[Herakles]

Wow cant believe im reading this post!!! I noticed this oddly the few times driving in heavy rain! I coulndt repeat it back to back, i thought i was imaginating, or a hydroplaned- but now that im reading this, its exactly what i noticed, id tap on the brakes normally and it would pull hard in a certain direction, kind of scaring me.

But again, i coulndt repeat it back to back.

[bman5150]

Also have always noticed this on my car. Thought it was something odd with my car but I guess not! I always have my car wipers on "auto"...did someone say that the brake drying function is disabled when using anything other than the "auto" wiper mode?

[BrandonsBimmer]

Did anyone find the answer to this? I just started having this issue, but my car sat over night and I have a flat.. So maybe this was what was causing it.

[ucdbiendog]

i haven't noticed it on mine this winter.... so weird

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by TheRox

Hey guys, this post didn't get much love in the brakes section...so I've resposted here I'd appreciate your input.

I'm wondering why my 335i Xdrive would be pulling hard to the left or right whenever I brake (not even that hard) during heavy rain or a snowstorm.

When dry, the car brakes in a straight line. When very wet/snow, it pulls to the right, which is scary as I was driving in bad weather lately on the east coast.

thx

Originally Posted by carl_lazlo

I have this same problem with my 08 335xi sedan. It is worse in rain or snow but it has happened on dry roads. It can be a little scary when it happens. This just happened to me 2 days ago with all the rain up here in NJ. Some asshat thought it would be a good idea to jump into my lane while I was doing 65 and he was doing about 50. I hit the brakes hard and the car pulled hard right then left then right again. Really freaked me out.

The thing is that usually the car handles and brakes like a dream. I have been trying for quite some time now to figure out what is causing it. I have been told it's my tire pressure, trammeling of the road, bad brakes, etc.

If someone figures this out, please let me know.

newer BMW's have a rotor wiping feature that occaisonally presses the pad against the rotor to keep it dry when you are driving.

something seems to be wrong with this feature - i recommend a brake service:

- change/bleed brake fluid
-take apart breaks and ensure everything is clean
-service the calipers and make sure the pins arent dry, they may be grabbing the rotors too much

good luck

[ucdbiendog]

Originally Posted by 6IX-F10-N52

newer BMW's have a rotor wiping feature that occaisonally presses the pad against the rotor to keep it dry when you are driving.

something seems to be wrong with this feature - i recommend a brake service:

- change/bleed brake fluid
-take apart breaks and ensure everything is clean
-service the calipers and make sure the pins arent dry, they may be grabbing the rotors too much

good luck

interesting.... since last winter i have flushed my brake fluid and serviced calipers....

[HooDat]

I had the same issue and saw that my subframe bushing was torn and worn out, I had that replaced and got an alignment and never had the issue again!!

[OTO335i]

Sorry to bring back an old thread but I've been experiencing this issue on my 2010 335I. When it's raining and I'm cruising on the highway if I press the brakes the car will pull the left and then to the right like it's trying to correct itself but nothing lights up in the dash. This is also with auto wipers on. I haven't tested with auto wipers off or DTC off yet either.

It's quite scary when this happens as I'm braking because traffic is slowing down, last thing I want is to swerve into someone because of a defect in technology.

My tires are in good condition but I haven't looked at bushings yet since I've just owned this car for about 2 or 3 weeks.

I also feel like if this was a tire issue or sway bar bushings/body bushing issue it would happen at all times and not only when it is raining.

Hope the solution to this can be found.

[bman5150]

Update for me: I have replaced my tires and recently got a front brake job. During one test in the rain, it did not seem to do this but I can't remember if I had the wipers on auto. Will report back after the next rainy event I drive in.

[Herakles]

Checking in for my 2011!!!!

First time it happened, gave me a heart attack. Now let me read through this 3 pages to see if anyone knows WTF this happens???

Damn i had my old 2000 accord for 14 years, as much as it became a POS, i never had to worry about all this BS

[MyCar]

Tramlining, it's what you're all experiencing, and no there is nothing wrong with your car. It doesn't matter if you're driving an xDrive or a regular RWD BMW, a Camaro, Porsche or Lamborghini....all these sporty performance type vehicles with wide sport/performance tires will exhibit this behavior.

It happens with dry roads or wet, doesn't matter, it's just more evident with wet. Tramlining can also occur when you don't tap the brakes, you're driving along and suddenly your car lurches left then right then back to the center. It's something you should expect and know how to control when driving a "sportier" car.

