[geost]

Guys/gals please bear with me as this is a long post but I need help.

I have an issue with the dealer. I bought my 335D a few weeks ago and it has the M-Sport package with (naturally) the sport suspension. When I bought the car and drove home, I noticed the rear wobbles a lot when I hit bumps. Mind you, I had a 2008 328i Coupe with sport suspension and it was stiff. The sport suspension on my 328i felt right and like it was planted to the ground.

But with my 335D, any little bump I hit the rear wobbles. It's NO way near the stiffness of my 328i. I mean, the car wobbles like crazy as if the rear is about fish tale or something. It's pretty obvious that this car should NOT be doing this because it's supposed to have the sport suspension correct?

Then over the weekend I added 19" VMR VB3 wheels to replace my oem M wheels and now the rear passenger tire scrapes like a mofo when I hit bumps. Any bump going at low or high speeds it scrapes inside. When I make a left turn at about 25 mph the wheel scrapes. And the rear of the car still wobbles. So not only is my car wobbling, but the rear passenger wheel is scraping like hell. At this point I'm thinking one of my shocks is dead.

So I take it to my local dealer in Fremont as it still has the full new car warranty which expires Dec of this year. And they told me that nothing is wrong with the shocks. They put it on the rack and they said they could not find anything visually wrong with the chassis or suspension. WTH?

Then said they test drove it and nothing is wrong. Am I losing my mind here? My rims are 19x8.5 ET40 on the front and 19x9.5 ET33 in the rear. And my tires are Falken Azenis FK-453 235/35R19 in the front and 265/30R19 rear.

The only excuse they give me is that my "aftermarket wheels and tires are too big for your car which puts more load on the suspension and that's why you scrape." They wanted to give my car back yesterday but I refused told them it's a hazard driving my car with bad suspension since I live 50 miles away (2 hours to get here in traffic on crappy roads) plus now it's raining. So they gave me a loaner and want me to go back today to test drive it with a technician.

What can I do besides a test drive to prove them wrong? For those with sport suspensions on a sedan, this is not right correct? Shouldn't it be stiff and firm and not loose and wobbly? I've had issues in the past before with this dealer where they give me the run around and excuses.

If anyone could further give me some insight I would greatly appreciate it. I know something is wrong with the suspension in the car. I feel it. It does not feel "sporty" at all when driving.

First off, you should have put the OEM wheels/tires back on there before going to the dealer. What's going to happen now, as you've already experienced, is they're just gonna blame it on your aftermarket wheels/tires being the issue.

Best bet is to pull the rear shocks out and see what's going on for yourself. Either that or take it to an indy. Even if it is the rear shock(s), isn't that considered a wear item and not covered under warranty anyway?

[David1]

There is probably a bad joint in one of the arms on that side. Any pothole hits in the past?

[geost]

I just came back from the dealer. As expected, they are still blaming my 19s even though I told them it was doing it before with my oem 18s. Before the test drive, the technician swapped out my 19s for 17" oem wheels. We went for a ride and didn't notice anything.

IMO I don't think this was a fair comparison and told the tech. The 17s he put on there were from some base model 3 although he claims it was from a diesel (his words). Now he's going to put some stock 18s and we are going for a test drive again.

Originally Posted by FCobra94

First off, you should have put the OEM wheels/tires back on there before going to the dealer. What's going to happen now, as you've already experienced, is they're just gonna blame it on your aftermarket wheels/tires being the issue.

Best bet is to pull the rear shocks out and see what's going on for yourself. Either that or take it to an indy. Even if it is the rear shock(s), isn't that considered a wear item and not covered under warranty anyway?

It looks like I may have to go this option. I already have an indy lined up for it who also thinks it's a bad shock. The service advisor said this was covered under the original 4 year 50k full warranty which I still have remaining 'till the end of this year.

Originally Posted by David1

There is probably a bad joint in one of the arms on that side. Any pothole hits in the past?

I'm not sure if the previous owner hit a pothole but I haven't (yet haha). I will let the tech know and ask if the ball joints are good.

Wow, I'm surprised they're going to that much trouble...definitely let us know how it goes!

[David1]

Go to another dealer. They are done with you and are just tying to prove you wrong.

