65-75 mph brake shudder/shimmy issue
 

I have searched and read all the posts about this issue. I plan to solve this dilema and post the solution.

Issue: When driving about 65-75 mph on the freeway, the steering wheel shudders and vibrates when I apply the brakes.

Model: 2005 4.4 sport with stock 18" tires. I have 107k with new rotors and pads at 100k.

Attempted solutions:
1. Replaced tension strut lower bushings with BMW ones. This actually helped a bit, maybe 50% less brake vibration, but the issue is still there.
2. Rotated and balanced tires. No effect.
3. Checked all ball joints for any looseness, none.
4. Next, today I am ordering the upper rubber bushing for the wishbone. Although they appeared pretty tight, I did see cracks around the rubber.

I will respond back in a week or two with the results. Stay tuned.

Before you go thru the hassle of changing the bushings try just changing the bolt (#12). I did this a few weeks back as I had the same issue, and it was a bad (almost to the point I felt unsafe) vibration when braking from high speeds. I went to order the bushing(#11) from the stealership and one of the techs (I knew him obviously) told me to try this first as it's a fairly common problem. Just figure for the $6 and change it's worth a shot to try the bolt first. I can't be the only one that this solution works for....lol.

RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 3.0i Frnt axle support,wishbone/tension strut
Here's the diagram for the numbers I referenced.

What did the bad bolt look like? Were the threads stripped? Or could it just be a case of proper torquing when you replaced it with a new one?

And one thing to think of with checking ball sockets is that they often don't show the wear/slack when the vehicle is raised off its wheels as the joint is at a different angle with a different direction of pressure on it. I would think from the description that it very well could be in the control arms and since you're at a higher mileage it wouldn't be ab bad idea to just change the whole control arms and throw in the new bolts while you're doing it.

I recently bought these for my truck, cheaper than my cost at the dealer and quality seems to be good so far. No complaints.

Pelican Parts - Product Information: 31-12-6-760-276-M36

Pelican Parts - Product Information: 31-12-6-760-275-M36

I had the same issue had the dealer replace the lower tension bushings and 1/2 of the shutter gone. Turned out my less than 1K mile old front rotors were warped. Replaced them and have been shutter free for 2K miles.

Also worth checking the calipers to see if one is sticking ...that was what caused a 55-65 shudder for me.

I'll take a pic of it and post up in a later when I get back to my garage. It wasn't extremely worn at all, but because of that wear on the threads it prevented further tightening. Maybe it was improperly torqued last time it was tightened the the nut backed off causing that loose bolt to wear like that, but either way I was pumped I didn't have to spend large notes on getting it fixed and figured I'd throw it out there.

Pics of said bolt to come.

rotors are not warped, waiting for bushings
 

I checked both front rotors and they have less than .001" differenced when they are rotated 360 degrees. I have ordered the wishbone strut bushings and will install them next. keep tuned...

I have searched and read all the posts about this issue. I plan to solve this dilema and post the solution.

Issue: When driving about 65-75 mph on the freeway, the steering wheel shudders and vibrates when I apply the brakes.

Model: 2005 4.4 sport with stock 18" tires. I have 107k with new rotors and pads at 100k.

Attempted solutions:
1. Replaced tension strut lower bushings with BMW ones. This actually helped a bit, maybe 50% less brake vibration, but the issue is still there.
2. Rotated and balanced tires. No effect.
3. Checked all ball joints for any looseness, none.
4. Next, today I am ordering the upper rubber bushing for the wishbone. Although they appeared pretty tight, I did see cracks around the rubber.

I will respond back in a week or two with the results. Stay tuned.

I too had the brake shudder issue when braking around 70mph last week. When I finally got back to NY, mechanic said it could be a warped rotor. After he checked it out, ended up that I needed new control arms. Mechanic replaced both control arms/bushings/ball joints. I also had my rear bumper painted and now the X5 is solid! All done for $900 bucks paid in cash. :thumbup:

had a similar situation in my Z4,

if it appears only during braking, it's likely limited to the brake components.

even if you have new rotors and pads, improper bedding in can lead to warped discs.

Control arms on my old 2001 at 30K.

Solved, wishbone bushings replaced
 

The problem was solved by replacing the wishbone bushings. I used BMW bushings and had the local machine shop press in the new ones. The photo is of the original ones with 108k miles and are cracked.

