99 528i Wheel and Front End Shaking Problem - BMW Forum

thedude2470 · 06-27-2008, 07:27 AM

Hey guys. Im new here, and wanted to start off by saying hello!

Now, i just bought a 99 528i not too long ago and i love the thing, except for this "shaking" i feel in the wheel and front end. It is not consistant at all, except it usually always will occur first thing in the morning when the car is cold. The shaking is only noticable between 40 and 60 mph. Maybe 70 here and there.
My first thought was wheel balance, considering i noticed the weights had fallen off of the front wheels. I just had all 4 wheels balanced, but the shaking is still there. Its so inconsistant, when the service shop took it out for a spin after they balanced the wheels, it was smooth and they thought it was fixed.
Before i bought it, the sway bars and tie rods were replaced, so those are brand new.
I was advised it could be a bearing in the steering shaft? but not sure.
I kinda dont want to keep fixing things to find out it hasnt been solved, so i was wondering if you guys had any insight!
Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you!

P.S. The car has 152,000 miles on it if that helps.

iamcreepingdeath · 06-27-2008, 08:38 AM

Can you be more specific about the shaking? is it a sort of side to side shaking? up and down shaking? is it your steering wheel shaking? does it shake more while braking? is it more like a vibration or a more drastic sort of rattling shaking? is it harmonic or random?

sorry lots of questions. But answering these might help me and others to try and identify what it is.

thedude2470 · 06-27-2008, 09:38 AM

I mostly notice it in the steering wheel, and it is a side to side shake. Seems like the slower the speed, the slower the shake and visa versa. I havent noticed any rattling. When the problem began, it was quite random. Now (since i had the wheels balanced a few days ago), it seems to slowly be happening more and more often. The biggest thing i noticed, was it would always happen in the morning when i first drove the car after it sat all night. After things warmed up, it became less evident. Breaks are nice and smooth, and i dont notice any shaking when they are applied.

The steering does feel weird in general. Kind of hard to describe it. It could just be that im not used to the stiffer steering and wide tires. Seems like sometimes the wheel does funny things, like make sudden movements while going around a turn when the road is smooth. I could just be paranoid.

Thanks! =]

iamcreepingdeath · 06-27-2008, 03:29 PM

maybe a bad wheel bearing or a bad ball joint somewhere??? i am not too familiar with this problem.

GrayZONE · 06-29-2008, 08:13 PM

You might want to check to service life on your tires. Sounds like your experiencing a flat spot on your tires. Try varying the tire pressure to see if it goes away. Raising or dropping it two pounds from the recommended tire pressure should do the trick. Since you said your tires were balanced... do you experience any shimmy when you press the brake pedal?

darkhorse737 · 06-30-2008, 12:59 AM

you should go for alignment. the average price will be about $40.-

Choose a reputable shop that cares enough to inspect your steering linkages and wheels for any defect/s your car might have. Good alignment places WILL NOT continue with alignment when they see a defect in your steering and or suspension system. and the reason is simple... you'll never achieve good alignment with a steering/suspension that has defective parts ;-)

thedude2470 · 06-30-2008, 04:06 PM

thank you guys =]
The alignment was done before i bought the car, but i will mention it to them.
The front tires are just about brand new, so there wouldnt be an issue with wear. Is a slipped belt possible?
I will try the tire pressue thing too.
When the shaking occurs, breaking doesnt affect it. It will happen while accelerating and maintaining speed, as well as slowing down, but once i get below 40mph, the shaking starts to fade.

darkhorse737 · 06-30-2008, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thedude2470

thank you guys =]
The alignment was done before i bought the car, but i will mention it to them.
The front tires are just about brand new, so there wouldnt be an issue with wear. Is a slipped belt possible?
I will try the tire pressue thing too.
When the shaking occurs, breaking doesnt affect it. It will happen while accelerating and maintaining speed, as well as slowing down, but once i get below 40mph, the shaking starts to fade.

if we can rely on the previous owner's say-so, then it is a wheel problem. rims out of shape, or tire balance.

ask to have your tires dynamically balanced. that way, they can simulate the speed at which you say the vibration occurs.

also if your wheels are the ones that have spacers to clear the front struts, that could be the source of the problem...

paulg · 06-30-2008, 06:49 PM

sounds like the front control arm bushing. It is mounted (located) just under the bottom of the radiator. When bad you will get a shimmy from time to time depends on road surface.

littlecanoe · 07-05-2008, 10:56 PM

Is the problem worked out?

I just got the 528i, 1999, that I'd been asking questions about. The BBS baskets are nice but two are warped. They are on the back but there is a perception of front end instability from the vibration.

BTW, I'm in need of some good rims. I want to keep the original look.
lc

TUBBUT · 12-18-2010, 07:51 PM

I have same issue. 328 convertible. Shudder/shake. 100k mileage, new wheels / tyres. accentuated when I travel over a road join [the expansion joints when going over a bridge]. Seems to smooth out if I accelerate. Control arm bushes are new.
BEgan when I put 17" rims on. Have taken these off and replaced with original. Made no difference tho. felt thru whole car.