I kept calling them rear struts, but they are rear shocks.. Please SUBSCRIBE to my channel if you liked the video! Support me at: skreened.com/ze... Follow me: @zed4me
Tomorrow is the day, everything has finally arrived and looking forward to the installation. I got the B6, reinforcement plates, shock mounts gaskets. Funny how everybody blown away with the slippas, come to Hawaii, we do EVERYTHING in slippas🤙 My Z4 is gonna love me just that much more once I get these in, cheehoo🤙
I noticed you put the reinforcement plates on top of the RSM's. In the front they prevent mushrooming in bad road conditions. In the back the RSM already matches the dome. The plates are supposed to be mounted on the trunk side to prevent the bolts from being pulled OUT through the sheet metal.
the Rear Upper Reinforcement Plate don't go on the button they go on top inside the car. is to prevent the body metal from cracking around the Guide support.
Thank you for this video. I was having a difficult time trying to figure out how to get the pieces removed in order to get to the shock bolt. Your video made it very easy.
I referred many times to your video which helped greatly. Knowing where all those darn buttons are in the trunk saved a lot of grief for the rest of us. Biggest pain are those little clips to hold the back deck in. Will try from inside the cabin as suggested below. Thanks.
Update to the rear deck clips. Yes, the two clips toward the front of vehicle can best be installed from the cabin. The two clips nearest the trunk are easily installed before you re-attach the fabric shroud. Just reach around & on top of the plastic shelf.
Thanks for the very helpful video. I will be replacing my rear shocks soon. After my last mechanic shop wanted to charge me over $700 to replace front strut top mounts, I have used the videos to do the work myself.
15:00 You should be working on the car while it is supported by jack stands- NOT the jack. The jack is for raising the car. Your jackstands were also in the wrong place. Not sure if they would have even caught the car if the jack failed. If you had the jack stands holding the car you could have lifted your wheel instead of lowering the car. Cheers.
Hi another thing I noticed other than the reinforcement plate is in the wrong place is there should be a washer on the lower bolt that does come with the shock. There isn’t enough shoulder on the original bolt to keep the lower part of the shock in place. You made it an easy job to do.
I have replaced with Koni semi adjustable a year ago. It took a few month for research how to remove rear panel...You were so quick. It took for me to work for 4 hours to replace both rear absorbers. If you uploaded this video before I did, I could do faster.
Dude, your shelf clips are missing. There should be 4 of them holding the piano hinges to the shelf. Pop them out from the bottom, reinstall them from inside the cabin. Mine ended up missing after my mechanic did the rear shocks. I replaced the clips (at about 12 bucks each) when I found the hinges kept popping out by themselves. Also, consider getting rear shock mounts from Rogue Engineering. Includes a reinforcing plate with bolts welded in. Drop in from the top and tighten up from the wheel well. Replace the shocks without ever going into the trunk again.
Thank you for your videos. I'm downsizing my vehicle. After 20 years, I sold my F350 Crew Cab Dually Diesel and am looking at a E85 Z4. Your videos have given me confidence with the Z4.
dude cheers to you!! I'm planning on getting a z4 in the upcoming weeks and the fact that there is no DIY videos on youtube scared me, but now you're posting one of a kind content, and also have you had any huge and expensive maintenance done on yours? are they as reliable as the people in forums say? pls get back to me
If you browse through my channel you'll see all the stuff I've had to do with the z4. Haven't hid anything, including unexpected breakdowns and such. Overall the car is not as reliable as a Honda or Toyota, but it's still pretty darn reliable.
Is there a way this job can be done without ripping the insulation? I wouldn't want any of mine ripped at all and I know for a fact my rear shocks need to be replaced. When I sit in the car or get out OR I push down on the car at the hood, there's a squeaking sound.
Hi, great vid. Did the ride improve after fitting the B6's over the standard Sachs shocks? The M-Sport suspension is a bit crashy on UK roads and was wondering if B6's help smooth it out a little.
