[matthew721]

So today I'm calmly driving through a parking lot... Nothing exciting until I slowly go over a speed bump when it drops suddenly and the car bottoms out! Boom... Sudden hard impact and instantly I notice a slight vibration throughout the whole vehicle. First gear on the automatic tranny feels a bit sluggish, almost as if slipping and feels as if it shifts a bit late into 2nd. Maybe I'm just paranoid and imagining things after the shock of potentially damaging the vehicle/tranny :-O

This just happened and I have yet to take a look. Today I'll try to get underneath. Any thoughts or things I should be looking for? Thanks in advance.

[Groganrocket]

Originally Posted by matthew721

So today I'm calmly driving through a parking lot... Nothing exciting until I slowly go over a speed bump when it drops suddenly and the car bottoms out! Boom... Sudden hard impact and instantly I notice a slight vibration throughout the whole vehicle. First gear on the automatic tranny feels a bit sluggish, almost as if slipping and feels as if it shifts a bit late into 2nd. Maybe I'm just paranoid and imagining things after the shock of potentially damaging the vehicle/tranny :-O

This just happened and I have yet to take a look. Today I'll try to get underneath. Any thoughts or things I should be looking for? Thanks in advance.

I'd just check the tranny pan because on the n54 they are plastic pans and I'm not sure about your n52 I believe other than that your probably fine.

[DJtoad]

Honestly, I think you're just a bit paranoid. The tranny and engine are well protected. I think the 2006 325i also had a plastic tranny pan, so if you hit it, you'd know it.

[matthew721]

After driving around for a few days there is definitely a vibration. After snooping around I was able to find the exact location of the hit, evidenced by the yellow paint scrapped from the speedbump. I need to spend more time looking for anything else that may have bent, but is it a possibility the tranny mounts were damaged causing the vibration? Any thoughts appreciated... Thx.

[critical05]

Those bolts and bracket is your exhaust hanger bracket. Maybe the vibration is your exhaust hitting something.

[Volasko]

That bracket which hold your exhaust is definitely bent. It should be 90 deg to the ground. The fact that it is so bent could mean the exhaust is now hitting a heat shield. That or the impact damaged the rear tranny mounts as that bracket is held by the rear transmission frame.

[BRD1234]

You don't need to worry. I agree with djtoad, these cars are very well built in the fact that everything is so well tucked up underneath the car that even bottoming out most likely will not hurt anything (besides a measly exhaust hanger or jack pad).
My car is extremely low on H&R Race springs and I bottom out almost every other week in some places. I have even ripped off all of my jack pads from bottoming out in the past.
If you don't see any fluids leaking you should be just fine as I have hit quite a few bad ones (even with cutting the wheel on every speed bump).

[Volasko]

Originally Posted by BRD1234

You don't need to worry. I agree with djtoad, these cars are very well built in the fact that everything is so well tucked up underneath the car that even bottoming out most likely will not hurt anything (besides a measly exhaust hanger or jack pad).
My car is extremely low on H&R Race springs and I bottom out almost every other week in some places. I have even ripped off all of my jack pads from bottoming out in the past.
If you don't see any fluids leaking you should be just fine as I have hit quite a few bad ones (even with cutting the wheel on every speed bump).

Except he is not fine as he is noticing a vibration.....

[Goofs]

One wheel at a time over speed bumps, especially if your car is lowered.

[blackhawkk22]

I read this and that very night I bottomed out. This morning my engine made a weird noise upon start up. I know its not related but I feel like its in the back of my head for no reason at all! Thanks OP!