Your BMW struts take a tremendous amount of load—more so than shocks, since the strut acts as the spring and shock combined. At the top of the strut, where it meets the car body, sits the BMW Strut Mount. That strut mount is where the load from the strut is transferred into the car frame. There’s more to the story, though: Since the strut has to be able to pivot when you turn your steering wheel, the strut mount contains a bearing. Any time you have a bearing, you have the potential for wear.

Many times you won’t have to replace your BMW strut mounts when you change your struts or strut cartridges. Sometimes, though, significant wear will have taken place and the technician will recommend strut mount replacement in addition to new struts. If the car has been making unusual noises from the wheelwells, new BMW struts mounts may indeed be required.