I was about to also chime in about brake discs but it seems you found your problem. I had the same issue and it turned out to be warped brake discs. Also, and this is worth noting when the mechanic measured my discs they were barely out at all, he said almost perfect but obviously this isn't done on the car when I've driven for 15 mins and the discs have heated to a few hundred degrees. My discs were fine when cold but after they had warmed up the warp was far more pronounced and turned out to be the issue. Just some advice to people when checking this.

Cheers

Oh no, not solved. Issue is back at 75-80 mph
 

I drove to Los Angeles today and the shimmy is back, or maybe never left. When I put on the brakes lightly at 75 mph it was smooth, but as I pressed the brakes harder, the steering wheel would shimmy. So maybe it is the pretty new BMW branded disks or still possibly something else. I am thinking of changing to Raybestos pads to try non oem ones.

Helpful information:

StopTech : Balanced Brake Upgrades

This is why I never change just the bushings on that control arm... 9 times of 10 the slack causing the shimmy is in the ball socket on the other end of the arm.

I see that Pelican has suspension parts from a brand called Karlyn that are sometimes less than half the price of the Lemforder parts. Doesanyone have experience with that brand? It's a pretty tempting bargain especially with the cost of the oem and Lemforder parts. I've bought Lemforder parts to update my suspension 3 years ago and now I've got the steering shakes again. I wish those suspension parts lasted longer!

I don't know if this will help or not.
But I had a similar issue, to fix it I just added hubcentric rings.

Around 65-70 when braking I would get the shimmy...drove me crazy.
Since I was adding rear spacers, I figured I would go ahead and add the rings all the way around.
Did not put the spacers on yet, but the rings worked great.

Do you have aftermarket wheels?

Yes, I have aftermarket wheels.

BMW wheels are hub-centric, so aftermarket wheels with a different hub size will cause a vibration without hub centering rings. But that is a non issue with OEM wheels. I still think the lower control arm is causing the shudder described for some of the people here.

Anyone with powerflex poly bushes (purple) have any problem? I installed last year, might have about just over 5000km on them, cant confirm if its them or a stuck caliper or wraped rotor. Dealer being anal to check my front brakes... I just cant see the poly already failing. thanks

The thrust arm bushings don't really cause a shaking under braking. If they are worn they will cause a thunk felt upon first application of the brakes and/or over bumps... and they can make a shimmy/vibration seem a bit worse. If they are too solid (poly bushings) they can make it feel a bit more harsh over bumps etc, just a bit rougher ride (price to pay for better handling) and yet again can make a shimmy/vibration feel more prominent. It is all due to the physics/angles of the suspension geometry.

A shimmy/vibration under moderate braking isn't that hard to diagnose. If it is constant shake that is wheel speed dependent and happens under braking every time it is rotors. If it isn't wheel speed related and doesn't do it all the time it isn't usually braking related but a worn suspension component allowing rapid movement back and forth caused by it loading and unloading rapidly. On the E53 platform the lower control arm's ball joint is the more common cause as the bushing side doesn't usually wear that bad unless it isn't preloaded properly and tears. A sticking caliper can also cause a shake, but there is usually other symptoms to go with that like pulling to one side under braking, one rotor getting much hotter than the other, pads wearing faster on one side than the other, etc.

The problem is techs that aren't personally experienced with these problems aren't usually that good at tracking down/isolating the culprit... and might think the aftermarket bushings might be causing the shimmy. I'd go back and request they give it to their best suspension tech for diagnosis, and that you will only pay diagnosis fee if they do proper testing and actually diagnose the problem. (and not just blame it on the poly bushings)

Just a question: how hard are you breaking to get the vibration? I mean at 75 mph, if i break smoothly, to slow down or stop under normal conditions, the breaking is smooth, but if at 75mph I break like in emergency breaking (getting pushed against the steering wheel under negative G) then i get a shudder... so is it normal?

Shudder isn't normal, with my suspension all tightened up if I do emergency braking it is smooth with no shudder felt... You may just have a minimal amount of slack in something that isn't bad enough to easily find.

My 2003 4.4i started doing same thing like couple weeks ago
I went through everything, now waiting to buy new rotors.
I purchased a set of parts on ebay from deucheparts - was relatively cheap, makes me wonder if i didnt get a faulty part somewhere, it started shaking after i changed all parts and vehicle went for wheel alighnment.
My hopes now is that issue is caused by warped rotors...

