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Thread: BMW E39 touring Tailgate Strut Replacement DIY / No BMW tool Needed!

  1. #1
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    BMW E39 touring Tailgate Strut Replacement DIY / No BMW tool Needed!

    Hi all!

    I did the Strut replacement today and while looking for a DIY to follow, i was surprised by the lack of literature on the procedure. Either that or the ones i could find had expired photobucket pictures, so i figured what the heck. I will take some pictures while i do mine and make an up to date DIY.

    The DIY was very straight forward, but there were a few tips and tricks i used that hopefully can help the next guy. Additionally, i did the replacement WITHOUT the specialty BMW tool

    Tools Needed:

    - T20 Torx / Star Bit or Screwdriver

    - Pry bar / Elongated Thin Box Wrench / Fan Clutch Tool

    - 2 Flat head screw drivers
    - (1) 6" Flathead screw driver (6" + handle, not 6" total)
    - (1) Stubby Flat head (the OEM one from the trunk tool box will do just fine)
    - (2) replacement Tailgate Struts https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...gaAtcdEALw_wcB
    - (2) replacement Glass Struts https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...on-51248190688

    - Mini Flashlight

    - Patience

    ***Additional Things needed, But not Required***

    - Extra set of hands


    Ok so First i want to Elaborate on the "Elongated Thin Wrench". This will take place of the Specialty Tool. You can use a pry bar, but the one i had didnt give me much room to work with and see down into the opening. I used a 19mm Box Wrench First as it seemed to be thing enough, but eventually switched to my Fan Clutch Tool as it was even thinner, and Longer. I imagine anything that is about at least 18" long, and is under half an Inch wide will work the same.

    Ok so lets start, the whole process took me 2 hours, but shouldn't take you as long as i didnt really have much to go on and was learning as i went.


    1. Disconnect the battery - You can probably get away with not doing this, but i would recommend doing it regardless as it may interfere with something later.

    2. Support the Tailgate - I was going to ratchet strap it up and over to the Touring rails, but i ended up using a Floor Jack and Broom stick lol. **** I WOULD NOT RECCOMEND THIS WAY OF SUPPORTING THE TAILGATE**** it would be very easy to knock the broomstick out and that would result in the heavy a$$ tailgate to come down on your back and would probably result in major injury. Support at your own risk.



    3. Use your T20 Bit / Screw driver, to undo the 6 screws holding the trim / wire loom covers. There are 3 screws on each side, so 6 in total, But on each side you have 2 trim pieces. One has 2 screws, the other , just has 1.



    4. Remove the Trim Pieces

    - These trim pieces are a little tricky, and you really have no space to get your fingers in there. But there are 2 key points you need to attack to get these baby's off. First, in the Lower Right/left hand corners, you will have this snap fit section to undo. Use one of the Flat heads to unhinge this (it is dead center of picture, zoom in and you will see it already "unhinged"



    - There are one of these per trim piece, so 4 total, and it is very easy to shear the little plastic nipple off. Be careful. In addition to these, there is also one "button type" plastic lock you must press in to fully separate the front of the trim, from the rear of the trim. These Trim pieces have the actual tailgate and wire loom sandwiched between them.

    - Here we can see the Trim piece opened up. The trim laying on the Bottom with the 2 square holes in it, is the Front trim piece (the piece that faces you with the T20 screws in it), then above that we see the actual tail gate hing (white, with an insert for the T20 screw) and Wire loom just to the right of the Hinge. Then behind the Wire loom, you can see the rear piece of the trim ( has the square buttons you pressed out earlier to split the trim in half). The way these trim pieces work is that they are split into two sections. The space on the left goes over the Tailgate hinge, and the space on the right goes over the Wire loom, separating the two and keeping them covered. Remember the orientation of the Rear Pieces, as they are slightly different from Left to right. Once the trim is removed you can start removing the struts.



    - Please note, the trim on the inner side is for the Glass Strut, The Trim on the outer side, is for the Tailgate strut. Keep these bundled accordingly and save yourself the head ache of trying to fit the outer on the inner and vis versa.