Col yes but the improvement probably lies more on the fact that this car needed shocks. Hard to compare apples to apples when the old shocks were toast.
what a hack plates incorrectly installed they go on the top of the tower INSIDE the trunk, not underneath the inner wheel well. no need to destroy the rubber also
Question, I have the M sport suspension on my 2004 Z4 and some of the information I've seen on the web says I should use the Bilstein B8 shocks, but I see you used the B6. They worked for you with no problems?
The B4 is for stock with non-sport suspension. The B6 is for sport suspension. The B8 is for even more lowered cars. I had to go through a lot of research to figure this one out too.. but our m-sport suspension z4's should use the B6 shocks.
First of all, thanks zed4me for the very helpful videos. Because of your video I am tackling my rear shocks today. But regarding which Bilstein model to use for the Z4 sport suspension, I too did a ton of research about it. I even called Bilstein and they told me to use B8. I've read of others using the B6 and they didn't report back about problems but from Bilstein's own helpline comes the recommendation of the B8. I think the only issue would be the "at rest" position of the piston and the amount of travel allowed from that position. As I said, people have gone both ways and maybe the B6 is OK but I decided to go with the manufacturer's recommendation.
I have been confused as well at to whether the B6 or the B8 is the correct shock for a car with M Sport suspension. I called Bilstein as well, but they told me what zed4me reported above- B4= standard, B6= M Sport and B8= aftermarket lowered suspension. I have read what Rick N has mentioned a few times in various BMW forums as well, not sure why we are getting different info from Bilstein! In any case I have heard both the B6 and B8 works fine, but am going with the B6 for my Z based on the manufacturer's recommendation :-)
Thank you for this video! I just bought a BMW 330ci and got some reinforcement plates for the rear but they didn't come with the gasket. Should I search for the gasket or is that not really necessary?
you installed the reinforcement plates in the wrong position. they go in from the top and are bolted in. they offer no additional stability the way you installed them and were a waste of money. a fine video aside from this mistake, your rear end will just be 3 mm higher.
Thanks. In the front they go under, whereas in the rear they go over.. I did the fronts first so I didn't think the rear would be any different. Nice to know, and I will be putting them in the right place the next time I have to change the shocks.
Tomorrow is the day, everything has finally arrived and looking forward to the installation. I got the B6, reinforcement plates, shock mounts gaskets. Funny how everybody blown away with the slippas, come to Hawaii, we do EVERYTHING in slippas🤙 My Z4 is gonna love me just that much more once I get these in, cheehoo🤙
I noticed you put the reinforcement plates on top of the RSM's. In the front they prevent mushrooming in bad road conditions. In the back the RSM already matches the dome. The plates are supposed to be mounted on the trunk side to prevent the bolts from being pulled OUT through the sheet metal.
Tommy when you put them in the inside to you also install gasket with plate?
yep -- incorrect installation ... youtube diyers always look for more than one source ...
Thanks for this comment. I went back to watch another video by gearbox and corrected it.
the Rear Upper Reinforcement Plate don't go on the button they go on top inside the car.
is to prevent the body metal from cracking around the Guide support.
Thank you this helped me a ton. Couldn’t of done it without you
Thank you for this video. I was having a difficult time trying to figure out how to get the pieces removed in order to get to the shock bolt. Your video made it very easy.
I referred many times to your video which helped greatly. Knowing where all those darn buttons are in the trunk saved a lot of grief for the rest of us. Biggest pain are those little clips to hold the back deck in. Will try from inside the cabin as suggested below. Thanks.
Great video as usual. Have to do this project soon and this is really helpful! You're a brave man for doing car work in flip-flops.
What a big help! I've got broken springs that I need to replace and I want to change the struts too. Great tips.
Thank you so much, great job. I could never have completed my shock replacement, without using your video.
incorrect installation plates are supposed to be mounted on the trunk side to prevent the bolts from being pulled OUT
Update to the rear deck clips. Yes, the two clips toward the front of vehicle can best be installed from the cabin. The two clips nearest the trunk are easily installed before you re-attach the fabric shroud. Just reach around & on top of the plastic shelf.
Great video! I recently bought a 04 Z4, and ordered all the parts that I need to do this job. Thanks to your video.
