Im liking this story. Eagerly awaiting the conclusion....
Pulling to the left???
- Thread starter zippster
- Start date
well after keeping me sat in the reception sofas for over 4 hours i finally get my car back and guess what.....although much better it still has a pull to the left(slightly noticeable)
before i got my hands the the car the service manager drove it expecting for the pull to the left to have completely dissapeared (as he insisted that mitchel dever had buggereed it up!) and came back and almost apologized and admitted that there might be a real problem!!! *SHOCK HORROR* and so he is now going to escalate it to BMW PUMA??(WTF? performance unit ??) and apparently will call me early next week with an update..
so..its NOT a KDS alignment issue
, i didnt have to pay for this,they need to remove the rear back exhaust boxes??(so the thingy can see all the way thru!)KDS alignment CANNOT be done with CSL rims on a Z4M and they now are looking into it !!
overall im happier as it better then it was although i missed out on 4 hours in the sun...
let you know next week when i find out more..
oh forgot to say LOL he nearly spat at me when i mentioned that i read forums "WHAT!! YOU CAN BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU READ ON THEM!!!"
id rather believe the experiences from other enthusiasts on a forum then the numb 'out of the book' responses of a dealer..IMHO
Cheers
Andy..
before i got my hands the the car the service manager drove it expecting for the pull to the left to have completely dissapeared (as he insisted that mitchel dever had buggereed it up!) and came back and almost apologized and admitted that there might be a real problem!!! *SHOCK HORROR* and so he is now going to escalate it to BMW PUMA??(WTF? performance unit ??) and apparently will call me early next week with an update..
so..its NOT a KDS alignment issue
, i didnt have to pay for this,they need to remove the rear back exhaust boxes??(so the thingy can see all the way thru!)KDS alignment CANNOT be done with CSL rims on a Z4M and they now are looking into it !!overall im happier as it better then it was although i missed out on 4 hours in the sun...
let you know next week when i find out more..
oh forgot to say LOL he nearly spat at me when i mentioned that i read forums "WHAT!! YOU CAN BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU READ ON THEM!!!"
id rather believe the experiences from other enthusiasts on a forum then the numb 'out of the book' responses of a dealer..IMHO
Cheers
Andy..
If, and when, you get a PUMA response, make sure that you jot down the reference number on the sheet!!!!!! That number can be referenced by any BMW dealer in the world, if they want to look it up in the system, and find out the BMW Engineer's fix for an item 
This has helped many people with odd problems, like the sticky steering problem with older Z4's 
This has helped many people with odd problems, like the sticky steering problem with older Z4's What is PUMA ??
I don't know what the PUMA acronym stands for but its effectively a dealer request from BMW UK (insert country of choice) for technical information on a certain subject. The OP seems to have got further than I did, having the technical representative out plus numerous KDS checks, the situation was never resolved. 
This week's problem with the Lemon is the VANOS! So far, I reckon its cost BMW circa £5k to rectify numerous warranty issues so the VANOS was hardly as surprise. Still, I've got a 25 year old Landy and a 20 year old RR as back up - both far more reliable.
This week's problem with the Lemon is the VANOS! So far, I reckon its cost BMW circa £5k to rectify numerous warranty issues so the VANOS was hardly as surprise. Still, I've got a 25 year old Landy and a 20 year old RR as back up - both far more reliable.
So zippster any update from the dealer on your situation?
I am keen to find out as i have mine booked in a week tomorrow for another reason and i am getting them to look at it. Im going to another dealer in the area a see what happens.
I am keen to find out as i have mine booked in a week tomorrow for another reason and i am getting them to look at it. Im going to another dealer in the area a see what happens.
I had all sorts of problems with mine pulling to the left as well. Sent it into BMW and they couldn't find anything wrong. Alongside the "pull" was some very
very bumpy suspension, particularly the rear which I figured was just the terrible roads in the UK, allied to a strong standard spring set-up.
A few weeks after getting the car, I noticed the inside rear wheel would spin easily while turning right under "sprited" country road driving. So off to BMW again and they (guess what) couldn't find a problem.
I decided to take the issue into my own hands and took the car to a well known specialist in Glasgow for them to put on some nice Eibach lowering springs and check the set-up etc. Imagine my surprise to get a phone call from them saying, "Eh, do you know that 2 of the suspension blocks used when the car is in transport are still in position effectively stopping two corners from havng any suspension travel?"
So, BMW had not removed the blocks after transport although they had removed two of them (I guess he needed the toilet half way through and just forgot!). And 2 attempts later had failed to notice them?
My friendly suspension company kindly made me a nicely overinflated bill which was sent to BMW with a lawyers letter. Less than a week later a cheque arrived and a phone call from the service manager followed. I wasn't very friendly.
What a differnece suspension travel made to the ride comfort!!
very bumpy suspension, particularly the rear which I figured was just the terrible roads in the UK, allied to a strong standard spring set-up.
A few weeks after getting the car, I noticed the inside rear wheel would spin easily while turning right under "sprited" country road driving. So off to BMW again and they (guess what) couldn't find a problem.
I decided to take the issue into my own hands and took the car to a well known specialist in Glasgow for them to put on some nice Eibach lowering springs and check the set-up etc. Imagine my surprise to get a phone call from them saying, "Eh, do you know that 2 of the suspension blocks used when the car is in transport are still in position effectively stopping two corners from havng any suspension travel?"
So, BMW had not removed the blocks after transport although they had removed two of them (I guess he needed the toilet half way through and just forgot!). And 2 attempts later had failed to notice them?
My friendly suspension company kindly made me a nicely overinflated bill which was sent to BMW with a lawyers letter. Less than a week later a cheque arrived and a phone call from the service manager followed. I wasn't very friendly.
