first POST! just drove it home

[motordavid]

-Yes, AWD with a permanent split of ~38/62 torque split, front to rear.
-I agree with FSETH on the Crystal View kit; toothpaste ain't
bad either as I've used that too.
-Sorry, wasn't suggesting you got snookered by dlr; didn't know it was
your father's ride.
-as a poster suggested, I would hit a local dlr, find an E53 and drive it:
I doubt you will experience any "floaty" feeling compared to your car's
description.
-Give the manual a read: an amazing amount of info.
Welcome to the best X board and, one of the best gen info boards on
the net, imo.
GL, mD

[Russianblue]

thanks for the tips on the haze. i've got a bucket of wet sanding supplies and abrasives and polishes, but i'll probably just try to get over to Advance. That's good news. I'll be sure to take some before and after photos.

thanks for all the tips. i've got to order a Bentley so i can get a handle on this thing.

I'm pretty good with electronics, but the sheer increase in electronics from Motronic 1.3 to to the 97 3 series to a 2003 X is staggering. STAGGERING.

good call on driving a used E53.

glad to be here. i'm a regular on E30tech and mye28. nice to add another Bimmer board to the list.

[msammy]

Originally Posted by Russianblue

...Maybe tramline is a bad word. The car 'floats' while at speed on the highway and requires CONSTANT input to stay in the lane. I wouldn't say it 'pulls' to one side or the other. But once it starts in one direction, it goes...

We had the same problem with our 2002 3.0i Sport when she had about 35K on the clock. It drove me nuts - it felt like this - move the steering wheel "left-right-left-right-left-right-left", etc just to keep the car in a straight line at 70 MPH. It didn't float or tramline, just constant steering input to keep the car in the lane mostly noticeable on the highway at 50+ MPH. We drove from CT to FL and when we returned I asked the wife (since it was her daily driver) if she really liked this car that much since I wanted to trade it in since it didn't have that "BMW steering feel". Well, she declined and we decided to take it in to the dealer for a look-see and they replaced the "wishbones" both right and left and the problem disappeared, the car has tracked smoothly and now has 99K on her and handles like a dream. Give it a shot - I may be way off-base but this seemed to fix our problem. Welcome and let us know how things go with your steering problem!

[JoshGM]

CONGRATULATIONS! Nice ride.

[oztme]

Welcome to our club

Regarding your tramlining problem, I haven't had it on my X, but I know in the rally car if the front suspension is set without the correct toe-in, it tram lines (something you sometimes want in a race/rally car, but not in a street car).

I think a wheel align + toe adjustment might help quite a lot...

Make sure you take it somewhere that deals with your model X5 so they know what the ideal settings are, and get them right...

HTH
Cheers
Scott.

P.S: If the suspension components are damaged/bushes are worn etc., I think that can make the toe change while driving. The wheel aligner hopefully would be able to detect this..

[J.Belknap]

Welcome to the forum and the tramlining club.

[alexmish]

CHECK THE TIRES PRESSURE. Overinflated or significantly different tire pressures lead to just what you've described.

Also, just because dealer did the alignment, does not mean it was done "right".

[BGM]

Check the tire pressure. I have the 3.0 with Sport package 18" wheels and I know it's supposed to be at 38 psi but I do 32 which is what BMW recommends it not a heavy load in the car (ie if you aren't hauling kids around).

[Russianblue]

Originally Posted by BGM

Check the tire pressure. I have the 3.0 with Sport package 18" wheels and I know it's supposed to be at 38 psi but I do 32 which is what BMW recommends it not a heavy load in the car (ie if you aren't hauling kids around).

i'll do that this weekend. i wouldn't be surprised if that's the issue.

[diyanich]

I am wondering if this issue's got fixed.
Russianblue просто так или русский?