Steering wheel wobble above 60. Struggling to find a fault.

Chasabi said:
Morning all,

Over the past few weeks I've had a strange steering wheel wobble. "Wobble" is the best word I can use to describe it. When I hit 60MPH or above it feels like the front wheels are snaking across the road, or at least trying to. I can feel the steering wheel pull one way then the other way. It's not like a wobble or vibration where it feels like a pattern of constant vibration. It feels random, as if the steering wheel is fighting with me.
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Is your "wobble" like an oscillation with the steering wheel moving left and right every second or two? Or is it a violent force that you are struggling to keep the car under control and feels unsafe?

If it is the first you may have what is called "twitchy steering", if it is the second you have something very wrong with your suspension/wheels/bushes.
 
Thanks for all the responses so far :thumbsup:

Apologies for the late response. I had the parents round for tea last night so didn't get a chance to reply.

This morning before I went to work I got my hands on the wheel. I grabbed it around the 10 to 2 position and gave it a good pull. It feels fine. I'm no expert but using common sense, it feels fine.

I don't think it's a sticky caliper. I suspected that and did the "heat test" after a long run. No one side feels hotter than the other. Neither side really felt overly hot.

I might take it to a different garage for the wheels balancing. While looking at the wheels I noticed the little weights and they aren't even stuck on nice and neat and square. It looks untidy. It's the first time I've been to Kwik Fit so I can't comment on their usual standard of work.

Whatever happens, I'll keep you posted. I'm sure you're all desperate to know what the problem is :wink:
I hoped someone would say "yes it's definitely this issue" but it seems like there could be a number of issues. I'll have to get my mechanic to have a look if an independent wheel balance doesn't fix it.
 
My e46 wheels were balanced 3 times until i found proper guy to fix it. First and second mechanics didnt saw anything wrong but still shaking. That 3 attempt was success. There was little manufacturing defect one of the front tyres, and with proper balancing it was fine.
Thats why i recommend that you first try with different set of tyres, or different tyre company to balance and fix it.
 
Just taken the car to Reg Greenwood. These are an independent company in Pontefract. The first thing he pointed out to me was the crappy workmanship from Kwik Fit. I mean look at this....



If Reg Greenwood re-do the balancing and alignment and this resolves the problem, I'll be going to Kwik Fit for my money back! Fingers crossed!
 
Chasabi said:
If Reg Greenwood re-do the balancing and alignment and this resolves the problem, I'll be going to Kwik Fit for my money back! Fingers crossed!
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Have they done the re-balancing and alignment? Has it made a difference?
 
I picked the car up from Reg Greenwood last night. They told me that the balancing was a mess and that he "wouldn't put that many weights on a lorry tyre". Thanks Kiwk Fit :x

Anyway, I took it for a spin and the first thing I noticed was that the steering wheel is off centre when I drive in a straight line. The original issue is also still present :headbang:

When I took it back to the garage to explain that it was still not right, I also pointed out that the steering wheel was off centre too. Looking at the drivers side wheel I made sure it was dead straight. Then when I looked at the passengers side wheel, it was slightly pointing left!

I'm going to leave it with them today so that they can have a look. I can't believe 3 different mechanics have looked at this issue and no one has spotted anything wrong yet!!
 
Chasabi said:
Anyway, I took it for a spin and the first thing I noticed was that the steering wheel is off centre when I drive in a straight line. The original issue is also still present :headbang:
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Did Reg Greenwood carry out a re-alignment?
 
Reg Greenwood didn't do a re-alignment. Apparently they don't have the relevant tools to do the camber and they didn't want to do half a job so they didn't touch the alignment. They did rebalance the front wheels and said each one was 60g out of balance! :o They also checked everything (he didn't specify) and said they couldn't find any other problems. Nothing is bent and none of the bushes look warn, that's what he said to me.

I'm going to take it back to Kwik Fit and make them have another look. I've already paid them to do a job that they clearly haven't done!
 
Well I took the car back to Kwik Fit on Saturday and they said the tracking/alignment was all over the place. He showed me the before and after readings and the alignment was clearly out before. I don't know whether Reg Greenwood have done this or if Kwik Fit didn't do the job correctly at the first attempt.

Today is the first time I've had a chance to go for a proper run. I topped all four tyres up to 35 PSI beforehand and hit the motorway. The issue is still there :headbang:

It feels a bit better in a straight line but there's still a noticeable pulling. I've now noticed that it's worse when taking long sweeping corners on the motorway. The steering wheel seems to be fighting me to pull the opposite way. It's really frustrating because I've not enjoyed driving the car lately :cry:

So what next? RTAB sounds odd. Why would a "rear" bush effect the feeling at the front?

My usual mechanic is back from his holiday and he's going to have a look in a few days. He's not let me down in over 5 years so hopefully he can figure it out.
 
See back to my first comments. If you google for it you will find posts on various BMW forums and other sites stating that movement in the rear trailing arms can cause 'rear wheel steer' which affects the steering at the front end. Another thing to check may be your front shock absorbers and strut mounts.
 
Evening all. Apologise for resurrecting this thread. I've lost my job 3 weeks ago so have been otherwise preoccupied. Anyway, started my new job last week and had my trusty mechanic look over the Zed. He can't find a thing wrong with it!!! I mentioned the RTAB and he said they look fine and there's no movement to suggest they are worn or need replacing. He spent a good hour checking everything under each corner and can't find a thing wrong with it.

Im getting annoyed with it now. That's 2 mechanics and 2 trips to Kwik Fit. Still no resolution. I have noticed a small nail in one of my front tyres. Not sure how long it's been there, can't imagine this would cause a problem?

The more I become familiar with this the more it feels like it's pulling left mainly. I'm thinking it may need to go to a proper BMW specialist. Any further suggestions would be very welcome...
 
Check your RTABs - I'm almost certain they were causing the majority of my front end instability. It's worth noting that the Z4 steers from the rear too, so there's some logic to this potential prognosis.
 
Chasabi said:
I mentioned the RTAB and he said they look fine and there's no movement to suggest they are worn or need replacing.
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They were checked an are apparently ok. I imagine that it would be noticeable if the RTAB are worn. My mechanic says they appear fine.
 
There's a specialist in Bucks I've used for years - what he doesn't know about BMWs isn't worth knowing. Pm me if you want his number.

By the way I re read this thread from the beginning - I have similar symptoms with my car - it's Bog standard still with RFTs - very twitchy with the need to fight the wheel above 60mph. There's one spot on the M4 on the outside lane where the car feels like it's fish tailing - very unnerving. I've put this down to the tyres and the electronic steering foibles.

I'll be changing the tyres soon but if the twitchiness continues I'll be heading to the specialist too
 
I'm at the opposite end of the country but if it continues I may just drive to Bucks! Thanks for the info. If you think he could offer some advice over the phone I would be grateful for his phone number.

I've searched the forums for my problem. I've seen some people write that all cars do this, that its normal, its the camber on the road, etc

This issue did not exist a month ago. I've had the car since August last year and it has been perfect and never exhibited this problem. I've driven the same stretch of motorway hundreds of times and the car has never acted this way hence it is nothing to do with the wheels following the camber of the road.

It never did this with the RFTs on and it didn't do this when I put the new wheels and non RFTs on in December. This issue started at the back end of Feb but I can't find anyone that can find anything wrong.

I love this car but what a pain this problem has been :(
 
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