Hi,
I am trying to diagnose a problem in my 330xi (2003):
For a few months now I've had slight but annoying steering wheel shake (wiggles left and right by about 1/4 inch each way) from approximately 55-65mph on smooth roads. The car still feels very stable, but the vibration/shake is very annoying at times. I also feel a slight staggered vibration on turning at about 40mph when the wheel is returning to 0 degrees from about 5 degrees (left or right turn). Also, at low speeds (below 15mph), when performing a turn, and I just let the steering wheel free, it staggers to 0 degrees by steps (not smoothly, like it used to). There is almost no vibration above 65mph or below 55mph, unless I'm turning at low speeds, like described above.
Steering wheel shake while braking is almost non-existent. It seems like the problem is worse when I just start driving the car (when its cold), and the symptoms quiet down a bit after driving for a while, but are still there & noticeable.
The dealer did balance all four wheels for $90 (ripoff?), but that didn't do anything. They also told me that all of my wheels are "slightly bent." When I called in to tell them that the problem still exists, they tried to convince me that the next step would be to replace the wheels. They told me that since I just recently had my inspection (3 months ago) and that they visually inspected the steering components and didn't see anything, and since my wheels are slightly bent, that that's the problem. Now, I really don't think that the wheels have anything to do with the turning staggered steering wheel. I did alternate the front wheels with the back wheels, and that didn't do anything either. The problem still exists.
Now, I did some research on this forum, and it seems like all of the above pointers lead to worn out CABs (control arm bushings), or something with the control arm. But I don't know much about car mechanics, so I couldn't really tell.
For anyone that had a similar experience, could you please help me diagnose the problem before I listen to the dealer's advice to replace all the wheels?
Thank You!
~Alex
I am trying to diagnose a problem in my 330xi (2003):
For a few months now I've had slight but annoying steering wheel shake (wiggles left and right by about 1/4 inch each way) from approximately 55-65mph on smooth roads. The car still feels very stable, but the vibration/shake is very annoying at times. I also feel a slight staggered vibration on turning at about 40mph when the wheel is returning to 0 degrees from about 5 degrees (left or right turn). Also, at low speeds (below 15mph), when performing a turn, and I just let the steering wheel free, it staggers to 0 degrees by steps (not smoothly, like it used to). There is almost no vibration above 65mph or below 55mph, unless I'm turning at low speeds, like described above.
Steering wheel shake while braking is almost non-existent. It seems like the problem is worse when I just start driving the car (when its cold), and the symptoms quiet down a bit after driving for a while, but are still there & noticeable.
The dealer did balance all four wheels for $90 (ripoff?), but that didn't do anything. They also told me that all of my wheels are "slightly bent." When I called in to tell them that the problem still exists, they tried to convince me that the next step would be to replace the wheels. They told me that since I just recently had my inspection (3 months ago) and that they visually inspected the steering components and didn't see anything, and since my wheels are slightly bent, that that's the problem. Now, I really don't think that the wheels have anything to do with the turning staggered steering wheel. I did alternate the front wheels with the back wheels, and that didn't do anything either. The problem still exists.
Now, I did some research on this forum, and it seems like all of the above pointers lead to worn out CABs (control arm bushings), or something with the control arm. But I don't know much about car mechanics, so I couldn't really tell.
For anyone that had a similar experience, could you please help me diagnose the problem before I listen to the dealer's advice to replace all the wheels?
Thank You!
~Alex