33 00 Information on replacing shock absorbers

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2018 BMW 330i and 2017 BMW 330i. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Situation:

When a shock absorber is faulty on one side (leaking, noises, limit violation on the shock tester), often both shock absorbers on the axle in question are replaced.

Effect:

This is not necessary for technical reasons and causes the manufacturer not to recognize the unnecessarily removed shock absorbers as defective parts. Unnecessarily high costs for the customer can be avoided by replacing the shock absorber on one side only.

Procedure:

If one shock absorber is damaged, it is only necessary to replace both shock absorbers when the car has driven in excess of 100 000 km.

Exception: In all models of M GmbH (for example, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M X5, M X6), both shock absorbers on the corresponding axle must always be replaced even if a limit value is exceeded on one side only (MPA models not included).