[geost]

I know right?

The service advisor just called me. They want their loaner back lol. They want me to put my 18s back on again and bring it back. Otherwise they can't do anything warranty related so long as my 19s are on there.

Looks like I'll be bouncing and scraping my way home tonight for a swap out. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

[techwhiz]

Interesting.
19" wheels are also a BMW option.
But put the 18"s back and complain.

[geost]

Just a quick update. I took the car in yesterday early morning. They swapped and put my stock 18s. Waited all day and they said nothing was wrong. Anyway, to make a long story short and after getting into a close heated argument, the tech and I went for a test drive again.

And FINALLY he felt it. He looks at me says I'm not crazy after all (jokingly..). So 3 days later, we were able to replicate the problem. The car wobbles. Something *IS* wrong with the suspension. The tech agreed and believes me now that something is definitely not right. So I'm on my fourth day with the car in the shop, and another 328i as a loaner.

We'll see what happens today.

[geost]

Update: After nearly a week at the dealer, the SA called me and told me to come pick up my car. They put on my stock M sport 18s and did an alignment out of "good will" and said it fixed the wobbling issue. I went for a test drive and...it's still there...

So I took it back. There was another 335D with sport suspension sitting there. The tech and I took it for a spin to compare it and damn. The car was stiff. It really did feel like it had a true sport suspension just like my '08 328i coupe. I went over bumps and the car didn't wobble. It felt the way the car should be..sporty and stiff with the wheels planted to the ground. Sigh.

I told the tech and he says there's nothing else he can do. They visually inspected everything for leaks, measured the height of the car and said everything checks out. At this point I'm still unhappy. So the SA is scheduling an appointment with some engineer expert who comes from "corporate" twice a month so I can meet him and inspect/test drive my car.

After driving the other 335D, my car suspension feels "soft". I asked the tech what could cause that and he said worn out springs and shocks. Seriously? Yet everything checks out...

I drove it home and I *HATE* how my car drives now even more after driving the other 335D. Aside from waiting for the dealer, what else can I do? Should look into purchasing new oem sport shocks and springs and have a shop install them? Maybe another brand that will give it the "sport" ride like it should have (Bilstein)? I don't know.

[nikitino25]

How many miles on your car? It sounds like you might have a blown rear shock but hard to say...you might look into a whole new set of shocks/springs (don't get stock) or maybe a coilover setup.....the stock sport suspension sucks in the first place, it's soft from the factory to compensate for the runflat tires that the car comes with.....I hated mine as soon as I got my car, way to bouncy and just sucked all around.....then got the BMW performance suspension which was a lot better but still too bouncy for my taste so now have Ohlins r&t coils=much better

[geost]

Originally Posted by nikitino25

How many miles on your car? It sounds like you might have a blown rear shock but hard to say...you might look into a whole new set of shocks/springs (don't get stock) or maybe a coilover setup.....the stock sport suspension sucks in the first place, it's soft from the factory to compensate for the runflat tires that the car comes with.....I hated mine as soon as I got my car, way to bouncy and just sucked all around.....then got the BMW performance suspension which was a lot better but still too bouncy for my taste so now have Ohlins r&t coils=much better

Right on thanks for the suggestion! Where did you get them from? And my car currently has 28k miles.

[nikitino25]

I got them from HP Autowerks and they are a vendor here on the forum. Here's a link to the kit:
http://www.hpashop.com/Ohlins-E82-E9...rt-e82-e9x.htm

Talk to Harold who is very helpful......your car has pretty low miles and it seems like something is amiss though

[scotty_miller]

Could it be rear subframe bushings?

[geost]

Originally Posted by nikitino25

I got them from HP Autowerks and they are a vendor here on the forum. Here's a link to the kit:
http://www.hpashop.com/Ohlins-E82-E9...rt-e82-e9x.htm

Talk to Harold who is very helpful......your car has pretty low miles and it seems like something is amiss though

Right on thanks! I'll check these out. I agree for a car with this low mileage something is wrong if the rear is bouncing all over the place (well only the passenger side).

If anyone else has any suggestions I'm all open!

Originally Posted by scotty_miller

Could it be rear subframe bushings?

Not sure but I'll make a note of this and ask when I go back. Thanks!

