This is great and I'm glad I found it. I too have an E46 330xi and do a lot of DIY. This confirms my suspicion that the sway bar links are pretty easy to replace. Always nice to watch a video in preparation for the next job!
Very well put together video: great camera angles and light, great explanation of all parts, part numbers and bolt sizes, necessary tools, etc. Great advice, very honest, no wasted time. Thank you very much for making this video as I bought the Lemforder Control Bars, Tie Rods, and Sway bars from FCPEuro ($530 for the kit) and intend to put them all in, primarily due to very loose control bar ball joints and bushings. The car likely won't pass inspection and has a lot of noise when hitting bumps, and the steering wheel really oscillates a lot when going certain speeds. I also had to buy new tires to pass inspection and replaced all this to keep them from wearing out quickly (Michelin Defenders T+H for $108 each minus a $70 rebate for 4 = $362 from SEARS). There was also a rebate for the $19 per wheel installation and balance cost (additional rebate for $75 total). My Car: 2002 BMW 325i, 135K miles. This is the first time replacing these components. Thanks again, great video.
I also have a mysterious noise. Changed control arm bushings, sway bar links. Control arms and tie rods seem fine. I’m going to nick pick and check every bolt. Thank you for your video. It made me think outside the box. Wish me luck.
your just awesome dude !!!! i have a 01 bmw 530i (e39) and for anything i want to do to it the first thing i do is go to your channel and check out how you do it , from Car wash and detailing the e39 to learning how to change the oil on the vehicle .. i enjoy all of your videos !!! thank you for all your help man !!!!!
Nice video, tidy and clear. I don't know if a front wheel alignment is planned or was done. It could be a good idea to do after replacing steering parts. Care for even tire wear etc.
Thanks for all the responses all make sure to look at all the models mentioned and make my decision based of of what's I can realistically maintenance and afford
Great video. I'm in England , changing my anti roll bar linkage (swaybar to the U.S I think) saved me garage bills . Have you changed the rear shock absorbers? also have to change those . my car is a 2001 e46 ...Thank you.
I just did my brakes yesterday after watching this video I'm going to go get a torque wrench and triple check everything like you said the reason why I watching this video so I noticed my sway bar end link was a little ripped so I think I want to do it
I had the same problem with my e30, the lower caliper bolt somehow got lose and fell off on the freeway. Got it fixed on the spot thanks to some friends but yea those caliper bolts need to be triple checked when removed/installed.
I wokrked at a small engineering company building and testing prototype hydraulics. The one thing I learned is: inspect every part you have in your hands. As a DIY mechanics I do this all the time. I also do this when tryin to find issues. Notice that you have strange wear marks ont he outer edge of the rotors. If you are a DIY mechanic like me...you are very capable of making dumb mistakes. Just spend the extra 30 minutes to properly inspect your work. If you do this, you will find that pro mechanics make dumb mistakes all the time.
Enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work. I think I told you before I'm not a BMW owner but I enjoy your videos because of your attention to detail and constant pursuit of perfection...sorry let me rephrase that....lol...your perfection of the ultimate driving machine. Kinda surprised BWW didn't find the source of your noise. I've been there before, I hear & or feel something and immediately I think the worst. Sometimes its the simple things.
Hey Ryan, would you guys be able to add an instruction video of jacking up the car? I mean, it's clear enough how to lift it up, but any advice on how to put the jack stands would be greatly appreciated, also what kind of jack stands, any rubber mountings on top of them so they don't harm the body of the car? Also what kind of a jack do you use, mine seems to drop the car and I hate that I can't release it smoothly. I am a beginner DIY mechanic but I feel uncomfortable when having to lift up the car. I've recently got myself an E39 528i Touring, I can make a video (seems like it will be the first touring on the channel).
We actually have a video on the proper jacking instructions, check our channel for that! The bottom of the car has the rubber jacking points. We use harbor freight floor jacks and stands. We'd love to see some videos though of a touring, you are indeed correct, we don't have one represented yet!
