And how are they?

 

the ride is as good as OEM.

:eeps:

 

Do you have links?

 

Links would be good, you definitely piqued my curiosity.

 

Links to the reviews? If so here are some that I found:

these Monroe OESpectrum struts for non-M and non-AWD (xi) cars are exactly what the vast majority of 1999-2005 3 series owners want when it comes to replacing the tired original Sachs shocks and struts in their car.

Monroe is often associated with cheapness, as is the Sensatrac moniker, but these are actually their OESpectrum line which are what I consider to be the best value for money in this particular vehicle application. the shocks are well constructed using Original Equipment thickness and dimension materials, they have similar rebound, compression and dynamic characteristics to Sachs original BMW shock absorbers but for a small fraction of the price.

What I like about them:
1.) Price. depending on how actively you cross shop, they're between 20 and 50% the cost of an OEM BMW shock
2.) durability. monroe has been around a good long time and they know how to make a shock absorber. have had no oil seepage or undesirable characteristics arise thus far
3.) O.E. look. black housings, look like original parts unlike a rial KYB piece that is clearly an after market piece.
4.) the performance. they claim to be equivalent to original equipment shocks in response and durability. I believe this claim.

bottom line, I would recommend this to a customer or a friend for their car.


I purchased these struts for my 2001 bmw 330i and I was skeptical based on the previous reviews and decided to take a chance. These were the best prices I could find anywhere online and I must say that I couldn't be happier. The car rides smoother and handles much better than it did before. I had forgotten how well this car could ride.


At 115k miles, my wife's 2003 E53 X5 was due for some serious suspension attention. The rears were starting to clunk over bumps, the car felt very loose and uncontrolled, "crashed" over potholes on the road, etc.

I installed Bilsteins on my own E91 (and my E36 before that) because I liked the lifetime warranty, but I admit they stiffened the ride a bit more than I liked for a daily driver. Looking around for alternatives, I found Monroe has a line of premium OESpectrum shocks designed to match the factory valving of certain foreign cars:

MONROE SHOCKS & STRUTS :: OESpectrum® Shocks & Struts

It turns out Monroe also offers a lifetime warranty. I decided to order a set. I got a great price through RockAuto.com, plus I used a 5% discount code.

Wow, what a difference! The car is very well controlled, suspension is perfectly behaved on rough roads, no funny noises or clunks. I never drove a brand new E53, but this is how I would expect a new one to drive. It feels solid and planted in that BMW way without feeling overly harsh. I'm very happy with the purchase - just right for a daily driver, and the driving experience still lives up to the roundel.



Monroe? Seriously? Not on my BMWs.

Not the best out there, but they will be a hell-of-a-lot better than decade-old, blown out original shocks. Perfectly fine for a daily driver, and include a lifetime warranty just like Bilsteins. And we're talking the new (came out two years ago) OESpectrum line which are actually decent. You can get a set of 4 with a rebate for about the price of ONE Bilstein SP/HD strut.

I installed Monroe in my 328i about 9 months ago. I don't have sports suspension. So far can't fault them, they are doing the job just fine.

I don't get why people knock Monroe. Monroe is an OEM supplier to some auto manufacturers. The parts are of extremely high quality and are obviously valved to meet OE-specs. They just dont take one-size-fits-all shocks and shape them to fit the E46. They're nothing fancy or extra sporty, they're just OE-equivalents at a lower price.

 

And here is another question, my 325i will be 10 years old in 3 days - how do I know if the shocks/struts are blown, and require changing?

 

Whats your mileage/ If you have 75k on the car they are blown. And when I say blown I don't necessarily mean fluid is leaking out from them. The compression and rebound on them have been diminished. When I took out the OEM Sachs on my car (which has 150k miles +), I can press on the strut and compress it with one finger., not good.

If the handling of your car is "floaty" then its time for new struts/shocks. The thing with BMW's sometimes even with worn suspension the car still feels pretty good. Only when you replace the shocks/struts then you will see how the car is really meant to ride.

