[jeffc42]

Originally Posted by aleksl

I had a 2012 320i 8 speed auto loaner when my 335i was in for an oil change and brakes.

It had a vibration. It was very noticable. I would be very annoyed with a brand new car if it did this all day long.

For anyone reporting a vibration, please note whether you have variable sport steering (though it is unlikely a 320i loaner would have that).

[jeffc42]

Originally Posted by Roubs

In my search for a solution I came across this in another post.
If the rim is not matching the hub diameter this could also cause the steering to vibrate.

BMW just released instructions for service techs.
Ask your dealer to open following link on BMW intranet:

https://pumap.bmwgroup.com/puma/meas...d=52131175&lin


Measure no.
51742297-02
Subject
Steering wheel torsional vibrations/vibrations at speeds of between
60 - 130 km/h
Release date (mm/dd/yy)
9/12/12
Status
Approved
Organization
V4-R1, CAR
Vehicles affected
E series
F20 F21 F30 F31
Engine Body
Production period (from/to)
(mm/dd/yy)
/
Comment on production period
Feedback (all cases relating t
measure up to) (mm/dd/yy)
Complaint
Customer complaints due to wheel-excited steering wheel torsional vibrations between 60-130 km/h.
Cause
Wheel/tyre combination/drive unit flange or wheel bearing
alloy wheel on the wheel hub outside tolerance
Measure
In the event of a customer complaint, work through the following procedure (before starting the procedu
the complete wheel must be tested for tyre pressure and damage):
Note: Check for flat spots. Rim check on balancing machine, max. 0.3 mm
radial run-out. Otherwise, replace the rim.
Please see the notes in the Repair Instructions 3610715.

Check the wheel centring of the light-alloy rim on the wheel hub. To do so, clean the contact surfaces
the wheel hubs and the light-alloy rims, and only slightly tighten the wheels. Using a feeler gauge at the
bottom position (see attachment 1), determine the maximum play. Play of 0.1 mm is still within the
permissible tolerance. Play of 0.15 mm would be outside the permissible tolerance.
If there are tolerance variations, the affected components (wheel bearing/drive unit flange) are to be
measured individually.
Nominal values for wheel bearing/drive unit flange: 72.47 mm - 72.50 mm (calliper gauge measuring
equipment )
If a component is not in the specification, contact technical support.
Have the following data ready.
- Tyre size:
- Tyre manufacturer:
- DOT:
- Rim styling
- Rim manufacturer (on the back)

Hope This Helps

Has anyone had their car successfully fixed as a result of this service bulletin?

[HairTooLongToo]

I didn't read through the thread to see if anyone else had this happen... but the vibration has pretty much entirely disappeared.... entirely on its own!

Car has had the vibration since day one. 70 - 80 kph is the sweet spot and one can see the wheel move if you let go. I never bothered to do anything about it since there didn't seem to be a definite solution. Now the car has 9000 kms on it and it's just .... gone. Started realizing it missing around 8700 km and now I'm pretty sure.

There is still a tiny trace of vibration but we're talking road noise levels almost imperceptible if you weren't looking for it. And the wheel definitely does not visually move. I call it gone.

If it comes back I'll post here to eat my words. But this is a good outcome if it lasts.

EDIT: car is Sportline with sport suspension, nothing else.

[senmurv76]

Originally Posted by Frogman

There's another forum here that is saying that turning DSC off stiffens the steering in comfort mode.

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12775722


One theory here is that the steering wheel vibration is being caused by the EPS.

I wonder if disabling DSC would reduce the vibration effect by reducing the EPS boost? Has anyone tried that?

I don't have the issue, so I can't tell if it helps or not.

Someone want to volunteer?

I disabled DSC and The vibration is still there.

[Maz335i]

Originally Posted by HairTooLongToo

I didn't read through the thread to see if anyone else had this happen... but the vibration has pretty much entirely disappeared.... entirely on its own!

Car has had the vibration since day one. 70 - 80 kph is the sweet spot and one can see the wheel move if you let go. I never bothered to do anything about it since there didn't seem to be a definite solution. Now the car has 9000 kms on it and it's just .... gone. Started realizing it missing around 8700 km and now I'm pretty sure.