10:20 LOL I did the exact same thing. Bought a B5 Audi A4 (my first car) and changed the entire suspension. Forgot to torque down my caliper bolts. Went for my first drive and a couple minutes later I braked light and heard a clank and something hitting underneath my car. Knew right away what I did. Pulled over and found my caliper bolt back about 100 feet on the road. There was a cop car driving right behind me and I braked because he turned his siren on I thought I was being pulled over. He drove by. And don't worry about it even mechanics makes mistakes like that. Shit happens. We all know a story of a mechanic who forgot to tighten a wheel and it came off.
Thank you for the great video! I worked on installing my sway bar bushings at my 2001 BMW 325I everything is the same, however, seems like there is a lot of pressure on the sway bar, so when I take the lug nuts out, it is really hard to take the link out and even harder to install the new one. For example, if i start with the top nut, then i would struggle with the bottom one, and vice versa as the holes won't line up. Any advice?
Hi, I like your DIY videos and in fact, I used your steering wheel upgrade video to upgrade mine. So, again, you might be very helpful this time as well! I think I have a similar issue. I have clunking sound when I brake hard or turn left at low speed. My front control arms were replaced recently and so were bushings. Would you recommend me to check endlinks and brakes like you? But here is the thing, clunking sound happens when I turn left @ low speed as well! Please help. Thanks!
You know that you should not be too hard on yourself , those caliper bolts will loosen unless loctite is used on the threads, Same thing happened to me way back and it was before I started using a thread locker , I know for a fact they had been put on tight . Mine actually cut into the wheel and wrecked it , flat tire and ruined aluminum wheel , now I always thread lock break bolts and nuts .This happened on a Ford explorer the caliper just bit right into the aluminum wheel ,put a big gauge in the entire circumference , the bolt from Ford was 35 bucks . the wheel two hundred aftermarket , .the tow 150 .
with respect, a 3-series Xi model saloon is not 4WD (4 wheel drive) it is AWD (all wheel drive). There's definitely a difference, AWD is controlled by the computer and this vehicle does not have a low range transfer car. 4WD vehicles can manually be put into low and high gear.
i just cracked myself. All the brilliant and way more technical stuff you have done to miss such a simple bolt. but I cant help to wonder if that bolt did not have help in disappearing. normally very tight and vibration should not unwind it. Ryan have you ever had an issue with your electric mirrors going haywire and adjusting by themself? I have that issue on my 04 330i now
I’m not gonna lie, I’ve made a worst mistake. I didn’t torque down the lugnuts and I drove about 60 miles till my car started shaking crazy. I thought I broke an axle.
can you compare lamforder one with meyle hd ? i got cheap offer on meyle hd, but i dont mind spending extra/double on oem parts if its big difference....i have to replace front left and rear right, but im just gonna replace all 4. btw i got e39 525dA FL
don't feel too bad I too am usually spot on woth tightening bolts etc but this happened to me at my rear o/s and my mate mechanic was the one who spotted the problem I felt stupid but luckily he found a spare 17mm bolt although 16 I believe happy days one question to replace the drop links is there tension /weight on them when jacked up ? as it's attached to suspension arm is a Jack or anything needed to support anything to remove the links? thanks
Would it be wise to upgrade my suspension to the Blistering sport with H&R lowering springs in my '03 330Xi? Figured my shock are done and I really love my car's look with its M package.. but considering it has 170k miles on it not sure if it's worth investing in that much or just go OEM shocks and keep original springs. Appreciate any feedback or advice. Thanks in advance!
+starkiller Four wheel drive cars are not meant to be lowered. The H&R and Bilstien setup is also VERY rough to ride in. I would replace with stock components.
Thanks for the advice. I've heard similar feedback but would you say that even 1" lowering springs would be that bad for the Xi? I wanna improve the handling and also get rid of that wheel gap.