Thanks for the very helpful video. I will be replacing my rear shocks soon. After my last mechanic shop wanted to charge me over $700 to replace front strut top mounts, I have used the videos to do the work myself.
incorrect installation plates are supposed to be mounted on the trunk side to prevent the bolts from being pulled OUT
Thanks for the video. Also, the general wisdom for checking your dampers are ok is for the car to settle after 1.5 bounces
15:00 You should be working on the car while it is supported by jack stands- NOT the jack. The jack is for raising the car. Your jackstands were also in the wrong place. Not sure if they would have even caught the car if the jack failed. If you had the jack stands holding the car you could have lifted your wheel instead of lowering the car. Cheers.
Right. Removing the wheel would have make jacking up the wheel hub much easier too.
Hi another thing I noticed other than the reinforcement plate is in the wrong place is there should be a washer on the lower bolt that does come with the shock. There isn’t enough shoulder on the original bolt to keep the lower part of the shock in place. You made it an easy job to do.
I have replaced with Koni semi adjustable a year ago. It took a few month for research how to remove rear panel...You were so quick. It took for me to work for 4 hours to replace both rear absorbers. If you uploaded this video before I did, I could do faster.
I certainly took almost two hours to do both sides.. it helped that I have removed the rear panel before to remove the top.
December 7th 2023 all your videos are amazing well explained and very helpful thank you❤
"Hopefully you guys will be seeing what I'm seeing." awwww shiiiiiiiiiii.....eeeeeetttttt. Rofl
Thank you for posting this. I’m swapping my suspension out this weekend.
incorrect installation plates are supposed to be mounted on the trunk side to prevent the bolts from being pulled OUT
Oh wow this is SO EASY. Thanks for making this.
Dude, your shelf clips are missing. There should be 4 of them holding the piano hinges to the shelf. Pop them out from the bottom, reinstall them from inside the cabin. Mine ended up missing after my mechanic did the rear shocks. I replaced the clips (at about 12 bucks each) when I found the hinges kept popping out by themselves.
Also, consider getting rear shock mounts from Rogue Engineering. Includes a reinforcing plate with bolts welded in. Drop in from the top and tighten up from the wheel well. Replace the shocks without ever going into the trunk again.
Thanks for the video. Just followed step by step and very easy. I found to remove the 'Christmas tree' clips, remove the pins with pliers first.
incorrect installation plates are supposed to be mounted on the trunk side to prevent the bolts from being pulled OUT
another great video!!! awesome info as always. thanks and keep them coming!!!
Thanks for the insights and all the time invested..you need Santa Claus to bring steel toed flip-flops and some DECENT TOOLS!
Thank you for your videos. I'm downsizing my vehicle. After 20 years, I sold my F350 Crew Cab Dually Diesel and am looking at a E85 Z4. Your videos have given me confidence with the Z4.
Its a great car if you know how to keep up with basic maintenance and aren't worried about the occasional hiccup. Glad I helped!
I took the plunge. I bought a 2006 Z4 3.0i yesterday. I'm loving it. Looking forward to more videos! Thank you again!
Miljon thanks, a very good video❤
I like your stile man great video
incorrect installation plates are supposed to be mounted on the trunk side to prevent the bolts from being pulled OUT
Good job with the details. Thank you.
incorrect installation plates are supposed to be mounted on the trunk side to prevent the bolts from being pulled OUT
dude cheers to you!! I'm planning on getting a z4 in the upcoming weeks and the fact that there is no DIY videos on youtube scared me, but now you're posting one of a kind content, and also have you had any huge and expensive maintenance done on yours? are they as reliable as the people in forums say? pls get back to me
If you browse through my channel you'll see all the stuff I've had to do with the z4. Haven't hid anything, including unexpected breakdowns and such. Overall the car is not as reliable as a Honda or Toyota, but it's still pretty darn reliable.
thanks you so much for the reply and yes i thought it wouldn't be as reliable as those other makers but in bmw's i heard it is pretty reliable.
Is there a way this job can be done without ripping the insulation? I wouldn't want any of mine ripped at all and I know for a fact my rear shocks need to be replaced. When I sit in the car or get out OR I push down on the car at the hood, there's a squeaking sound.
Very good video I don't comment much but you did a great job.
