[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by nastynick83

So if I read that correctly; symptoms could point to needing a new steering rack?

Hard to say, until you know what is wrong. There do appear contradictions to a particular fault. Initial notchy movement could indicate high friction in the rack, or the torque sensor. The light steering goes against high friction, appears to be over assisted.

BTW, do you sense servotronic function, over different speeds? Light for parking, less assistance at higher speeds.

[nastynick83]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Hard to say, until you know what is wrong. There do appear contradictions to a particular fault. Initial notchy movement could indicate high friction in the rack, or the torque sensor. The light steering goes against high friction, appears to be over assisted.

BTW, do you sense servotronic function, over different speeds? Light for parking, less assistance at higher speeds.

Right now I find the opposite. Heavy at low speeds and light at higher speeds

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by nastynick83

Right now I find the opposite. Heavy at low speeds and light at higher speeds

That doesn't sound right at all, as if the servotronic function is either faulty, or not functioning. Assistance levels are definitely not right.

[nastynick83]

BMW had the car in on Monday and couldn't find anything wrong :-(

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by nastynick83

BMW had the car in on Monday and couldn't find anything wrong :-(

Did they test drive the car? If so, (or not) what is their explanation?

[nastynick83]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Did they test drive the car? If so, (or not) what is their explanation?

They claim to have driven it but couldn't replicate the fault so put it down to intermittent.

They checked all steering components, checked for error codes, and checked tyre pressures.

I think it's something telling the power steering incorrect information

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by nastynick83

They claim to have driven it but couldn't replicate the fault so put it down to intermittent.

They checked all steering components, checked for error codes, and checked tyre pressures.

I think it's something telling the power steering incorrect information

"Intermittent", that does help you at all.

I'm minded to agree with you, torque sensing and/or servotronic seems out of sync.

[_F30_UK_]

I had a similar issue when I first bought my car. The steering didn't feel quite right, but it's hard to explain what was wrong with it. The best way I can describe it is that it seemed to be pulling in every direction all at the same time.

I had the alignment tested on a Hunter system and it was miles out on almost every measurement. Got it sorted and been fine since.

[SonicJ]

Originally Posted by nastynick83

They claim to have driven it but couldn't replicate the fault so put it down to intermittent.

They checked all steering components, checked for error codes, and checked tyre pressures.

I think it's something telling the power steering incorrect information

Did you ever got it sorted out?

greetings J.

[Ondris]

Hi!

Adding my comment here as I have the same issue.
Didn't brought the car to the dealer yet (they are charging something like 200€ only for diagnostic and failure serch).

Did anyone ever solved this issue?

[TurboWeasel]

Wasn't there a steering rack recall, or a TSB to tighten a nut on the column or something early in the Fxx's production run?

Do BMW still use those stupid guibos on the steering column? Another variable to check if so. There are LOADS of them when it comes to steering unfortunately.

[SonicJ]

well there is a updated part of a steering rack piece which guides the steering rod inside the housing, but almost all who replaced these had a knocking steering and not a sticky/notchy steering as far as i can tell. BMW replaced whole racks on earlier models.

second there is a firmware update from 2019 which did some changes to the way the steeringrack behaves. (i-step upgrade) but with the possibilty of bricking any units/computers in the car.

thats why i was curious about the story of nastynick83

[TurboWeasel]

Thanks for the info

Can this strange inconsistent steering also be characterised as having weak self centering when driving straight with small turns?

Some days my steering self centers strongly and other days I almost have to physically center it myself. This happens roughly 5 degrees either side of centre, but heavier steering inputs self center normally.

Mine doesn't have the notchiness or over/under assistance issue as described by the OP.

[SonicJ]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

Thanks for the info

Can this strange inconsistent steering also be characterised as having weak self centering when driving straight with small turns?

Some days my steering self centers strongly and other days I almost have to physically center it myself. This happens roughly 5 degrees either side of centre, but heavier steering inputs self center normally.

Mine doesn't have the notchiness or over/under assistance issue as described by the OP.

Maybe the notchyness he and i experience does happen due to the low self-centering power of the electronic steering. i do feel too that the self-centering is really inconsistent.

my previous car ( V40D4) also had EPS and had the same non-centering behaviour as the BMW.
Anyway last week i asked BMW HQ about the I-step firmware but no response so far, its been a week now since i emailed support after talking to the phone about the update and what BMW intentional wanted to fix with the update and if its worth the gamble for my 2018GC.

