johnston_fraser Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Hi everyone, very much hoping that someone can help out. For a long time, I have thought that my car just doesn't feel right at the front. If I hit a bump mid-corner, the steering wheel "quivers" / shakes and the car feels horrible and quite unsettled. Even going in a straight line on uneven surfaces, it feels very very unsettled and pulls to the side when hitting the uneven parts. As you can imagine, it's spoiling a car that should drive and feel really good! I have spent a lot of time and effort trying to find out what the problem could be. I've searched forums and have done some troubleshooting, here are my findings: Front tyres and tyre pressures are good. No uneven tyre wear. The rear bushes on the wishbones were replaced (with Powerflex) and there is no play here. I have wiggled the wheels at 3 and 9 o'clock and there seems to be no play in any wishbone bushes. I also tried this at 6 and 12 o'clock and there is no movement in bushes. The only thing that I can think of is that the shocks need replaced. The car currently has 94,000 miles, and it looks like it has Delphi brand front shocks, so I think they must have been replaced at one point already. Some forums suggest 50k for a pair of shocks, so this might be about right? I'm really hoping that someone can help me, my car could and should be a whole lot better :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrr0509 Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Have u checked the steering arm's and tracking? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnston_fraser Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 A garage owner friend of mine has kindly offered to check and set the alignment, so this is on the list of things to do as part of my troubleshooting. Thanks for your suggestion, certainly worth checking out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mit Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 What tyres have you got? Have you replaced your wishbones? Check your tracking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Could it as simple as one of the wheels needing rebalancing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 if nothing is worn out. first port of call should be a full alignment B0B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B0B Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 if nothing is worn out. first port of call should be a full alignment +1 Also, are the front tyres a matching pair? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B7TMW Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 I would be looking at the steering arms, the inner ball joint especially. The slightest play here can upset mid corners a treat. Then once all that is tight and you are 100% sure no other play is present, full alignment would be nest on the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mit Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 (edited) I bet it's cheapo tyres! Edited January 16, 2013 by mit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starkie7 Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Could be any of the following: Tyres - make, pressure and tread left Alignment Wishbone ball joints Trackrods Steering rack Steering column coupling/joints Shocks Shock topmounts I have replaced nearly all of the above on mine and it's still not 100%. It drove OK when I bought it but the crappy cheap tyres were hiding the true affect worn parts were having. The biggest difference or change came when I replaced the steering rack for a second hand low miler and it will probably be the last thing anyone suggest you look at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnston_fraser Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Hi guys, thanks for all your replies. I'm really glad that so many of you have taken the time to reply. My tyres are Toyo Proxes T1-R but my previous tyres were Continental Sport Contact and it was just as bad. Tread is good on the Toyos, about 6-7mm. I'm certain that there is no play in ANY of the wishbone bushes. It's going into the garage on Friday to get a better idea of what's going on. Of course I will let everyone know the outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mit Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 OK, eliminated the tyres then! Weird, in that case I guess look at pretty much all the other stuff people have mentioned... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeshaw123 Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 The symptoms you describe sound most to me like a knackered shock. Does it seem like one side does it more than the other? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnston_fraser Posted January 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 I think it's maybe slightly worse when turning right. Difficult to tell though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e46318ise Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Check your springs, make sure no snapped coils and that they have the same colour coding left/right. A mismatch could cause all sorts of odd behaviour. Personally I'd ditch the powerflex wishbone bushes. They ruined the handling of my car, especially on rough it bumpy surfaces. Oem quality bushes all they way now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colossuss Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 No one has said front rear control arms, I'm shocked considering they are one of the E46's biggest downfalls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blair Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 The rear bushes on the wishbones were replaced (with Powerflex) and there is no play here. No one has said front rear control arms, I'm shocked considering they are one of the E46's biggest downfalls Colossuss, mit and Rob- 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnston_fraser Posted January 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 I do wonder if the Powerflex bushes were a good idea. In theory they should be better, but maybe not for a passenger car/comfort. Some people rave about them, and some people are very critical. I think the Meyle HD ones are probably the best compromise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnston_fraser Posted January 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 (edited) Check your springs, make sure no snapped coils and that they have the same colour coding left/right. A mismatch could cause all sorts of odd behaviour. Personally I'd ditch the powerflex wishbone bushes. They ruined the handling of my car, especially on rough it bumpy surfaces. Oem quality bushes all they way now. Sorry, forgot to say, springs are ok. They do seem to be a matching pair too. Edited January 17, 2013 by johnston_fraser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edber Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 And im also shocked that no one has mentioned the front anti roll bar bushings,as these i found threw my car all over the place going over any kind of rough road. I fitted new ones the other day and the cars handling and ride is transformed and its a simple diy too and cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnston_fraser Posted January 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 I've done anti-roll bar D bushes too. Not Powerflex though, just genuine BMW rubber ones. Really easy to do, silicone spray helps! Car is going to be looked at today on a ramp at the garage. Will keep you all updated :-) Blair 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 Hi, have you considered it might be something on the rear that is worn? I am having a similar problem and planning to change the front control arm rear bush and the rear trailing arm bushes, but when it gets a bit warmer. Good luck anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edber Posted January 18, 2013 Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 (edited) I've done anti-roll bar D bushes too. Not Powerflex though, just genuine BMW rubber ones. Really easy to do, silicone spray helps! Car is going to be looked at today on a ramp at the garage. Will keep you all updated :-) Ah ok but are you sure the silicone spray wont affect the rubber or help the bar move as you want the bar as rigid as possible. I fitted mine dry only because a mechanic said to. Edited January 18, 2013 by edber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnston_fraser Posted January 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 The roll bar bushes were fitted over a year ago, and there isn't any movement or play at all. The spray was used sparingly just to aid assembly, otherwise it would have been pretty difficult I reckon! Mechanic has test-driven the car today, and then had it up on the ramp to check the front end. He cannot find ANY play in any of the bushes or balljoints, and there is nothing else untoward. He says he is 99.9% sure that it is the shocks, so I think I will order these up. Have found some Meyle ones for a good price on ebay, and I think I will replace the top mounts too. Has anyone else done this job? I just want OE spec shocks, not really interested in coilovers etc. Thanks again guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blair Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Ah ok but are you sure the silicone spray wont affect the rubber or help the bar move as you want the bar as rigid as possible. I fitted mine dry only because a mechanic said to. Your mechanic was wrong, if they weren't supposed to move the bar would be bolted directly chassis, imagine going up and down a speed hump both track control arms will move up and down together so the bar (at its mounting points) needs to be able rotate freely so as not to hinder the suspension. CharlE46 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