[geost]

Alrighty. So BMW of Fremont sucks. Bad. Their so called "technical engineer" said the car is "fine" and within spec. What BS. They ended up telling me that it's my rear tires since they are worn out and I need new tires soon. Tires are "out of spec".

I went to an indy shop recommended by other BMW owners here and I explained everything to the shop owner. The first thing he mentioned is that it's most likely the rear subframe bushings like you mentioned scotty_miller.

After doing some further research online regarding these bushings, it's seems very likely this is what is causing my car to wobble. More noticeable when I'm taking turns like getting on or off the freeway with small irregularities in the road.

My next question is, should I get Powerflex bushings or M3 bushings? Which is "better" of the two for daily driving? I have an appointment at Alekshop (indy shop) next week to inspect the bushings.

I still have factory warranty from BMW but I refuse to go in there and have those jokers work on my car let alone waste my time convincing them again it really is my subframe bushings. Thanks again.

[scotty_miller]

Originally Posted by geost

Alrighty. So BMW of Fremont sucks. Bad. Their so called "technical engineer" said the car is "fine" and within spec. What BS. They ended up telling me that it's my rear tires since they are worn out and I need new tires soon. Tires are "out of spec".

I went to an indy shop recommended by other BMW owners here and I explained everything to the shop owner. The first thing he mentioned is that it's most likely the rear subframe bushings like you mentioned scotty_miller.

After doing some further research online regarding these bushings, it's seems very likely this is what is causing my car to wobble. More noticeable when I'm taking turns like getting on or off the freeway with small irregularities in the road.

My next question is, should I get Powerflex bushings or M3 bushings? Which is "better" of the two for daily driving? I have an appointment at Alekshop (indy shop) next week to inspect the bushings.

I still have factory warranty from BMW but I refuse to go in there and have those jokers work on my car let alone waste my time convincing them again it really is my subframe bushings. Thanks again.

Glad you hopefully found your issue! I went with powerflex subframe bushings. I did the front rear subframe bushings and the rear ones at the same time. I have no complaint with them for DD. They weren't terrible to do. Getting the oem ones out was frustrating. If you need any help with them if you are DIYing and go with power flex pm me and I can try and help you out the best I can

[335dFan]

Geost (OP):

It is really hard to find the right words to described problems and even when you pick a perfect word it may mean different things to others. Having said that, I bought a new non-sports 2011 335d and have driven a sports suspension 335d, both with less miles than yours. Of course my suspension is now totally modified, but before mods it didn't behave as you described at all. A little slow to settle down over speed bumps and too much wallowing on interstate imperfections at higher speeds, but both of those were solved basically with Bilstein B6 dampers. Until I drove my friend's sports model, after which I decided his performed the way I wanted it to behave. Of course then I got totally carried away and ended up with mods that I drive on now. I guess you know this by now, but it seemed like something is broken on yours, and possibly other than a damper. I had a broken damper recently. In my case it did not change the performance; it just made awful noises. But each problem is different. Your sounds more like bushings of some kind. Good luck.

[Andrewe92]

OP glad you pinpointed the problem.. the dealer can be so annoying sometimes but I give credit to them in your case for at least trying you know? update us on what bushings you go with! I can't give much feedback on that but I still think you should go for some coilovers if your modding budget gives room for that.. coilovers can give you less body roll.. the height you want.. the stiffness you want .. and sporty feel that you are looking for!

[geost]

Just curious, does anyone know approx. how much it would cost to have sub frame bushings installed? I tried searching and so far I gather it's a pretty lengthy process. One shop quoted me $1250. Thanks.

[David1]

Dealer charge 8-10 hours of labor. It's probably is not the subframe bushings unless the car has a tone of miles on it.

[techwhiz]

Just swapped the shocks out on my 335i with sport package.
Shocks were toast. Almost no compression damping and zero rebound.
You could compress the shocks with one hand and they didn't fight to expand.
My car welt like it wobbled on freeway entrances or during any "spirited driving".

I put Bilstein B8 shocks to replace the stock blown units and it's a night and day difference.
I've had multiple BMW's and never had to do sub-frame bushings. Shocks always went.
Anyway YMMV, but the squishy feeling for me was shocks.