[Sam@sleekmotoring]

Some of you have been waiting for this for a while, so here it is.

Here are my step my step instructions on how I lower a 7 series. This is just to show you whats involved. This is not meant to say that this is the correct or proper way, so dont criticize me on this one. If you do not have the confidence or tools to do it, just pay the usual $400 - $500 installation charge and leave it to the pros. I am not responsible for you messing something up, or hurting yourself. Save yourself the headache and find a good qualified shop to do it for you.

Thanks Cuzimack for letting me take pics under your car during the installation.

Air tools highly recommended. You can do it with hand tools, but its alot more work, and time consuming.

I started on the drivers side front corner first. Spray all the visable nuts that are attached to the suspension with some WD40. This will make things a little easier.

Step 1.
- Do this on a level surface. The use of a lift is prefered. If you do not have access to a lift, put your car on some strong jack stands. DO NOT WORK UNDER A CAR THAT IS JUST SUPPORTED BY A HYDRAULIC JACK WITHOUT JACKSTANDS, OR USING YOUR OEM JACK. You can seriously hurt or even kill your self. The OEM jack sucks!

Step 2.
- Pull of the front wheels. Using a 21mm socket, remove the nut that is holding the outer tie rod that is attached to the spindle. The tie rod is the piece that connects your steering rack and pinnion to the wheels. Using a ball joint remover or breaker, press out the ball joint. It should look something like this. DO NOT damage the rubber boot that covers the ball joint.

[Sam@sleekmotoring]

Step 3.
- Using a 16mm socket and a wrench behind the bracket, remove the upper nut on the endlink for the sway bar. Push the sway bar off to the side and out of the way.



Step 4.
- Use a 16mm socket and 17mm wrench to remove the lower nut and bolt that holds the spindle onto the strut assembly. Also remove the bracket for the brake hose and wiring for the sensors.

[Sam@sleekmotoring]

Step 5.
- Using a 18mm socket, remove the 2 bolts that hold the brake caliper onto the spindle. Remove the caliper from the spindle and have it tied to a secure mounting point using alot of zipties, or a metal wire. Make sure there is no tension on the rubber brake line. Make sure the rubber line is not whats holding you brake caliper from the floor.






Step 6.
- Using a 5mm allen wrench, remove the bolt that is hold on the ABS sensor. Remove the ABS sensor forn the spindle and have the sensor tied out of the way.

[Sam@sleekmotoring]

Step 7.
- Using a 18MM socket and wrench, remove the nut and bolt that holds the lower control to the subframe. Pull the lower control arm out. The lower control arm will still be attached to the spindle. With someone holding the spindle and strut assembly, remove the 3 - 13mm nuts that are attached to the strut tower inside the engine compartment. Have your "Professional strut holder person" , place the whole assembly including the spindle, brake rotor and strut on the floor or a work bench.



Once the whole spindle, brake rotor and strut assembly is pulled out, it should look like this.

[Sam@sleekmotoring]

Step 8.
- Using a really large flathead screw driver or a chisle, wedge it into the bracket on the spindle that holds the strut assembly. This will loosen up the spindle from the strut assembly. Remove the strut.



Step 9.
- Place the stut into a heavy duty spring compressor. Be very careful using those cheap rental spring compressors. If something goes wrong at the step, you can really, really get hurt. Make sure that the spring compressor is clamped onto the coil spring and not the strut. You can actually damage the lower spring perch if you clamp the spring compressor onto that.

[Sam@sleekmotoring]

Step 10.
- Spray some WD40 on this top bolt. Let it soak in for a few minutes. Using a 24mm wrench and the proper size allen wrench, remove this top nut while everything is still in the spring compressor. Before the nut is all the way out, have your buddy hold the strut to keep it from falling. DO NOT LET ANYTHING TOUCH OR DAMAGE THE STRUT SHAFT If the inside part of that strut shaft get damaged, that stut is pretically useless. It will leek fluid once its compressed. Once this nut is off, remove the top mount first, than the strut and the spring from the compressor.


