpg

[Rebel635csi]

i hate you!

naah, no i dont, but i'd still hit u over the head for that car....

[5kcstq]

Mines got the same problem. You can buy them from Pelican parts, but the real problem is going to be putting them in....looks like an awful job to say the least.
HTH

[marek]

i hate you!

naah, no i dont, but i'd still hit u over the head for that car....

If you want it $25k obo and it's yours. Lots of maintenance done to it in last 5k and I am the second owner :)

[cmar ireland]

I've seen those struts come up on the German ebay site plenty of times. Fairly cheap too IIRC

[Rebel635csi]

i just open the whole hatch.....lol

[marek]

It seems like I can get both of them shipped from several sources in the US for less than 1 from the dealer in Canada. Now changing them looks like real fun :)

[5kcstq]

Let us know how it goes if you get to them before I do, and hopefully you do...I'm so not looking forward to replacing them. Bentley says BMW uses a special tool to r&r the forward ends of them, but it kinda looks like a long thin screwdriver or probably even better a long thin piece of hardwood might do the trick.

[Hanselhoff]

myne does it too...i use my head to hold it up..thats 3 ppl in the gta who need a set each

[SMRTASS]

it surprises me every time . . . drives a M5 Touring and can't afford 75$ a piece . . . . get them at the dealer and let them put them in . . without the right special BMW-tool it's a real PITA

[323I Junkie]

it does suck installing them ...I just did a set last week

[Hanselhoff]

it surprises me every time . . . drives a M5 Touring and can't afford 75$ a piece . . . . get them at the dealer and let them put them in . . without the right special BMW-tool it's a real PITA



Wow...douche bag much...im guessing you "dont" do your own maintenance..

[marek]

it surprises me every time . . . drives a M5 Touring and can't afford 75$ a piece . . . . get them at the dealer and let them put them in . . without the right special BMW-tool it's a real PITA

It has nothing to do with "affording it". When I tried to get the S50B32 tensioner the dealer wanted $278+tax and I got the same part on-line for $100 shipped. Does owning an M5T automatically mean I am "entitled" to be gouged by the dealer?
Besides when I called the dealer to ask about the price the parts guy told me my car didn't come with an opening rear window. It was only after I called back with a part # that he was kind enough to provide it for me.
Last time I took it for the dealer and tried to get a valve adjustment done and was politely told to take it elsewhere as they don't have the tools to do such an old car. Aside from valve adjustments I do all my own maintenance as it's the only way it will get done right.

[323I Junkie]

Thats awesome, "it doesnt open"


Yeah, when you get ready to do them, just also get ready to remove the

Rear headliner
rear trim..
two 18mm bolts (he struts fasten to these)

then you have to fish the struts back there, have a buddy jamb a screwdriver in them, and shove the bolts back into the pop-on fittings. Then you reinstall the two e-clips in the outside slide on fitting

hint...

by 12 e clips-you will lose ten of them

[attack eagle]

it surprises me every time . . . drives a M5 Touring and can't afford 75$ a piece . . . . get them at the dealer and let them put them in . . without the right special BMW-tool it's a real PITA
I assure you, if my dealer were asked to do the job, I'd wind up waiting at least a week for them to order the tool... and they would refer to the exact same shop manual I have to do it.

[Qsilver7]

Here's the instructions on how to change the Glass Hatch's struts: (if you move your cursor over the intructions and right click...you can "SAVE" the image to your CPU and lose the BimmerBoard logo covering the illustration in the lower left corner) ;)

http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/q/original/Touringhatchstruts.jpg

[323I Junkie]

I can shorten that instructional picture on top to:


IT SUCKS

[biocoug]

Did you ever replace the struts? I am looking to do the same thing. Can someone tell me, I lift the right rear button (to the right of license plate), I can hear the rear window latch assembly move to open, but the glass just sits. I made the assumption that I need to change the dreaded struts!

[kalevera]

Use the instructions Q posted, get the special tool. I'm not sure how it is possible to do it without the special tool, wouldn't be fun. Takes two seconds with it.

The struts are designed to hold the glass, not open it. They should keep it from falling on your head, but you should have to lift the glass to open it.





Yeah, when you get ready to do them, just also get ready to remove the

Rear headliner
rear trim..
two 18mm bolts (he struts fasten to these)

then you have to fish the struts back there, have a buddy jamb a screwdriver in them, and shove the bolts back into the pop-on fittings. Then you reinstall the two e-clips in the outside slide on fitting

hint...

by 12 e clips-you will lose ten of them


:confused The headliner doesn't need to come out, and they're held in place with clips, no bolts.... One common problem is that the upper clip post rusts away. The lift gate struts are another story...

[biocoug]

So, I cannot find the special tool on Real OEM or anywhere else. I have typed in the # given in the instructions as well as other keyword searches. If anyone can let me know where to find it. sounds like the replacement is pretty difficult without it.

Thanks

ERic

[tonyroc14]

M5T automatically

haha almost thought you said you had an m5t automatic, i was gonna cry.

Nice piece of kick ass right there :buttrock

[Elekta]

oh christ, just go to any garden shop and get a little weed puller that looks like a screwdriver with a forked end. Basically it looks like a sharp V at the end where a phillips head or flat head would be.

The part that goes on deep in the roof that is so intimidating is not so hard at all. The C clips are harder and easier to lose down the rain channel of the rear hatch.

If you have a friend to hold a flashlight that makes it somewhat easier. So for the left side, you put the shock in your left hand, hold it at the end and push it into the cavity where the round nob is. then with your weed tool line up the female end of the shock over the male end in the roof, and use the tool as a press. You can push against the inside of the roof as if there were a fulcrum and apply pressure against the female shock part and it will just snap on voila.

Then switch hands and do the mirror opposite on the right hand side. Don't lose the c clips, but they can go on with a pair of needle nose pliers.

A long handled flat head screw driver works just as well. It's only hard because you've never done it before. The second one you will do in 1/4th the time.

They're like $56 for a pair from BMA. Yvvess can get them to you in 3 days....there is no rumpus here folks