E39 Shock/Springs Question

[msfink]

I just had my front end shocks replaced. I believe my tech replaced the shocks and springs together. I have just noticed that the wheel well clearance on the front wheels is now much higher than the rear. I can actually the see the springs/shocks above the wheel from the side.

The tech says he replaced the shocks/springs with stock parts. Something ain't right. Any one know what the cause could be? Is there some kind of adjustment usually done to set the height? Did he install incorrectly? Did this guy use the wrong parts? I am heading for a show down and would love some ammo!

[witeshark]

There's some possibility the new springs just need to break in.

[BimmerE39]

There's always been more clearance (wheel gap) in the front on BMW's. The reason this happens is because the front wheel well is actually taller than the rear. If you drew a line straight back from the top of the front fender flare to the back you would see that the front wheel well is almost an inch taller than the rear.

Chances are, your front was sagging before because the struts and shocks were worn out. All E39's without the sport suspension look like this and it is totally normal. Believe me when is say your front isn't riding high but I will agree it looks hideous from a visual aspect. I'll see if I can find photos of the ride height on my non sport 528i when it was still stock.