Step 11. OPTIONAL
- On non-sport models, trim the lower nub off of the bumpstops.

[Sam@sleekmotoring]

Step 11.
- Pay attention to the end marks on the spring pads. This is where the new spring will sit into. Place the new spring into the compressor. Re-install everything pictured above in reverse order making sure that everything is lined up how it was before. Repeat steps 1-10 in reverse order (10 - 1). Install all nuts and bolt loosely until everything down there is put back together. I like to use some Loctite on most major nuts and bolts down there. Finally tighten and torque all nuts and bolts removed during the installation. using a torque wrench to finally tighten everything up Torque everything down to OEM specs. This concludes the drivers side front strut.

Step 12.
- Repeat steps 1-11 on the passenger front side. The only difference, other than everything being backwards, is that there is an electronic height sensor attached to the passenger side lower control arm. Unbolt the end link for the sensor from the lower control arm, and pay attention to the position of the sensor arm. After removal and installation of all passnger side front suspension components, re-install the sensor links last. Push the brake pedal down a couple times to get brake pressure. You may want to blead the brakes after both the front and rear suspension installation and removal is completed.


*** Front finsihed! ***

Stay tuned for the rear.

[tonymac]

Wow... Very well written

Tonymac

[Sam@sleekmotoring]

tonymac, on Dec 19 2008, 04:25 PM, said:

Wow... Very well written

Tonymac

Thanks Tony. Alot of time and planning was put into this so everyone else could hopefully benefit from it. The same procedure can be used for alot of different cars.

I believe that the E63/E64 6 series setup is very very similar also. I could be wrong.

[tonymac]

So, what kind of negative side effects could this possibly have if any?


Tonymac

[Sam@sleekmotoring]

tonymac, on Dec 19 2008, 04:31 PM, said:

So, what kind of negative side effects could this possibly have if any?


Tonymac

- A little negative camber on the rear. I think a good alignment should should be able to fix most of this. If not, you may develop inner tire wear on the rear tires.

- Premature wear and tear on the struts, bushings and balljoints. I have had my 7 lowered for a few years now and have not ran into any problems. If you plan on keeping the car for a loooooooooong time, you may notice.

- Person doing the installation could get hurt if they are not paying attention, or being careful. The OEM springs are held into the stuts with alot of pressure. If you attempt to do this install with a cheap spring compressor, it could brake and cause bodily injury.
USE A LIFT, OR HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK AND SOME GOOD JACK STANDS! DO NOT WORK UNDER A CAR THAT IS JUST HELD UP BY A HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK OR OEM JACK!

[tonymac]

Thanks man...

Tonymac

[Sam@sleekmotoring]

Commercial brake is over and now lets more onto the rear.

Step 13.
- Lets begin with inside the trunk. Begin by removing the bottom carpet trunk panel and the black spare tire cover.

[Sam@sleekmotoring]

Step 14.
- The trunk side panels have these cargo net hooks on the floor. Using a pick, remove the little flat screw covers as pictured. Use a phillps screwdriver and remove the screws that hold the hooks down. Remove all the hook from the vehicle. I think there was 4 of these hooks total.


Step 15.
- Using a small flat head screwdriver or a pick, carefully remove all the plastic clips that hold on the plastic rear trunk panel. I think there are a total of 4 circle push clips. Once these clips are out, carefully remove the complete plastic rear trunk panel. It should look like this when you are done.

[Sam@sleekmotoring]

Step 16.
- Now move onto the carpeted side panels. They are held on by about 6-8 circle clips each. Use a flathead or panel remover to take off all these clips carefully on both sides. These clips are located on the floor along the black plastic pieces, a few on the upper rear corners and one on the upper front sections. The passenger side panel has a little green release know that has to be taken apart and than removed. Pull of both panels completly.