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      09-21-2012, 06:26 AM   #441
cardnation
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Quote:
Originally Posted by justinnum1 View Post
I saw that service bulletin but find it hard to believe its a wheel problem. I think its related to the steering box and so does the shop foreman at my dealer. Interested in seeing if that fixes the issue.
I agree and confirm. Its NOT a wheel/tire problem.

Aftermarket wheels/tires did nothing to fix my vibration.
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      09-21-2012, 08:06 AM   #442
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cardnation
Quote:
Originally Posted by justinnum1 View Post
I saw that service bulletin but find it hard to believe its a wheel problem. I think its related to the steering box and so does the shop foreman at my dealer. Interested in seeing if that fixes the issue.
I agree and confirm. Its NOT a wheel/tire problem.

Aftermarket wheels/tires did nothing to fix my vibration.
What we really need is owners taking their vehicles into the shop to see if the bulletin fixes it. Actual results not speculation will tell whether or not it is in fact fix.
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      09-21-2012, 08:10 AM   #443
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cardnation View Post
I agree and confirm. Its NOT a wheel/tire problem.

Aftermarket wheels/tires did nothing to fix my vibration.
I suspect that the issue could be with the wheel hub not being true. From the post above...

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.


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      09-21-2012, 08:31 AM   #444
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NISFAN View Post
Think you need to read it again...it says check wheel rims for flat spot and 0.3mm radial run out.
Not really... It says to check the tires and wheels first to rule them out before starting the second procedure, which is to measure the hub-centric flange on the hub. So in effect this is checking for two separate issues.

Anyone know if this bulletin is released for all markets?
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      09-21-2012, 08:39 AM   #445
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jwilly View Post
I suspect that the issue could be with the wheel hub not being true. From the post above...

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.


Joel
I concur with jwilly. The bulletin seems to suggest the dealership eliminate tire/wheel issues as the cause, and THEN look to the wheel hub. The dealership will examine the wheel hub flange to see if it is out of spec. That means BMW has identified the hub as a possible culprit.

Intuitively this makes sense to me. Since BMW uses lug bolts instead of having the studs seated in the hub, the wheel hub flange is more critical for keeping the wheel completely centered on the hub. If the hub is out of spec, that could permit the wheel to be slightly off center when it is mounted. I can understand why that would cause a wheel vibration as it is theoretically possible for the wheel to be rotating in something other than a perfect circle.

Think of it like this...when you buy aftermarket wheels that have a larger center bore than stock, you use hub centric rings so that the wheel sits flush against the hub. Same concept here...
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      09-21-2012, 09:00 AM   #446
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I see what you are saying but I don't agree that lug bolts make the hub-centric flange any more critical than studs. With studs, the wheel isn't centered by the studs- there's still just as much play between the holes in the wheels and the threads as there is with lug bolts. In either case, the wheel is centered by the combination of the hub-centric flange and the tapered seat on either the lug bolts or, in the case of studs, the lug nuts.

If the hub flange is out of spec it could cause a net radial runout. Since some owners have reported that road force balancing did reduce or eliminate the problem, maybe decentered or unbalanced wheels exacerbate some hypersensitivity somewhere else in the system. But we will have to see if this is the definitive fix. It is weird that it would take them this long to figure out it was just a dimensional tolerance problem, you figure that unless damage is occurring during shipping, they *must* have some cars in Munich with the problem that they can troubleshoot. Or by now they should have sent a customer returned car back for analysis. Maybe the German guys are too used to mounting wheels the proper way, tightening the lugs a little bit at a time in a star pattern such that you actually center the wheels with the tapered part of the lug bolts.
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      09-21-2012, 10:03 AM   #447
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ptt127 View Post
Not really... It says to check the tires and wheels first to rule them out before starting the second procedure, which is to measure the hub-centric flange on the hub. So in effect this is checking for two separate issues.

Anyone know if this bulletin is released for all markets?
I was replying to someone that said the report claimed it was not the wheel and tyre.

The report suggests that non concentricity is the cause, which could be from the wheel/tyre combo AND/OR the Hub.

So in some cases it could be a wheel/tyre fault....and this is bourne out by members stating that a new tyre or wheel has solved the problem.

Others might have a hub tolerance issue.....or combo of both.

Seems weird why the F30 seems so sensitive to this run out.....it is not like BMW would have loosened the tolerance they commonly use.

Perhaps the solidly mounted steering rack amplifies vibration.
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      09-21-2012, 11:51 AM   #448
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Dropped off my car today to test out the bulletin. Will let everyone know when I get it back...
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      09-21-2012, 02:20 PM   #449
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ı changed my wheel and tire but the problem continues . ı called authorized service today. to be solution is coming soon enoughhhhh ı am bored vibrationn ı dont want to drive my car
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      09-21-2012, 03:11 PM   #450
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I feel your pain kral_mzk. I just feel the same way. At least your dealer and BMWNA are responsive to you. Not to me !
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      09-21-2012, 03:33 PM   #451
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BMW service said ,solution of problem inside 10 days. Only I have to wait when the problem solution,I will write this subject... I hope I I don't selling my car for this problem ... Because it is very bad problem for bmw.. before that I had seat leon tsi. this car better than bmw İt isn't a vibration problem or etc...
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      09-21-2012, 04:46 PM   #452
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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!
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      09-22-2012, 07:51 PM   #453
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Success !

