Front Suspension Clunk

[G0rdon]

Originally Posted by seanegee

Any update G0rdon

As of today nothing new. Ordered rear Bilstein shocks (still riding on the OEM ones :O), so decided it's time for them!

Regarding clunk I have observed one thing - the longer I drive the less it clunks, so I'm thinking again of the Sachs dampers...maybe when the oil inside gets warm, it starts to work properly? Before the installation I have primed them (but pumped only two times, maybe I should more), and it seems the car is underdamped...maybe should go with Bilstein from beginning.
Well, the story goes on...

[jab23]

Wanted to share a video of my clunking sound. Left side only. This is pulling into my neighborhood where there is a rough patch of road and then two cobblestone strips back to back. The clunk starts the second the left tire hits them and really does sound like the strut is loose in the tower or something. Everything has been gone over and my mechanic cannot figure it out. Crazy how something so pronounced can’t be easily diagnosed.

https://youtube.com/shorts/sr2VhGKPC...g0S9Nf0_025MMm

[BMW X5 guy]

Originally Posted by G0rdon

As of today nothing new. Ordered rear Bilstein shocks (still riding on the OEM ones :O), so decided it's time for them!

Regarding clunk I have observed one thing - the longer I drive the less it clunks, so I'm thinking again of the Sachs dampers...maybe when the oil inside gets warm, it starts to work properly? Before the installation I have primed them (but pumped only two times, maybe I should more), and it seems the car is underdamped...maybe should go with Bilstein from beginning.
Well, the story goes on...

I didn't want to mention this earlier, but I do think it's possible that you got another poor strut. Been happy with my Bilsteins so far. Odds are generally in your favor with new parts, but it happens.....
Recently changed out my spark plugs, started the car and it ran rough and threw codes. I was panicked, scanned codes and of course it steered me towards the plug nearest the firewall. Swapped it forward and found it was a defective plug. Never had that before. What are the odds? On top of those slim odds, I had a 1:6 chance to put it in the most difficult install position 🤣.

[SunjaKim]

Originally Posted by BMW X5 guy

Recently changed out my spark plugs, started the car and it ran rough and threw codes. I was panicked, scanned codes and of course it steered me towards the plug nearest the firewall. Swapped it forward and found it was a defective plug. Never had that before. What are the odds? On top of those slim odds, I had a 1:6 chance to put it in the most difficult install position 🤣.

What brand of plugs and where were they purchased?

Amazon and eBay sell counterfeit NGK plugs - if you bought from one of them I'd change them all.

[BMW X5 guy]

Originally Posted by SunjaKim

What brand of plugs and where were they purchased?

Amazon and eBay sell counterfeit NGK plugs - if you bought from one of them I'd change them all.

They were Bosch plugs from FCP Euro. Purchased them in 2022.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by BMW X5 guy

They were Bosch plugs from FCP Euro. Purchased them in 2022.

That is strange, but not unheard of. I once bought Amazon plugs and they were all defective… after about 5k miles. Never again :-)

But yeah, that damn rearmost cylinder isn’t so much fun!

[seanegee]

Originally Posted by jab23

Wanted to share a video of my clunking sound. Left side only. This is pulling into my neighborhood where there is a rough patch of road and then two cobblestone strips back to back. The clunk starts the second the left tire hits them and really does sound like the strut is loose in the tower or something. Everything has been gone over and my mechanic cannot figure it out. Crazy how something so pronounced can’t be easily diagnosed.

https://youtube.com/shorts/sr2VhGKPC...g0S9Nf0_025MMm

That sounds typical if not more severe than I experienced, usual suspects at play, have a read through this thread for more

[jab23]

Oh, I've been invested in this thread for a while. I've already done struts, swaybar links, and tie rods to no avail. Will likely change out lower control arms next even though my mechanic doesn't think that's the origin of the sound.

[seanegee]

Any new news?

[jab23]

Figured I'd check back in here. Just got car back from dealer. Needed to do oil and brake fluid and also have an occasional rough start issue checked out. While there I figured I'd have the front suspension clunk looked at. I had the swaybar links and struts replaced a couple of months ago at my indies recommendation which did not solve the issue. Should have went with the obvious first. Dealer diagnosed bad ball joint in thrust arm. Replaced and my clunk is gone. I'm super happy it's fixed as it drove me nuts, but also bummed at the same time I spent thousands unnecessarily. The left front strut was leaking a bit, but would have been fine for some time. Anyway....just happy it's tight as a drum again. Good luck to all of those chasing suspension clunks.

[E90325M]

Read the whole 8 pages post tonight and your guys did a good issue tracking. I just felt that my 2016 X5 35i M-Sport with 84K miles drove like a boat , feeling the body and suspension loose than before, not very confidence for sharp turning corner (I alway use Sport mode). does this indicate that I need to upgrade my suspension parts? Also I can hear a chunk sound on driver side when I turn my wheel left and up to my driveway when entering into my garage...

[Seattlesquash]

It varies obviously; I had the clonk at turn/driveway and at speed bumps. For me it was fixed with sway bar end links. Suspension is ok to me but once I come off my other car with Öhlin suspension I feel it clearly lacking, but after all it’s a heavy car and not horrible for a stock setup. Backseat driving is not the most comfortable, but luckily I dont sit there very often!

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by E90325M

Read the whole 8 pages post tonight and your guys did a good issue tracking. I just felt that my 2016 X5 35i M-Sport with 84K miles drove like a boat , feeling the body and suspension loose than before, not very confidence for sharp turning corner (I alway use Sport mode). does this indicate that I need to upgrade my suspension parts? Also I can hear a chunk sound on driver side when I turn my wheel left and up to my driveway when entering into my garage...

These cars are kind of boat-y, but fresh control arms and Koni Reds made my car feel greatly improved @75k miles