I feel your pain on this one. You trust and pay them to determine root cause of the issue. They come back to you with assumptions , and zero 101 inspection. Horrendous
Those dang carrier retainer bolts. This past winter I ran 16" oem BMW rims that were on a normal non xi e46 I have. I ran them because of the high end winter tires I had on them. Well I don't suggest running 16" wheels on an xi model. Between the smaller clearance with the 16" rims and refreshing the front suspension on my xi it eventually broke all four of those bolts. I agree the sound is god awful. Also if you break the top bolts something worse happens. The caliper will actually ride on the wheel when you go to brake and will actually cause your car to lock up and not being able to use the brakes. It's scary if you're in traffic like I was. I will say though sway bar end links correctly torqued usually gets rid of that "boomy" sound you get over bumps. Also MOOG are a chain auto parts store brand. On other vehicles they are actually pretty good being greaseable with a zirk fitting but on BMW's they are junk.
+Greg Gagne Thanks for the insight! Interesting about the sway bar end link torque being responsible for the noise, I'll have to look up the spec and check mine out.
Hey Ryan is the e39 m5 a good first car because I'm looking to get a 540i or an m5 but what scares me about the m5 is all the maintenance costs. How much does it cost annually to maintenance. And what the most expensive part you've had to replace
Ive had two 540's and maintenance is no joke. if you can find a solid 540 with the cooling system re-done ( radiator , water pump, thermostat, coolant hoses , fan and fan clutch, expansion tank oh and the valley pan) and had regular maintenance you should be fine if your able to do diy's. If not expect to pay around 2000+ a year and that just for the 540i. A m5 would be almost double.
An E39 M5 is a superb car. I had one in Le Mans blue. I do think that it would be a handful as a first car and expensive to insure. A 530 seems a more sensible approach.
It's an incredible first car... but things can go very wrong. There are M5s that you can drive for $500/year for years on end. Or M5s that you can spend $10,000 on and still not be able to operate for 5 days in a row. If the car has been taken care of, has service records, you're able to do things yourself, and maybe $1500-$2500/year is possible, then go for it. But don't wreck it. 400HP is a lot to deal with it, and you need to be responsible and able to control yourself... at all times.
***** Well said & as someone said you gotta pay to play. My neighbor has a 550 and the replacement cost of run flat tires alone are costly. Just bad luck i guess but he had to replace them twice already.
Ryan ..... Loving these DIY videos ..... So many of us have E46 models .... Your videos help us out so much . Thanks . We are working on a E46 App .... Until then BMW lovers can also Download our App CAR FORCE for IPhone 5 - 5S - 5C - 6 @ itunes.apple.com/us/app/car-force/id892579562?mt=8
Good to see that you're not affraid to admit a mistake. Really like your video's
This is great and I'm glad I found it. I too have an E46 330xi and do a lot of DIY. This confirms my suspicion that the sway bar links are pretty easy to replace. Always nice to watch a video in preparation for the next job!
Very well put together video: great camera angles and light, great explanation of all parts, part numbers and bolt sizes, necessary tools, etc. Great advice, very honest, no wasted time. Thank you very much for making this video as I bought the Lemforder Control Bars, Tie Rods, and Sway bars from FCPEuro ($530 for the kit) and intend to put them all in, primarily due to very loose control bar ball joints and bushings. The car likely won't pass inspection and has a lot of noise when hitting bumps, and the steering wheel really oscillates a lot when going certain speeds. I also had to buy new tires to pass inspection and replaced all this to keep them from wearing out quickly (Michelin Defenders T+H for $108 each minus a $70 rebate for 4 = $362 from SEARS). There was also a rebate for the $19 per wheel installation and balance cost (additional rebate for $75 total). My Car: 2002 BMW 325i, 135K miles. This is the first time replacing these components. Thanks again, great video.
I also have a mysterious noise. Changed control arm bushings, sway bar links. Control arms and tie rods seem fine. I’m going to nick pick and check every bolt. Thank you for your video. It made me think outside the box. Wish me luck.
your just awesome dude !!!! i have a 01 bmw 530i (e39) and for anything i want to do to it the first thing i do is go to your channel and check out how you do it , from Car wash and detailing the e39 to learning how to change the oil on the vehicle .. i enjoy all of your videos !!! thank you for all your help man !!!!!
Thanks so much for the kind words! We're very glad that you find our content useful.
just wanted to say thank you. your videos have helped me twice now. very apreciated.