    5. Remove the Tailgate Strut - First you will have to remove the safety C-Clip ( not sure of the actual word) that keeps the rear of the strut locked in place

    - You can see it here, still on the Pin, to the left of where the Hing and the Strut connect.



    - and removed



    Dont Loose these Suckers!!



    - After removing this Clip, remove the Pin that secures the Strut to the Hinge. This is when you can use the stubby Screwdriver, the OEM one is thick enough to take the force you need to leverage the pin out.



    - Now you will have to use your pry bar tool or tool alike, to pop the strut UP and OFF the Nipple it sits on. Once Popped off, Push the Wire loom aside and pull the Strut directly back and out





    *** Disclaimer***

    The bent strut prongs you see were bent on the removal of the Hinge pin. I had to really put some force on that Pin that holds the strut onto the tailgate hinge, and it bent that plate. The "Before" pic where the pin is pulled out, is actually a picture of a new strut being put in, i took that picture right before i put the pin and C-Clip on to attach it to the tailgate. . The 2nd tailgate strut i did not have to exert as much force.

    The Struts are actually very easy to put into the channel, and take out (once that pin is out). When you are taking them out, and the strut is off the nipple , and detached from the hinge, you can actually push the strut forward (into the channel, towards the front end of the car) enough to have the tailgate hinge no longer between the two strut prongs. Then you can simply move it to the side and pull it right out of the middle of the channel, between the wire loom and Tailgate hinge. Then for install, push it forward enough to where you can move it to the side of the tailgate hinge, and then pull it back towards you so that the Strut prongs surround the tailgate hinge enough for you to get that Pin back in.

    - Now you will be able to see the Nipple that these struts pressure fit onto. Pictured here is the Tailgate Strut Nipple. Also, take this time to clean these spaces out. Mine was filled with dirt and leaves.



    - Before attaching the New Strut, Also inspect your Wire Looms. I had a worn sleeve on one of the wires, and caused some sparks when my Wrench connected with the exposed wire. This is why i recommend you disconnect your battery as i could not see the wire had been damaged until the sparks... Repair as needed.



    6. Replace the Tailgate Strut. This one i dont have any pictures for, but it is the Opposite of removal, except i connected the strut to the tailgate first, using the Pin and C clip you removed first. This allowed me to maneuver the front of the strut around the nipple, with out losing alignment on the Hinge end. The Strut has a hole that will settle on the top of the nipple. Once you feel the Hole is resting over the nipple, take your pry bar or Fan wrench tool or whatever, and place it on top of the strut, at the rear just over the Nipple, and give that thing a wack! It will pressure fit over the nipple and you are done. DO NOT RE-ATTACH THE TRIM BEFORE REPLACING THE GLASS STRUT. You will need the extra space, believe me.

    7. Remove and replace the Glass strut, on the inner side of the channel. This is the same as the Tailgate Strut, except the pin is Built onto the hing and not removable. There is still a C-Clip you have to remove before you can take it off the hinge.



    - The Nipple for the Glass Strut is elevated more so than the tailgate nipple. And was much more difficult to get the Strut to rest centered on top of the Nipple.





    - To do this you might have to have it on top of the nipple, while propping up with your prybar, and slowly rising / lowering the tailgate until you can tell the strut is properly centered over the nipple. This is where the extra set of hands can come in, handy? Trying to Prop the Strut over the Nipple, Hold your flashlight, AND lower / raise the tailgate turned into a PITA and resulted into a few bursts of "FU$#K!!!!" But my wife came to the rescue. Love that Girl.

    - Once you can determine it is centered on the Nipple, Give it a good wack on top just like before and it will pressure fit right on!



    *** Please note *** I did not remove the front trim for the Glass Strut hinge. It would not budge out, so i simply twisted it out of the way. I did remove the REAR trim piece however, in the picture below you can see how the face trim was still left on. The trim behind the hinge is separated but not yet removed in this picture. I did the same for both sides.



