Touring liftgate struts failed - many others?

BlackBMW...you responded yesterday or the day before about my choice of drive belts for my car and cooling issue suggestions. At the time I did not realize that we have the very same car. Great ride. Just a little more work that I expected. Working on my ABS module at the moment and then the belts and then . . .

Originally Posted by silver540it

BlackBMW...you responded yesterday or the day before about my choice of drive belts for my car and cooling issue suggestions. At the time I did not realize that we have the very same car. Great ride. Just a little more work that I expected. Working on my ABS module at the moment and then the belts and then . . .

I like it. Just about caught up on all maintenance and fixes. What a great car. And as Redshift would probably say, the 540i Tours Haul...

Replaced mine myself while my headliner is out for paint... Easy as pie... Hardest part is probably having the headliner hang to get in there, but from there it's 2 bolts and unclipping the other end...

Originally Posted by PragB

Replaced mine myself while my headliner is out for paint... Easy as pie... Hardest part is probably having the headliner hang to get in there, but from there it's 2 bolts and unclipping the other end...

So once I remove the back section of the headliner I will have access? Did you have any pics? Again I will be replacing mine tomorrow after I install the new WP and Thermostat.

Sorry, I'm not on much, hope it all worked out... Like I said it's not a difficult job at all, I didnt take any pics...

No worries. I did replace them and wrote up a small DIY. No Pics thou

Guys - this job is a piece of cake. The scary part is that you can't see what's going on back there but check out some pics from the manuel. Mine didn't clearly show that the post that the strut connects to points straight up so, some how, you have to force the strut up to make it "pop off". I tried a big screwdriver (not long enough) and finally settled on a 2 foot long crowbar. Worked better than special tool 51 2 151. After removing the covers, clip and pin simply work the crowbar under the strut. Before you shove it back there hold it next to the new strut and make a mark so you know how far back to push it in. Now, [I]gently[I] push down and pop the strut off the pin. Doesn't take any force. The weight of the bar was almost enough by itself. Now work the old strut out - it's a tight fit. Shine a flashlight back there and now you can see how the whole thing works. Theres a pin back there about 1 1/2 inches tall that the strut pops into. Work the new strut back in there and hold the end where the pin goes in place with some needle nose pliers. Now the trick is to lift the far end of the strut up onto that pin. For that I used a "Wonderbar". Played with it a little bit but with the end closest to you aligned it just seemed like it wanted to sit up on that pin. Lastly, you've got to pop the strut onto the pin. [I]Gently[I] stick the crowbar back in there this time on top of the strut. Mine popped right on. Just had to tap the pin back in. Had to get some new clips that hold the pin in place 'cause I bent them but that was my only problem. My car is a 2001 and I only replaced the tailgate struts - the ones for the glass are still working fine. Struts are $63 a piece.

Originally Posted by handyman john

Hello, I have a 2003 525iT as well, mine has 80K miles. Your timing is perfect 2 weeks ago I had my local dealer in North Carolina (no indy mechanic wanted to do the job). Performance BMW in Chapel Hill, NC agreed to do it for only the book time labor of 2 hours even if the job took longer, which they said it generally does. They kept their word. Their labor rate is a steep $120 an hour !. So I got it done for $240 plus tax, plus the part (gas strut) that was another $60. Perhaps you can use this to persuade your local dealer to do the same.

Apparently the job takes a tool that is very hard to find and very expensive. Details on that:

tailgate strut tool The TIS shows special tool number 51 2 151

strut part# 51-24-8-220-072

Let us know what you decide to do and what it costs.

I replaced my tailgate shocks, both the trunk and glass ones at the same time.
I remember following a detailed DIY that was posted on this forum (sorry I can't remember the link). As far as the special tool goes, i used a hollow tube (from a broom) as my "special tool" and it worked quite well.
This is really not a difficult DIY, it takes some patience.
A quick tip, while you're there, check your trunk wiring loom to see if all is intact.

I'm in the same boat with my 01 525iT. Car has 89k and hatch struts are useless unless car is parked perfectly FLAT.

I'll be watching this thread for the instructions.

Originally Posted by 525man

I replaced my tailgate shocks, both the trunk and glass ones at the same time.
I remember following a detailed DIY that was posted on this forum (sorry I can't remember the link). As far as the special tool goes, i used a hollow tube (from a broom) as my "special tool" and it worked quite well.
This is really not a difficult DIY, it takes some patience.
A quick tip, while you're there, check your trunk wiring loom to see if all is intact.

Perhaps this is the DIY link.
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...uring+liftgate

my 2000 528iT is at about 165k miles and I've put up with failing glass struts for some time. Now the tailgate struts are failing as well and i've ordered the parts.

525man mentioned checking the wiring loom. A couple years ago i had to solder some of the wiring up there. My question is: is there a wiring harness/loom than can fairly easily be installed while i've got the headliner down to do the strut job OR (i am presuming) do the wires that control tailgate functions extend well into the the guts of the car, making the install of a harness next to impossible?