There is still a tiny trace of vibration but we're talking road noise levels almost imperceptible if you weren't looking for it. And the wheel definitely does not visually move. I call it gone.

If it comes back I'll post here to eat my words. But this is a good outcome if it lasts.

EDIT: car is Sportline with sport suspension, nothing else.

Congrats bud!

Let's hope it stays that way for you!

[Frogman]

Originally Posted by senmurv76

I disabled DSC and The vibration is still there.

Well, it was worth a try. Thanks!

[a_k]

Happy to say, that my 328 F31 does not have vibration (yet). I have VSS and adaptive suspension.

[legaleye3000]

Is it just me or is there less vibration on sport mode compared to Eco....?

[justinnum1]

Originally Posted by legaleye3000

Is it just me or is there less vibration on sport mode compared to Eco....?

i dont notice any difference between driving modes.

[diesel86]

Originally Posted by legaleye3000

Is it just me or is there less vibration on sport mode compared to Eco....?

At times, I thought the same thing, but the nature of the shimmy is that it comes and goes and (for me) is never the same intensity from drive to drive. I have yet to establish a pattern.

[dc_bmw]

I had the car investigated today because of a slight pull to the right and ''the vibration''. They confirmed both issues, and the pulling issue is definitely not a common case and expected to be fixed.
They will have the car an entire day next week so they can balance, re-align, switch wheels, put them in holy water and other technical stuff until at least the pulling is fixed. I am not happy that i have to miss my car for an entire day, but at least they will have plenty of time to test drive it after each change. I´ll be driving a free loaner for the day.
To be continued.

[LMU-6401]

Originally Posted by LMU-6401

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and thought I'd share my own experience with the F30 (a nice car by the way). I've owned a 320d with 17" 393 star spoke rims since June 2012 and had the vibrations from day 1 on.

The steering wheel vibrations occur between roughly 46 mph and 53 mph on each and every road surface, while at higher speeds from about 86 mph, the vibrations change to a buzz that seems to come from the rear axle of the car and is quite perceptible through the driver's/co-driver's seat of the vehicle.

Initially, my dealer found out that 3 of my 4 ContiSport tyres were out of round so they replaced all four tyres and balanced them. They returned the car and declared having solved the problem.

After driving for a few minutes I immediately noticed that the issue was still unresolved and the vibrations were still present, so I asked them to re-check the issue.

A few weeks later my dealer picked up the car again and has since been trying to solve the issue (vehicle has been with the dealer for about 2 weeks now).

According to the foreman, they tried various tyre and rim combinations as well as an undefined software update from the factory. None of these measures had any noticeable effect on the vibrations, so they now received the clearance from the BMW HQ to install a new steering box on my vehicle.

I hope to receive the car back from the dealer next week - will keep you posted on the progress of this case.

Nonetheless, the foreman clearly confirmed that it's not an issue related to the tyres or the rims mounted on the vehicle!

Short update to the above case - the steering box was replaced but that didn't change much.
The vibrations from the steering wheel are still there (maybe a little less). However the "buzz"
at higher speeds has become worse although this may also be a result of the winter tyres that
were now mounted on the vehicle.

In any case my dealer has arranged the car to be sent to the factory for further checking.

Will send an update as soon as I have any further news.....

[aleksl]

Originally Posted by jeffc42

For anyone reporting a vibration, please note whether you have variable sport steering (though it is unlikely a 320i loaner would have that).

I can't comment if it had it or not. Off topic the car I had came with an 8 speed auto even though on bmw.ca it shows a 6 speed auto. As well they "forgot" to install heated seats in a number of early 320i cars.

[dc_bmw]

Continued:
Today my 3 was serviced because of the steering wheel vibration and a slight pulling to the right.
Both issues are gone!

They balanced all wheels and discovered that one of the rear wheels was not properly aligned. I am very happy to report that after a short test drive I concur with the statement of BMW that both issues are fixed.

While they were at it, i got a white 118i cabriolet with M suspension to get around. Wow, that is some sharp steering. Not very pleasant over bumps, but it gets you a very racy feel in the corners. The racy feel is enhanced because of the engine noise. It made me realize the new 3 is very, very quite. I am happy I got my three back as it corners very sharp as well and is very silent when cruising.

