Hello all
I had been feeling a shudder coming through the seat. Also between 60-70MPH while on the highway I see the passenger seat shaking. My tires were worn and needed replaced. I thought that was the problem. New tires on and balanced - same shudder. Tire shop tells me the rims are not bent. What can this be? It is very annoying.
Thanks for the help

 

Hey, funny you ask, I was just about to post the same question. My 04 530i has the shakes, it's not terrible but it is definitely noticeable. Specifically the car shake is most noticeable between 60 and 70 MPH. I took the car to VOB BMW in Rockville, MD who had it all day. They said they didn't sense the shaking on the test drive (grrrr) then they said they could rotate and balance the tires but would not promise anything. Of course I had the rotate/balance done and of course it still shakes. I'm not sure but I think it's actually a little worse now than before the service. I used to have access to a garage with a tire balancer gizmo and really wish I could check for myself because assuming the shop did in fact rotate the tires then I have a different issue, bent axle? Bad tire(s)?

Any advise is greatly appreciated. I already have an appointment to take the car back to VOB BMW.

 

An imperfect roadway may be the cause. (There is a stretch on my drive to work where the concrete has a regular pattern of very slight dips which at high speeds is really annoying.) You may want to see if your shudder varies based upon the road (or test it on a "perfect" stretch of roadway-- if one exists.)

 

Sounds to me like the drive shaft (tail shaft). My father owns a business where they repair and balace tailshafts here in Australia. We do allot of BMW shafts but usually they don't start vibrating until 125,000kms +. A worn drive shaft allows "slop" in the drive drain and starts vibrating pretty much how you describe.

How many km's have you done?

 

I'm wondering - does the shudder come and go? Does it shudder for a few miles then smooth out for a few miles then repeat? I've noticed that with my 06 530i. I thought it might be a couple of slightly bent rims (from hitting the occasional pothole) that gradually go in and out of rotational sync as you drive along. My theory is that the shudder becomes apparent when the two slight flat spots are in the same relative rotational position...

Anyway, good luck getting to the bottom of this!

Thanks, Jon.

 

I have 51,000 miles. How costly is the repair if it is a drive shaft?

 

Well I would be suprised if it is worn after only 51,000 miles, but we've had ones with less than that give problems. Not sure where you are but they wear more quickly in hotter conditions becuase the rear coupling is near the exhause and gets "cooked" a bit.

Costing depends on what is wrong with it, but normally they come out at about A$400 or about US$280.