Hi all, and a belated happy New Year to you (better late than never)
This issue seems to be one that is not unusual on this and general BMW forums, where applying the brakes lightly or heavily at higher speeds (60mph +) causes the steering wheel to shake a little, a slight shimmy. My B5 had brand new discs and pads prior to me purchasing it in November last year and I have only done only about 1500 miles since. The discs and pads are the genuine article and the calipers look clean and in very good condition. The brakes have been bedded in and conditioned properly but this shimmy persists which is very annoying on a car where everything else is spot on. I suspect that it is not the disc/pad/calipers but a suspension issue and at this time I am drawn toward the hydro bearings in the radius rods. I have a couple of questions. (a) have any of you Alpina aficionados had similar issues and if so what cured it and (b) is the hydro bearing common to other E60's (like the 550i for example) or is this bush (and maybe even the radius arm itself) an Alpina specific part?
Advice as always gratefully received.
Best
Minty
E60 B5 - STEERING WHEEL SHIMMY WHEN BRAKING AT HIGHER SPEEDS
Re: E60 B5 - STEERING WHEEL SHIMMY WHEN BRAKING AT HIGHER SPEEDS
Hi again,
This problem has been sorted totally, and the remedy may be one of interest to those who find they have an issue like this.
Firstly it was 'not' down to worn suspension parts or warped discs or the like. It was down to the wheels being re-furbed before I purchased the vehicle last November. The inner hub faces were also painted and the thickness of this paint (applied to the inner hub faces) was uneven. It seems this is not an uncommon occurrence and one that BMW themselves have experienced - even with new vehicles!. People think they have a disc problem (warped discs or moreover a DTV issue) and replace the discs. Initially, the problem seems cured but it would seem a common occurrence that the problem of a steering wheel shimmy returns. This is because when the wheels are torqued up the minute paint thickness variation (on the wheels inner hub/s) will again distort the 'hub face' of the disc and that distortion will be worse the further distance you go out from the disc hub. With the amount of heat generated, along with mileage and time, the few thou of distortion will start to impose itself again and a shimmy will return at the steering wheel. The unevenness at the hub face was evident by a tiny amount of play (rocking motion) when a sold steel template (the same diameter as the inner hub face) was laid onto the hub of the wheel. The hub area was gently cleaned up with a rotary disc sander until the template laid true with no rocking. In addition, and for good measure, the discs were removed from the hubs and the hub/disc interface cleaned. Problem solved, this treatment was undertaken about 1000 miles ago and the brakes continue to be perfect.
This problem has been sorted totally, and the remedy may be one of interest to those who find they have an issue like this.
Firstly it was 'not' down to worn suspension parts or warped discs or the like. It was down to the wheels being re-furbed before I purchased the vehicle last November. The inner hub faces were also painted and the thickness of this paint (applied to the inner hub faces) was uneven. It seems this is not an uncommon occurrence and one that BMW themselves have experienced - even with new vehicles!. People think they have a disc problem (warped discs or moreover a DTV issue) and replace the discs. Initially, the problem seems cured but it would seem a common occurrence that the problem of a steering wheel shimmy returns. This is because when the wheels are torqued up the minute paint thickness variation (on the wheels inner hub/s) will again distort the 'hub face' of the disc and that distortion will be worse the further distance you go out from the disc hub. With the amount of heat generated, along with mileage and time, the few thou of distortion will start to impose itself again and a shimmy will return at the steering wheel. The unevenness at the hub face was evident by a tiny amount of play (rocking motion) when a sold steel template (the same diameter as the inner hub face) was laid onto the hub of the wheel. The hub area was gently cleaned up with a rotary disc sander until the template laid true with no rocking. In addition, and for good measure, the discs were removed from the hubs and the hub/disc interface cleaned. Problem solved, this treatment was undertaken about 1000 miles ago and the brakes continue to be perfect.