[tonksie93]

I have just fitted some Bilstein B12’s to my 330D but i have noticed each corner is a different height. The front passengers is 4 fingers, front drivers 2, rear passengers 1 and rear drivers 1.5.

These struts and springs are NOT height adjustable, is there something wrong with them or do i need to put some milage on them for them to level out?

Thanks

[Boostedphil698]

Originally Posted by tonksie93

I have just fitted some Bilstein B12’s to my 330D but i have noticed each corner is a different height. The front passengers is 4 fingers, front drivers 2, rear passengers 1 and rear drivers 1.5.

These struts and springs are NOT height adjustable, is there something wrong with them or do i need to put some milage on them for them to level out?

Thanks

They might need to settle but that seems very odd they're that far off.

[_ObiJon]

Two things I would check, only because I just recently installed B6s.

Do these use the oem top mount? If so, I would make sure the spring is properly seated in rubber isolator. It ramps to compensate for the spring coiling. If it's not all the way to the "stop", the entire assembly will be longer.

Second, make sure the strut/shock (whatever) is fully seated in the knuckle -on the higher side. Or didn't somehow go further than intended -on the lower side. The shoulder sits on a small casting relief in the knuckle.

I think sorting out the front would sort out the rear.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by tonksie93

I have just fitted some Bilstein B12’s to my 330D but i have noticed each corner is a different height. The front passengers is 4 fingers, front drivers 2, rear passengers 1 and rear drivers 1.5.

These struts and springs are NOT height adjustable, is there something wrong with them or do i need to put some milage on them for them to level out?

Thanks

Depending on what suspension bushings were loosened/removed, were the same components tightened and torqued at the correct loaded position? It's a common mistake to tighten bushes when suspension is hanging.

If the springs are original, there shouldn't be any difference than before the new struts/dampers.

[Oksamit78]

Originally Posted by tonksie93

I have just fitted some Bilstein B12’s to my 330D but i have noticed each corner is a different height. The front passengers is 4 fingers, front drivers 2, rear passengers 1 and rear drivers 1.5.

These struts and springs are NOT height adjustable, is there something wrong with them or do i need to put some milage on them for them to level out?

Thanks

Passenger front is a culprit for sure. Recheck the spring-to-strut assembly for correct sitting in the top hat and in strut support as was suggested by _ObiJon. Are you sure that you put the spring the proper way? For example, the OEM (and Dinan) front springs have bottom and top orientation and can not be put upside down without affecting the length/height of the strut assembly.

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Depending on what suspension bushings were loosened/removed, were the same components tightened and torqued at the correct loaded position? It's a common mistake to tighten bushes when suspension is hanging.

If the springs are original, there shouldn't be any difference than before the new struts/dampers.

No control arm or other bushing are required to be loosened up for this work (at least at the front). I've done it on my car just a months ago. But you are correct, it is a common mistake to tighten and torque bushings while the suspension is hanging. Bushings wear out prematurely because of that.

[tonksie93]

I’ve checked the height from the spring plate to the hub and both lengths are identical. So they are both sit in the hub correctly. Both springs are seated on there bottom stops.

Could one be in upside down?

[RbBugBitMe]

Just reach out to Bilstein, might be a quality control issue on the front right spring.

[_ObiJon]

Can you take pictures and post them? Maybe someone will see something that sticks out (pun intended).

[casualDIYer]

Two vs four fingers seems like a rather big difference, at least if we're talking adult male finger as opposed to say, baby fingers.

Problems might be caused by
- Improper mating of the strut-steering knuckle/wheel hub assembly
- Incorrect orientation of the spring
- Leaving out a part, such as the spring perch gasket
- Using the wrong model of strut

Unlike VWs, Subarus, Fords (and others) which use a pair of bolts to attach the strut to the steering knuckle/wheel hub assembly, BMW uses a clamp design in which the strut is placed into a clamp that is part of the knuckle then the clamp is closed with a pinch bolt (i.e. a normal bolt that pinches the clamp closed). The bolt design makes it impossible to get the length of the strut from the strut tower to knuckle wrong. But has a weakness in that if the wheel strikes an object hard enough, the strut tower can be warped, cracked, or torn. In the clamp design, it is the strut that will be forced through the clamp, saving the strut tower from damage. The con of this design is that it is possible to vary the depth of the strut into the clamp during assembly, either being too shallow or too deep, which can cause the problem you describe.

Before re-assembling the strut back into the clump, if you measured the clamp length, it's about 55mm if I recall. That means at least 55mm of the strut body needs to be fitted into the clamp. Some struts (e.g. Koni) have a tapered end which should not/not be factored into the 55mm. The clamp cannot clamp on the tapered part of the strut body. There may also be a pin or some other fixture on the strut that indicates the maximum depth of the strut into the clamp. While the pin/fixture prevents the strut from being placed into the clamp too deep, it does nothing to prevent the damper from not going deep enough into the clamp.