Hope your issues can be resolved by a bunch of qualified and commited engineers too.

[kirklander]

[QUOTE=dc_bmw;12811163]Continued:
Today my 3 was serviced because of the steering wheel vibration and a slight pulling to the right.
Both issues are gone!

They balanced all wheels and discovered that one of the rear wheels was not properly aligned. I am very happy to report that after a short test drive I concur with the statement of BMW that both issues are fixed.

While they were at it, i got a white 118i cabriolet with M suspension to get around. Wow, that is some sharp steering. Not very pleasant over bumps, but it gets you a very racy feel in the corners. The racy feel is enhanced because of the engine noise. It made me realize the new 3 is very, very quite. I am happy I got my three back as it corners very sharp as well and is very silent when cruising.


Congrats dc_bmw ! You are one lucky man with a good dealer and service.

[senmurv76]

@dc_bmw: glad to hear your dealer has managed to sort out the issue for you. However, please do post back after you have had a chance to drive the car for a few days -- I'm not implying that I hope the problem comes back Its just that after my dealer balanced my wheels the vibration seemed to have disappeared only to reappear the next day!

To be honest, the sheer number of complaints related to torsional vibration confirms
that there is either a faulty part in the car or a design flaw somewhere. It can't just be that BMW has misaligned the wheels of all of these cars. And the fact that many of the BMW dealerships have confirmed there is an issue and that it has taken so long to come up with a solution means there is a serious issue here.

Do you know if your dealer has informed the BMW head office about corrective actions they have taken to address the vibration in your car?

[dc_bmw]

Originally Posted by senmurv76

@dc_bmw: glad to hear your dealer has managed to sort out the issue for you. However, please do post back after you have had a chance to drive the car for a few days -- I'm not implying that I hope the problem comes back Its just that after my dealer balanced my wheels the vibration seemed to have disappeared only to reappear the next day!

To be honest, the sheer number of complaints related to torsional vibration confirms
that there is either a faulty part in the car or a design flaw somewhere. It can't just be that BMW has misaligned the wheels of all of these cars. And the fact that many of the BMW dealerships have confirmed there is an issue and that it has taken so long to come up with a solution means there is a serious issue here.

Do you know if your dealer has informed the BMW head office about corrective actions they have taken to address the vibration in your car?

Two days after the service visit, and four 50km drives (mainly highway) i noticed the vibration twice. The steering wheel was shaking about 1 mm as it was before the service, however:
- it was at speeds between 80 en 95
- it only happened after i just left the office (car/tires cold)
- on a slight ascending road (not sure i this contributed)
- the vibration did not show for the remainder of the drive (approx 48kms), not even when delibaratly driving at the 'issue speed'.
- it was gone after a double right corner
So i think that my car can still have steering wheel vibrations, but only when the tires are cold.

Aside from the visually confirmable vibration, the steering wheel does transfer vibrations to my hands like no other car i've owned ever did.
I has a restless feel to it, but it doesn't irritate me (yet).
This is probably what 'the issue' is about. My guess (non educated) would be that these vibrations are due to a lack of damping material as the vibrations differ depending on the road surface, and do not show a constant frequency.

I do not know whether my dealer reported to the head office.

[claykin]

BMW knows about the issue. In the US, my dealer tells me two techs from NA came by to test drive and physically check a few cars to report back to BMW AG. That was a couple months back. I suspect by now AG knows what they are dealing with. Question is whether there will be a fix for existing cars and how long b4 they release the fix and implement into production cars.

I've test driven a few F30 cars and was not able to feel the vibration while holding the wheel. The vibration was evident when releasing the wheel at speeds between 45-60mph. I don't own one yet, so my time driving is limited to these few test drives.

[senmurv76]

Thanks for the update dc_bmw.

[optimaxedm3]

Picked up ny 2013 this weekend, it has the steering vibration

[jeffc42]

Originally Posted by optimaxedm3

Picked up ny 2013 this weekend, it has the steering vibration

Do you have variable sport steering?

[justinnum1]

Originally Posted by optimaxedm3

Picked up ny 2013 this weekend, it has the steering vibration

In your opinino, do you really feel it? or is it more of a visual vibration you see when you take your hands off the wheel?