E30/E36 Rear Upper Shock Mount Upgrade
Clunk Clunk. Clunk Clunk. That’s what small bumps commonly sound like after 50-70,000 miles in 318s and 325s with stock rear upper shock mounts. You say you thought it was loose oil cans in the trunk? Loose gardening tools? We’ve heard all those stories and more. This has been a well-recognized problem for many years.
We used to just replace the mounts with new, original parts. But then we would find them failed again after another couple years. We found that the E30 Cabriolet had stronger mounts, so we used those for awhile. Then we discovered that the E36 mounts were a little better, and then that the E36 Cabrio mounts were a bit better yet. Our latest upgrade is to use the E46 rear upper shock mount in all the E30 and E36 cars whenever we hear that tell-tale Clunk Clunk.
Replacement is by direct substitution; no modification is necessary. Simply unbolt the top of the shock from the old mount, and the mount from the body. Assembly, as they say, is the reverse of disassembly.