Hello to ALL BMW Enthusiasts

[Herb]

Hello everyone out there just wanted to say that it is a pleasure to join such a forum so that we can come together and assist each other in our own experiences and maybe pass the knowledge on to each of us. First and foremost I am a Georgia native and I drive a 1992 525I. I am the original owner and love my car alot. As many of you may have witness as soon as you drive into a auto repair spot and they see its a B M W they immediately thinking $$$$$$ signs. But anyway my issue is this, I recently replaced the following: tire rods (inner/outer), brake pads,rotors,tires,and control arms and got an alignment and balance all at the same time. The reason I had all this replaced was because I had some uncontrollable vibration/shaking in my steering wheel. Keep in mind I was having this before but at some point it just went away. So once I got the alignment done after everything else it started shaking out of control again as soon as I got between 45- 55 mph and then above 60mph it leveled out. Also the vibration comes everytime I exit a ramp and hit the brakes to slow down. Oh before I forget I have size 225/45/17 tires on them although I know 15" is the standard. But again they have ridden fine before on the 17". So my question is Can someone tell me what I missed or what they suggest I do at this point? please please please

[drz]

Welcome Herb. I moved your thread to the E36 tech section, because there is a better chance of someone with the knowledge seeing it here. I, personally, wouldn't know what to recommend.

Good luck. And welcome again, despite the circumstances.

[darkhorse737]

Vibration at "certain" speeds and no vibration under or above that speed points to defects in tires or rims... or just need for wheel balancing.

vibration on braking/slowing down... indicates warped rotors, or poor quality brake pads.

in your case, you have all of the above.

TIP: the use of wider tires & bigger rims usually entails the use of a spacer between your hub and wheel to adjust the so-called "offset". in many cases i have encountered, that spacer is not in the center when it is installed. It's possible that if you have one of those, that could be the source of your problems.

Bad alignment reading/s can also be the source of your prob. Note that when you opt for aftermarket rims and tires, the effective width and wheel offset changes from the factory standard; therefore, the factory setting/s can no longer apply

[Herb]

thank you so much drz.. i appreciate you

[Herb]

Thanks so much man...That all makes since..Let me ask you since the rotors and brakes were brand new like 3wks ago should I take back to the mechanic or the person who sold the parts to check for defect or warping?

[darkhorse737]

Originally Posted by Herb

Thanks so much man...That all makes since..Let me ask you since the rotors and brakes were brand new like 3wks ago should I take back to the mechanic or the person who sold the parts to check for defect or warping?

hmm... 3 weeks ago. workmanship should still be under warranty... maybe an error in installation??? Yes, you should complain.

depending on the kind and quality of rotors used... there have been cases of rotors that are not exactly "correct" coming out of the box. (i.e. mass produced rotors are resurfaced after casting on a mill; whereas, turning a rotor on a lathe produces a "truer" straight line)

I have a friend who owns a shop here and absolutely insists that even new rotors should be turned on a brake lathe to check for trueness before installation...

RE: tires and rims - ask that the tires and rims be DYNAMICALLY BALANCED at the speed u say the vibration occurs. Many shops jst do static balancing because it's cheaper for them, labor-wise and equipment-wise.