Thanks for the kind words
Fantastic work. Thank you very much
I am going to change mine too. I am going to go for the B8 instead of the B6 though. It seems that your shocks "Sachs NZ series" are originals...
Good job
So post install whatis the ride quality like IE how smooth or rough is the ride now ( assuming much better)
Thanks for your help!
Great video! Thank you so much.
Such a great video!
incorrect installation plates are supposed to be mounted on the trunk side to prevent the bolts from being pulled OUT
Hi, great vid. Did the ride improve after fitting the B6's over the standard Sachs shocks? The M-Sport suspension is a bit crashy on UK roads and was wondering if B6's help smooth it out a little.
Col yes but the improvement probably lies more on the fact that this car needed shocks. Hard to compare apples to apples when the old shocks were toast.
Would help if you mention it’s E85…
you rock man!!!
what a hack plates incorrectly installed they go on the top of the tower INSIDE the trunk, not underneath the inner wheel well. no need to destroy the rubber also
Another Z4 video😀
great video!!
Great video & very helpful. How do you find the B6 shocks over the originals?
It's hard to say because people only replace shocks cause the old ones are bad. So yes I found the B6 shocks to be really nice.
So you put the Bilstein B4s on the front, which seems to be ok for the M Sport suspension, but you must do B6s on the rear right?
No b4’s all round would be fine. Cheaper than b6 and more compliant.
Question, I have the M sport suspension on my 2004 Z4 and some of the information I've seen on the web says I should use the Bilstein B8 shocks, but I see you used the B6. They worked for you with no problems?
The B4 is for stock with non-sport suspension. The B6 is for sport suspension. The B8 is for even more lowered cars. I had to go through a lot of research to figure this one out too.. but our m-sport suspension z4's should use the B6 shocks.
Thank you very much! This was a big help and thank you for your fast reply.
First of all, thanks zed4me for the very helpful videos. Because of your video I am tackling my rear shocks today. But regarding which Bilstein model to use for the Z4 sport suspension, I too did a ton of research about it. I even called Bilstein and they told me to use B8. I've read of others using the B6 and they didn't report back about problems but from Bilstein's own helpline comes the recommendation of the B8. I think the only issue would be the "at rest" position of the piston and the amount of travel allowed from that position. As I said, people have gone both ways and maybe the B6 is OK but I decided to go with the manufacturer's recommendation.
I have been confused as well at to whether the B6 or the B8 is the correct shock for a car with M Sport suspension. I called Bilstein as well, but they told me what zed4me reported above- B4= standard, B6= M Sport and B8= aftermarket lowered suspension. I have read what Rick N has mentioned a few times in various BMW forums as well, not sure why we are getting different info from Bilstein! In any case I have heard both the B6 and B8 works fine, but am going with the B6 for my Z based on the manufacturer's recommendation :-)
zed4me Is the B6 fit for the M-sport front as well?
Thank you for this video! I just bought a BMW 330ci and got some reinforcement plates for the rear but they didn't come with the gasket. Should I search for the gasket or is that not really necessary?
If you don't want squeaks you should use the gasket.
zed4me thanks for the reply. Anywhere I could find the gaskets? I couldn't find them online.
FitnessJive try using real OEM and going from there
In the good old days you could find gasket material and make your own gasket really not hard to do
Is this the same process get to rear strut on an E88 (128i convertible)?
MarkTalampas I'm not sure sorry
you installed the reinforcement plates in the wrong position. they go in from the top and are bolted in. they offer no additional stability the way you installed them and were a waste of money. a fine video aside from this mistake, your rear end will just be 3 mm higher.
Source?
Thanks. In the front they go under, whereas in the rear they go over.. I did the fronts first so I didn't think the rear would be any different. Nice to know, and I will be putting them in the right place the next time I have to change the shocks.
Shock was b6 or b8?
Before was OEM I believe, and now B6.
zed4me
Thanx! On the front you fitt b4 and what you think it’s ok? I have to change mine to and I think about b4?
@@TX010 B4 is totally fine it's an OEM replacement
zed4me
Thank you! Glad to hear it’s fine 😉😉 price b6 and b8 can kill 😆