Nice video, tidy and clear. I don't know if a front wheel alignment is planned or was done. It could be a good idea to do after replacing steering parts. Care for even tire wear etc.
We're never too good that we can't learn from our mistakes. Shit happens, good honesty.
Good info on the caliper too. It can happen to anybody. Distractions happen.
years late, great vid ! About to do my endlinks. How the hell does a shop and BMW dealership both not notice that missing bolt. Ridiculous
I like these videos. I would not undertake such work myself but they are informative.
Thanks for all the responses all make sure to look at all the models mentioned and make my decision based of of what's I can realistically maintenance and afford
Thank you your videos are really good and understandable unlike some I have a 1998 BMW 328i saloon really good cars, thanks again from London UK
Great video. I'm in England , changing my anti roll bar linkage (swaybar to the U.S I think) saved me garage bills . Have you changed the rear shock absorbers? also have to change those . my car is a 2001 e46 ...Thank you.
I just did my brakes yesterday after watching this video I'm going to go get a torque wrench and triple check everything like you said the reason why I watching this video so I noticed my sway bar end link was a little ripped so I think I want to do it
I had the same problem with my e30, the lower caliper bolt somehow got lose and fell off on the freeway. Got it fixed on the spot thanks to some friends but yea those caliper bolts need to be triple checked when removed/installed.
Thanks fr your video...I bought my car at Cleveland BMW...I live right up the road from you. I have had that carrier bolt issue as well...
I live in San Diego now, but very cool! You have an E46?
@@E39Source I currently have an E46 convertible and an F31 wagon
I wokrked at a small engineering company building and testing prototype hydraulics. The one thing I learned is: inspect every part you have in your hands. As a DIY mechanics I do this all the time. I also do this when tryin to find issues. Notice that you have strange wear marks ont he outer edge of the rotors.
If you are a DIY mechanic like me...you are very capable of making dumb mistakes. Just spend the extra 30 minutes to properly inspect your work. If you do this, you will find that pro mechanics make dumb mistakes all the time.
Enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work. I think I told you before I'm not a BMW owner but I enjoy your videos because of your attention to detail and constant pursuit of perfection...sorry let me rephrase that....lol...your perfection of the ultimate driving machine.
Kinda surprised BWW didn't find the source of your noise. I've been there before, I hear & or feel something and immediately I think the worst. Sometimes its the simple things.
Thanks for watching and for your kind feedback, I genuinely appreciate it!
I really enjoy your videos, don't be embarrassed, you at least found what you did wrong and admitted it.
Lol, awesome video man. 100% real. I appreciate that.
Hey Ryan, would you guys be able to add an instruction video of jacking up the car? I mean, it's clear enough how to lift it up, but any advice on how to put the jack stands would be greatly appreciated, also what kind of jack stands, any rubber mountings on top of them so they don't harm the body of the car? Also what kind of a jack do you use, mine seems to drop the car and I hate that I can't release it smoothly. I am a beginner DIY mechanic but I feel uncomfortable when having to lift up the car. I've recently got myself an E39 528i Touring, I can make a video (seems like it will be the first touring on the channel).
We actually have a video on the proper jacking instructions, check our channel for that! The bottom of the car has the rubber jacking points. We use harbor freight floor jacks and stands. We'd love to see some videos though of a touring, you are indeed correct, we don't have one represented yet!
Thanks for the video this doesn't seem like too much of a pain so I'll give it a shot.
10:20 LOL I did the exact same thing. Bought a B5 Audi A4 (my first car) and changed the entire suspension. Forgot to torque down my caliper bolts. Went for my first drive and a couple minutes later I braked light and heard a clank and something hitting underneath my car. Knew right away what I did. Pulled over and found my caliper bolt back about 100 feet on the road. There was a cop car driving right behind me and I braked because he turned his siren on I thought I was being pulled over. He drove by.
And don't worry about it even mechanics makes mistakes like that. Shit happens. We all know a story of a mechanic who forgot to tighten a wheel and it came off.
Thank you for the great video!
