Situation: When a shock absorber is faulty on one side (leaking, noises, limit values exceeded on the shock tester), often both shock absorbers on the axle in question are replaced.
Effect: This is not necessary for technical reasons and causes the manufacturer not to recognize the unnecessarily removed shock absorbers as defective parts. Unnecessarily high costs for the customer can be avoided by replacing the shock absorber on one side only.
Procedure: If one shock absorber is damaged, it is only necessary to replace both shock absorbers when the car has driven in excess of 80 000 km.
Exception: On all M-GmbH models, when a limit value is exceeded on one side, it is still necessary always to replace both shock absorbers on the relevant axle.
INSTRUCTIONS (CHASSIS COMPONENTS MADE OF ALUMINIUM)
Due to the chemical and corrosion characteristics of aluminium, always comply with the following points when handling aluminium components:
BMW X3 Service & Repair Manual > Driveline+Axles: Approved final drive oils for front and rear axle final drives with and
without limited slip or viscous coupling
2.0 APPROVED FINAL DRIVE OILS FOR FRONT AND REAR AXLE FINAL
DRIVES WITH AND WITHOUT LIMITED SLIP OR VISCOUS COUPLING
LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIALS
With the introduction of the Z3 roadster a new synthetic final drive oil for all vehicles with a multi-plate
limited-slip differential has been releas ...