[F36_Paul]

Just got the car looked at, shop says I need a new front left strut, knuckle, and axle.

Trying to source the parts myself to save some $$. BMW lists 3 different knuckles for the car based on "+30 or -30 or standard camber correction"

Also trying to figure out what strut is on this car, it has msport package but I believe the suspension is the same as base?

Any help would be appreciated

[Markyboyt]

The knuckle should almost certainly be the standard, the correction ones are for when there’s an issue aligning it correctly. You should be able to find some raised numbers on it which will match the part number.
For the strut, again there should be a label with part numbers which will give you a definitive answer. You can put your chassis number into a vin decoder to look at the option codes and then look on realoem but might as well just read it off the strut if you can.

[pauli18c]

I've read of people opening the bolt back up on the knuckle and sliding the strut back up. Is the strut/knuckle actually bent, or did they just take a peak and start telling you you need to buy things?

Also on the axle, is the CV joint actually damaged or is the boot just torn? Looks like you could just replace the torn boot and repack with grease

[F36_Paul]

Originally Posted by pauli18c

I've read of people opening the bolt back up on the knuckle and sliding the strut back up. Is the strut/knuckle actually bent, or did they just take a peak and start telling you you need to buy things?

Also on the axle, is the CV joint actually damaged or is the boot just torn? Looks like you could just replace the torn boot and repack with grease

I had two shops look at it and they both told me to replace the cv axle, and then one shop said the strut and not the knuckle, while the other said the knuckle for sure. I brought it to the first shop thinking all i needed was an alignment and than they sprung this on me saying they can't align it properly because of the damage. I fortunately have been able to source used parts so it's not costing me that much in the grand scheme of things.

[F36_Paul]

Originally Posted by Markyboyt

The knuckle should almost certainly be the standard, the correction ones are for when there’s an issue aligning it correctly. You should be able to find some raised numbers on it which will match the part number.
For the strut, again there should be a label with part numbers which will give you a definitive answer. You can put your chassis number into a vin decoder to look at the option codes and then look on realoem but might as well just read it off the strut if you can.

Thanks!

[F36_Paul]

Originally Posted by pauli18c

I've read of people opening the bolt back up on the knuckle and sliding the strut back up. Is the strut/knuckle actually bent, or did they just take a peak and start telling you you need to buy things?

Also on the axle, is the CV joint actually damaged or is the boot just torn? Looks like you could just replace the torn boot and repack with grease

What I don't get is if the strut dropped down below the knuckle why the car doesn't feel like it's sitting lower on that side. It feels almost normal.

[pauli18c]

Originally Posted by F36_Paul

What I don't get is if the strut dropped down below the knuckle why the car doesn't feel like it's sitting lower on that side. It feels almost normal.

You could measure from the center of the wheel to the fender on each side and measure the difference

[Ennoch]

It'll definitely be lower on that side. If they're tried to align it like that then of course they can't do it properly. I believe there's a tab on the strut that can shear off as a fuse when it blows through like that so it may be recommended to replace the strut. The knuckles are pretty tough and the strut sliding through will have helped dissipate some of the energy so it may not be needed. Similarly the axle should be rebuildable with a new boot, unless the strut's actually clouted the UJ inside and damaged something. If someone else is paying then perhaps it's worth adding the knuckle into the job to save doing it twice but if it's you then I'd see if you can't get the strut back up into the correct position (a dab of weld to replace the tab should work - soak with water straight after to prevent damage to the damper fluid), stick a replacement boot on the axle and get it aligned.

[MysteriousGas]

This happened exactly to me. At first I only replaced the strut because many shops told me that the knuckle looked fine besides the dealership (we thought they were trying to upsell) as we all assumed it was a solid chunk of metal also. After fixing the strut, the car's wheel would always sag to the right heavily and I finally did the knuckle and afterwards tie rod end. Also during researching I found that a knuckle is always recommended to be replaced when a strut is replaced on the damaged side. Getting an alignment at a reputable shop and having them look for possible bent parts had been very helpful for me along with reading the report on your own which I would ask for after aligning. I would also recommend shopping at bmwpartswarehouse.com as that was where I bought my parts for much less than the prices you posted for those parts.