Solution to minimize the effect...get better tires, keep them properly inflated, get a good alignment, always hold the steering wheel firm to correct for tramlining... but realize your vehicle will still tramline. If your tires really suck, coming to a simple stop can cause your car to lurch into a different lane, but it doesn't mean your BMW is defective.

If you drive a performance vehicle with performance tires, you need to understand tramlining is a normal phenomenon and you as the driver need to always be prepared for it.

This is not my video, but for those of you who have no clue about this phenomenon, this guy explains it well.

[dave4]

Originally Posted by OTO335i

Sorry to bring back an old thread but I've been experiencing this issue on my 2010 335I. When it's raining and I'm cruising on the highway if I press the brakes the car will pull the left and then to the right like it's trying to correct itself but nothing lights up in the dash. This is also with auto wipers on. I haven't tested with auto wipers off or DTC off yet either.

It's quite scary when this happens as I'm braking because traffic is slowing down, last thing I want is to swerve into someone because of a defect in technology.

My tires are in good condition but I haven't looked at bushings yet since I've just owned this car for about 2 or 3 weeks.

I also feel like if this was a tire issue or sway bar bushings/body bushing issue it would happen at all times and not only when it is raining.

Hope the solution to this can be found.

I had the same issue last year and this year. My car is an 06 330xi with then 140k miles. Whether if it was raining or not, under hard braking the car would (try to kill me) wander to right or left for a second and then it would come back. It was annoying and pretty much unsafe coming down a hill on my daily route high speed in a turn and when braking it would not keep the curve.

I thought it was the tires first. In December I got a flat tire and since it was time to upgrade all of them I got the new Conti DWS 06. I also wanted to get an alignment done thinking it would fix the issue so I got new Tie Rods (complete set as the old one was frozen), the shop changed it, got the new rubbers on and it was fine for a couple days but then it came back. The shop didn't see anything else needed to be changed.

Then I thought it was the brakes. Maybe the rotors got uneven wear, or warped, who know, but I kept putting it off.

Then comes August, my VA state inspection is due. I put about 8k miles on the new tires and tie rods. I took it to the same Indy, they spent like 35 mins on the car, going up and down with it on the lift couple times and couple mechanics checking it out. Well in the end it got the rejection sticker. The guy told me that driver control arm bushing has too much play in it so it failed. He said they would change that one bushing out, alignment, and pass inspection. In VA inspection they only check one side of the vehicle so I told him I'd get a new kit for both side and have it installed.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...2-e90caxdrive1

And boy was I glad to have both side changed out. The passenger side they didn't check during the inspection was worse than the side they did check. At the end the car drives straight when hard braking. Even when coming down the hill 65mph in a sharp turn and have to brake it doesn't go to the side but stays 'straight.' This was at 148k miles.

[zipstic]

I put on new pads and rotors at all 4 corners and I'm still experiencing the same issues. Rotors are R1 Concept slotted and cross-drilled. Pads are BMW OEM.

I think it's likely from the auto-drying feature on the rotors not functioning correctly.

I'm planning on getting an alignment done relatively soon, but I'm skeptical it will help with this issue.

I don't think this has anything to do with tramlining. It's very easy to reproduce the situation where you hit the brakes at 60MPH and the car will swerve to the side and a situation where you hit the brakes at 60MPH and the car will track straight and grip immediately due to recently applying the brakes to dry off the rotors.

[dsjr2006]

Originally Posted by zipstic

I put on new pads and rotors at all 4 corners and I'm still experiencing the same issues. Rotors are R1 Concept slotted and cross-drilled. Pads are BMW OEM.

I think it's likely from the auto-drying feature on the rotors not functioning correctly.

I'm planning on getting an alignment done relatively soon, but I'm skeptical it will help with this issue.

I don't think this has anything to do with tramlining. It's very easy to reproduce the situation where you hit the brakes at 60MPH and the car will swerve to the side and a situation where you hit the brakes at 60MPH and the car will track straight and grip immediately due to recently applying the brakes to dry off the rotors.

Worn suspension components, alignment, tires and uneven tire pressures can cause these issues. Brakes as well obviously. The auto drying only works every so often, not continuously, so it’s possible for some rotors to be more wet than others between sweeps.

[zipstic]

Originally Posted by dsjr2006

Worn suspension components, alignment, tires and uneven tire pressures can cause these issues. Brakes as well obviously. The auto drying only works every so often, not continuously, so it's possible for some rotors to be more wet than others between sweeps.

We'll see if the alignment helps. If not then I'll move to suspension components. I get the same symptoms on three different sets of tires. PSI have been checked on all three sets.

