BMW i3 Front Suspension Rubber Boot Replacement

Here is my attempt at replacing the broken rubber boots on the front suspension on my 2014 BMW i3. The job was not that hard and took about 60-90min per side.
The part I used was ordered from www.koedbmw.com and part nr for my car was: 31336852223 "Spring pad with protective tub".
*** Remember that you do all work on your vehicle at your own risk!
*** Also be careful to not damage the ball joints or linkage for the a-arm/hub.
*** If the top nut with the inner HEX seems stuck, lube to prevent that from cracking.
If i missed something or there is a better way to do this, feel free to help out by commenting below.
The tool for compressing the spring was bought at a scandinavian store, Biltema. Search for "AUTO STRUT TOOL" or "COIL SPRING COMPRESSOR" and you should find it.

[@lindasims7130]

I cannot do this myself and the cost of having this done led me to look at covering the spring instead. A company in Tyneside UK has been covering shock absorbers on racing cars for years and off road vehicles that get a lot of dirt thrown up. All I had to do is measure the circumference and the length and they tailor made two front open covers elasticated top and bottom with overlap held with velcro. for extra security I put a zip tie round the middle. Cost £25

[@DanielZajic]

This morning I was changing from winter to summer wheels and noticed my strut boots are completely shredded. Thanks for showing us how to replace them!

[@justinjarrett]

Great vid, now I understand what's involved I will replace the top mount on mine myself. Cheers.

[@defcon816]

Thank you for all your DIY vids on the I3. I admire your skills!!!!

[@andreasberg5119]

I just did this job and unfortunately had to replace the strut becuase it cracked on the top when trying to loosen the bolt. Be really cautios and spray alot of oil/rust remover and let it sit for a while before trying to loosen it.

[@richardbrooker4918]

This process worked for me, however I recommend jacking both sides of the front of the car up to remove upward tension from the anti-roll bar. If you dont do this it will be difficult to disconnect the anti-roll bar connecting rod and you won't be able to pull the spring and shock assembly out of the wheel arch. Other than that the process works well.

[@øyvindbortne]

Svært god forklaring på hvordan du demonterer og monterer. Tusen takk for lærerik video👍

[@Why_vern]

I just wanted to say thank you for this. I've just done mine with the help of your video. Have a fab new year! 🔧😁

[@markedwardsphotography]

Brilliant video. I drive 2019 i3S the, design i3 is the best car ever built. I subscribed too!! Thanks for posting Bjorn

[@martelarsen6965]

I'm enjoying your videos :-) Usefull and well made. I have an i3 also so love i3 repairs!

[@BasinBjorn]

Thank you for the support! I got a few interesting videos coming up soon; battery upgrade 60Ah to 94Ah (covering why, how, where and how much) and then a 60Ah battery disassembly. Should be an interesting topic :)

[@nosoupforyou425]

Did the new springs make for a much rougher ride? Great video - thank you for taking the time. My '17 i3 Rex appreciates it 👍

[@BasinBjorn]

Well it did get more firm, and less bouncy/wobly, but I think it's not that bad. I had lowering springs on a previous car and I think that was a harder ride. Only time this gets a bit "too hard" is when going up a curb and my passenger GF isn't in her best mood. But I think it's absolutely ok with these lowering springs.

[@vinhvle]

I replaced mine this past weekend and decided to remove the strut from the wheel hub assembly - big mistake. Your approach is trickier but much faster. The struts on mine were seized to the assembly and I needed to use a BFH to loosen them and reinstall them (I don't have near a much road build up as you do either).

[@MrMEGAJanek]

Good job. I will do this today. Thank you for your movie 👊

[@vidarlarsen4090]

En stor lettelse å se hvor lett i3 er å arbeide på! Takk!

[@rydinorwin]

Fantasitcally useful, I will have a go now that I have seen this!

[@michaelvu9694]

Thanks a lot. Very helpful

[@TekAutomatica]

Good video, just need torques for the nuts and bolts

[@bobsvanthings2226]

Thank you, nice video, clear & detailed...need to do my 320d soon ;-)

[@Dggb2345]

Thanks. Now can make reasoned pain analysis

[@savedfaves]

Wonder if there’s a sensible way to soften the I3 suspension.

[@PETATNISSEN]

Bjorn, thanks for your time making the video! Seems not too bad to fix myself. What's your impression of the quality of the new rubber boots? Are they better than the originals? The originals feels like cheap chinesium plastic, and not proper rubber. I had these replaced under warranty on two different i3s. It's a shame that these break so early. Should last for many, many years.

[@BasinBjorn]

Yes my impression is that the new rubber boots are better, but I got a squeaky noise when steering. Not sure why, but will look into that in the spring.

[@garyhoward4064]

No split CV boot available?