As mentioned, if the spring is incorrectly oriented you will also have a variation in height. Both the lower spring perch rubber gasket and top bearing gaskets will have a spring stop moulded into them. The spring must be aligned with these spring stops. Forgetting a rubber gasket will also cause some grief but you would notice the sound of the spring clanking against the perch if you forgot it.

It would be rare but not impossible one of the parts is not the correct model for your car. I'm guessing the parts looked the same out of the box?

Let us know what happens.

[tonksie93]

Both springs are now in the correct orientation as one was in upside down. Made no difference when flipping the spring over. I’ve measured from the hub assembly to the bottom spring plate and both sides are the same length, so both sides are sitting correctly.

I have now purchased adjustable drop links and see if it droplinks being too long may be the cause.

[giraffewt]

The springs could have different compress ratio due to manufacture error. In this case installation cannot help. One way to tell is to swap the left/right struts/spring to see the gap is changed.

[johnung]

The best way to measure chassis height at all four corners is a tape measure from center point of wheel cap straight up to fender lip. Wheel or tire changes will not change these values.

I have seen normal left to right side differences of 1/2”

Be aware that Bilstein B6/B8 change chassis height. See video

https://youtu.be/IlppKcxGWzA?si=dha8fnQ73pMO5Z_r

[tonksie93]

Both front springs have the same part numbers so there is no difference in the spring. I will try swapping the struts from left to right and right to left.

I have also ordered some shorter drop links incase they are the cause.

[KCpx82]

I know this is an older post, but I recently had someone replace both front struts, lower arms, wishbone, and control links, and I now have a 3/4" difference from my driver's side (US) to the passenger side. I took it back to the shop, and they said everything was fine, but I know it's not when I drive. My steering wheel is straight, and the alignment is good, but when looking at my dash, it has a lean down towards the passenger side.

I also noticed that my driver's side headlight is brighter than the passenger's, leading me to believe it's angled upwards. I noticed that while driving behind someone, the ride seems rough on the driver's side, feeling the roughness of the roads in the steering wheel, and the sound is loud.

Any help is appreciated, as I don't know what to look for to check the installation and have no idea how to tell if the spring is upside down on one side. I plan on DIYing the fix if possible because of the cost I've already had to spend, and clearly, the shop I took it to isn't capable of figuring it out.

[_ObiJon]

Originally Posted by KCpx82

I know this is an older post, but I recently had someone replace both front struts, lower arms, wishbone, and control links, and I now have a 3/4" difference from my driver's side (US) to the passenger side. I took it back to the shop, and they said everything was fine, but I know it's not when I drive. My steering wheel is straight, and the alignment is good, but when looking at my dash, it has a lean down towards the passenger side.

I also noticed that my driver's side headlight is brighter than the passenger's, leading me to believe it's angled upwards. I noticed that while driving behind someone, the ride seems rough on the driver's side, feeling the roughness of the roads in the steering wheel, and the sound is loud.

Any help is appreciated, as I don't know what to look for to check the installation and have no idea how to tell if the spring is upside down on one side. I plan on DIYing the fix if possible because of the cost I've already had to spend, and clearly, the shop I took it to isn't capable of figuring it out.

See my post above. Check to see if both springs are seated properly. The top and bottom ends of the coil will butt up against rubber stops on their respective spring isolators. Also check to see if both shocks are into the knuckle an equal distance.

If you take pictures of both sides, we may be able to point something out.

[casualDIYer]

Originally Posted by KCpx82

I know this is an older post, but I recently had someone replace both front struts, lower arms, wishbone, and control links, and I now have a 3/4" difference from my driver's side (US) to the passenger side. I took it back to the shop, and they said everything was fine, but I know it's not when I drive. My steering wheel is straight, and the alignment is good, but when looking at my dash, it has a lean down towards the passenger side.

I also noticed that my driver's side headlight is brighter than the passenger's, leading me to believe it's angled upwards. I noticed that while driving behind someone, the ride seems rough on the driver's side, feeling the roughness of the roads in the steering wheel, and the sound is loud.

Any help is appreciated, as I don't know what to look for to check the installation and have no idea how to tell if the spring is upside down on one side. I plan on DIYing the fix if possible because of the cost I've already had to spend, and clearly, the shop I took it to isn't capable of figuring it out.

Step 1: Ensure you are on a level surface
Step 2: Tires are equally inflated, are the same model, and are the same size
Step 3: The critical distance to measure is from wheel centre to fender edge
Step 4: Front end of car up and on jackstands. Wheels off. Using jack, elevate wheels (one at a time) then disconnect the anti-roll bar.
Step 5: From inside the fender well, from where the strut is attached to the chassis (i.e. the strut tower’) measure the distance to the spring perch. It must be the same distance on both sides.
Step 6: Measure from the spring perch to where the strut enters the knuckle
Again this distance has to be the same on both sides
Step 7: It would be odd if there was no imbalance in steps 5 & 6, but if they match, wipe each strut clean with degreaser, draw a line around the strut where the strut enters the knuckle. Remove each strut and measure from the line to the end of the strut. The two must be the same

Good luck