I have the VSS (variable sport steering) option which should be a better feel and the update should fix some extra feel or something too. but some had the update done on earlier year cars, some without succes tho. So maybe my 2018 model already had better software/firmware than earlier, the I-step update is from March 2019 so mine definitely does not have that firmware.

So ill be waiting for BMW to get a response and will check by a few local specialist too.

greetings J.

[Ondris]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

Thanks for the info

Can this strange inconsistent steering also be characterised as having weak self centering when driving straight with small turns?

Some days my steering self centers strongly and other days I almost have to physically center it myself. This happens roughly 5 degrees either side of centre, but heavier steering inputs self center normally.

Mine doesn't have the notchiness or over/under assistance issue as described by the OP.

I do have the same self centering problem, on small turns the steering wheel is like blocked and I have to force It to center.

Contacted a bmw repair shop (not the official dealer), and the guy told me the fix would be shaft replacement...

[OhBeGee]

This has been an issue on my 328i for years now. Was an easy fix ever found?

[mapyn]

mine does the same, noticeably less in eco pro or sport. worst in comfort so i suspect a SW issue. dealer claims no fault found, all bushes ok. mt initial guess was that its a bushing issue. its probably both.

nb also on Bridgestones with decent tread

[TurboWeasel]

Dealers won't do anything unless the rack is knocking like a road drill right into the ear drums.

All other symptoms they will blame on alignment, tyres, driver habits, bad roads, worn shock absorbers etc etc.

The biggest thing I struggle with is the inconsistency of it all.

Some days it steers absolutely fantastic on the outward journey, but on the return journey, it's all over the place! Needing constant correction, random and unexpected sharp tugs on the steering wheel (harsh tramlining), really poor self centering etc.

When dropped off to the dealers, it typically steers like a good day on the test drive it.

The only thing I can think of is its dependant on ambient temperature because the steering weight is much heavier on a cold morning vs a warmer day. I'm not sure if it's the RFT tyres or the rack that behaves differently when cold vs warm, or both!

I suppose in terms of warranty, it could be raised as "No difference in steering heft between comfort and sports" which is exactly what mine does.

I suppose to check it's a software thing, pull the battery for an hour to reset the adaptations and see if it steers better...... until it relearns again and gets worse? Or if you have ISTA, reset just the steering adaptations rather than losing the whole car's stored data.

[TurboWeasel]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

I suppose in terms of warranty, it could be raised as "No difference in steering heft between comfort and sports" which is exactly what mine does.

In the interests of not spreading misinformation, I retract that statement.

It turns out I didn't know how to use my own car I didn't realise until yesterday that moving the shifter over to S/M has a different behaviour to the drive mode button.

When the drive mode is set to Sport or Sport +, the steering is indeed heavier than comfort. But if I move the shifter over to S/M, the steering weight stays in comfort. Is that normal? My steering weight only changes when it says Sport/Sport+ on iDrive / instruments.

But when in Sports weight, the steering wheel is far less wriggly and unsettled in a straight line, so maybe it is a software thing after all.

[MY340i]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

In the interests of not spreading misinformation, I retract that statement.

It turns out I didn't know how to use my own car I didn't realise until yesterday that moving the shifter over to S/M has a different behaviour to the drive mode button.

When the drive mode is set to Sport or Sport +, the steering is indeed heavier than comfort. But if I move the shifter over to S/M, the steering weight stays in comfort. Is that normal? My steering weight only changes when it says Sport/Sport+ on iDrive / instruments.

But when in Sports weight, the steering wheel is far less wriggly and unsettled in a straight line, so maybe it is a software thing after all.

moving the gearstick to sport keeps the revs a bit higher and shifts a bit quicker.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by TurboWeasel

When the drive mode is set to Sport or Sport +, the steering is indeed heavier than comfort. But if I move the shifter over to S/M, the steering weight stays in comfort. Is that normal? My steering weight only changes when it says Sport/Sport+ on iDrive / instruments.

Shifter to M/S position, has always been just for the full sports gearbox program. Independent of modes.

As I've described before, Sport mode transmission, (certainly in F-models), is like a 'half-way' program to full M/S transmission programming.

[TurboWeasel]

Cheers for that. You're never too old for some schooling. The last BMW I owned was an E34 Touring, so these newer ones are taking some getting used to.