shogun
08-18-2014, 10:28 AM
It is often mentioned/recommended that always both shocks should be replaced. BMW says, not necessary:
Service information 31 01 95 (006) Date 11/1995 Update: 11/2001 Update: 03/2006
All series
Situation: If a shock absorber is defective on one side of the vehicle (leaking, noises, limit violation during shock test), both shock absorbers on the axle concerned are frequently replaced
Effect: There is no technical necessity for this, meaning the manufacturer will refuse to recognise as a damaged part the shock absorber that did not need replacing. For the customer,unnecessarily high costs can be avoided by replacing only the shock absorber on the one side.
Affected vehicles: All series
Procedure: On the above model series, the following points should be noted when replacing a shock absorber:
1. Up to a mileage of 50,000 km, shock absorbers should be replace on one side only.
2. On vehicles with level control, a slight oil seepage is usually present on the piston rod of the rear shock absorbers. These spring struts may have an oil coating at most over half the length of the outer tube of the shock absorber, i.e. they may "sweat".
Exception: Both shock absorbers should always be replaced on all models built by M-GmbH, even if only one of the shock absorbers exceeds the tolerance levels.
Source: http://workshop-manuals.com/bmw/5_series_e34/530i_m60-1_sal/1_service_information/31__front_axle/1_si__replacing_shock_absorber_all_series/
Service information 31 01 95 (006) Date 11/1995 Update: 11/2001 Update: 03/2006
All series
Situation: If a shock absorber is defective on one side of the vehicle (leaking, noises, limit violation during shock test), both shock absorbers on the axle concerned are frequently replaced
Effect: There is no technical necessity for this, meaning the manufacturer will refuse to recognise as a damaged part the shock absorber that did not need replacing. For the customer,unnecessarily high costs can be avoided by replacing only the shock absorber on the one side.
Affected vehicles: All series
Procedure: On the above model series, the following points should be noted when replacing a shock absorber:
1. Up to a mileage of 50,000 km, shock absorbers should be replace on one side only.
2. On vehicles with level control, a slight oil seepage is usually present on the piston rod of the rear shock absorbers. These spring struts may have an oil coating at most over half the length of the outer tube of the shock absorber, i.e. they may "sweat".
Exception: Both shock absorbers should always be replaced on all models built by M-GmbH, even if only one of the shock absorbers exceeds the tolerance levels.
Source: http://workshop-manuals.com/bmw/5_series_e34/530i_m60-1_sal/1_service_information/31__front_axle/1_si__replacing_shock_absorber_all_series/