[drklght0]

About a month ago I received my 2023 G05 with the 21" wheels, and ever since then, I am bothered by the rumble of my front end at all speeds. Thanks to the information on this forum I learned about the vibration absorber (part number 31106884584) which my car does not have installed.

The problem is that my AD is refusing to install these parts since my car did not have them from the factory. I offered to pay for the installation and they still refused, and said it will void my warranty!
Any tips to convince them to install those parts? Any TSB or notices that I can use?

[weinerbarn]

What about taking it to an independent shop or tire installer? It looks like a simple bolt on and being a factory bmw part, the dealer wouldn’t likely notice when servicing the vehicle.

[nZtiZia]

doesn’t the fact this part was missing from factory install make it a “manufacturer’s defect” and therefore covered under warranty?

[paul21]

Just some CYA BS. It won't void the warranty unless the dealer/mfg can show the part caused an issue. Since the installer is the dealer and would no longer be neutral in that determination it isn't allowed.


I did it myself, but if you don't want to do that, you'll need to find a mechanic who will.

[GerryC]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

doesn’t the fact this part was missing from factory install make it a “manufacturer’s defect” and therefore covered under warranty?

I expect not. Looking at RealOEM, the applicability appears to be only for 22" wheels with others for "emer.op." but it also shows where the applicability is "No" for the 22' wheels.

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...03#31106884584

I'd look for another shop to install them.

Gerry

[roxxor]

I was just thinking today about how much vibration I get towards the front on my 23 45e with the 21” wheels while driving today, especially at speeds around or above 70mph. I will have to check to see if I have those on the control arms or not.

Paul21, would you mind sharing your experience with doing the install? Looking at the parts diagram it doesn’t look too difficult.

[drklght0]

I don't mind installing the dampers myself, but the fact that the dealer might invalidate my warranty is giving me a pause.

Installing them myself and just hoping they won't notice them is not a good plan. Why aren't these installed from the factory?! Or at least give the customer the option to EASILY approve them to be fitted at the dealer

[chefwong]

thx to this post, going to crawl under the car to take a peekie as well

Real OE for the50 show it and there doesn't appear to be a line item dependent on wheel size

http://a.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showpa...diagId=31_1503

[weinerbarn]

Originally Posted by drklght0

I don't mind installing the dampers myself, but the fact that the dealer might invalidate my warranty is giving me a pause.

Installing them myself and just hoping they won't notice them is not a good plan. Why aren't these installed from the factory?! Or at least give the customer the option to EASILY approve them to be fitted at the dealer

You may be better off contacting someone from BMW about your issue and ask about the part and warranty invalidation. The warranty is not through the dealer, it’s through BMW. It’s not the dealer’s warranty to invalidate.

[paul21]

Originally Posted by roxxor

I was just thinking today about how much vibration I get towards the front on my 23 45e with the 21” wheels while driving today, especially at speeds around or above 70mph. I will have to check to see if I have those on the control arms or not.

Paul21, would you mind sharing your experience with doing the install? Looking at the parts diagram it doesn’t look too difficult.

Just need two wrenches, obviously easier with appropriately sized sockets. I set my air suspension to high, turned the wheel to the side, slid the bolt thru the block, and tightened away. It requires laying on the ground to reach it, and a jack would have made it easier. The nut and bolt are designed to be tight, so it requires force the entire way on (no free spinning).

Overall I'd say quite easy since there's no alignment to do, and it's not load bearing. Obviously you should practice safety when doing this work, and you may prefer a jack and stand with more clearance for easier access.


It did make a significant difference in my opinion. My previous car had foam liners to reduce noise and was quieter on many road surfaces, but after the dampers, they're similar.

[TheACN]

I can confirm that my 2022 X5 with poor man's 19" wheels do not have it.

[jad03060]

Differently sized tires/wheels will have different resonant frequencies...it seems that BMW felt it was needed on 22" wheels. The size and weight of the damper may or may not do much for other sized wheels.

[chefwong]

50 with 20" 740 Has it

[GerryC]

Originally Posted by drklght0

I don't mind installing the dampers myself, but the fact that the dealer might invalidate my warranty is giving me a pause.