 

The car has 212,000 km on it now, that is 131,000 miles. With what I assume to be the original shocks and struts. It doesn't seem to handle any different, but I'd take the age of the shocks to mean that they probably are soft now. I'd love to replace them and the ones you just posted seem like the perfect thing for me.

 

Yes at that mileage there is no way those shocks/struts are still damping like before. I could go somethng fancier like Bilsteins or Konis but I am not willing to spend that much money on a 13 yr old car. I just drive this car to work and home and nothing else. If I can get an OEM ride for these prices with lifetime warranty then I consider it a good deal.

 

Watch out. On Amazon they say they fit XI models and they don't as XI's are different.

 

I was looking at these a few months back and Amazon states they don't. Which is correct. They don't make these for the XI. even stopped in a Monroe and checked. No fit for XI.

 

I find the Amazon fitment off at times, I almost always try to find the vendors online catalog, look up applications, then search by the vendors part numbers rather than using the Amazon fitment guide.

 

This is definitely the best way to go about it. It helps to avoid any confusion since some Amazon seller's are not fully aware of the subtle differences between models.

As far as knowing if your shocks are blown, if you're still on original shocks now, chances are you need to replace them. I use a pretty rudimentary way of checking. If you go over a speed bump and your car rebounds more than once, you probably need new shocks.

 

I'm surprised they make ones for BMWs.

I wouldn't use them though because I had bad experience with their other products though. That's not to say they are bad, just don't want to give my money to these fvckers again.

 

Nice find and thanks for the tip! Going to seriously consider these when it comes time to address the front suspension!

 

I have nothing against Monroe, I have their rear shocks on my e36. But if I didn't have an xi, I'd go this route for a suspension update, to bad it won't work for lowering springs. http://www.blauparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=MGR1501-G&cat=1200 $347.55 shipped for all parts needed.

 

Islander72, thanks. I followed your suggestions and went to Amazon and i ordered Monroe Front Struts Part # 71581 and 71582. I got it yesterday evening but i did not open the packages until now. I received 2 different struts. It is too dark now to do a visual check on my car for comparison. I think the strut that has a couple of extra brackets that came out of the box with p/n 71582 is incorrect part. can you or any one confirm this. I need to know which is the incorrect part that they sent me so i can be sure to sent it back .Thanks

 

They gave you a totally wrong 71582 (front left) return it asap. Also take a note on the little notch on the side of the strut (see pic below). It will have a (L) and (R) for left and right. That notch by the way slides right into the notch on the strut hub. Make SURE its all the way down, otherwise your ride height will be too high.

 

It holds the strut compressed if the strut is filled with gas, which I think most are.

 

Back in the 70's in Australia we would pay $20- change over for Munroe "Reds" to improved our Aussie cars ride. Clearly different company.

Back then , in 60's cars, we had to fit a rear stabiliser bar as well for better road stability.

It looked like this but back was fitted out with carpet all around and 'flared' rear guards to fit fit 10" wide tyres.

Car came with straight six. I put in front disc brakes from later model and worked the motor severely. At the time, I could beat the new Australian Muscle cars from standing start. They would get me adter 64.4 mph *100kph) These were Ford GT 350 cubic cars, Charger 360 cubes, etc.

6 miles to the gallon was OK, but establishment of OPEC meant Saudi Arabia was taking money from me. I was getting married and the good woman made sell it ( "I can't put clutch down on that beast") and buy a 1973 Datsun 180B SSS coupe. I got my revenge by putting 3 Weber carbs and other performance mods.

 

Hello......Jerry.

 

Another user tidbit:
The OEM airmatic suspension on my Benz is by Monroe (spain).

 

Monroe, out!!!

 

Monroe, out!!!

:rofl:
Cosmic Cow

 

Think that I'm going to try this on my BMW that i recently purchased from BMW Greensboro NC. Cool post!