Rear shocks and springs are toast

[swchang]

I have a 2004 sedan. I'm at about 179,000 miles. Probably 3/4 of that mileage is highway driving, but it's been in Manhattan and Baltimore for many years, and so has been through some serious potholes. I noticed about half a year ago that when I went over bumps my car would bounce more than I was used to. When I cornered, any bump or road imperfection would cause the rear to feel like it would lose contact with the road for a second.

I brought my car to NTB, a tire shop, to balance my wheels this week and the tech noticed that my left rear spring is broken. He thinks it's because the coating is peeling, which caused it to rust and weaken. The rear shocks were also leaking very badly. So, he recommended replacing both rear shocks and springs.

However, he also recommended replacing the front struts. He said they should be replaced every 100k miles. (He also said the rear springs and shocks should be replaced every 80-100k miles.) Given that I'm almost at 180k, I'm well past 100k. I haven't noticed any squatting of the front of the car when I have to stop suddenly, though.

I would like to keep my car another 2-3 years at least, and ideally as long as it will last. I drive about 18k miles a year, most of which is highway. I would therefore put at least another 36-54k miles on it.

Given all of the above, should I go ahead and replace the struts now or just wait until I notice symptoms of failure?

Also, should I replace anything else while I'm having the springs and shocks (and maybe the struts) replaced? I've read something about bushings and mounts and control arms in other threads.

I plan to stick with oem zhp parts, btw, unless there is a strong consensus that certain aftermarket parts are substantially better.

Thanks in advance.

[BMWCurves]

Everyone is probably sick of it by now, but I'll roll in here with my "OEM+" suspension refresh thread (see link below). When I purchased my car I wanted to refresh my suspension because at 50k miles, the factory Sachs struts/shocks are pretty worn. I decided I wanted a suspension that was similar to the factory settings with a bit more performance without sacrificing ride comfort. This resulted in mostly OEM parts with a few improvements here and there. I am very satisfied with the setup and the balance it strikes between performance in the corners and ride comfort:

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showt...miles-10-years

[ZHPizza]

Curves is on top of it. Don't buy new springs though -- just pick up a used set from someone that has swapped them out for aftermarket. I've heard of them breaking in northern climates thanks to the salt getting into the perches.

[swchang]

Thanks, guys. I'll check out the thread.

[anandoc]

Everyone is probably sick of it by now, but I'll roll in here with my "OEM+" suspension refresh thread (see link below). When I purchased my car I wanted to refresh my suspension because at 50k miles, the factory Sachs struts/shocks are pretty worn. I decided I wanted a suspension that was similar to the factory settings with a bit more performance without sacrificing ride comfort. This resulted in mostly OEM parts with a few improvements here and there. I am very satisfied with the setup and the balance it strikes between performance in the corners and ride comfort:

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showt...miles-10-years

+1

This is the most comprehensive OEM+ suspension refresh thread (thanks to William). Highly recommended.

[BMWCurves]

+1

This is the most comprehensive OEM+ suspension refresh thread (thanks to William). Highly recommended.

That's nice to hear! I'm glad other people have gotten use out of it.

@swchang, I should add that it is not totally comprehensive. It doesn't cover control arms (just get the factory ZHP ones), some bushings, or endlinks, but most of those parts are listen in that thread under "Additional parts for a suspension refresh to consider"

[KevinC]

50k MAX on stock shocks/struts. They're pretty well shot by then, even if not outright leaky. Sounds like that suspension is probably original - needs a complete going-through at this point.

[ELCID86]

One of
My rear springs was rusted thru also. Didn't know it until I was changing the shocks.

I recommend Joni yellow on all 4 corners.


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - anonymous E46 fanatic