What a differnece suspension travel made to the ride comfort!!
I service guy went out in my car today to have a look at the pull to the left. I went with him and was nervous as it didnt seem to be reproducing for him - typical - but as soon as we went on the motorway and got some speed up there it was. Next step is to swap the wheels over to see if this has any effect? The original tyres are ok to do this arent they - they are not directional??
If this doesnt solve anything then it is onto the KDS which depending on the results could mean me forking out £150 odd. Hopefully something will turn up with the wheel switch. Will find out tomorrow afternoon.
I have to say i have had good service - this is my 1st visit to these guys - to be honest i was expecting a straight wheel alignment your fault response like i got previously.
If this doesnt solve anything then it is onto the KDS which depending on the results could mean me forking out £150 odd. Hopefully something will turn up with the wheel switch. Will find out tomorrow afternoon.
I have to say i have had good service - this is my 1st visit to these guys - to be honest i was expecting a straight wheel alignment your fault response like i got previously.
Well after switching the wheels over the problem was still there. So i took the gamble and as suggested booked it in for a KDS alignment.
Result - well sort of - there was very little wrong with the setup very small camber adjustment on the rear. I went out again with the service guy again and the pull is still there - so im happy that i dont have to fork out of the KDS but no so as we have no idea as to what the problem is!
The next step is to get another Z and use its wheels on my car ruling out my alloys and tyres and contact BMW direct for any similar incidents. We shall see.... Frustrating that it is taking so many visits to sort but i have to say that the service i have received has been great - Douglas Park Service centre in Hillington Glasgow. I must also name and shame Harry Fairbairn (however you spell it) in Glasgow south side, as they didnt even bother trying anything apart from "it must have been your fault pay us £160 and we will do the KDS otherwise put up with it" I know who will be getting my business from now on!
Result - well sort of - there was very little wrong with the setup very small camber adjustment on the rear. I went out again with the service guy again and the pull is still there - so im happy that i dont have to fork out of the KDS but no so as we have no idea as to what the problem is!
The next step is to get another Z and use its wheels on my car ruling out my alloys and tyres and contact BMW direct for any similar incidents. We shall see.... Frustrating that it is taking so many visits to sort but i have to say that the service i have received has been great - Douglas Park Service centre in Hillington Glasgow. I must also name and shame Harry Fairbairn (however you spell it) in Glasgow south side, as they didnt even bother trying anything apart from "it must have been your fault pay us £160 and we will do the KDS otherwise put up with it" I know who will be getting my business from now on!
Had an interesting call from the dealer the other day. They were asking if it was OK to close the case / PUMA on the pulling issue and also dropped in that he would "do his best to keep the cost reasonable" 
Puzzled i said that i feel that the issue has not been resolved so i would be rather peeved to pay ££ for something that has been sorted. The reply was "well if it has to go this way ... " said in a tone like i was being an awkward customer.
Basically on test drives they agreed something wasn't quite right. So on agreement they checked on KDS and if it showed up something out of spec then i would be responsible for the costs. Nothing was found so next was the donor wheels from another z4 - no difference. After this the stealer agreed to raise a PUMA and i believe the result was a recommendation to bias one way on the KDS. This was all done without prior consent with me - i just left them the car and let them get on with whatever.
Since having received it back i still feel that there is an issue. The stealer it trying to pass this off as natural road camber etc etc but i have had other performance cars and never had anything like this. My arm aches after long journeys. I accept that the KDS is showing nothing wrong with the alignment and i guess it would also show suspension issues if there were any??
I'm in a difficult position. what else could it be? How do i handle the dealer as they believe they have done everything required and i must be imagining it. If i push for more investigations then i could be facing a huge bill but i am convinced i really am.
Any help or advice on how to handle would be gratefully received.
Puzzled i said that i feel that the issue has not been resolved so i would be rather peeved to pay ££ for something that has been sorted. The reply was "well if it has to go this way ... " said in a tone like i was being an awkward customer.
Basically on test drives they agreed something wasn't quite right. So on agreement they checked on KDS and if it showed up something out of spec then i would be responsible for the costs. Nothing was found so next was the donor wheels from another z4 - no difference. After this the stealer agreed to raise a PUMA and i believe the result was a recommendation to bias one way on the KDS. This was all done without prior consent with me - i just left them the car and let them get on with whatever.
Since having received it back i still feel that there is an issue. The stealer it trying to pass this off as natural road camber etc etc but i have had other performance cars and never had anything like this. My arm aches after long journeys. I accept that the KDS is showing nothing wrong with the alignment and i guess it would also show suspension issues if there were any??
I'm in a difficult position. what else could it be? How do i handle the dealer as they believe they have done everything required and i must be imagining it. If i push for more investigations then i could be facing a huge bill but i am convinced i really am.
Any help or advice on how to handle would be gratefully received.
This is my first post regarding this problem of pulling to the left. My car on a 57 plate did this from being brand new. All though i would not class it as being very bad the problem was tiring over motorway distances. After the first service was carried out i noted the dealer of the problem who adjusted the front wheel tracking. This had no benefit except making the wheel steering slightly of centre. The car went back to have some new backwheels replaced due to paint flaking and again no differance. After the third visit i got to speek to the head tech mechanic who took the car out for a test, concluded with me about the problem and in his experience though the rear was out of allignment. Dropped the car of again picked it up next day and perfection no pulling what so ever.Slight pull on left camber to left & slight pull on right camber when on otherside of road. When questioned about the problem they said it had been on a four wheel allignment machine and all wheels were within bmw tollerances. Head tech changed front tyres over and reconed this was the cause. I must say dealers get a lot of stick but Castle BMW York were spot on and vey helpfull.
