Front end Shimmy / vibration

[Eb39]

Front end Shimmy / vibration SOLVED!

I have a '98 528i. I upgraded the factory rims to 16" and a bit wider off of a 7 series (previous body stock rim) it resulted in a front end vibration at 50 to 70 mph. I have come to understand that offset may be an issue. Shy of replacing the rims again, does anybody have a solution. I have thought about machining the back face of the rim down a bit to move them inward again to compensate for the offset, but there is very little room between the tire and the strut tower as it is (1/4" or so).

I am putting on new tires and will have the front end aligned, but I believe that this will only work short term. I am also considering stiffer bushings from Dinan. Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Hexxer]

EB39,

I have a 1995 525i. It developed a shimmy at 58-62mph. The BMW dealer (Hendrix Motors in Charlotte, NC) convinced me a lower arm needed replacing. After more than $400.00, the shimmy was still there. Then, they said it was a balancing problem, and put over 4 ounces on the inside of the factory rim.

I got rid of the shimmy after replacing the rims, which they said were fine. Of course, I don't trust them anymore.

 

[Eb39]

Were the rims you got rid of OEM's, or some other rim? Do you think yours old ones were out of round or bent?

 

[Hexxer]

They were OEM's

They were the originals. One of the rims was bent. My biggest complaint was shuffling the repairs on me, and they did not go after the obvious problem first.

Another issue, I had them replace the A/C compressor when they did the front end replacement. Afterwards, I didn't think the A/C was getting cold enough, after about three or four weeks, so I took the car back in. I got another service guy since my regular guy was on vacation. He called a day later, saying the compressor was old, worn-out, and had leaks.

I almost passed out because that was the same diagnosis the regular guy had given me the month before when I originally took it in for an annual A/C checkup maintenance. I think they just #@!%ing ripped me off.

Don't get me wrong, I support mechanics but not the ones that are unscrupulous and shaft fake repairs.

 

[Ghost]

Does the diameter of the hub match the wheel? When I put E39 wheels (hub center = 74mm) on my E34 (hub center = 72.5), they fit but the difference was causing the car to vibrate at high speeds. I bought the problem solving hub centric rings at Tire rack.

As for the A/C, depending on the time frame, you should have them replace the compressor unit for free. BTW in the future, if you know a part is going to need replacement you might want to place a scratch or some kind of identifiable mark on the part so that you know they changed the part rather than just cleaned it up.

 

[Eb39]

Shimmy solved. I did a number of things. I had dinan mount and ballance new tires for about $120 which is worth doing. I also had them align the entire car for about $300. I then found that my rim hub interior diameter was ovewrsized out of spec by about 3/1000 of an inch. This is a thin human hair. Dinan put electrical tape on the hubs which did help. I then replaced it with aluminum foil tape which you can get at home depot for taping up duct work. I then cut thin strips and applied them to the hub. THese stayed in place unlike the electrical tape which bunched up. The handling is now better than new. I hope that somebody can use this tip to help them.