[Shanesaid]

I own a 2006 325i with stock rims, non-sport, and i have been looking for issues that may fix the problems i'm getting. It's gotten to the point where i hate driving my car and feels unsafe.

Problems:
Slow steering response at low speeds
Constantly having to fix the wheel after bumps
Slight Road wonder on flats/highway is worse than uneven road/backroads
Cold start, turning the wheel there is noise coming from engine bay
and going over bumps are getting louder than they used to.
Also feels rear may "influence" the problem a little bit.
Feels like a rubber band, you feel the sway links stop the body roll, but then in the turn, it feels like it lets go slowly, like pulling on a rubber band. u still feel that resistance? (not sure if thats understandable.)


Had taken it to dealer twice before asking them to look for this problem, reason being. They do a component inspection in suspension and steering, on the paper it was all checked OK, in spec.

-After asking my SA to have them check, nothing was found, everything was "tight" in the suspension, and whoever did the check said it drives like a normal e90 3 series.

Maybe some suggestions for this wednesday, (having a airbag sensor tripping and they are finally replacing a part after having the light turned off 4 times in 2 months.) Any help would be great!!!

[luckyu]

Originally Posted by 07szim

I own a 2006 325i with stock rims, non-sport, and i have been looking for issues that may fix the problems i'm getting. It's gotten to the point where i hate driving my car and feels unsafe.

I'm sticking to the suspension issues, because I can relate to your overall feeling, and a good technician can find & fix the non-suspension stuff.

Don't put too much stock in what the dealer tells you. There are good shops that specialize in BMWs all over the place. Find one. You need a good technician.

The problem with suspension compliance issues is that it can be almost anything, and it's often a little of everything. :-) When you turn the steering wheel, a soggy suspension can make the car feel unresponsive. Tires, bushings, and shocks can all contribute to a soggy feel.

- When you turn, initially the shocks resist the body roll. But once you're in a steady-state turn, the shocks stop resisting and it's the springs and swaybars that resist.

- The front shock mounts, rear subframe bushings, and rear shock mounts are known to be very soft. I find them unacceptable when brand new... if they're wearing out, they could be causing some or all of the problem you're having with wander and turn-in.

- The swaybar bushings, if they wear out will allow the swaybar to shift instead of resist. That can help cause a perception of sloppiness on initial turn-in.

- There are many other rubber pieces in the suspension that can wear out. These are attached to the control arms and links in the front and rear. A little compliance here and there can add up and an already soft car can feel really bad.

For reference: I have the performance suspension, which is two small steps up from yours in terms of stiffness, and my car has only 12K miles which is probably much less than yours. My car wanders very slightly on the highway too. My hypothesis is it's the rear, specifically the subframe bushings, that's causing the problem, but I haven't verified that yet.

[e90pilot]

What tires do you have? That will help more with steering response and tram-lining. Also the powersteering is a little loud on my car as well but I don't feel any problems with steering. Shock mounts rattle when they get loose. Check front and rear upper mounts. Worn rear shock mounts make the car feel very strange. You'll feel the wheel fight you during high speed cornering and you will not be able to hold a constant steering angle.

My vote is for tires and rear shock mounts.

[Shanesaid]

I have continental- run flats on standard (16"?) rims they are also BMW approved tires.

The car has 85,000 if that can narrow down any parts that are replaced in amount of miles...

i notice more of the problems when its cold outside

[luckyu]

Originally Posted by 07szim

Constantly having to fix the wheel after bumps

At first I didn't understand this, but I think you mean that the car's direction is upset by the bump and you have to correct it by turning the steering wheel.

Did these suspension problems creep up on you gradually? Do you have Active Steering? Your tires aren't flat are they?

At 85K, it's possible that the problem is caused by everything (shocks, bushings) being worn out a little. But, from your description it sounds so severe that I think something may be wrong.

Step one is to get a technician (a real one) to drive your car and experience the issues over bumpy roads. Then he should carefully look over the suspension. Besides visually checking everything, and doing an alignment, he can quickly check bushings to see if they have failed.

Then if nothing's wrong, you can decide if you want to start replacing stuff. We can help you with that when you get there.

Try Yelp and find a good shop.

[e90pilot]

Originally Posted by 07szim

I have continental- run flats on standard (16"?) rims they are also BMW approved tires.

The car has 85,000 if that can narrow down any parts that are replaced in amount of miles...

i notice more of the problems when its cold outside

Do hear squeaking from the suspension when it's cold? The front control arm bushings tend to pop and leak everywhere. I agree with the above post. Take the car to a shop and have them drive it and look over the suspension.

[Shanesaid]

Thank you guys. You have been helping me a lot. Today I take the car in and will express concern about the problem. Hopefully this time they find something.( will be a different BMW center)

If I am going to replace something and they find something. Should I opt out of oem and get better supermarket?

[luckyu]

Originally Posted by 07szim

If I am going to replace something and they find something. Should I opt out of oem and get better supermarket?

If you are going to replace something, it may be a good idea to upgrade it to the M3 part. The M3 parts are still BMW original parts, but use stiffer rubber, or the rubber is eliminated in favor of a bearing. If you decided to replace subframe bushings I personally would use the M3 bushings.

But in principle you will be able to fix the problem you're experiencing, without upgrading. If your originals lasted 80K, that's very good.

For example. Suppose it turns out your tension strut bushing popped, like Marcelo suggested. You could get a replacement tension strut from me or someone else here for very cheap, because we upgraded to the M3 version and have the originals lying around.

[Shanesaid]

They said everything with the suspension checked out ok. The car has been driving ok for a past two days, maybe i'm just being too critical. I used to have an 01' e46 325i with a sport package so maybe i'm used to the larger rims and tires (more tight feeling at the wheel).

I am considering changing struts and shocks, i want the best and i was reading how bilstein is very good but also very stiff.

Would you recommend changing to (new) OEM struts, or "upgrade" to a type of bilstein struts/ shocks???