    8. Replace trim and Move on to the other side! The next side should go much faster than the first. Again, make sure you keep note of the Trim orientation and everything should clip back together fairly smoothly. At this point, remove your support for the Tailgate and Behold it keep itself open in all its working Glory.

    I hope this helps some of you, if anything wasnt clear or if anyone has questions, just post them up and I will do my best to answer.

    Thank you!

    - Thrifty
    Last edited by Thrifty S50; 01-11-2018 at 06:44 PM.

  2. #2
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    Awesome!
    Are you doing one for the glass as well?

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    Thank you so much!
    So dumb question but I'm still new to these cars. I'm assuming there are two struts on each side? As in, two of the $62 hinges and two of the $20 glass hinges?

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by simmsled View Post
    Awesome!
    Are you doing one for the glass as well?
    Hello There, Yes the Glass Strut Removal is Step Number 7! Those are the struts on the inner side, closest to the Glass. The Glass struts are much skinnier in appearance, and do not have teh spring around it like the Tailgait Strut.

    Quote Originally Posted by danmurphymn View Post
    Thank you so much!
    So dumb question but I'm still new to these cars. I'm assuming there are two struts on each side? As in, two of the $62 hinges and two of the $20 glass hinges?
    Hello! No, No dumb questions! You are correct, you will need a total of (4) struts to complete this job. 2 Tailgate Struts (62$) and 2 Glass Struts (20$)

  5. #5
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    Thanks for posting this Thrifty !! Nice writeup...
    I acquired the 2 glass struts from Bavauto on Black Friday sale....but have to wait on buying the hatch struts. Most likely grab those in springtime and tackle all four at that time.
    I grabbed the URO struts...but the Stabilus might be the better part, and not bad at $20/per. I'll report back how bad they do or don't suck...
    "two wrongs don't make a right...only three lefts do...."
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  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by adm750 View Post
    Thanks for posting this Thrifty !! Nice writeup...
    I acquired the 2 glass struts from Bavauto on Black Friday sale....but have to wait on buying the hatch struts. Most likely grab those in springtime and tackle all four at that time.
    I grabbed the URO struts...but the Stabilus might be the better part, and not bad at $20/per. I'll report back how bad they do or don't suck...
    Hi!

    Please do report back with your experience, that would be great! You definitely want to do all at once, although its an easy DIY, you would only want to do it once.

    I went with the Stabilus over OEM, but i am sure the URO struts would be fine for this application.

    Good Luck!

  7. #7
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    totally agree on the 'once and done' idea...lol...I have and have not been looking forward to replacing these.

    One question...something I noticed but wanted to re-read before I asked....
    How did that plate on the one hatch strut get bent out so badly...? it looked pretty good in the 'removed clip' shot..but splayed out when you showed the new/old pic. I saw it and was just curious is all... I was concerned I wouldn't be able to collapse them enough to get them back and around the hatch hinge and wondered if you had to coerce it out of there a bit. How much "convincing" do they need in order to get them out of there...

    thanks again,
    Tony
    "two wrongs don't make a right...only three lefts do...."
    '79 Euro 635csi - gone and regretting it...
    '89 gsxr-750 - former traffic knife
    '97 528i sedan - holding on strong...(just sold after 16 years of ownership - sad day)
    '03 Euro 525it - something about a famous dolphin.....

    '06 Mercury Grand Marquis (don't ask....it gets the job done....)
    '84 Specialized Allez - full Campagnolo Super Record
    '99-ish Cannondale CAAD4
    "Stinky" - Kona Stinky Five
    '86 528e
    2008 E70 X5 3.0


  8. #8
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    Excellent write-up. Great pics. Thank you.

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    Quote Originally Posted by adm750 View Post
    totally agree on the 'once and done' idea...lol...I have and have not been looking forward to replacing these.

