Car shaking really badly
 

This past month while driving between 65-80 mph my car started to shake randomly...the wheel, passenger and driver side seats too. I thought it might be the highway cause it starts and stops randomly.

It feels like it's way more than an alignment or my shitty toyo's...what should I look for or ask to get checked?

This sucks, it feels $$$$.:dunno:

Your tires may be off balance...Did you curb check it really hard or hit something recently?

No, I'm running 20's so curbing is never an option.

Would a balance problem be all the time or sporadic?

Balance problem would be all the time at higher speeds. Hmm..strange..If you were in a colder climate I'd say its ice stuck to your rims and to kick it free. I run 20's too and sometimes that happens..

I'm going to search the site a bit more, if anything else comes to mind let me know.

Thanks.

What year is your X? I've heard of transfer cases going bad on certain year models and causing the car to act drunk and wobble and such. If it's not a tire problem it may be this?

It's an 03 4.4. I just read a post about that. I've only got 56K on mine, shame if that's what it was.

Not sure if this would be for the 2003 models. Did that post say anything about a way to check if is the transfer case?

it could be your tension strut or control arm ball joint. does it shake when either left or right wheel goes over manhole cover or uneven road at about 30-40mph?

When there is excessive slack in the thrust rod bushings it can accentuate the shake caused by the wheel balance and/or road conditions. If you're driving at about 10-20 mph and apply the brakes, do you feel a "bump"? Or feel the extra bump, loose suspension feel when going up a curb?

I have a very similar issue right now and have narrowed it down to the drivers side tie rod end.

Only other noticeable issue that I am experiencing is when in reverse and turning the wheel, feels like one wheel is turning and the other is not (only slightly) like alignment is way off, again I have determined due to the tie rod end.

No problems when I brake or when going over bumps. The vibrating happens when I accelerate around 80 mps. It as soon as I let off the gas it stops. It really feels like it's coming from beneath the front seats. I have no problems turning, and the shaking dosn't feel like it's coming from the steering wheel. Also, when I'm idle the car has a a much smaller vibration to it, but it dosn't seem normal to me.

Possible frozen caliper? Would cause vibration as it heats up.

I don't think so, the problem is when I accelerate at higher speeds.

Maybe isolate the running gear by putting it in manual mode and holding it in a different gear to see if the engine RPM has any affect on it, or if it is just due to high speed accelloration. Also, how are the tires wearing... any abnormal cupping or stepping of the tread?

If all else fails, you could always bring it to either the dealer or an independent shop that specializes in BMW for diagnosis. I would just make sure it is somewhere that is very familiar with the suspension setup of the BMW's and has plenty of experience.

Well. Basically it could be anything causing the vibrations. I would start checking the tires by changing another set of tires to your X5. Then I would continue by checking the wheel alignments. Then possibly transmission.

I had last spring a bad set of brand new tires in my X5. It made the vehicle very difficult to drive. However, after suffering of 3 months, Continental service manager drove my car and he immediatly proposed that the tires need to be changed to a new set by the cost of Continental. That fixed the problem.

My old tires were sent to Germany and there tires were analyzed by a team of engineers. Then the tires were sliced into pieces. Finally they were crushed into small pieces for a chemical analysis. Total cost for Continental 35 k$. And 10 points for a good customer service.

Thanks for all the advise. I'm going to start with some fuel treatment, then onto more expensive options. I will keep you posted on the progress.

Here's what I've noticed....

1. front drivers side disc heats up more than left side.
2. The steering wheel shakes, and it also seems to be a dragging feeling coming from that wheel.
3. The car pulls to the right.
4. When the brakes are applied, the front right squeaks constantly.

I had the CV boots changed 3K miles ago as well as the front brakes and rotors. I asked if the calipers were damaged and needed to be rebuilt. I was told they were fine.

I think that I have a frozen caliper, anyone know the approximate amount this will cost me?

Thanks.

If you're sure one side rotor is way hotter than another side, you can confirm the caplier is seized. I would try to rebuild it first. the rebuild kit is less than $20 and it's not that hard. inspect the piston during the rebuild process. if they're heavily rusted, you will need a new caliper.

I'd like to rebuild it myself, but I've got very little in the tools department. I'm going to order the kit and take it to my local indie shop for a quote.

Thanks

Here's the update.

Took it to a local guy I trust. He said it's my tires. I need an alignment for now, but since they are cupping I could go ahead and starting looking for a new set. So I guess it could have been worse? Anyhow, I hate my proxy S/T tires! My Nissan Xterrable rode better!

Thanks for all the feedback.

Do you have aftermarket rims?
 

Is it possible when you had the work done they forgot to put back one of your centering rings? I used to have a set of aftermarket 20's and without the rings they drove like crap - but with the rings smooth as silk...

Yep. The area manager of Continental said to me that the tires cause 80-90% of the unwanted vibrations and shakes in the car. The tires are not well balanced or there's something else with them.

My friend had a couple of years ago an equivalent case where car shook on a certain speed. The tires were rebalanced several times without solving the problem. The root case was that in one of the tires were an extra piece of rubber inside of the tire. After the piece got loose within the tire, it acted like a small rubber ball making the whole car to vibrate. Well... you can imagine that the root casuse in this case was not easy to find. :)

i drove my wifes 01 4.4 last night and noticed exact same vibration
it has stock y spokes im wondering if it realy could be the tires hopeing for an update soon

I'd have to say 95% of the shaking was coming from the tires. I wasn't receving a proper high speed balance at my previous indy shop, that coupled with improper tire pressure caused them to cup.

I went to Butler Tire, there they convinced me to order the new Toyo Proxy II's..against my better judgement I did. Since then they have been properly balanced, and properly inflated as well as rotated. The car drives well, at all speeds. It also sounds better too, less tire noise. It's put trust back into the Toyo brand for me.

I hope this helps. Any questions just ask, good luck.

hi
 

an alignment will help or you might have bad tie rods or control arm. these parts are not expensive if you go to partsgeek.com.

-saul

i was thinking it might be driveshaft or axle related being that it went away as soon as you let off the throttle but getting the tires balanced would be a much easier fix