Rear Shock Tower Catastrophic Failure (Pics Attached)

[mjrgroup]

EDIT: My car has 75,600 miles on it and has been dealer maintained throughout its life up to 68k. It has stock suspension.

Just about the worse thing that could happen to rear shocks happened to me. The passenger's side rear shock tower has catastrophically failed.

Because my car is a daily driver, I need urgent tips on the best way to fix this.

Please help me out with some information. Immediately after posting this, I'm searching through the forums for other threads on the same issue and will be doing reading. I'd like to order whatever parts I need and have an action plan to fix this in the next few hours.


Passenger's Side Rear Shock Tower (Completely separated from chassis)




Driver's Side Rear Shock Tower (Appears to still be intact)




Passenger's Side Rear Shock Tower (Exterior)

[Dominic49]

how long has the car been making noises from the rear?

just bring it to a body shop they will be able to cut weld a patch panel.

[GimmieSumMo72]

eeek... yeah take it to a bodyshop or welder to get that fixed! then have it reinforced! and change those wheels!

[mjrgroup]

how long has the car been making noises from the rear?

just bring it to a body shop they will be able to cut weld a patch panel.

For a while now. I didn't suspect the suspension and from underneath the car it didn't ever look the way it looks now. I always thought it was coming from under the rear deck. I ripped the entire trunk apart trying to find it, re-seated the batteries. Then when I started bouncing the car I noticed that's when it happened. So I ripped open the shock tower covers and found this.

The sad and humiliating thing is that I never even suspected this to be the case of the rattling. And the poor handling I attributed to the 20" wheels that everyone gives me crap about.

A while ago I saw either someone's custom made part or a product for sale which was basically a custom-molded piece of sheet metal that an e31 owner welded under the rear shock tower mount. Does anyone know if a part like this is made by anyone?

[GimmieSumMo72]

who ever welds your car back together can make you one!

[jerry920]

Ugh, too scary for me. I am ordering the reinforcement plates today.

[DriftGirl]

Dont kick yourself too hard. It's obviously a weak part of the car thats prone to failure.

[8eights]

Just about the worse thing that could happen to rear shocks happened to me. The passenger's side rear shock tower has catastrophically failed.

Because my car is a daily driver, I need urgent tips on the best way to fix this.

Please help me out with some information. Immediately after posting this, I'm searching through the forums for other threads on the same issue and will be doing reading. I'd like to order whatever

Most of us use Ed/Phoenixmotorsport reinforcement plates as a MAJOR preventive maintenance, A absolute must with these cars, Especially if lowered. You will need to order a new replacement for your split parts from the dealer pic #2 and ad the reinforcement plates on the bottom of pic #1 on top of them to spread the load of the thin material. Your gonna need a temporary car until, Plenty of info here under "Shock tower", More reading here->http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...k+tower+plates Good luck!

[mjrgroup]

@8eights: Those are the pictures I've seen before! Regarding the new shock tower part in pic 2, is it part #12 in the diagram below?

SUPPORT FOR SHOCK ABSORBER RIGHT (41148152998)
SUPPORT FOR SHOCK ABSORBER LEFT (41148152997)

Is "right" the passenger's side?

[Wuffer]

Yup

[8eights]

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...90&hg=41&fg=25

[mjrgroup]

This may sound like a dumb question but, is it welded over the existing body or do you have to cut out the old part of the body and replace it with the support?

Also, if I do one side, it will add thickness to that side and the other side will be uneven. I would need to eventually do both sides, right?

[DriftGirl]

So, would the Phoenix motorsport, reinforcement plates prevent this?

[Hobz]

This may sound like a dumb question but, is it welded over the existing body or do you have to cut out the old part of the body and replace it with the support?

Also, if I do one side, it will add thickness to that side and the other side will be uneven. I would need to eventually do both sides, right?

You wouldn't notice the difference in ride height.

With the aftermarket reinforcement plate/washer you would be fine on the other side without having to have anything welded in place

[mjrgroup]

But do I have to cut out the old body part to install the new one? Or does the support weld right over the original?

I just ordered both left and right support units from bavauto.com, with 2-day shipping. It is still a special-order item and there will likely be a 10-day lead time.

If welding the support over the existing body is acceptable, then I might attempt this myself. Time to learn how to weld.

[Cadillacwill]

This seems like a rather lame question, but how can I tell if mine are ripped or not, this thread has really got me scared. Sorry that happened to you man, but learning to weld seems simple, I know I plan on learning.

[TxGR8White]

But do I have to cut out the old body part to install the new one? Or does the support weld right over the original?

I just ordered both left and right support units from bavauto.com, with 2-day shipping. It is still a special-order item and there will likely be a 10-day lead time.

If welding the support over the existing body is acceptable, then I might attempt this myself. Time to learn how to weld.

This is NOT the place to "learn how to weld"!!
Go to a reputable body shop that actually does welding and have them install the reinforcing support pieces on BOTH sides.
The "rip" is caused by 2 things: sport springs /lowered suspension and large diameter wheels and tires that offer very little sidewall "bounce"...

[John in DC]

Does anyone know if a part like this is made by anyone?

Yes. BMW sells the molded piece that you can weld into the car.

I believe it is #12 in the link below.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...90&hg=41&fg=25

Good luck with this (relatively easy) repair...

[IcemanBHE]

Agreed with #17.

Not the place for chicken crap welds.

Take it to a specialist.

[Hobz]

+1

Welding sounds easy, but it takes a lot of practice, especially for a structural component like this, and in a cramped area like this.

With thin sheet metal like this and no practice you're likely to burn holes in your chassis, removing material when you're wanting to add material.

[mjrgroup]

I'm getting quotes from places and it's looking to be probably around $400 per side...one shop could get me a little less. One guy I talked to said he wants to give me a proper quote when he sees the parts and looks at where they need to go.

I ordered both left and right supports and am going to have both done. BAV said that BMW had the driver's side support and BAV will ship it next week, but there are no passenger's side supports in the country and it will have to come from Germany. I'm in for a 2+ week wait on that part.

Do you guys advise putting the phoenix motorsport reinforcement plates in addition to new supports?

Eventually I'm going to migrate to 18" wheels, eibach springs and bilstein sport shocks. With the new supports I should have no problem with a stiffer suspension setup.

I was pretty sad yesterday, but once this is all done, the peace of mind will be great. And when I get my 18" wheels on there, the ride, handling, and look will be improved. While my car is grounded, I'll also have a chance to do some more work on it.

[tonys]

As I understand it, the BMW plates will not prevent this from happening. Phoenix Motorsports / Ed Rather plates will. The BMW plates are an after-the-damage-is-done repair so they are unnecessary on the side that hasn't yet ripped. To prevent this from happening again, install the Phoenix Motorsports / Ed Rather plates on both sides in addition to the repair on one side.
The reinforcement plates are a 15 minute DIY install. No special tools or welding needed but you may want to torque to specs.

Tony

[mjrgroup]

Thank you all very much for your help, in less than a day, this thread has provided me with a game plan on how to get a big problem fixed, and parts are already on-the-way. Kudos to all of you, and thanks 8eights for posting the pics.

FYI: I'll be hiring a body shop to do the welds for me on both sides (because the supports are 3mm versus 2mm originals), then installing phoenix reinforcement plates on both sides.

[danno14]

Also, look into what should be done in preparation for the welding.... .like disconnecting the batteries. A PRO shop should know this; otherwise, you may end up frying some fairly sensitive electronics.
Good luck!

[Imndeep]

So, would the Phoenix motorsport, reinforcement plates prevent this?

Yes, especially if your lowered.