    One question...something I noticed but wanted to re-read before I asked....
    How did that plate on the one hatch strut get bent out so badly...? it looked pretty good in the 'removed clip' shot..but splayed out when you showed the new/old pic. I saw it and was just curious is all... I was concerned I wouldn't be able to collapse them enough to get them back and around the hatch hinge and wondered if you had to coerce it out of there a bit. How much "convincing" do they need in order to get them out of there...

    thanks again,
    Tony

    Hey Tony, Good catch! The bent strut plate you are asking about was bent on the removal of the hinge pin. I had to really put some force on that Pin that holds the strut onto the tailgate hinge, and it bent that plate. The "Before" pic where the pin is pulled out, is actually a picture of a new strut being put in, i took that picture right before i put the pin and C-Clip on to attach it to the tailgate. . The 2nd tailgate strut i did not have to exert as much force.

    The Struts are actually very easy to put into the channel, and take out (once that pin is out). When you are taking them out, and the strut is off the nipple , and detached from the hinge, you can actually push the strut forward (into the channel, towards the front end of the car) enough to have the tailgate hinge no longer between the two strut prongs. Then you can simply move it to the side and pull it right out of the middle of the channel, between the wire loom and Tailgate hinge. Then for install, push it forward enough to where you can move it to the side of the tailgate hinge, and then pull it back towards you so that the Strut prongs surround the tailgate hinge.

    I hope that makes sense! Ill make sure I add this description to the main post, just in case anyone else wonders the same thing, thanks for catching that!



    Quote Originally Posted by Plattus1000 View Post
    Excellent write-up. Great pics. Thank you.
    Thank you Plattus!
    Last edited by Thrifty S50; 12-20-2017 at 01:27 AM.

  10. #10
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    Excellent post, thank you! Thankfully I don't need to do this job right away, but I after owning several wagons over the years that sooner or later I'll need to do this on the 540iT.

    Question about leveraging the ball socket. Do you lever against the body (in other words up on the tool to pop on, down on the tool to pop off)? I imagine it all comes clear in the doing, but I wasn't sure how much force it takes to pop the ball sockets loose. I'm more familiar with the type that have lock pins or clips.

  11. #11
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    thanks for the clarification Thrifty !!! I'm really looking forward to getting this completed now.

    I asked Santa for hatch struts this Christmas....and cross-drilled rotors....oh, and a snowboard.....but I'll probably still wind up getting coal....again.....
    "two wrongs don't make a right...only three lefts do...."
    '79 Euro 635csi - gone and regretting it...
    '89 gsxr-750 - former traffic knife
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    '03 Euro 525it - something about a famous dolphin.....

    '06 Mercury Grand Marquis (don't ask....it gets the job done....)
    '84 Specialized Allez - full Campagnolo Super Record
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    '86 528e
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  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by msvphoto View Post
    Excellent post, thank you! Thankfully I don't need to do this job right away, but I after owning several wagons over the years that sooner or later I'll need to do this on the 540iT.

    Question about leveraging the ball socket. Do you lever against the body (in other words up on the tool to pop on, down on the tool to pop off)? I imagine it all comes clear in the doing, but I wasn't sure how much force it takes to pop the ball sockets loose. I'm more familiar with the type that have lock pins or clips.

    Hey whats up MSV! Good question! To pop them on and off does not take much force, about as much as you would put into hitting a nail, nothing crazy, but it needs to be a quick impact, as if you are exerting a slow downward force i would imagine the Ball socket (much better word than Strut hole and Nipple lol) would naturally want to roll off and not pressure fit on.. But you are correct, you do leverage it against the body, hitting the tool UP to pop ON and DOWN to pop OFF. You will not damage the strut channel you are leveraging against, unless you are using a sledgehammer... Just use the palm of your hand.

    Good luck brotha!




    Quote Originally Posted by adm750 View Post
    thanks for the clarification Thrifty !!! I'm really looking forward to getting this completed now.