[fazman]

Originally Posted by dave4

I had the same issue last year and this year. My car is an 06 330xi with then 140k miles. Whether if it was raining or not, under hard braking the car would (try to kill me) wander to right or left for a second and then it would come back. It was annoying and pretty much unsafe coming down a hill on my daily route high speed in a turn and when braking it would not keep the curve.

I thought it was the tires first. In December I got a flat tire and since it was time to upgrade all of them I got the new Conti DWS 06. I also wanted to get an alignment done thinking it would fix the issue so I got new Tie Rods (complete set as the old one was frozen), the shop changed it, got the new rubbers on and it was fine for a couple days but then it came back. The shop didn't see anything else needed to be changed.

Then I thought it was the brakes. Maybe the rotors got uneven wear, or warped, who know, but I kept putting it off.

Then comes August, my VA state inspection is due. I put about 8k miles on the new tires and tie rods. I took it to the same Indy, they spent like 35 mins on the car, going up and down with it on the lift couple times and couple mechanics checking it out. Well in the end it got the rejection sticker. The guy told me that driver control arm bushing has too much play in it so it failed. He said they would change that one bushing out, alignment, and pass inspection. In VA inspection they only check one side of the vehicle so I told him I'd get a new kit for both side and have it installed.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...2-e90caxdrive1

And boy was I glad to have both side changed out. The passenger side they didn't check during the inspection was worse than the side they did check. At the end the car drives straight when hard braking. Even when coming down the hill 65mph in a sharp turn and have to brake it doesn't go to the side but stays 'straight.' This was at 148k miles.

I started noticing this issue at around 130k miles on my 2008 335xi. I'm now at about 150k miles and I order that exact same kit from FCPEuro (arrived at my house today) I have an appt to get it installed this weekend

I'm glad to read that it solved your issue (similar to what I am experiencing). I'll take it in for my alignment after getting the control arm and tie rod installed (I was told to skip the part for the knuckle and return it for my money back from FCP Euro).

[fazman]

Originally Posted by zipstic

I put on new pads and rotors at all 4 corners and I'm still experiencing the same issues. Rotors are R1 Concept slotted and cross-drilled. Pads are BMW OEM.

I think it's likely from the auto-drying feature on the rotors not functioning correctly.

I'm planning on getting an alignment done relatively soon, but I'm skeptical it will help with this issue.

I don't think this has anything to do with tramlining. It's very easy to reproduce the situation where you hit the brakes at 60MPH and the car will swerve to the side and a situation where you hit the brakes at 60MPH and the car will track straight and grip immediately due to recently applying the brakes to dry off the rotors.

This is exactly the same issue I have had since I was at 130k miles (I'm now at 150k miles).

[zipstic]

Originally Posted by fazman

This is exactly the same issue I have had since I was at 130k miles (I'm now at 150k miles).

Please keep us updated after the parts are installed and the alignment is done!

[Bobby_Sardells]

Hey this happens to me all the time. Car has been properly aligned, and brakes are relatively new (cross drilled rotors up front as well). I just got used to it, but would still love to know what is causing this.

[fazman]

Originally Posted by zipstic

Please keep us updated after the parts are installed and the alignment is done!

Will do, actually.. if you bump a mesg to me on this thread on Sunday or Monday... I'll give you my impressions after all is said and done.

Since I got the 6 piece kit from FCP Euro... I was told from another friend that I probably should have also gotten the tie rods as well since I am already in there doing this job. But I'm not going to wait on this fix for that part. Worst case... when my tie rods are failing i'll order those parts or the 10 piece kit. I also don't want to spend too much money right now on this car since my budget is tight. I'd like to pay off some other stuff first and then get a spare ride... then invest time/money to refresh the e90 to go another 150k miles.

[fazman]

UPDATE:

So i had the 6 piece kit from FCPEuro installed and that worked like a champ!!! my problem is ALL GONE! i had the shop install the parts and then i drove it to get an alignment done.

No more steering wheel wiggle when i am at a red light and let off the brakes.
No more feeling like the car shifts forward when i tap on the brakes.
No more drifting to the Left and then to the right as i brake in a straight line at freeway speeds
No more having to compensate for steering when brakeing in a turn and for it having to over correct

I would strongly suggest this be a routine repair job every 80k-100k miles. i waited way too long at 150k miles to figure it out.

Also i found out my front brake pads are low and that my headlight level sensor was broken (before they started on this job we saw it broken while on the lift)

[bman5150]

Fazman- that’s great to hear. I checked back on this post today because my wife had an “oh Sh#t” moment this weekend in the rain with my car. Did you replace your front control arms? Rear control arms?