Bilstein B6 Performance Shock Absorber; Rear | 24-027243

Shock absorbers cushion the suspension in your BMW and absorb the shock of road inconsistencies felt by passengers. As the vehicle goes over a bump or dip in the road, its suspension moves up and down, and the shock absorbers slow the rate of suspension travel and its effect on the vehicle chassis.

Age and rough road conditions can affect shock absorbers and cause them to fail. The seals between the piston and tube wear out over time, allowing fluid and gas to leak. When this happens, the piston will still travel within the tube, but there will be nothing inside to slow and cushion its travel resulting in a rough jarring ride. Adjustable, hydropneumatic, and air cell shocks have valves inside that can fail, preventing the shock from adjusting or releasing the fluid or gas pressure rendering the shock stuck in its position and not absorbing any suspension travel.

Replacing a shock absorber can be as simple as unbolting to remove it and replacing it with the vehicle’s wheel sitting on the ground. However, some will require lifting the wheels off the ground to release the tension created by the weight of the BMW to remove. Shock absorbers with coil springs will require specialty tools to remove spring tension from the shock absorber so they can be disassembled. Hydropneumatic and air cell shock absorbers must be depressurized before they can be removed and may require programming, height setting, or even bleeding of the hydraulic system when being replaced.

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