Rear Spring Replacement

[Gash]

Can anyone out there help?

I need to replace the rear spring on my 325i Touring. The Haynes manual tells you to undo the differential, allow it to drop slightly while supporting it with a jack and wedging it down with a piece of wood. Apparantely this is done to allow enough movement of the arms to get the springs out and avoiding damagie to the CV joints.

Can you coil spring compressors so that you don't have to drop the suspension arm as much to get them out and therefore not needing to undo the differential?

Probably just me being lazy but to me it would a hell of a lot easier just to compress the spring. Any one help me on this?

Thanks

[Simon]

Unbolt the rear damper, undo the bolt that holds the anti-roll bar link, and put some weight on the rear arm, and you should be able to pull the spring out easily enough.

[crazyenglishman]

i just undone the damper got a mate to stand on the wheel then put a bar in the spring and pulled n pushed then it popped out

[Gash]

Won't this put to much stress on the CV joints though? I can imagine putting the new spring in will be a bitch this way.

[bmwe30mtech]

The way simon says above will be easy and not put undue stress on the CV joints.

[Bob_S]

likewise if your really arsed compress the spring and push down a little on the arm

[dazleeds]

i always do em as above

[Gash]

Thanks Guys, will let you know how I get on. All I need now is for it not to rain on saturday!

[Chris-W]

Joints won't suffer. They'll come out surprisingly easily.