BMW X5 E53 Control Arm Arms Ball Joint Bushing Link Kit: eBay Motors (item 140303800309 end time Sep-17-10 14:10:57 PDT)

HAHA thats the same bold that became loose i have no idea how but the dealer instead of checking that replaced my breakes 4 times witch in 1.5 yrs on the basis of warped discs. until i found that bolt so loose that i could turn it with my hands. but i still have the vibrtion slight but its there.....so ihave replaced bushings and arms......

If it only started shaking after the components were changed it is likely related. Did you properly preload the bushings before tightening the control arm bolts?

i am actually planning to do it, today
i hope i didnt ruin the bushings yet

bought rotors yesterday and pads, only to come home and realise i have lost the lug key... hopefully i can get one on monday

I had a braking shudder so I replaced the thrust arm bushes and ball joints and that seemed to cure most of the shudder for a while .

the shudder has returned , gradually becoming worse during a 3000 mile road trip fully loaded .
I noticed a few vertical stripes on the discs that appear to be pad material so I removed the left wheel and cleaned the disc with a cloth soaked in brake cleaner and this seems to have stopped the shudder from that side but I still feel shudder on the right side wheel .
I reckon the shudder cured after the thrust arm replacement because the discs were cleaned at that time .
I think the pad deposits are only highlighting a problem with the control arm ball joints , like weasel suggests .
I will clean the discs again soon when I fit the winter tyres and let y`all know how it goes .
the ball joints can wait until spring as I probably won`t be doing high speed braking through winter .

so, after 1.5 hours in poring rain, i've finished changing the rotors and brakes.
didnt have many choices in town here, ended up getting Zimmermann rotors and PBR ULT ceramic pads.

After about 50 "speed up slow down" i took the vehicle to highway... no shaking at all!! :rofl::rofl::rofl:
It still feels kind of weird, im planning to take it for wheel alignment somewhere else now, don't have faith in place it went last time.

I did do the pretension of bushings (loosened the bolts and lowered vehicle to its normal height and than tightened the bolts).

When i had new rotor in place it looked like it was on a slight angle, like it was turned, i looked at other wheel - straight...

:dunno:

New rotors did solve issue with shaking while braking :D

Good news!:thumbup: Just be sure not to hold the brakes while they are at their hottest. That tends to leave a little brake pad material roasted on your rotor and you will have the same issue.

+1 stuck brake caliper

Had this same exact problem. The dealer kept changing out my rotors and a suspension component. Each time the problem came back after several thousand miles. Finally they found out that one of my front brake calipers was stuck causing the rotor to overheat and eventually warp causing the steering wheel to shake under braking.

:dunno:when i had my brakes off yesterday i noticed that seal on brake caliper is broken - will be ordering repair kit (56$ canadian from dealer)

Item number 10 http://http://realoem.com/bmw/showpa...75&hg=34&fg=05

Dont want my rotors to warp again, the rotors i took off and pads were not that worn out. Pads are 15mm thick(including metal part)

http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x5/...reset-diy.html

Also my vehicle is going for wheel alignment on friday, we'll see how well it was done last time. (goin to a chevrolet dealer :rofl:):dunno:

update:
3 days with new rotors and pads - my vehicle is pulling to one side when brakes are applied, got small shake when i was slowing down from 85km/h :wow:
Will be buying a rebuild caliper tomorrow, found one locally for 120$ and a repair kit for caliper is 56 and it has to be ordered in.
I guess the caliper on drivers side is what caused rotor to warp.

Will keep you guys posted once i replace the caliper.

Solved, warped rotors
 

I installed new Brembo rotors this weekend and the shimmy is gone for now. The Brembo rotors are $60 each with free shipping from Amazon, pretty good deal if they do not warp. They were made is Brazil?? I did not see any indication of a stuck caliper or uneven wear on the brake pads, as these pads and rotors had only 10k miles on them are were all factory BMW.

Floydturbo** just wanted to get an update.. how is the X running? As far as your posts go, you replaced the front wishbone and then got new rotors correct?
I got new rotors on and I have a slight shimmy at 75 as well now. wishbone is stock and never been changed, thanks!

My shaking came back... Started shaking very badly all of a sudden...
But i found the problem!
The new pads that i put in, the edges had to be filed off, they were not smooth so outside pad got stuck one side :-(

What kind of pads did you use? I have never heard of this before. Do you think a stuck piston may have caused this?

i dont even remember what was brand name :(
i checked piston its fine, the other site i changed completely, but i will be rebuilding the other side too, just to make sure :)
it is strange
i had to force pad to come off the brake carrier.