Cost Of Fixing The Dreaded Shimmy On 7Series!!

[Radioman]

I have a 1998 750i V12 with the dreaded wheel shimmies. Having read the possible fix by replacing the upper and lower suspension arms, I checked with my local garage in Marbella - car is for holiday home in Spain.

Unfortunately, he tells me that the repair costs are too high in relation to the cars value , he reckons we re looking at a £1000 to buy the parts and fit. He also mentions that if I buy the parts in the uk and bring them out it will be saving 50% on parts . The car may be old but I love it , do I need to spend this kind of money or should I just put up with the shimmies? All thoughts welcome

[Guest Mister Dabsy]

Bring it over here ;)

[Guest DazH]

You have a 12-Cylinder flagship BMW. A £1000 repair charge is nothing out of the ordinary for such a car and it IS worth repairing.

Changing the suspension components are not difficult especially the wish bones. When you buy them, they "Should" have the bushes already pressed into them so it really is, pull out old ones and pop new ones in.

Also worth noting, as far as I am aware due to the use of the macpherson strut you should only have one wishbone and control arms on the 750i. (Comparison to a car like the Merc W210 which literally has 2 obvious wishbones)

The shimmy as you know, is common on the E38 7 series. This is often blamed on the weight forced upon the front end during breaking due to the big engine you have connected to your right foot. A good suspension overhaul is worth every penny mate. Go for it

Daz

[Guest DazH]

- Also worth mentioning. Although the shimmie isnt directly "Dangerous", please do not live with it. A dodgy suspension has a knock-on effect with everything on the car. Performance, comfort, braking, etc. etc..

A safe car has a good suspension... Good suspension is a safe car...

[Guest Mister Dabsy]

I had a tiny rear-end shimmy in the Pearl... Just got used to it as the running gear was fine and never questioned by the Garage (even after telling)