BMW Flex Disc (Guibo) Replacement

IA EURO illustration of a BMW xDrive rear driveshaft with the transfer case and front driveshaft, flex discs in blue and circled in red: one at each end on many xDrive cars, and the diff end insert nut opens clockwise

Every BMW owner meets the flex disc eventually. It's a rubber coupling between the transmission and the driveshaft, and it's a real pain on your back without a lift. Here's how to do it on jack stands without fighting it for three hours.

Is it the flex disc?

A clunk when you pull away or shift.
A vibration that comes in with speed.
Cracks or tears in the rubber between the bolt holes. Look at it with a flashlight before you buy anything.

Find your disc

The disc changes with the car and sometimes with the gearbox. If yours isn't here, send us your 17-digit VIN and we'll tell you.

E46 320i, 323i, 325iManual and automatic take different discs.

Manual $95.99 →Auto $85.99 →

E46 328i, 330i · E39 525i, 528i, 530iOne disc for all of them.Disc $85.99 →

E46 M3Its own disc.Disc $149.99 →

E90 to E93 323i, 325i, 328i, rear driveSame disc as the E46 automatic. Not the xi cars.Disc $85.99 →

F30, F32, F22 four cylinders · F10 528i 2012 on320i, 328i, 330i, 428i, 430i, 228i, 230i, rear drive.Disc $85.99 →

V8: F10 550i, F12 650i, F01 750iThe N63 cars. Read our N63 oil guide while you're under there.Disc $141.99 →

xDrive to 2020: G20, G30, G01 X3, F15 X5 50i, E70/E71 50iSmall three-arm disc on the rear shaft.

URO $65.99 →Febi $130.99 →

New boltsBMW says new bolts and new self-locking nuts with every disc, on every car. They're torque plus angle, and they don't come back off right.

Torque: read the bolt head

BMW sets the number by the bolt, not the car. The size and grade are stamped on the head.

M12, grade 10.955 Nm + 90°

M10, grade 10.920 Nm + 90°

M12, grade 8.8 (E60, E61, E63, E64, E65)30 Nm + 90°

Center bearing19 Nm (F and G cars), 21 Nm (E cars)

IA EURO illustration of a BMW driveshaft flex disc (guibo) with a nut circled in red marker: new bolts and nuts every time, and the arrows on the rim point at the flange arms — The disc up close. New bolts and nuts every time, and the arrows on the rim point at the flange arms. On many xDrive cars there is a disc at each end of the rear shaft; at the diff, BMW's insert nut opens clockwise and gets replaced if you undo it.

The job

Make room. Heat shields, the exhaust and the tunnel brace come off. That's what makes room for the wrench.
Mark it. Paint a line across the disc and the flange before anything moves. It goes back in the same spot, or it hums.
Loosen the center bearing and tie the shaft up near it so the joints don't fold.
Bolts out, disc out. Turn the side BMW says for your car and hold the other. On a G20 you turn the bolt; on F30 and F10 it's the bolt at the transmission and the nut at the shaft.
Check the centering sleeve in the flange. Damaged, replace it. Grease only the soft one, never the hard plastic one.
Arrows on the disc rim point at the flange arms. Every time.
New bolts and nuts, torque, then the angle. Center bearing and exhaust back on. On N53, N54, N55 and N57 cars the center bearing is stamped TOP: that side faces up.

No lift? Do this

Four jack stands, car level. Never under a car that's on the jack.
Neutral, rear wheels free. Turn both rear wheels by hand to bring each bolt around to where your wrench fits.
Ratcheting box wrench plus a socket and breaker bar on the other side. A swivel socket on an extension saves your knuckles on the top bolts.
Squeeze the disc. A big hose clamp or the steel band new discs ship with keeps it compressed so the bolts line up. Cut the band only after the bolts are in.
Angle gauge for the 90°. Don't eyeball a quarter turn.

This box is our shop's way of doing it on the ground. BMW's instructions assume a lift.

Turning the wrong side ruins new parts. These are self-locking nuts. Spin the side BMW doesn't want turned and you can damage the disc or the lock. If you don't know which side yours turns, ask us before you put a wrench on it.

Where people mess it up

Old bolts back in. Torque plus angle bolts are one-time.
No marks. Clocked one hole off, and you get a hum you can't find.
Arrows facing the wrong way. The disc tears early.
Only torqued, never angled. 55 Nm alone isn't done.

Steps, torque values and part rules come from BMW's repair instructions for the propeller shaft (main group 26). Disc fitment comes from BMW's parts catalog up to 2020. Check yours by VIN.