    I asked Santa for hatch struts this Christmas....and cross-drilled rotors....oh, and a snowboard.....but I'll probably still wind up getting coal....again.....
    Hey thats a good xmas list! I hope you at leat get the snowboard ;P cant wait to shred some fresh pow pow myself
    Last edited by Thrifty S50; 12-20-2017 at 02:02 PM.

  13. #13
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    Nice post, I have yet to have the pleasure of doing this and I have two tourings.


  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by jp5Touring View Post
    Nice post, I have yet to have the pleasure of doing this and I have two tourings.
    JP, you need to get on it man! Having the functionality back of the operating tailgate + Glass hatch, is SO NICE. When you open it, it almost wants to spring open by itself. I mean, Opening the tailgate prior and just holding it open for the second i threw anything back there wasnt bad. But toooooo many times already i have had to grab something heavy, with BOTH hands, and balance the tailgate on my head, and it was getting REALLY old. Or just pulling something out and asking someone "can you hold this, it wont stay up" was really irking me.

    I also had been battling with my Sub-woofer, and trying to work back there with the tailgate before was unbearable. Since being fixed now only a couple days, My sub is now fixed
    Last edited by Thrifty S50; 12-21-2017 at 12:40 AM.

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  17. #17
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    So my apologies first to Thrifty S50 for jumping the gun on this topic. Google is usually pretty good at indexing everything in forums but the post was relatively new so it didn't show up in my search. Also, in my haste, I didn't scroll down enough to catch Thrifty's post.

    All that said, hope to redeem myself a little. My biggest challenge was trying to see what I was doing when trying to install the strut on the ball joint. So, I ordered a USB Endoscope for Android from Amazon (about $15). I taped the wire camera to the copper pipe I used to install the strut. Helped alot.

    Only changed 1 strut for the glass but already have dramatic improvement in holding up the glass and the hatch. I guess all the struts kind of support each other.

    Anyway, thanks for the DIY. Happy New Year!
    --------------------------------------------

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  18. #18
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    Here's a tip for when I did mine. If you have an angled trim tool like this:



    it's what I used to pry off the old and snap in the new. Also, use vise grips on the shocks to help move them around so you aren't using their fingertips. I think I did all 4 in 30 minutes with these two tools. I also used an air gun with a vacuum to clean out the cavities.
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  19. #19
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    I have both that, and the set from Mac, Never hurts to have different kinds of pry tools. The older SnapOn sets were good too, close to the surface area that the Mac's have, but more rounded on the leading edges.
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  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by QtheGenius View Post
    Here's a tip for when I did mine. If you have an angled trim tool like this.
    Great tips on the tools Q..! ...and the air gun/vac recommendation...

    It kills me to think about all the tools I don't have out of all the tools I do have...lol... I'm ordering my hatch shocks pretty soon. Can't wait to get this done...
    "two wrongs don't make a right...only three lefts do...."
    '79 Euro 635csi - gone and regretting it...
    '89 gsxr-750 - former traffic knife
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    '06 Mercury Grand Marquis (don't ask....it gets the job done....)
    '84 Specialized Allez - full Campagnolo Super Record
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  21. #21
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    Yeah I was gonna quibble with the "there are no threads on this and/or they are all dead photophucket" however I'll grant the latter probably has a bit of truth, as we all suffer from the photophucket disaster...

    That said, nice pix/writeup to add to the (many) existing.

    Only other argument I'd have is the floorjack - broomstick thing... is that a joke? Dude if it isn't, it's a major FAIL. If that hatch falls w/ no struts, jezuz it is a serious health injury hazard, and that broomstick looks goddamn tenuous. If it IS a joke, it oughta be more clear so some poor n00btard doesn't end up in the hospital trying that for real. There's a lotta ways you could prop the sucker reasonably securely, best being suspended from above, although there's other options. Not sure it works for these cars but on a prior car I had, I had a stepladder that worked nearly perfectly to rest the hatch on... You could even quick and dirty screw 2 2x4's together into a T something like the broomstick disaster, but so that the thing can't tip over on you or get knocked out from bumping into it as easily. Get an 8', chop it down to just the right length, and use the left over scrap as the 'foot'. Still a bit of a hack but it'd be better than that darwin award setup pictured.
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
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  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Thrifty S50 View Post
    JP, you need to get on it man! Having the functionality back of the operating tailgate + Glass hatch, is SO NICE. When you open it, it almost wants to spring open by itself. I mean, Opening the tailgate prior and just holding it open for the second i threw anything back there wasnt bad. But toooooo many times already i have had to grab something heavy, with BOTH hands, and balance the tailgate on my head, and it was getting REALLY old. Or just pulling something out and asking someone "can you hold this, it wont stay up" was really irking me.