[@RickardS-p3n]

Hej Björn! I would also like to hear how your rubber boots are doing today? Still ok and which is the correct torch (vridmoment) to use on the nuts and bolts? Mvh Rickard

[@BasinBjorn]

Hej, jag hade bilen något år efter bytet och damaskerna var fina. Vridmoment minns/ vet jag ej. Däremot fick jag ett knarrande ljud från övre stötdämparfästet, så kanske var något där som jag missade.

[@b.k1901]

Hej Björn, Måste man göra hjulinställning efter byttet?

[@BasinBjorn]

Nu minns jag inte exakt men jag tror man inte behövde det. För att man bara lossade fjädringen upptill. Men kan vara bra att rådfråga någon mer kunnig om det.

[@mcdude1668]

Did you make a video on the rear springs to ?

[@BasinBjorn]

No, don’t think I filmed that part of the lowering process.

[@mcdude1668]

@@BasinBjorn do you remember what size tork you used ? on the 3 bolts on rear

[@BasinBjorn]

No I’m sorry I don’t.

[@sergio96532]

What thickness in millimeters wheel pacers please ?? Thank you very much .

[@BasinBjorn]

I got 15mm in both front and rear. I've heard of some people using thicker spacers in the back, but I wanted to play it safe and went with 15mm.

[@KoenBroumels]

i paid about 500 euros for this job when they did this at bmw.. and they broke a screw that had to be fixed..

[@PETATNISSEN]

I had them replaced both sides under warranty on a 2014 i3. They broke a screw there too. So I had to go back one extra day to fix that. Had the some problem on a 2018 i3. Why so lousy quality on such a cheap part? A lot of work and cost to fix it. Well, obviously it can be done rather cheap thanks to this video. Great work, Bjorn!

[@jonmoon6943]

Thanks for your help Bjorn. I followed your instructions and changed mine at home. I had to buy an offset head ring spanner for the top nut because it is recessed and I couldn't shift it with a normal spanner. Also I had to get good spring compressors because as you said, the shock shaft pulls back when you take the nut off and you really have to squeeze the spring to get the nut back on. Getting the anti roll bar link back on was also difficult because the car tilts when you jack up one side so I jacked up the hub to level up.

[@kihestad]

Great video! My dealer here in Norway has quoted NOK 10 000 for this job 😮 Because of your excellent step-by-step video I am now confident that I can fix it my self, and be saving quite a lot of bucks 😊

[@thorerikgranmo2118]

Got an estimated price of NOK 11900,- for changing rubber boots on both side from a BMW dealership. Pretty sure after this excelent video i'm doing it myself:)

[@whocares264]

as you have fitted lower springs do you need to modify the bump stops?

[@ELGee1]

Did you akso replace the bearing. ? The one thats a design flaw

[@benji182]

Thank you from the UK !! Mine need doing and this video will help when I get around to doing it :)

[@GulamFaruque]

Great video. Very much appreciated. My i3 2015 has the same issue. After seeing this video I think ill do the job myself.

[@Kenneth_McGrew]

Where’s the before and after lowering video? I’ve looked through all your vids but it’s not obvious?

[@ml.photo.graphy]

Hi Bjorn, to which lenght you have cutted the spring tensioners? Or what would be the maximum lenght in your opinion?

[@christopherjacobsen3445]

nicely done .. i will do the same on my customers car next monday thx for the tip / BMW blacksmith Roskilde denmark

[@MiniLifeCrisis]

Thank you, another very useful vid 👍

[@BOO5T75]

there nothing on the internet talking about how different the rear struts are 😢

[@antster7]

Can you do a front bumper refresh to make it look like 2018?

[@a2dskins]

Right on thanks for the video!

[@dondakin1]

I am in the process of replacing a front spring that failed. This video is very well done and helping me a lot thanks so much

[@BasinBjorn]

Thanks for the positive feedback. One more tip that came in a comment is to lubricate the top nut/hex if that seems stuck. Just to prevent it from cracking. That could be a week point.

[@dondakin1]

@@BasinBjorn thanks for the info I did lube it with wd40 a light penetrating oil it was rusty but came off ok I will put a little silicone lube on it when installing the new spring

[@sammattbruce]

Does the car needs an alignment after this fix? I just discovered that both boots are trashed.

[@BasinBjorn]

Not 100% sure but I believe it's not needed. Because the only part removed is the top of the suspension and the torque arm (I think it's called). My car is still running straight and tires have even wear.

[@antster7]

What is the propose of the dust cover? Dealer just quoted me 1500 to replace it.

[@Lorenzogufi]

Omg!!!

[@BOO5T75]

nice tints

[@whocares264]

I see this car has wheel spacers does this improve the handling?

[@BasinBjorn]

Yes it does improv the car a bit. I can’t say exactly how much but the spacers & lowering does make it less wobbly. My spacers was “only” 15mm per wheel, I have seen people go wider in the back.

[@StoyanDDimitrov]

did you say you are doing a separate video for the springs?

[@BasinBjorn]

I never got to that point, but I have the recordings from the front suspension that are relevant. Not sure about the rear .