Re: 735i wheel woble

[Henri Baccouche <henrib@xxxxxxxxx>]

Happy to answer any questions.......I worked at a  BMW/MBZ Repair shop as a
service writer, I got to (and still get to) examine many BMW's on a lift,
with worn out parts ......plus I have endless curiosity about the 'art' of
mechanical engineering........This is really a discussion about safety
issues.

There is a reason why the last BMW Inspection 2  is at 100K miles and the
Certified Used BMW warranty  also ends at 100K miles. I agree with the
factory on the 100K mile figure.......and I know why it's 100K
miles and not 150K miles or whatever.

>
> >Incredible, How does a tie rod joint cause wheel wobble......?
> >Loose imprecise steering yes, Wheel wobble......never seen it.
>
> We'll see.  It needs to be replaced anyway -- perhaps it won't
> fix the wobble...

At 66k miles, this is strange to me. Tie rods will last to the 125k miles
mark easily.......
The car may not indicate true mileage.........

> >Most commuter people just get new thrust/control arm bushings
> >at around 75-90K miles and never do the ball joints. They should
> >be done together : in my experience.
> >Hard driving is another level..........replacement comes much sooner.
> >Like 20-30K miles.
>
> Ball joints at that many miles?

Club racing rules ( for example) won't even allow you to enter any races if
the ball joints/control arms
are older than 2 racing seasons........because the ball joints/control arms
may separate when they are worn out or fatigued.

>
> >> How again does any of this support your point that one should just
> >> blindly replace everything in the suspension of a car simply because
> >> it reaches 125K miles?
> >
> > If the car is still has the "Original Equipment" suspension at 125K
> >miles.........and many do, then yes, everything should be changed...
> >...because everything will be worn out.

Most cars reach 100K without to much maintenance......consequently,
all the repairs/ necessary refurbishment begins after 100K........
This is is not  speculation, it's what I have observed.
I will not buy anything with 100K miles on it........too much deferred
maintenance,
even if the seats still look good. No one drives for free......

>
> The ironic thing is that I do pretty much agree with you _IF_ it
> the parts are indeed "original", although I tend to think of this
> as more of a gray area rather than some hard and fast magic
> mileage point where everything $h!t$ the bed.
>
> But that is not the point, here.  The point here is whether your
> flash card response of "replace everything" to anyone with an
> older car is of any real help.

My point was do the job right.........Suspension parts wear out as a group.
The entire geometry of the suspension depends on every part being within
spec......

>
>
> Let's run through this.  We now know the following about
> the car:
>
>      -66K miles
>      -recently had all the ball joints replaced
>      -has a bad tie rod end
>      -has a wobble at 55-60mph
>
> When the question was first posed, all that was provided was
> the fourth item.  Your reply was:
>
>      >I suspect this car probably has well over 125k miles........ the
>      >quick fix:
>      >Ball joints, struts, control arm bushings, strut bearings etc.
>      >need replacement.
>      >They wear out as a "group".......IME.

> So -- you now say that replacing the faulty tie rod end won't fix
> the wobble problem.  Have you any helpful advice for what
> might do the trick if, indeed, it doesn't?

 Emilio : Check it out in  this order:

Wheel runout, tire balance/runout, wheel bearing, ball joint/thrust arm,
strut........
The answer will be found there.......

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Henri......





>
>
> Regards,
> Mike Kohlbrenner
> --
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