    I also had been battling with my Sub-woofer, and trying to work back there with the tailgate before was unbearable. Since being fixed now only a couple days, My sub is now fixed
    I just haven't had the need yet,both tourings work well,,,,,,,,for now.


  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by geargrinder View Post
    Only other argument I'd have is the floorjack - broomstick thing... is that a joke? Dude if it isn't, it's a major FAIL. If that hatch falls w/ no struts, jezuz it is a serious health injury hazard, and that broomstick looks goddamn tenuous. If it IS a joke, it oughta be more clear so some poor n00btard doesn't end up in the hospital trying that for real.... Still a bit of a hack but it'd be better than that darwin award setup pictured.
    LOL that was hilarious, yeah i dont reccomend doing what I did as you could seriously hurt yourself if you swipe the broomstick out of the way.

    I was going to ratchet it up and over to the touring rails but for some reason i ended up with that janky apparatus. Given the hazards involved, and accepting the possibilty of deaths cold eternal embrace, i went for it anyways and it never budged. The jack had a notch in it big enough to encompass the round end of the broom stick, and the top was flat and was resting completely covered on the touring hatch lip, with enough weight to keep the bottom in that notch (fairly secure). I gave it a few test wigglezzz ( per the safety wiggle handbook ) to make sure it wouldnt slip out on its own, and it passed this certified safety test flawlessly.

    I will however, count my lucky stars, and add a disclaimer to my first post per your reccomendation.

    Quote Originally Posted by jp5Touring View Post
    I just haven't had the need yet,both tourings work well,,,,,,,,for now.
    Ahhh i see! Lucky you JP! Mine were completely shot, they provided absolutely no support :/

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Canton, Ohio
    Posts
    617
    My Cars
    97 528i
    Holy shit-oly !!! How did I miss the jacked up broom stick routine...?? Dude...that's definitely epic..!! haha...

    You are a risk taker, a scofflaw, and you stare death in the face with reckless abandon..! When you go inside, you leave your balls outside in the wheel barrow you tote 'em around in !!!!.

    GG....it's obvious....Honey badger don't care !!!!


    Like Chuck Norris....every winter, the flu goes and gets a ThriftyS50 shot....!!

    love it man. I have an old wooden closet rod that happens to be long enough that I don't need to use a jack...
    "two wrongs don't make a right...only three lefts do...."
    '79 Euro 635csi - gone and regretting it...
    '89 gsxr-750 - former traffic knife
    '97 528i sedan - holding on strong...(just sold after 16 years of ownership - sad day)
    '03 Euro 525it - something about a famous dolphin.....

    '06 Mercury Grand Marquis (don't ask....it gets the job done....)
    '84 Specialized Allez - full Campagnolo Super Record
    '99-ish Cannondale CAAD4
    "Stinky" - Kona Stinky Five
    '86 528e
    2008 E70 X5 3.0


  25. #25
    geargrinder's Avatar
    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    AndoverRockport MA & Intl
    Posts
    14,856
    My Cars
    E46M3Cic E39.540iT E84X1
    Hell, I'd feel way better about a stick jabbed in the ground than the one propped on the jack! That 'lip' ain't gonna to shart if it gets bumped into, except 'trip' the thing so it pivots off at the top first, instead of bottom...
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
    2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
    2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
    2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)

    Former:

    1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
    1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)


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