I have had my 335 since May and it has suffered from the vibration issue.

Each time I have taken it in for attention , I was told it was either fixed, OR they could not find any problem with the car. I found that they either denied that a problem existed, or inferred thet I was being over sensitive to the issue. However, they always said that as long as I was not happy they would keep looking at it.

with the inital few visits they aligned the car, balanced the wheels, etc. later visits resulted in them checking that the wheels were round, balanced again.
Still later, they swapped the wheels and tyres with another car. ( this also resulted in a different brand of tyre being installed on the car ) Still no improvement ! then they decided to replace the wheel bearings, still no good. Finally last week they took the car for two days and when it came back, magic, all issues with vibration gone !!!!! I asked what they had done and I was told that they rebalanced the wheels, very carefully using very light weights so they could ensure the wheels were balanced perfectly. (they mentioned 10gm weights, but I dont know if this is unusual) I have no idea if they did anything else, but my car is now perfect ... I have looked at my wheels and I noticed that the weights are much smaller and they have been inserted on both the outside and inside edges of the wheel at multiple points. I am no expert in this stuff, but this worked for my car.. It took six or seven visits but it is finally driving like it should. Hope this info helps someone else...

Regards IMAS
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      09-24-2012, 10:54 AM   #454
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I took mine in on Friday for the steering wheel vibration issue, a passenger seat issue, and a delay in the PDC issue. This morning my SA called and said that he waiting for the shop forman to come in because BMW is issuing a new software update today or tomorrow that may fix these issues. I wonder if its BS and he just hasn't finished my car yet... I'll let everyone knows what he says.
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      09-24-2012, 11:05 AM   #455
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Quote:
Originally Posted by legaleye3000 View Post
I took mine in on Friday for the steering wheel vibration issue, a passenger seat issue, and a delay in the PDC issue. This morning my SA called and said that he waiting for the shop forman to come in because BMW is issuing a new software update today or tomorrow that may fix these issues. I wonder if its BS and he just hasn't finished my car yet... I'll let everyone knows what he says.
Unless its a software issue related to the ZF steering box, it wont do anything
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      09-24-2012, 08:19 PM   #456
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To be honest I feel its a brake caliper problem. Sounds like calpers or caliper is not retracting fully or sticking. ATI calipers are used on these cars I believe and they are a shitty design. Making it worse BMW does not lube their caliper pins.
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      09-24-2012, 10:01 PM   #457
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seems like im the only one in Melbourne Australia to have this issue. A bulletin number would be great
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      09-25-2012, 03:32 AM   #458
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Quote:
Originally Posted by senmurv76 View Post
First time poster .. Purchased a 320i in September and low and behold the steering wheel vibrates most noticeably at around 80-90 km/h. Also wind noise at 100 km/h. As I type this it is at the dealer is looking at my car.
Just an update on my experience with my local AD -- last week the tires were re-balanced and a road force test was done. It did improve the steering wheel vibration a bit but it’s still there. They called me up this week to see if I was satisfied with the repair work to which I replied the problem still persists. I got talk to the QIC guy today who said BMW is aware of the issue and they are working on a fix.

I did get to test a 328i sport trim and no steering wheel vibration (I was told the 328 has a different steering mechanism) .. but man it had wind noise issues far worse than mine
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      09-25-2012, 03:39 AM   #459
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I think the 328 only comes with different steering if you don't have servotronic steering on your car.
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      09-25-2012, 12:03 PM   #460
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roubs View Post
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
Just called my service department about this, they had no idea what I was talking about. Then, the service tech on the phone started to try to tell me that they weren't going to be able to fix it because the only time they got reimbursed for work on cars is when there was something like a recall, and that it was no big deal. I angrily replied that this is a big deal and I want my car looked at because I had an added feature of "Random steering wheel wobble" that I didnt sign up for. He scheduled an appointment to have someone drive the car again (This is the 3rd time) and see if they can do anything for me.

I have had 5 BMW's in the last 10 years, so far this is the worst experience I have ever had with them and its not even the cars fault really.
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      09-25-2012, 12:35 PM   #461
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Ok, I just heard from my SA who has had my car since Fri for the steering issue. I gave him the printout of the bulletin that was posted here. He said even using that bulletin that my wheel is still vibrating and that they emailed their bmw rep for further help.
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      09-25-2012, 01:14 PM   #462
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FOLLOW UP: My SA just emailed me again saying that BMW is aware of the issue and is looking into to it, but I can go ahead and pick my car up since they can't figure it out and they are waiting on BMW to issue a fix.
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