[akke92]

Hey BP,

I've been a happy owner of a F30 328i M-sport '13 for a while now and thought it was a big step up from my previous E90 320i.
Sadly i've recently encountered a couple of comfort issues which are extremely frustrating.

Two months ago i started feeling a bit of a "wobble" or "shake" in the steering wheel from time to time. I didn't really pay attention to it as it was very "mild" and it didn't have this feeling all the time.
Now this started to successively increase and after a while of this happening i also noticed that car felt a bit bumpy on the road. The bumpyness felt distinctively more when going in specific speeds such as around 35-36 mph and almost went away at around 49-50mph.
This started to bother me as it ruined the extreme comfort i had been experiencing before.
Also worth mentioning is that around this time my brakes started to make a slight scraping sound when braking lightly.

This got worse. Now my steering wheel shakes when i brake lightly!
The shaking goes away when i brake harder and right now it feels like i'm experiencing a ton of comfort issues all at once and i need to fix it!

I did some research and found out that plenty of people had experienced these type of phenomenon with the early F30 328i's and many of them got it fixed by changing wheels.

So i did. I changed the wheels yesterday. It did nothing..
I got 4 new tires of a premium brand, got them balanced in hope that any of the above issues would get fixed but it didn't. So now i'm considoring if all these issues are related?

Is it possible that some rotor is warped and causes the steering wheel shake and causes the car to feel bumpy when driving?

I would greatly appreciate anyone who takes their time to help me out with my issue as it's making my driving experience so much worse than it can be with this wonderful car.

Thanks in advance.
Best regards
akke92

[Wolfus Aurelius]

I'm no mechanic, but my first thought on reading your post was, "Warped Rotors?" And the bumpiness at certain speeds and not at others suggests the wheels need balancing too. If yours is a 2013, it'll be out of warranty, but surely there's an independent mechanic or two near you who can check this and handle it for a lot less than your dealer will charge.

I agree, by the way, the F30 is a remarkably pleasant and exhilarating car to drive. Even the Continental run-flat tires, which I feared would ride hard, are just fine.

[akke92]

Originally Posted by Wolfus Aurelius

I'm no mechanic, but my first thought on reading your post was, "Warped Rotors?" And the bumpiness at certain speeds and not at others suggests the wheels need balancing too. If yours is a 2013, it'll be out of warranty, but surely there's an independent mechanic or two near you who can check this and handle it for a lot less than your dealer will charge.

I agree, by the way, the F30 is a remarkably pleasant and exhilarating car to drive. Even the Continental run-flat tires, which I feared would ride hard, are just fine.

I'm thinking it's warped rotors aswell..
But would like to get it confirmed by some others or if anyone has any other thoughts on what it could be but currently my thoughts land on the rotors being warped.
Is there any good way to check for certainty that it's the rotors that are warped?

Don't feel like throwing money in the good old pit so to speak!

[kingmonkey8]

Warped rotors is usually felt through the brake pedal when you apply the brakes. You get feedback in the pedal unless it's really bad you feel it in the steering wheel.
You mentioned the car feels bumpy. I would also check the suspension and shock absorbers.

There was a recall on the steering rack where the rack casing bolts were corroding and snapping. I would check the steering rack and if your car has had the recall done.

[chowser51]

Pull a rotor off and inspect it. The F3x series are pretty simple to work on the brakes.

[akke92]

Originally Posted by kingmonkey8

Warped rotors is usually felt through the brake pedal when you apply the brakes. You get feedback in the pedal unless it's really bad you feel it in the steering wheel.
You mentioned the car feels bumpy. I would also check the suspension and shock absorbers.

There was a recall on the steering rack where the rack casing bolts were corroding and snapping. I would check the steering rack and if your car has had the recall done.

Yes, i don't feel it through the brake pedal. Only in the steering wheel!
So i'm guessing that it's pretty bad or something else is causing it.
I will have to check the Suspension and shock absorbers aswell!

Are you talking about the steering gear? I've had this fixed on my car, they replaced the bolts on warranty and said that it hadn't been damaged!

Thanks for you reply!

Originally Posted by chowser51

Pull a rotor off and inspect it. The F3x series are pretty simple to work on the brakes.

Can it be seen clearly if the rotor is warped?
I'm supposing that it must be a front rotor that could be causing this or does these symptoms occur when the rear rotors are warped aswell?

Thank you very much for your time!

[kingmonkey8]

Originally Posted by akke92

Yes, i don't feel it through the brake pedal. Only in the steering wheel!
So i'm guessing that it's pretty bad or something else is causing it.
I will have to check the Suspension and shock absorbers aswell!

Are you talking about the steering gear? I've had this fixed on my car, they replaced the bolts on warranty and said that it hadn't been damaged!

Thanks for you reply!



Can it be seen clearly if the rotor is warped?
I'm supposing that it must be a front rotor that could be causing this or does these symptoms occur when the rear rotors are warped aswell?

Thank you very much for your time!

If you are not feeling the feedback through the brake pedal then I would say it's not warped brake rotors.
The rear rotors would not affect the steering wheel. You can spin the wheels to see if the brakes are rubbing if the rotor is warped. There may be some slight rubbing which may be normal, but it should not drag the wheel.

Yes the steering rack is the steering gear. I would get it check out again anyway just to be sure. Check the steering track rod ends.
Raise the front of the car off the ground and check if there is any play in the wheels.

[upsidedownfunnel]

Originally Posted by akke92

Yes, i don't feel it through the brake pedal. Only in the steering wheel!
So i'm guessing that it's pretty bad or something else is causing it.
I will have to check the Suspension and shock absorbers aswell!

Are you talking about the steering gear? I've had this fixed on my car, they replaced the bolts on warranty and said that it hadn't been damaged!

Thanks for you reply!

Can it be seen clearly if the rotor is warped?
I'm supposing that it must be a front rotor that could be causing this or does these symptoms occur when the rear rotors are warped aswell?

Thank you very much for your time!

Sounds like control arm or bushing could need replacing. Or just any suspension component. You'll want to take it to a mechanic and explain the issue. They will take a look under your car and hopefully find the problem quickly. It's unlikely to be the brakes if it's happening while just driving.

It might also not be a bad idea to get your tires balanced again.

[SteveInfante]

OP your car is 6ish years old now so suspension issues will start popping up. Most likely a bushing somewhere or shock/struts getting worn out.

[kern417]

Yep something loosened up or wore out. You can take it to an alignment shop to be sure everything is tight and your alignment is still in spec. Steering shaking sounds like you might need a new outer tie rod.

[akke92]

Thank you everyone for all the replies.

Think i'll have to take it to my local mechanic to let them have a look at it.
We've all come down to different reasons that could be causing these issues and i feel like taking it to the mechanic is the best thing to do as there's no certainty of what's causing my issues.
Having my fingers crossed that it's nothing to bad!