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      11-03-2008, 01:03 PM   #1
CoolToolGuy
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BMW Performance Strut Brace - DIY?

I want the BMW strut tower brace for my 135i. If you add it when you build you car on the BMW Web site it is $1,000, yet the part is only $399. I'm trying to figure out if there is enough labor required to really justify the $600 extra, or should I be able to install this myself. The only thing I could think of that would keep me from doing it myself is if a front-end alignment is required because you have to disassemble the top of the strut towers.

Has anybody done one of these themselves - or couldn't, for any reason?

Thanks in advance.

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      11-03-2008, 01:52 PM   #2
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Well, I can tell you the car I bought from the dealer had it on the car already, asked them to remove it and it took all of 20mins
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      11-03-2008, 02:05 PM   #3
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Are you guys talking about the Aluminum one or the Carbon Fiber one ? I really want a brace but my dealer looked at them and the car and told me that neither one will fit on the 135i till the BMW CAI is available and installed. Thanks guys.
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      11-03-2008, 03:52 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UR2SLOW1 View Post
Are you guys talking about the Aluminum one or the Carbon Fiber one ? I really want a brace but my dealer looked at them and the car and told me that neither one will fit on the 135i till the BMW CAI is available and installed. Thanks guys.
+1 from my parts sales associate.:iono:
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      11-03-2008, 03:56 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UR2SLOW1 View Post
Are you guys talking about the Aluminum one or the Carbon Fiber one ? I really want a brace but my dealer looked at them and the car and told me that neither one will fit on the 135i till the BMW CAI is available and installed. Thanks guys.
Correct and incorrect. It will still fit, but what happens if you hit a pot hole or go over something that really puts your suspension to work? It could crack the brace in two because it's barely above the air box. It just doesn't fit properly

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      11-03-2008, 04:45 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan@UnitedBMW View Post
Correct and incorrect. It will still fit, but what happens if you hit a pot hole or go over something that really puts your suspension to work? It could crack the brace in two because it's barely above the air box. It just doesn't fit properly

Dan
Dan,

Thanks for the tip. Is that for the carbon fiber brace? A couple months ago I noticed that the accessories section of the BMW Web site mentioned that the carbon fiber brace was not suitable for the 135i, but now I see that the aluminum brace is specified for the 135, and the carbon fiber brace for the 128.

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      11-03-2008, 05:16 PM   #7
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I have a CF strut brace which came installed on my 135i.

On close inspection, the strut does indeed appear to be a very tight fit, just about as close to actual contact with the air box as possible. Admittedly, this is hard to see from the angle of this photo...



Although I had not planned on taking grand leaps through potholes, anxiety over cracking the strut will probably keep me on my toes a bit more. At the risk of stating the obvious, I noted that the CF portion of the strut does not extend fully to both ends; instead, you have metal (presumably aluminum) flat tips at each end where the double bolts clamp the strut into the engine compartment. I cannot attest to whether this improves - or compromises - the durability of the strut as a whole, but I'm sure it's necessary since CF is so darned easy to shatter (only a madman would go near it with a bolt!).

For what it's worth, I've driven 135s with and without the brace; for me at least, the stiffness is noticable (inclined S-curves and hard cornering). One admission: Until last post, I had no idea an all-aluminum version was available! Doh!
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      11-03-2008, 05:33 PM   #8
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Hmm, I imagine if one had removed the stock airbox to put something like the Riss Racing intake on then clearance wouldn't be an issue. Interesting...
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      11-03-2008, 06:54 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Dangerlucas View Post
Hmm, I imagine if one had removed the stock airbox to put something like the Riss Racing intake on then clearance wouldn't be an issue. Interesting...
Correct. All that's needed to install is a new intake that isn't ridiculously large like the current air intake
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      11-03-2008, 06:55 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MatthewDFW View Post
I have a CF strut brace which came installed on my 135i.

On close inspection, the strut does indeed appear to be a very tight fit, just about as close to actual contact with the air box as possible. Admittedly, this is hard to see from the angle of this photo...



Although I had not planned on taking grand leaps through potholes, anxiety over cracking the strut will probably keep me on my toes a bit more. At the risk of stating the obvious, I noted that the CF portion of the strut does not extend fully to both ends; instead, you have metal (presumably aluminum) flat tips at each end where the double bolts clamp the strut into the engine compartment. I cannot attest to whether this improves - or compromises - the durability of the strut as a whole, but I'm sure it's necessary since CF is so darned easy to shatter (only a madman would go near it with a bolt!).

For what it's worth, I've driven 135s with and without the brace; for me at least, the stiffness is noticable (inclined S-curves and hard cornering). One admission: Until last post, I had no idea an all-aluminum version was available! Doh!
Be very careful, all I can say. The dealership that you bought that Projekt 1 from did those installs on their own terms. If it cracks and causes damage to your engine bay, I say the dealership is responsible. BMW highly recommends against installation of the BMW Performance strut brace on anything other than the 128i and 328i (also the E46's are ok as well). Just my personal opinion
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      11-04-2008, 08:40 AM   #11
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I must be confused... the 135i already has a strut brace <stock>... why add the CF in addition?
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      11-04-2008, 09:31 AM   #12
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To add to the confusion, the BMW website says the Aluminum will fit on the 135i. Is the website wrong or are we all going insane ???
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      11-04-2008, 10:03 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisK View Post
I must be confused... the 135i already has a strut brace <stock>... why add the CF in addition?
I'm not aware of the strut brace being stock - where did you get that from? Do you have a link?

