How to replace BMW i8 Door Struts or Gas Pressurized Springs
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
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UPDATE: NewTIS has been closed. Service Manual data is no longer free. DIY maintain your BMW at your own risk. • BMW shut down NewTIS. ...
UPDATE: NewTIS has been closed. Service Manual data is no longer free. DIY maintain your BMW at your own risk. • BMW shut down NewTIS. ...
If your door struts are weak, and your door doesn't open all the way up on your BMW i8, you can use these instructions in order to replace the door struts. All you need is a set of pliars to remove the metal pin locks, a replacement set of door struts and someone (or something) to hold the door up. BMW calls them Gas Pressurized Springs and they can have different part numbers.
Check out Heidi and Franny's video as well: • Replacing Air Filters ...
I purchased my replacement set of BMW Gas Pressurized Springs Part # 51227375528 from FCPEuro.
www.fcpeuro.co...
After purchasing one set of these, each year that you have weak struts, you purchase a new set using PayPal, submit a warranty form for the first set, send them back, FCPEuro refunds you the cost and the you submit a claim to PayPal and they pay your return shipping!
How the FCPEuro 100% Lifetime Guarantee works:
www.fcpeuro.co...
How the PayPal return shipping refund works:
www.paypal.com...
Here are some hood props that works well for holding the door. The distance between the door latch ad the intersection of the door glass/B Pillar/Top of Door Card is 45 inches.
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www.ecstuning....
Here is the BMW service manual article showing all the details:
www.newtis.inf...
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Thanks Pat! I was able to do it for half the price that the dealer wanted. For others, here are some handy tips from a beginner. Yes it's the same part number for boths sides of the car, you can prop up the door with a hospital crutch if you have one lying around (worked for me), you don't even need any tools (I found it easier to unclip and re-clip just using my fingers), you can rotate the ball joint to line up with the fittings on the car... it's tough to turn, but will turn. The whole thing only took ~10 mins and I'm not mechanically minded at all.
Awesome video! Just bought my BMW i8 last week! I’m super happy, but these struts are one of the things on my “to do” list.
The CPO warranty on my 2015 i8 has just about expired so I took my car to the local dealership this morning regarding the door struts not realizing that they are a maintenance item and therefore not covered under the warranty. BMW wanted $1000 to replace the struts! Mine aren’t that bad yet as they go almost to the top so I’m going to wait. However, I will be ordering the parts as you suggested and doing the job myself. Thank you so much for this video - you saved me a chunk of money.
$1000!? Wow! That's highway robbery. I'm glad you chose to try it yourself. Let me know how the install goes.
Yeah, I had just looked up the strut price online so I was really taken aback when they quoted $1000 - especially after seeing in your video that it’s a fairly quick and simple job. I told the service manager that I could get them for under $100 each and do it myself. He said that they would be aftermarket and not OEM (wrong). Maybe that’s why many people call them stealerships.
@@michaelc2254 Yeah, that's crazy. I would have walked to the parts counter and asked the parts guy for a written quote on the struts. BMW list price is $99 over the counter. It might warrant a complaint to BMW regarding that dealership. They are clearly ripping off their customers.
Another technique that I use with the Lamborghini is to install a heavy eyelet into a secure place on a wall or ceiling that is reachable. Then run a line (paracord works great) through it and the cracked-open window/door frame, pull, and tie off or secure somewhere.
Thank you for this video! I've been looking for a video explaining this. Great video!
this is what we do this for pat!!! wooohoooo!!
Glad to help!
Wow these things are way cheaper than I thought. There's people selling them online for $300 used!
$300??? I'm glad I kept my old ones. 🤣
Great video and thanks for the consumer info too Pat.
I need to go and check my struts now 😂
Thank you!
Mine needs to get this replaced too. Thank you as always for your videos.
Lmao when ur getting old but still love cars, walking cane comes in handy 😅
Are the left and right struts the same?
Yes
Sweet thank you again for the tutorial!
Curious. Can’t I get these hinges and struts to work on my 2017 M6? I don’t want “lambo” doors, I want my doors to open the exact same way as the I8
Sadly, I don't know.
Do these fit the 2017? The website says they won’t fit the 2017
Yes, these will fit all year of BMW i8. That web site needs to be updated. You can search the web for that BMW part number and see other sites show that it works on all years.
any idea on how to opens automatically like a trunk ?
Not possible unless you find an electronic door opener and cut into the car frame to install it. I don't recommend.
Hi there. I just bought a i8 user and the door struts look good as the doors go all the way up. Just wondering is it normal when the doors are all the way up to feel wobbly, if you give them a little shake?
Yes, the doors can feel a little wobbly when they're open.
Great video my friend 👍🏼
Thank you!
My BMW dealership replaced these and mounted them the wrong way around meaning TOP side is facing down. Is this a problem?
I would take it back and have them fix this. Water can pool in them if they are upside down.
Thanks for that Pat! Do they come pre-greased? The bonnet and boot struts for the 911 do. Just wondering. Need to do this as well...
