I Come To You Guys/gals Once Again For Some More Help!!!!!!!!!!!

[BMW4LIFE]

okay first...what are the OEM BMW parts comparable to? Lemforder? Meyle? etc?

i ask this because the guy at the dealership said that he would match the prices of any online site (except eBay) which would be good because i would be able to keep the money in the community.

Secondly...i have found all the parts and i know many of you swear by lemforder as i have only heard wonderful things about but how does Meyle compare to that cause it is about half the price of lemforder...yea yea you get what you pay for but its a 1993 e34 with 150k....don't get me wrong i love my car and thats why i have stood by it for almost 7 years now but i could totally use the money i save for more important things like school....but at the same time i don't want something thats gonna crap out on me in a year....

well i appreciate any help or advice i can get from ya'll....

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!! =)

[Dr. evil]

OEM stand for original equipment manufacture. basically in the US it is a leagal thing. it signifies that the componemt has been tested in accodance with DOT standards.

what parts are you replacing?? bushings?

[shogun]

all I have is Meyle

[BMWCCA1]

OE is Original Equipment, meaning the parts you buy from your BMW dealer with the BMW logo on them. OEM means original equipment manufacturer, like Bosch, ZF, Lemforder, etc; but if Lemforder decided to make wiper blades, those would be technically OEM just like the oil filters sold under the Bosch name. Bilstein is OE for both BMW shocks and jacks, but they don't make windshields. If they did, those windshields would be OEM, too. But not OE. There's also the issue of an OEM part made by the same manufacturer as the OE part but according to BMW, the one from BMW with the BMW logo has been built and tested to specific BMW standards. It's not uncommon to find an OE part being sold with the BMW logo ground off. This could mean it's from overstock and being blown-out by the OEM, or it could mean it didn't meet BMW standards. You take your pick and make your own choices. I do remember once Bosch had a recall on some defective spark plugs but the recall did not include the "same" plug sold by BMW in a BMW-labeled box. Do not construe this to mean all OEM parts are inferior to OE. I've used both with great success. But if the same part could be had from a BMW dealer for the same price, that would always be my first choice. And that's after twenty-years working at a BMW dealer.....and twelve years since working there.

To muddy the water further, there is a slightly different use attached to the consumer electronics and computer industry. If you trust Wikipedia, you can see what they say here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_equipment_manufacturer where they also introduce the term OSP, for Original Spare Part, into the mix. The long-and-short of it all is that you won't go wrong using BMW-labeled parts and you may save money by buying non-BMW-labeled parts. The quality might not always be the same.

[Tiger]

Since when is Bilstein OE for BMW? BMW has always use Boge for shocks.

[BMWCCA1]

Since when is Bilstein OE for BMW? BMW has always use Boge for shocks.Well, let's see: E28 535is, E30 325is, and nearly every car jack in the trunk in the '80s. And you sounded so sure of yourself, too! :p

And the parent company, ThyssenKrupp, manufactures a lot for the current BMW range, from the split sway-bars in the new 7 and 5, to bushings, coil springs, and even crankshafts for other BMW models. And the jacks in the last BMWs to have spare tires!

[BMW4LIFE]

great info on the oem!!!!

but now if i decide to choose from either lemforder or meyle....which one would be the best bang for the buck?

i totally understand that lemforder is the better of the two but its also twice the price...

thanks!

[ThoreauHD]

There are different manufacturers for different parts. What parts are you looking for? Most of the parts at bmaparts.com are OE or comparable. If you are looking at springs, shocks, bushings, oil filters, etc. the manufacturers will be different. Between lemforder and meyle, if you are looking at bushing/arms, I would do lemforder myself- but you can do whatever is cheaper. That's the kinda stuff that's cost is negated by labor.

[BMW4LIFE]

There are different manufacturers for different parts. What parts are you looking for? Most of the parts at bmaparts.com are OE or comparable. If you are looking at springs, shocks, bushings, oil filters, etc. the manufacturers will be different. Between lemforder and meyle, if you are looking at bushing/arms, I would do lemforder myself- but you can do whatever is cheaper. That's the kinda stuff that's cost is negated by labor.


this is the list of items i need to purchase and replace;

rear struts (boge?)

rear pit arm...dog bone?

rear link

upper control arm (thrust arm)

front link

maybe lower control arm

and i think thats it but you never know there might be other parts that are in need of replacement once i start taking things apart =/

[Zeuk in Oz]

this is the list of items i need to purchase and replace;

rear struts (boge?) - take your pick but I like Boge

rear pit arm...dog bone? - lemfoerder would be my choice

rear link

upper control arm (thrust arm) - lemfoerder with either 750 or M5 bushing already pressed in

front link

maybe lower control arm - lemfoerder would be my choice


and i think thats it but you never know there might be other parts that are in need of replacement once i start taking things apart =/

BMA would be where I would be looking

[BMW4LIFE]

BMA would be where I would be looking

haha so pretty much all lemforder!:D


aaarrrgggg....guess im not eating for the next two weeks!;)