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Your BMW was designed with style and performance in mind. It should always provide you with a smooth ride, but this experience can be interrupted when your BMW’s wheels start to vibrate. There are a handful of reasons why wheels can vibrate, giving the driver a sensation of the vehicle being off balance and unstable. Let’s discuss the many reasons why this can occur and learn how the wheel vibrations are fixed at Ultimate Bimmer Service.
When the wheels of your BMW vibrate, it is usually felt as an up and down motion in the cabin of your vehicle. The vibration can be felt in your seat, up through the steering wheel, and even in the brake pad.
Vibrations can be dangerous while you drive if the underlying issue is not addressed. The vibrations of the wheels are usually caused by one of the following reasons: out of balance or defective tires, a bent wheel, or a worn driveline U-joint.
As you are on the way to your trusted mechanic, there are a few things to observe and listen out for. The answers to the following questions will help the mechanic quickly diagnose what issue is causing the vibrations.
The first observation that you need to take note of is if the vibrations only happen when you increase speeds or is it at a different speed. Write down or try to remember at what speeds the vibrations occur.
The next observation to make is if any abnormal noises are occurring when the wheels of your BMW vibrate. These abnormal noises could be from parts that have come loose due to the vibrations.
Another observation to make is if the vibration occurs while you are idling. Another way of saying this is, does your BMW vibrate while you are at a standstill with the engine running. All of these questions are things that the mechanic may ask you when you bring your BMW in so it is a good idea to be prepared with the answers.
There are a few things that can be done to stop the vibrations coming from the wheels of your BMW. The first and most simple thing to do is to balance out the wheels. Your local mechanic does this by checking the balance weights. These are usually placed evenly on the inside and the outside of the rims. There is the potential that one of the weights has come off, so an imbalance was created, leading to vibrations of the wheels.
If the balance weights are not the issue, the next thing to check is the bearings. The wheel bearings are what help to secure the wheels in place. With this, your BMW is lifted off the ground for better access to the wheels. Then, one by one, the wheels are inspected. The wheel is grasped with one hand on top and the other on the bottom and shaken. This is repeated on the sides of the wheels. If looseness is felt, then the bearing of that wheel is damaged and needs to be replaced. This process is repeated on all four wheels.
One of the last places to check and repair in order to stop the wheel vibrations is testing the steering wheel for free play. Free play is when the steering wheel moves more than it should, as if it is loose. A little shake or exaggerated rotation will be enough to determine if the steering wheel is loose. This can cause wheel vibrations, as there is a disconnect somewhere between the steering where and the wheels.
As you can see, there are a few places in your BMW to check for the cause of wheel vibrations. These are all included in the diagnostic tests that your trusted mechanic is going to do when you bring your BMW into Ultimate Bimmer Service.
We are easily accessible from Carrolton and Dallas, TX so you can quickly make an appointment with us. We use the latest and most up-to-date tools to diagnose why the wheels are vibrating. Only high-quality parts are used to repair the issues. We look forward to earning your patronage.
* BMW E70 X5 Car image credit goes to: DarthArt.