Sure thing! Yes, they had a spot of grease inside the top and bottom cups.
Thank you Pat !! very usefull for me like all other videos from you :-) , my door weather strip is not fitting anymore, any idea how do replace those?
Thank you! Sorry to hear the weather stripping is failing. Depending on which strip it is, there are different steps. Take a look at the below link to see if any of these steps are helpful
www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/i12-i8-cou/search?q=Weatherstrip
Thanks for this video Pat. I recently purchased a 2016 Protonic Blue i8 in Rhode Island and live in Connecticut. Absolutely love the i8 ! My doors are also sagging at open position so I will be contacting FCPEURO to order new springs. Looking forward to the next class! BTW I agree that anyone who says the i8 is "slow" is an ignorant and pompous arse!
Thanks! I'm happy to help. Let me know if the FCPEURO door strut install was easy or difficult. I haven't had any feedback yet.
Hi pat just a quick question, would you be doing a video on how to replace a i8 door..
Hi and thanks for the question. I won't be able to do that because the bolts that hold the door to the hinge on the A pillar have only 1/4" of clearance and that requires a special tool from BMW. So, it would be costly for me to demonstrate the steps. There are steps in the service manual:
www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/i12-i8-cou/repair-manuals/41-body/41-51-front-doors/1VnYHTvMFX
Thanks Pat for sharing your knowledge as well as the link...looking forward for seening more contents from you
This is important bc you want that extra space for narrow parking spots
Hi Pat have you ever replace the PCV on the bmw i8?
I have not
Hi Pat, can you tell me something about changing the rear shock absorbers?
At BMW they changed one but forgot to connect the cable for the electronic damping. I noticed this when I tried to change the filter with the help of your air filter video (great video!)
I did not get an error message while driving. Doesn't the control unit have to be recoded after a change?
Hi Fritz. According to the service manual, there is no recoding necessary for this to work. You may just need to reinstall the wiring harness, or bring it back to them to do it because they failed in the process. Here is the service manual for that shock:
www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/i12-i8-cou/repair-manuals/37-integrated-suspension-systems/37-12-control-suspension-elements-rear/1VnY8yDCxM
Have you puzzled out what you need in the way of tools and access to torque the hinge hardware that I believe is recommended at about the same interval as the door struts?
Yes, I'm working on designing a tool adapter that I'd like to make available to the i8 community because the $180 dealer charge to do this is insane.
Hey Pat, as a BMW owner I love the look of the i8 doors. Would it be possible to incorporate the style of door onto another model BMW?
The doors on the i8 hinge along the A pillar, which requires both the door and the body to have clearance in certain places in order to shut. Normal doors hinge where the door meets the body. If you were to take a normal door and install an A pillar hinge, you may hit body panels with the door when opening and closing. I've seen kits where people can swap the hinge on the normal door, but it still shuts normally. The new hinge allows you to open the door wide enough to clear the body and then push the door up. It requires 2 actions to open, and 2 to close. So it's not the same but it will give the lambo door look. I did a quick google search and found one supplier that had some good photos. Take a look at this site, select your BMW if it's listed and you can see the details and prices. www.scissor-doors.com/cart/bmw
Just wondering if you could do the door Auto Electric like the Telstra one that they open automatically and close automatically can it be done?
Not that I'm aware of. There is not a lot of room to mount such a device, aftermarket. I would imagine you'd have to cut some of the carbon fiber and that would cause a structural issue.
Bmw has a smart latch meaning its electronic latch. What if i up the pressure of the strut so that as soon as you push the unlatch bottom the door would go up. Them i would a electronic module that would unlatched both door at same time
So, if the new struts fail and you remove them to send back, do you just not drive the car while the replacement struts are shipped to/from Europe?
You can put the old struts back on the car if you need to return new defective struts.
Hey Pat. Another great video! Was just looking through previous comments and would you agree that door struts would not be covered under warranty? I’m assuming you checked before doing this yourself? My i8 (2014) has a platinum vehicle service contract warranty in Canada and has done equiv of 17000miles, so way below the 40000 suggested life for these, but sounds like I would not be covered either?
You can always ask if your service center will replace your door struts under warranty. When I first got my i8, I didn't notice them sagging and scheduled an appointment and they replaced them the next month. The car was still under factory warranty but 3.5 years old with 10k miles. Some other owners tried the same thing and they were declined warranty replacement, even under platinum service. So, all you can do is ask and see what they say.
Hi Pat! on my I8 the shifter knob doesn't light when put in R D or S. like the LED's doesn't light up. Do you know what could fix it? gears shifts normal on the dashboard they change only thing the light doesn't turn on so you cant tell when gear it is unless youre looking at the dash.
Thanks for question. The shifter is an assembly which doesn't have any troubleshooting data that I could find which indicates how to troubleshoot individual components of the shifter. But, it could be the wiring or the module that is the problem, sadly. No way to know without a good diagnosis by a mechanic with the BMW diagnostic tools. Underneath the power/RPM gauge it should show P, R, D so if you could live with the lights being out, you will have a backup on the dash.
