Official: DIY TMS Sub Frame Reinforcement

when we did mine, we just hung the calipers...

it took me and 2 of my buddies 1.5 days to do the same thing.. the buddy who's house we were doing the work at is a welder, and fabricator by trade so we were good to go there... it took him about 1-2 hr's of welding to get everything done. and he has done 4 other cars besides mine. so if you are talking with a welder, I would say between 2-3 hrs depending on their experience...

I would disagree with the gas tank and leaving it in place... There is no way that i would do this with the gas tank in the car.. even if you are careful... that is the LAST thing you want going wrong. It doesn't take that long to take the Gas tank down.. also try to have 1/8 or less gas in the tank.....


if you are doing this, its really the perfect time to do anything on the rear suspension. ball joints/bushings what ever.

like others have said, this really isn't that "Hard" but the welding can be quite intimidating. I have seen some guys MIG weld this in, but i would reccomend not MIGing it in, but make sure that the welder is TIGing.. much stronger weld.

Is this reinforcement any different than the class action lawsuit subframe inspection and repair? I just took mine to the stealership an they're ordering parts.

Originally Posted by dakkon

when we did mine, we just hung the calipers...

it took me and 2 of my buddies 1.5 days to do the same thing.. the buddy who's house we were doing the work at is a welder, and fabricator by trade so we were good to go there... it took him about 1-2 hr's of welding to get everything done. and he has done 4 other cars besides mine. so if you are talking with a welder, I would say between 2-3 hrs depending on their experience...

I would disagree with the gas tank and leaving it in place... There is no way that i would do this with the gas tank in the car.. even if you are careful... that is the LAST thing you want going wrong. It doesn't take that long to take the Gas tank down.. also try to have 1/8 or less gas in the tank.....


if you are doing this, its really the perfect time to do anything on the rear suspension. ball joints/bushings what ever.

like others have said, this really isn't that "Hard" but the welding can be quite intimidating. I have seen some guys MIG weld this in, but i would reccomend not MIGing it in, but make sure that the welder is TIGing.. much stronger weld.

+1

Although TIG welding is undoubtedly a stronger weld, I feel that a MIG weld is strong enough for the reinforcement. Had a TIG welder been available to me I definitely would have used it, but I feel a MIG welder can handle the job if one is not available. It's been over a year since mine was repaired and it is holding up fine. I am an aggressive driver, too.

Originally Posted by ruckus323

Is this reinforcement any different than the class action lawsuit subframe inspection and repair? I just took mine to the stealership an they're ordering parts.

I believe if BMW performs the repair they actually cut the section of the frame out that is prone to cracking and weld in a new "updated" chassis piece. Some are able to have the TMS reinforcements welded in by the shop performing the repair during the process, others are not.

I'll try to get at least a part number for what the dealer ordered and try like hell to get a pic of what they're installing. I'll post pics i I get them.

If I'm not mistaken, it's number 16 in this photo (part number 41117000246):




http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?...67&hg=41&fg=25

Excellent DIY

Started mine yesterday. Subframe is out. Hardest part is going to be cleaning all the junk out of the trunk of my car. I've been putting it off until absolutely necessary.

Edit: forgot to say...BIG BIG thanks to the op. The diy simplified the process for me greatly and kept me from having to look for my bentley manual.

So it's ok to just to weld the 4" crack? How big of a crack would you have to have on your chassis to require you to replace that whole part like BMW did in the suit?

Originally Posted by greekgeekusa

Excellent DIY

Originally Posted by adepssimius

Started mine yesterday. Subframe is out. Hardest part is going to be cleaning all the junk out of the trunk of my car. I've been putting it off until absolutely necessary.

Edit: forgot to say...BIG BIG thanks to the op. The diy simplified the process for me greatly and kept me from having to look for my bentley manual.

Originally Posted by ilovebeemers

So it's ok to just to weld the 4" crack? How big of a crack would you have to have on your chassis to require you to replace that whole part like BMW did in the suit?

Short answer: Find an experienced welder/fabricator that you trust, have them look at your car and ask them.

In my circumstance it was fine, I've done a lot of metal work back in high school and my buddy that did the work for me welds for a living, so we knew that it would be fine to just weld my crack before reinforcing.

Hello, guys and no one has any drawings of parts to be welded, I'm in Russia I can not find, I really need I can make out my car and I will cook very much want everything to be correct, thanks!

lolwut?

not clear

GUYS help me with the size repair kit for the rear subframe beams

Originally Posted by ALEX Rascha

GUYS help me with the size repair kit for the rear subframe beams

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/image/suspension/TDR4675412_E46_rear_chassis_reinforcement_kit_subframe_mouti ng_m3_330_325_328_323.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=ALEX Rascha;13057125]TDR4675412_E46_rear_chassis_reinforcement_kit_subframe_mouti ng_m3_330_325_328_323.jpg

image/suspension/TDR4675412_E46_rear_chassis_reinforcement_kit_subframe_mouti ng_m3_330_325_328_323.jpg[/img]

Originally Posted by ALEX Rascha

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/image/suspension/TDR4675412_E46_rear_chassis_reinforcement_kit_subframe_mouti ng_m3_330_325_328_323.jpg[/img]

thanks, I saw it, I need the dimensions or drawings

I will analyze

. I started to repair today dismantled, thanks for the detailed DiY very helpful

Three words for you, jsanders: Damn you rock! So how much did all this cost you monetarily? I was thinking of asking a BMW tech to do a little moonlighting because I can't afford the dealership. Don't want to cheat myself or them for their labor. This post makes me so optimistic. Thought I'd have to trash my baby due to all the repair work needed. Thanks again (that's more than 3 words huh? )

Glad you all are getting some use out of this!

IIRC, the subframe reinforcement kit was ~ $150, the primer, paint, sealant foam and underbody coating was ~ $40, $10-20 for the brake fluid... So I guess around $200 total. Could be forgetting somethings, but I'm pretty sure I already had everything else needed.