<ALL> Front end shimmy

[Stephen Lafredo <slafredo@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi All,

Thought you might be interested in this one.

I went to the dealer today to have them perform an Inspection I and some
other stuff.

I told them, that I have been experiencing a shimmy in the front, ever
since my last visit when they installed new tires and aligned the car.

I go to pick-up the car and the service rep says I need a new front
wheel b/c it's out of true side to side. He takes me back to the
mechanic who says the same but cannot show me since the car is down off
the lift. Said it was the strangest thing, the machine balanced the tire
FINE and he could only feel the shimmy on the car while driving. I said,
duh did you check the suspension. He said it was OK.

I ask if those wheel places can fix it. Both say they have never seen a
wheel out of true side to side only dented and therefore did not know if
it could be fixed. Whatever.

So I said hell with it why didn't you swap out the spare wheel when you
rotated my fronts (b/c of directional tires and autocrossing). Read "I'm
not paying you to swap the bad wheel with the good spare wheel.

So I'm out front with the service guy and the mechanic comes out and
says I'm fine and do not need a new wheel!

ME: Why.

Well we grease the hubs b/c they rust and this helps the wheel(? bolt?)
>from sticking.

ME: So.

Well it seems a washer was in the grease btwn the wheel and hub and
caused the shimmy!

So if you ever experience this check for this first before replacing
wheels and suspension parts.

As a side note. Now that I'm home I'm thinking maybe someone put the
washer there last time I was in. Nah I certainly hope not. They have
been way too good to me for them to try some thing like that.
- --------------------------------oOo--------------------------------   
 Stephen Lafredo - 3.2 M3             email: slafredo@domain.elided

 DVC, NCC and NJC

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