Installing them myself and just hoping they won't notice them is not a good plan. Why aren't these installed from the factory?! Or at least give the customer the option to EASILY approve them to be fitted at the dealer

I can't speak to the legal position in Dubai, but in the USA, the manufacturers can not invalidate the warranty with respect to aftermarket installation of non-OEM parts. The limits are that the manufacturer is not liable for the aftermarket parts and they are not liable for damage caused by failure of the aftermarket parts. And they have the burden of proof to show that the failure was caused by the aftermarket part. You might attempt to determine if there is a similar law in Dubai.

So, if you put a non-OEM damper on the arm and the arm failed they could deny warranty coverage if they could show the aftermarket damper caused the failure. But they couldn't invalidate the warranty coverage on any other components, e.g.: engine, transmission, etc.

In this case, I would say the risk is small. The damper is just a small weight attached to the arm that changes the un-sprung weight of the wheel assembly. That changes the resonant frequency which hopefully reduces vibrations passed through to the passenger compartment. As a retired engineer, I would say that the biggest risk associated with it is it not being properly attached and it falling off while driving. It's not a safety issue as BMW would not have in the system if it were.

The only other option I see as reasonable is to find a different set of tires with different weight or sidewall flex to change the spring rate which would also change the resonant frequency. But it's your vehicle and your choice.

Good luck.

Gerry

[jad03060]

Note also that if you happen to have non-OEM tires or wheels on your vehicle, BMW may not decide to help with any noise or vibration attributed to them. There's a reason why BMW pairs up with tire manufacturers to specify specific tires. Even the same sized, named model may differ from the one with the five-pointed star on the sidewall. IOW, they aren't built exactly alike.

[quad_drive]

Just peeked under my 23 45e with 20" wheels. No damper on the front as well. I guess that will be my new project.. Any suggestions where to source the parts?

[jad03060]

The dampers (should) change the resonant frequency. Changing that could in theory INCREASE the issue for a combination that wasn't designed for it.

The parts probably aren't expensive, but may not work as you hope, so may not be a big loss. They might help...can't say.

[TheACN]

Originally Posted by quad_drive

Just peeked under my 23 45e with 20" wheels. No damper on the front as well. I guess that will be my new project.. Any suggestions where to source the parts?

Most dealers have a dedicated web page for selling oem parts with substential discounts. The bmw dealer in Miami seems to be the cheapest I could find, $135 for both isolators with bolts and nuts, includes shipping to nyc. I usually ask the dealer in Atlantic city for a quote, they've been surprisingly aggressive with prices but I'm gonna look around a little more for this one

[TheACN]

By the way, anyone who's planning on doing this, TIS calls for the bolt to be torqued to 108Nm.

[eelnoraa]

So it isn't just 22" wheels. Some 22", some 20" and even some 19" will have this piece. I wonder what material is this? just a block of rubber? or rubber coated lead (some weight to it)?

[weinerbarn]

Originally Posted by quad_drive

Just peeked under my 23 45e with 20" wheels. No damper on the front as well. I guess that will be my new project.. Any suggestions where to source the parts?

This is the place I used recently. Seems to be one of the cheaper ones and shipped fast.

https://www.bmwpartsworldwide.com/

[paul21]

This piece is a weight with a rubber bushing connected to a metal tube that holds the bolt. It's basically a tuned mass damper (TMD) that influences the transmissibility of vibrations from the wheel to the car through the lower control arm (LCA).

The TMD does change the peaks in the frequency response of the LCA, but it effectively takes one loud frequency and makes it two quieter frequencies. It can introduce louder noises at lower frequencies, but the reduction at the peak frequency is substantial, probably -6 dBA or twice as strong as the new frequencies added.

The potential downside is that the new peak frequencies could correspond to the excitation frequencies of other parts in the car, but it could also reduce interactions. It will also be slightly louder at lower frequencies below the current harmonic.

The unknown to me is what is exciting the resonance in the LCA. It could be that the smaller rims have a lower resonant frequency which is not supposed to excite the LCA and cause a noise issue, but after I installed the damper on my 19" it seemed to help a lot especially on older road surfaces.