[-BigMac-]

Hi guys.

Got an f30 340i, and went for a longer drive today.. when my shoulder and back started hurting.

Unaware til now, my steering wheel is massively offset to the left and my body compensates for it.

I know I can adjust the height and depth of the steering wheel into position.. but surely I can move it side to side too?

Look how far left off center it is from my sitting position.

This can't be safe.. would the airbag even fire at me, or blow my left shoulder instead?




Surely there's a way to adjust it..

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by -BigMac-

Unaware til now, my steering wheel is massively offset to the left and my body compensates for it.

I know I can adjust the height and depth of the steering wheel into position.. but surely I can move it side to side too?

Look how far left off center it is from my sitting position.

This can't be safe.. would the airbag even fire at me, or blow my left shoulder instead?

Surely there's a way to adjust it..

On the broader subject we've had many models with slight offsets, particularly pedals, through the years. Has been an issue with RHD models of cars designed primarily as LHD.

Looking at your picture, your wheel does appear to be offset, out of alignment from the binnacle display. To me, that doesn't look right, I'd be checking if there is something wrong. I'd also second check against another F30, see if your example has a particular problem.

[-BigMac-]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

On the broader subject we've had many models with slight offsets, particularly pedals, through the years. Has been an issue with RHD models of cars designed primarily as LHD.

Looking at your picture, your wheel does appear to be offset, out of alignment from the binnacle display. To me, that doesn't look right, I'd be checking if there is something wrong. I'd also second check against another F30, see if your example has a particular problem.

Thanks a lot for the response, I will contact my BMW dealership and see if it can be adjusted.

Would you say this could be a safety issue?

Not really the level of quality assurance one would expect from the brand..

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by -BigMac-

Thanks a lot for the response, I will contact my BMW dealership and see if it can be adjusted.

Would you say this could be a safety issue?

Not really the level of quality assurance one would expect from the brand..

Regarding the air bag... the fact you can move the steering wheel up and down and in an out, gives some scope for safe use. I see a short driver with a high positioned wheel, (or tall driver with low wheel), being more at risk than a bit of offset.

Regarding the offset, if it is out of design alignment, has there been an issue, some sort of fault, or damage?

[keithyo88]

I have same car and that looks wrong. When you see Dealer please be very clear that you (and the car) are in distress, and that this is totally not acceptable. They are diagnosing you as well as the car when you go in. Best of Luck.

[-BigMac-]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Regarding the offset, if it is out of design alignment, has there been an issue, some sort of fault, or damage?

I bought it as a BMW certified vehicle and no incidents or damage was reported to me.

[-BigMac-]

Originally Posted by keithyo88

I have same car and that looks wrong. When you see Dealer please be very clear that you (and the car) are in distress, and that this is totally not acceptable. They are diagnosing you as well as the car when you go in. Best of Luck.

I’m glad this is not the case on all our 340s. The wheel being positioned left and the pedals slightly offset to the right (by design) is twisting my body more than feels tolerable and safe for me.

Speaking with the dealership today, will update with the outcome.

[visionaut]

You’re sitting wrong… lol

Line up the roundel on the wheel between the upper two gauges.
This also puts the driver centered in the seat, squarely between the side bolsters.

[-BigMac-]

Originally Posted by visionaut

You’re sitting wrong… lol

Line up the roundel on the wheel between the upper two gauges.
This also puts the driver centered in the seat, squarely between the side bolsters.

I don't know if you are joking or you are actually implying I don't know how to sit in a car.
Incase you are being serious.. I am sitting centered.

Also, here's another forum I found with another owner having the same..

https://www.2addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1100399

You had me second guessing myself.
So i went and took this:


Blue line = straight forward from center line of seat.
Pink line - middle of 2 gauges to middle end of seat.

BMW logo is to the left of the seat, and even further left than the gauges.

[keithyo88]

Ok, so I started out Many years ago as a draftsman which means my opinion is worthless I may be totally wrong, but isn't the entire drivers seat off center a few degrees clockwise? Given that, then it may not be correct to use it a a reference for the red center line between guages.

[keithyo88]

Looking further, the area directly below the end of the blue line wrong. The rectangle type shape top line slopes to the right, while the bottom line of the rectangle appears to be square with the seat back. The ends of the rectangle slope inwards.

[-BigMac-]

Originally Posted by keithyo88

Ok, so I started out Many years ago as a draftsman which means my opinion is worthless I may be totally wrong, but isn't the entire drivers seat off center a few degrees clockwise? Given that, then it may not be correct to use it a a reference for the red center line between guages.

The seat may be off center, but that directly correlates where the steering wheel is in comparison to the center of the driving position. Hence, to the left.

No matter where the line on the seat starts, the steering wheel is still to the left of the gauges.

Don't know how such a big mistake could be made by such a brand

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by -BigMac-

Don't know how such a big mistake could be made by such a brand

Is it a mistake, or simply compromises (chassis design, safety, etc.), which mean the steering wheel, pedals or seat may not be exactly aligned.

Same is often argued for other models, including the F10 5-series I drive. We've had similar threads where a user states how bad it is, whereas most hardly even notice it. May have to sit in the vehicle and really study it in detail.

Sure, there are points we could make. Another could be, why is the dead pedal not be exactly the same offset (from centre of seat) as the throttle is on the other side? One leg has a couple more degrees of swing to sit straight, etc.

I guess some of us are more sensitive than other drivers to these issues.

BTW, it's not just BMW, other marques also have issues with alignment for a perfect driving position.

[oem.plus_440gc]

I drove a friends GTI years ago and felt like the pedals were offset from the seat and wheel leaving me feeling like my body was twisted in the car. That was the most i've felt that in a car. At first i thought it might have just been that one car (buddy's dad owns a shop so who knows if the car had previously been damaged or something). My brother test drove a GLI and GTI back in the day (before getting a 2013 WRX) and I recall him saying the same about the pedals feeling offset to one side... And people LOVE the GTI and praise it for its driving feel. I personally hated the feeling and was happy to go back to my own car after a short stint in the GTI. Granted that was a stick and the clutch felt like it was directly under the steering wheel which made the issue even more apparent. Not sure if i would have noticed it as much in an auto... either way, I understand that its an uncomfortable feeling to not be "aligned" when driving. Hopefully its something easy to remedy.

[keithyo88]

Originally Posted by -BigMac-

The seat may be off center, but that directly correlates where the steering wheel is in comparison to the center of the driving position. Hence, to the left.

No matter where the line on the seat starts, the steering wheel is still to the left of the gauges.

Don't know how such a big mistake could be made by such a brand

IMOP, Dealer or anyone can not fix this issue without major expense. Your body is trying to tell you, using pain, it does not want to work with this car. Maybe consider return to Dealer and start fresh?