I worked on installing my sway bar bushings at my 2001 BMW 325I everything is the same, however, seems like there is a lot of pressure on the sway bar, so when I take the lug nuts out, it is really hard to take the link out and even harder to install the new one. For example, if i start with the top nut, then i would struggle with the bottom one, and vice versa as the holes won't line up. Any advice?
Nice presentation. Cheers Guvnor
Good, clear, informative video .. thanks!
Hi, I like your DIY videos and in fact, I used your steering wheel upgrade video to upgrade mine.
So, again, you might be very helpful this time as well!
I think I have a similar issue. I have clunking sound when I brake hard or turn left at low speed. My front control arms were replaced recently and so were bushings. Would you recommend me to check endlinks and brakes like you? But here is the thing, clunking sound happens when I turn left @ low speed as well! Please help. Thanks!
Thats nice your originals had the grease fitting all joints
Should and do you need a alignment after this
You don't need an alignment after sway bar links or brackets. I do recommend at least having the alignment checked annually though.
Same thing happened to me in the rear! I replaced the strut mounts then it turned out it's that damn bolt!!!
You know that you should not be too hard on yourself , those caliper bolts will loosen unless loctite is used on the threads,
Same thing happened to me way back and it was before I started using a thread locker , I know for a fact they had been put on tight .
Mine actually cut into the wheel and wrecked it , flat tire and ruined aluminum wheel , now I always thread lock break bolts and nuts .This happened on a Ford explorer the caliper just bit right into the aluminum wheel ,put a big gauge in the entire circumference , the bolt from Ford was 35 bucks .
the wheel two hundred aftermarket , .the tow 150 .
Why not use an impact wrench?
with respect, a 3-series Xi model saloon is not 4WD (4 wheel drive) it is AWD (all wheel drive). There's definitely a difference, AWD is controlled by the computer and this vehicle does not have a low range transfer car. 4WD vehicles can manually be put into low and high gear.
One of the mechanics you went took tht bolt out
Troque Specs on the sway bar links top and bottom?
i just cracked myself. All the brilliant and way more technical stuff you have done to miss such a simple bolt. but I cant help to wonder if that bolt did not have help in disappearing. normally very tight and vibration should not unwind it. Ryan have you ever had an issue with your electric mirrors going haywire and adjusting by themself? I have that issue on my 04 330i now
I didn't do anything to cause the bolt to fall off, I don't believe.
I have never had that issue with the mirrors! Weird.
I meant maybe someone either at the tyreplace or bmw :)
I’m not gonna lie, I’ve made a worst mistake. I didn’t torque down the lugnuts and I drove about 60 miles till my car started shaking crazy. I thought I broke an axle.
can you compare lamforder one with meyle hd ? i got cheap offer on meyle hd, but i dont mind spending extra/double on oem parts if its big difference....i have to replace front left and rear right, but im just gonna replace all 4. btw i got e39 525dA FL
+xAsmir The Lemforders are what the car with with. The Meyle HD will be a high quality aftermarket, and will probably be fine.
***** i got lamforder but i still want to see comparison.
nice video
don't feel too bad I too am usually spot on woth tightening bolts etc but this happened to me at my rear o/s and my mate mechanic was the one who spotted the problem I felt stupid but luckily he found a spare 17mm bolt although 16 I believe happy days one question to replace the drop links is there tension /weight on them when jacked up ? as it's attached to suspension arm is a Jack or anything needed to support anything to remove the links? thanks
For sway bar links? I don't think the vehicle needs to be weighted for proper torquing. I have never done that.
E39Source ah OK thanks just wanted to be sure
BMW missing the problem is another reason for why we work on our own vehicles!
😎🇩🇪🚙
Would it be wise to upgrade my suspension to the Blistering sport with H&R lowering springs in my '03 330Xi? Figured my shock are done and I really love my car's look with its M package.. but considering it has 170k miles on it not sure if it's worth investing in that much or just go OEM shocks and keep original springs. Appreciate any feedback or advice. Thanks in advance!
+starkiller Four wheel drive cars are not meant to be lowered. The H&R and Bilstien setup is also VERY rough to ride in. I would replace with stock components.
