07-31-2012, 09:19 PM | #177 |
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I have spoken to the Service Manager at my dealership. He said that BMW is aware of the problem and is working on it. They did a roadforce balancing but it didn't help and they didn't seem surprised.
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07-31-2012, 11:48 PM | #178 |
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I did a test drive today on a 328 sport. I read about the vibration issue here so I was trying to make sure this car didn't have this problem.
I don't feel a vibration when holding the steering wheel. However, if I let go of the wheel I can see it move a bit, like a kind of wobble left and right. It might be because the roads aren't that great. It didn't seem to be worse at a specific speed. It is obviously not a good idea to drive while taking your hands off the wheel so it is difficult to test this. So is this normal? Or should the steering wheel not move at all when you take your hands off? I actually tried this on my e46 and it does something similar, although less pronounced (it is entirely possible my e46 is actually in need of an alignment). Some posters have mentioned something closer to a buzz or quick vibration you can feel on the wheel. Not sure if it is the same thing. If it doesn't get worse I would have no problem with it, but I am afraid it will get worse . I plan to buy the car this weekend so any advise would be appreciated. |
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08-01-2012, 11:17 AM | #179 | |
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I would not recommend this car to anyone who is sensitive to any kind of steering wheel vibration or wobbling. It vibrates and shakes and BMW does not acknowledge it as an issue. I would NOT buy this car had I known it had this issue. So if you decide to buy, you will most probably receive a car with the same issue.
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08-01-2012, 11:35 AM | #180 | |
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I'm truly sorry for your frustration Tim_78, but it's not accurate to say "So if you decide to buy, you will most probably receive a car with the same issue.". While I might not advise someone who is sensitive to vibration/wobbling to order the car to his specs, because of the chance that the car will vibrate, if there's one on the dealer's lot that meets their specs, they can go test-drive it with the half bottle of water test that mocohead suggested, to see if that particular car vibrates.
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08-01-2012, 01:39 PM | #181 | |
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I can understand you're frustrated at the problems *your* car has, but coming out with a blanket statement like that is ridiculous. |
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08-01-2012, 03:57 PM | #182 |
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If you read this forum and the amount of people complaining, you would also realize that this is not a blanket statement. Many people are not as sensitive and do not even notice the vibration problem. Even the dealerships acknowledge that this is a common complaint. My statement might be strong but the possibility of getting a car with the same issue is pretty high. It is my duty to warn people ahead of time so that they do not regret getting this car.
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08-01-2012, 06:48 PM | #183 |
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If you do a thorough test drive you should be able to feel if the car you're trying has it. I don't think anyone should rely on anyone else's opinion about how common a problem it is. I just know mine doesn't have the problem.
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08-01-2012, 07:00 PM | #184 | |
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Remember that these forums are sort of lightning rods for people with problems with their cars. Since nobody is posting videos of their cars shaking or wobbling or whatever, we really don't know how bad it can be in some cars. That makes it really tough for people like you to evaluate whether this should deter you from buying the car. My advice to you is if you can live with what you observed on the car you test drove, and otherwise like the car, you should buy it. Deal with a possible defect when and if it happens. |
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08-01-2012, 07:07 PM | #185 | |
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It appears to be a real issue, but only with respect to some cars. |
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08-02-2012, 01:34 AM | #186 | |
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08-02-2012, 10:16 AM | #187 |
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I have a March 2012 build F30 Sportline. I took delivery in June and had the steering vibration issue at 40-60 mph.
Took it to my local BMW dealer. Had shop foreman test drive with me to confirm. Rebalanced all four tires and problem is gone. I have over 4,000 miles on my car with no vibration whatsoever. Averaging 29.8 mpg in 70% city and 30% highway driving. I love my F30! Before you dismiss the entire F30 line, first, do your due diligence and check out the most common problem causing slight steering wheel vibration, which is tire imbalance. I think 9 out of 10 times the vibration should be fixed with a good road force balancing. I suspect the BMW processing center did not balance the tires as I did not see any balancing weights prior to taking it to my dealer. So, it is a simple fix, at least for me. Let's be reasonable. What's next on the complaint list? I'm waiting for someone to point out that the F30 exhaust doesn't smell fresh. I urge that person to smell their own ass first. |
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08-02-2012, 10:39 AM | #188 | |
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08-02-2012, 12:46 PM | #189 | |
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08-02-2012, 01:00 PM | #190 |
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I was test driving a new 320i with 17in wheels last week and noticed this vibration. I did not pay that much attention then, thinking it could have been a wheel balance problem. Seeing this thread it is obviously widespread.
BTW the steering feel of the 320i is a complete let down for me. There is no comparison with my girlfriends 323 feel is much more direct. Hopefully the 328/335 are better...
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08-02-2012, 03:21 PM | #191 | |
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Here is a thread discussing similar issue on an E90: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=420326 My advice would be to have the dealer or respectable tire shop check the balance of your wheels (especially front wheels) without tires mounted. I believe that the wheels are subject to slight buckling with runflat tires. In fact, my dealer had to balance my wheels without the tires mounted before being able to fix the problem. This is probably because the runflats are so heavy, that any slight imbalance in the wheel gets masked with them on. Another test would be to have the dealer replace all four wheels/tires with another set that is properly balanced and see if the problem goes away. If it doesn't, then it probably is a steering, suspension, or software issue. Hope this helps. By the way, my manual transmission stick vibrates back and forth a few millimeters when in neutral. I found it to be annoying and disconcerting at first. Now, I kind of like it. It gives the car some character. Maybe you can view the slight steering wheel wobble in the same light? |
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08-02-2012, 05:26 PM | #192 | |
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08-02-2012, 06:28 PM | #193 |
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Took car in yesterday. Drove with the shop foreman, and he agreed the problem is there. he told me a bunch of people are having the same problem, and even the F30 he got is having the problem
He said there is no fix, he said it is most likely a hardware issue. He talked to a bmw engineer who thinks the steering box is not getting enough amperage. Anyways, i will most likely swap out of my current car for something else, probably a 135. He sent in a puma case for me and i will call the head of the service department tomorrow to get the ball rolling. Will update.
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08-02-2012, 06:32 PM | #194 | |
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08-02-2012, 06:51 PM | #195 | |
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It really depends how far you want to go with it. 99% of people will probably be fine with it, not even notice it, or just think its normal. But i am anal about these things and for the price i am paying i expect damn near perfection. I can understand some steering wheel vibration going over rough terrain and what not, but just constant vibration between 40-60 is horse shit. A few options if you want to escalate it. -Call bmwna customer service, tell them the situation, and that it is a known problem with the F30 with no current fix and your dealer doesn't want to deal with it. -keep taking your car in, dealer gets 3 chances to fix the problem, it then qualifies for Lemon Law. Most likely your dealer will try to accomodate you, let them know this is a known issue, and their currently is not a fix for it. Good luck, and keep pushing them.
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08-02-2012, 07:36 PM | #196 | |
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08-02-2012, 09:05 PM | #197 | |
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Just asking... My last car was an Accord with vibration in the seat, subtle but noticeable. I think there is no such thing as a car with perfect quality control, no matter the make, model, or price. I certainly don't view BMW high on a pedestal in this regard. Despite the hype, it is a complex machine with thousands of components, some of which are bound to not work as designed. It still sucks though if yours is "imperfect". I guess it's up to you to decide what's acceptable or not. Good luck. Only the 6 series made it on to the 2012 JD Power's list on top rated cars for initial quality. No surprise there. |
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08-02-2012, 11:25 PM | #198 | |
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