So, How Screwed Am I? What I Found In My Trunk!

[Delmarco]

So I took E36Bimmer advice and pulled evrything outta my trunk to get to the shock mounts...well I got to them, and found this...








So tell me before I take my car to the BMW mechanic how screwed am I? Is it just the mounts or do I new body work and looking to replace evrything in the rear suspension that may have been damaged?
BTW...I must have been driving with this since March or April...when I 1st heard it...Only last night everything became loud and rattly...


Blow up of rear suspension components:

[WarNox]

that dont look nice but i got no idea! what would have made it do that? I dont see anything that could have penetrated that metal!

[ldsbeaker]

Dude, that is NOT good. Definitely going to have to get some weld work done.

[aheath]

wow!! sorry to see that happen. It almost looks as if something got caught up in there causing it to rupture the metal. Definitely going to need some weld work.

[Hamfisted]

Man that's a mess. You'll have to make a new upper mount and weld it to the tower. Use some 1/4" steel plate. A welding shop can do it for you but it's a mess. Repaint it when they're done and you won't be able to tell its there at all. Use a new upper shock mount and use it for the template to cut the center hole out and drill holes for the shock mount studs before they lay it up in there to weld it. Notch the metal so they know what direction it needs to go and placement for welding. Do you have access to a band saw to cut a round piece of 1/4" steel to fit the top of the tower? There's enough lee way in the shock's upper stud to allow for the slight height difference. Repaint it inside the trunk and spray rubber under coating on it from below and you won't even know a repair has been made. Good luck.






Mike

[drz]

^^ I like what he said. Don't like what I see in the pictures. Good luck. Man, I'm going to check my RSMs before something like tat happens to my car.

[Delmarco]

Originally posted by Hamfisted@Aug 25 2005, 02:26 PM
Man that's a mess. You'll have to make a new upper mount and weld it to the tower. Use some 1/4" steel plate. A welding shop can do it for you but it's a mess. Repaint it when they're done and you won't be able to tell its there at all. Use a new upper shock mount and use it for the template to cut the center hole out and drill holes for the shock mount studs before they lay it up in there to weld it. Notch the metal so they know what direction it needs to go and placement for welding. Do you have access to a band saw to cut a round piece of 1/4" steel to fit the top of the tower? There's enough lee way in the shock's upper stud to allow for the slight height difference. Repaint it inside the trunk and spray rubber under coating on it from below and you won't even know a repair has been made. Good luck.






Mike

[snapback]372415[/snapback]

Thanks Mike,
I don't have any tools for welding whatsoever...
right now I'm wondering how much is this gonna cost at the shop?
I'm about to call my BMW of Manhattan Dealership...

[catalyst.]

Originally posted by Delmarco+Aug 25 2005, 02:46 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Delmarco @ Aug 25 2005, 02:46 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-Hamfisted@Aug 25 2005, 02:26 PM
Man that's a mess. You'll have to make a new upper mount and weld it to the tower. Use some 1/4" steel plate. A welding shop can do it for you but it's a mess. Repaint it when they're done and you won't be able to tell its there at all. Use a new upper shock mount and use it for the template to cut the center hole out and drill holes for the shock mount studs before they lay it up in there to weld it. Notch the metal so they know what direction it needs to go and placement for welding. Do you have access to a band saw to cut a round piece of 1/4" steel to fit the top of the tower? There's enough lee way in the shock's upper stud to allow for the slight height difference. Repaint it inside the trunk and spray rubber under coating on it from below and you won't even know a repair has been made. Good luck.






Mike

[snapback]372415[/snapback]

Thanks Mike,
I don't have any tools for welding whatsoever...
right now I'm wondering how much is this gonna cost at the shop?
I'm about to call my BMW of Manhattan Dealership...

[snapback]372422[/snapback]

[/b][/quote]

Dude.. that is not good, not good at all, thats going to be expensive as hell to fix.. You may have to drop the entire rear end, not sure..

I dont see that being fixed for under 2 grand. And i doubt BMW will touch that, an independent bmw race shop that deals with welding in custom cages is your best bet.

[Delmarco]

Originally posted by catalyst.+Aug 25 2005, 03:09 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(catalyst. @ Aug 25 2005, 03:09 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'>

Thanks Mike,
I don't have any tools for welding whatsoever...
right now I'm wondering how much is this gonna cost at the shop?
I'm about to call my BMW of Manhattan Dealership...

[snapback]372422[/snapback]

Dude.. that is not good, not good at all, thats going to be expensive as hell to fix.. You may have to drop the entire rear end, not sure..

I dont see that being fixed for under 2 grand. And i doubt BMW will touch that, an independent bmw race shop that deals with welding in custom cages is your best bet.

[snapback]372433[/snapback]

[/b][/quote]

[NESS]

I feel your pain Im about to have to drop over a grand on mine to get it riding again.

[Bmw1990]

Man that is wierd, I wonder what could have caused that?? I hope all goes well for you Delmarco

[Dudesky_E36]

Originally posted by Bmw1990@Aug 25 2005, 07:17 PM
Man that is wierd, I wonder what could have caused that??

[snapback]372468[/snapback]

There's a stud and nut that belongs where the tear in the metal is. It either rusted off or broke loose and tore it all apart.

[4evrwyntr]

Agreed that that is not good at all. That's more than some serious welding - that'll require a chop if you want that anywhere near to as good as new...

Which makes me wonder - how long was it like that, were you in any accidents recently that may have caused that (even hitting a curb) and didn't you notice a difference in anything at all (when driving)?

[BMWjesterFAN]

This is the notorious "Weak rear suspension mount" problem on E36 cars built up to late 1995. I really don't want to rub salt in the wound, and I'm not trying to, but Delmarco, you absolutely have to post these pics and have someone do a very descriptive explanation of what happened and why. Fellow E36 owners need to be aware of this. There are several easy, and some even cheap, ways to beef this area up and it is considerably cheaper and easier to do than to get this fixed. But there is light at the end of the tunnel... Do what Hamfisted said and get an independent shop to hook you up with a welded beef-up plate. Don't worry about the relaibility of the repair, as long as the original pieces are cleaned up and prepped properly, and the welding is good quality, it will last longer than the rest of the car. I am an aircraft mechanic in the Air Force, and we use beef-up plates on A10 Warthogs all the time. If they can handle the jolt of a 30mm Gattling Gun firing off several thousand rounds and up to 9 Gs without breaking, a decent beef-up plate will do a world of good for you. Plus, it may stiffen up your rear suspension a bit. On top of that, add a rear strut bar to it for added reinforcement and stability. You can get a decent one for around $150. Avoid Ebay $30 dollar deals in this area. Anyway, let us know if there is any way to help, and keep us up to date as to how it works out. Good luck,
-Tim

[SD318is]

whatever you do, do not go to a dealer. you WILL get bent over. it does not look as bad as some people here are making it out to be...