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      11-04-2008, 10:11 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UR2SLOW1 View Post
To add to the confusion, the BMW website says the Aluminum will fit on the 135i. Is the website wrong or are we all going insane ???
Word is that even though the CF brace will "fit", the closeness of the airbox doesn't provide enough space for the brace to flex, which may lead to breakage. Some months ago, the listing for the CF brace noted that it was not appropriate for the 135i, and no option was available for the 135. Now the aluminum version shows up for the 135, and it looks like something BMW dashed off in a hurry to keep the rumble from the masses down. My guess is they will either come up with something more elegant or, as has been mentioned, approve the CF unit for the 135 once they have announced a CAI for it.

My 2 cents.

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      11-04-2008, 10:59 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CoolToolGuy View Post
I'm not aware of the strut brace being stock - where did you get that from? Do you have a link?

Have Fun,
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Look at your engine bay. Their is a strut brace that connects both strut towers and it runs under the wiper area.

It's not pretty, but does the job.

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      11-04-2008, 12:20 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisK View Post
Look at your engine bay. Their is a strut brace that connects both strut towers and it runs under the wiper area.

It's not pretty, but does the job.

-
Thanks - I'll have to look at someone else's engine bay, 'cause mine is not yet assembled. :wink:

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      11-04-2008, 01:03 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisK View Post
Look at your engine bay. Their is a strut brace that connects both strut towers and it runs under the wiper area.

It's not pretty, but does the job.

-
Yeah, I've been wondering about that too. Plus, I'm wondering what has changed for the 2009 model in terms of airbox clearance, being that you can now add the CF brace under the options section of "Build your BMW" at bmwusa.com
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      11-04-2008, 01:16 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Yearofthe1 View Post
Yeah, I've been wondering about that too. Plus, I'm wondering what has changed for the 2009 model in terms of airbox clearance, being that you can now add the CF brace under the options section of "Build your BMW" at bmwusa.com
It would be easier to redesign the strut brace rather then change anything on the engine. I doubt anything on the engine was changed at all. Not for a part that a few may add.
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      11-04-2008, 03:07 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Yearofthe1 View Post
Yeah, I've been wondering about that too. Plus, I'm wondering what has changed for the 2009 model in terms of airbox clearance, being that you can now add the CF brace under the options section of "Build your BMW" at bmwusa.com
My bet is that slipped by someone. When you look for accessories (outside of the Build Your Own path), the CF brace (PN 51 71 0 429 377) is listed for the 128i, but the aluminum brace (PN 51 71 0 406 937) is listed for the 135i. As mentioned above, the CF brace will mount on the 135i, but it may break.

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      11-04-2008, 06:20 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MatthewDFW View Post
For what it's worth, I've driven 135s with and without the brace; for me at least, the stiffness is noticable (inclined S-curves and hard cornering). One admission: Until last post, I had no idea an all-aluminum version was available! Doh!
Didn't they change the suspension on that car also? I thought more was done to its suspension other than the brace. As I recall they wrote off some of the labor on other parts because of that.

BTW, did they throw in the original wheels and tires? I saw they wanted $4k or more for the upgraded wheels and tires, and they just had the stock tires on the performance wheel.
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      11-04-2008, 09:24 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KeithLM View Post
Didn't they change the suspension on that car also? I thought more was done to its suspension other than the brace. As I recall they wrote off some of the labor on other parts because of that.

BTW, did they throw in the original wheels and tires? I saw they wanted $4k or more for the upgraded wheels and tires, and they just had the stock tires on the performance wheel.
Here's what I know...

According to the features list that was posted in conjunction with the car's original listing on eBay, "retrofit front suspension" was listed as one of the added features, even though the CF strut brace and Brembo brakes each also appeared individually on the same list. I thought this was odd, since it was later explained that the suspension upgrade referred to BMW's "M Sports Suspension" (which, depending on whom you believe, includes not only the strut brace but also the brake kit and the wheel & tire kit!).

We actually have a modest thread discussing this issue over on BimmerForums. As it turns out, the car was written up in numerous places on the Internet and - incredibly - no two descriptions of the "Sports Suspension" are written the same way. For instance, some folks say the "retrofit suspension" upgrade refers only to the strut brace and nothing else (in which case, it's stupid and misleading to put both the suspension and the strut brace individually on the list of features!).

For the record, I'm told that neither BMW nor the dealership that built the one-off actually authored the description which appeared on eBay. That may or may not explain why some of the listed items might seem either redundant, incorrect or, in some cases, nonsensical.

To me, it looked like whoever wrote the original description listed individual components of upgrades as well as the collective upgrades themselves. Not exactly lying, but it does make the list look bigger than it really is.

"Wheel & Tire Kit" does appear on the original eBay description. This, too, must be taken with a grain of salt. Beyond the performance wheels, I can't vouch for anything special about the tires (seem like pretty standard RFTs to me). For the sake of comparison, however, I don't know what stock RFs come standard on the 135i.
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      11-04-2008, 09:45 PM   #22
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I checked the car out at Classic and the tires are the stock tires. I hope you negotiated down that price, because $4k for swapping wheels is a bit much unless they gave you the original equipment. $4k is about full retail from BMW for the wheels and tires, but the wheels alone are around $1300 from others.
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