Thanks for the advice. I've heard similar feedback but would you say that even 1" lowering springs would be that bad for the Xi? I wanna improve the handling and also get rid of that wheel gap.
+starkiller 1" wouldn't be a huge deal, but then you'd need to change the struts, springs, mounts, and re-align after all that.
I can't believe bmw didn't see that.
I feel your pain on this one. You trust and pay them to determine root cause of the issue. They come back to you with assumptions , and zero 101 inspection. Horrendous
Those dang carrier retainer bolts. This past winter I ran 16" oem BMW rims that were on a normal non xi e46 I have. I ran them because of the high end winter tires I had on them. Well I don't suggest running 16" wheels on an xi model. Between the smaller clearance with the 16" rims and refreshing the front suspension on my xi it eventually broke all four of those bolts. I agree the sound is god awful. Also if you break the top bolts something worse happens. The caliper will actually ride on the wheel when you go to brake and will actually cause your car to lock up and not being able to use the brakes. It's scary if you're in traffic like I was. I will say though sway bar end links correctly torqued usually gets rid of that "boomy" sound you get over bumps. Also MOOG are a chain auto parts store brand. On other vehicles they are actually pretty good being greaseable with a zirk fitting but on BMW's they are junk.
+Greg Gagne Thanks for the insight! Interesting about the sway bar end link torque being responsible for the noise, I'll have to look up the spec and check mine out.
Hey Ryan is the e39 m5 a good first car because I'm looking to get a 540i or an m5 but what scares me about the m5 is all the maintenance costs. How much does it cost annually to maintenance. And what the most expensive part you've had to replace
Ive had two 540's and maintenance is no joke. if you can find a solid 540 with the cooling system re-done ( radiator , water pump, thermostat, coolant hoses , fan and fan clutch, expansion tank oh and the valley pan) and had regular maintenance you should be fine if your able to do diy's. If not expect to pay around 2000+ a year and that just for the 540i. A m5 would be almost double.
An E39 M5 is a superb car. I had one in Le Mans blue. I do think that it would be a handful as a first car and expensive to insure. A 530 seems a more sensible approach.
It's an incredible first car... but things can go very wrong. There are M5s that you can drive for $500/year for years on end. Or M5s that you can spend $10,000 on and still not be able to operate for 5 days in a row. If the car has been taken care of, has service records, you're able to do things yourself, and maybe $1500-$2500/year is possible, then go for it. But don't wreck it. 400HP is a lot to deal with it, and you need to be responsible and able to control yourself... at all times.
***** Well said & as someone said you gotta pay to play. My neighbor has a 550 and the replacement cost of run flat tires alone are costly. Just bad luck i guess but he had to replace them twice already.
denvernn runflats are bad if u drive hard...jus get all season touring tires
Is it the same procedure for a 325ci 2003?
yes.
Whats the psi on the sway bar links
Do you mean the torque specs for the bolts? About 45lb/ft is a safe measurement.
Bolts dont just back out like that, thats a sketchy
And that’s exactly why i dont take my bmw to bmw
1 I'm from Akron
2 NTB and BMW should be as(s)hamed.
Good God ! I feel sea sick with all that camera movement !
Wow! Imagine paying the $400 at BMW and then they'd probably charge for the brake caliper bolt install. That's scary. All the more reason to DIY.
CZcams unsubscribed me from your channel wtf >:(
That's weird! Well, welcome back :D
This guy is just talking a lot without showing actual work done. Never stop talking.
$200+ bolt lol
Ryan ..... Loving these DIY videos ..... So many of us have E46 models .... Your videos help us out so much . Thanks . We are working on a E46 App .... Until then BMW lovers can also Download our App CAR FORCE for IPhone 5 - 5S - 5C - 6 @ itunes.apple.com/us/app/car-force/id892579562?mt=8
Thank you your videos are really good and understandable unlike some I have a 1998 BMW 328i saloon really good cars, thanks again from London UK
+shabiryasin Thanks for the kind feedback!! Glad you're enjoying out content.