@@PatsGarageOnline any instructions on how to remove the center console maybe i can just replace the entire assembly .
@@simrandhillon9659 Links to the service manual instructions are below. You may want to release and re-engage the connectors to see if that fixes the LED light issue, first. Please let me know if you've corrected the issue and what steps you took, in case others run into this problem.
Gear Selector Switch functional description:
www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/i12-i8-cou/components-connectors/components/components-with-s/s45-gear-selector-switch/1VnY3Ns5TO
Removing/Replacing center console: www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/i12-i8-cou/repair-manuals/61-general-vehicle-electrical-system/61-31-switch-sensor/1VnXsVIMaf
Removing/Replacing gear selector switch:
www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/i12-i8-cou/repair-manuals/61-general-vehicle-electrical-system/61-31-switch-sensor/1VnXllXsey
The manuals indicate that you should remove the negative lead from the 12v battery terminal but I don't know if that's required or just preventative. I have a video on installing new paddle shifters, that covers the steps to open the bonnet and disconnect the battery, if you wanted to do that.
@@simrandhillon9659 Thank you so much for your support! It is greatly appreciated and means a lot to me. Thank you 🙏
Wow....they only last about a year? Good to know.
Yeah, it's really bad, in my opinion. I'm not sure why they wear out so quickly. I'm just glad all replacements are free. Same goes for oil, filter, brakes, etc. from FCP
I need to get this done already lol
Hey Pat, I'm new to the channel and have only watched a couple videos so far so I'm sorry if you've covered this already, but I'm curious how the i8's reliability has been for you/what you've heard? There's not a lot out there it seems on what the consensus is (especially with a lot of them still under warranty). Also are you in a snowy area of the country? I'm curious if you have an opinion of how it performs in the snow. I have an F-Type R ('15, so RWD) and I'm thinking about also getting a used i8 to have something quick and sporty to play with in the winter until I can take the Jag back out in the spring
Thanks for the comment. I need to do a video on my i8 ownership experience over the past year. I live in Maryland so we don't get a lot of snow every year but sometimes can get dumped on. I have been waiting for a bigger snowfall to see how the i8 does. But overall the i8 is a good car if it's under warranty. There have been a few very strange things happening to people that have required replacement of a lot of modules. That can be very expensive out of warranty. and without a BMW technician diagnostic tool, it's nearly impossible to troubleshoot those things by yourself. So if you do get an i8 be sure to have enough money on hand to repair things that may be catastrophic. I don't want to scare anyone away from the car, but you need to be prepared just in case.
@@PatsGarageOnline Thanks for the reply! I'll look forward to seeing your ownership experience video!
Dieselfeel good counter car - I have a 14 plate F type R and yes very hairy in winter, the i8 devours winters as it has 4x4 capability low centre of gravity and linear torque and above all narrow tyres (like a rally car) so no aqua planing - point to point B road progress as quick as a Audi RS3 in winter !
I wish we had that fcb euro free thing for life in switzerland
Obviously with the I8 doors in the Wing configuration as opposed to a scissor configuration, I think there's more directed weight on them. If that's the case, BMW should have taken this account and made struts to last. As always, you're always coming up with a Plan B and C. As to a MacGuyvered support rod, I use an adjustable bathroom shower curtain rod. Hey, sometime my parade gets rained out and I'm prepared for same.🤣 As to your adjustable rod, just for gits and shiggles, see if you can mount it behind your seats, although I would recommend an adjustable curtain rod that has an internal spring that applies outward pressure via turning it to keep it firmly in place. Now, why did I ask you to try this? If you can mount it behind the seats, it'll work great to mount your GoPro and will be easily removed for those times you don't want or need to have the camera mounted and vice-versa. Save the Wave.🙋♂️
Thanks Peter! I wish certain items weren't required to be replaced. It seems that the Lambo cars that have flip up doors also have this issue.
I'll have to try that idea with the pole. It should be long enough to span the back windows. It will then be a great GoPro mount
Thank you Pat. I'd like to see you try my idea. I'm sure you'll also have Plans/Ideas B, C and maybe even D to improve upon my suggestion. I forgot to mention, I sprayed mine Crustal Red Metallic to match my body color. Also, I forgot to mention the rod also serves as a great mount for my Fire Extinguisher. I place it just behind the passenger seat for easy and quick access if needed, which I hope I never have to do. Just something else for you to consider.
Great suggestion! I keep a fire extinguisher on board as well. Mid-engine cars, as well as cars that tote around a lot of lithium, sometimes create quite the smoke show!
According to BMW this part number was replaced to the HOT CLIMATE springs part number 51227465482 these last much longer ... from 2018 this is the superseded part number.
I saw the hot climate part number was available as well and did some research to find that these were specifically designed for cars exported to countries close to the equator. I'm curious if you've purchased these and if you've used them on the car. I was concerned that they would operate more slowly and require more force to open in the winter time.