Ongoing steering play/wandering issues....

[Mike Klein <klein@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

We took delivery of a '98 323i convertible about 2-1/2 months ago which now
has about 1700 miles on it.  Early on we (wife and I) noticed what seemed
like excessive play in the steering and wandering.  The front wheels don't
respond to steering wheel input for roughly 3/4" of movement measured at the
outside of the steering wheel while going 50+ mph straight ahead, and the
car seems to wander slightly while holding the wheel in one position,
requiring frequent steering corrections.  This is not a dangerous situation
but one that seems at odds with BMW's image of a performance car.

The dealer (Allison BMW, Mountain View CA) looked at the play while the car
was in for a stuck top (another story :-() and determined it was fine.  I
called BMW of NA Customer Relations to let them know I disagreed with this
finding, and they arranged a test drive with the service manager.  I also
called the parts counter and they determined that the steering box was
identical among all '98 3xx models.

This week I drove the car with the service mgr in the passenger seat,
demonstrating the play, and then drove a similar model ('98 328i) which had
somewhat less play (maybe 1/2"?) and definitely less wandering.  However, if
it makes any difference, this 328 had a sports suspension with wider and
stickier tires (225/50-16 Sport 4000's vs. 205/60-15 with all-season MXV4's
on ours) and it felt generally stiffer (very nice, BTW!).

The service advisor suggested that the front toe may be misadjusted, with
possible toe-out.  I have some experience measuring and doing my own
alignments (on my '87 911) and would tend to agree that this could be at
least a partial cause of the wandering, but am still wondering about the
play.  I will do a quick toe measurement later today.

So, finally, questions:
       
        - where can I get alignment and other technical specs for a
                '98 3-series?
        - does anyone with a recent 3xx think my description of the
                issues shows a problem?  Or am I just too picky?

Thanks for any help,

                -Mike Klein
                klein@domain.elided

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