Well, next Friday I will taking in my 530xi for its 4th wheel alignment and 3rd wheel balance (of OEM's) since I purchased it new in May of this year. The sevice manager told me he still felt vibration after the last wheel balance and was going to inquire with Continental re: possible tire issues (FYI...all of this was PRIOR to my H&R springs installation). I never heard back re: the tires.

So, it's been about a month since, and I've been riding on 19" CSL replicas. They have made the shimmy about 5 times as bad. I put the OEM's back on last week, and the minor shimmy is still apparent, as it always has been. I spoke to the service manager today for an update to this issue, and as it turns out, they have an identical problem with another customer's '07 530xi. He told me that BMWNA authorized them to replace all 4 wheels and to put new Michelins on that guy's car to see if that would work. Well, it did nothing. So, now they have to wait for one of the main BMW techies to come evaulate his car. Once they figure his problem out (hopefully), they will try and fix mine, assuming it's the same issue. The dealer doesn't want BMWNA to void my suspension warranty due to the H&R's, so they want to see what happens first with this other car, so they can deal with it themselves. So, I guess the dealer is trying to not screw me on that point, which is good. We'll see how my 4th alignment and 3rd wheel balance go next week....great fun! I'll keep everyone posted. Oh...I plan to have them re-balance the replicas too.

Anyone else have these issues?

 

If you specifically describe the vibration problem, we may be able to help. What speeds does it happen, does the steering wheel shake- do the front seat backs shake, does it go away at faster speeds, etc?
I had a friend that had a shake and it turned out to be the drive shaft which threw a weight, had another and it was an engine mount.

 

The vibration is what you'd expect with out-of-balance wheels, however the OEM's have been balanced twice on 2 different machines, one Hunter road-force and one "traditional" balancer. Both times, the dealer said the wheels were perfectly zero'd without having to alter a thing. With the OEM's, the vibration is mainly in the steering wheel, which would suggest out-of balance fronts. With the replicas, the vibration is in the bottom of the seat, the floor & steering wheel...which leads me to believe the rears on the replicas are way out of balance as well as the fronts. I'd say that at 75mph and higher, the shimmy goes away...once again suggesting out-of-balance tires/wheels, an out-of-round wheel, etc. However, this shimmy has been there since day 1, and I've never impacted anything that would result in a bent rim. I've even tried rotating the OEM's front to back, criss-crossed, etc....with no change. I cannot rotate the 19's, as they are a staggered setup. And for those of you thinking "hub rings," these wheels are BMW replicas and have the exact same hub diameter as my OEM's. They even fit tighter on the hub than the OEM's do, so nix that as a possible cause.

I had an inkling that the replicas would cause me some trouble when I saw how many weights had been stuck on the insides of the rims. One wheel actually had a row of 4 weights taped ON TOP of another row of 4 weights. I must have 5 or 6 areas where there are weights on 2 of my wheels. What does that tell you? And these VB-3 CSL's are supposed to be some of the best quality replicas on the market. Supposedly the manufacturer makes OEM's for Honda, Toyota and Lexus, so they should be good wheels. Cmansbimmer has the same wheels and says he has no shimmy issues at all, so who knows? Once I get the replicas road-force balanced, hopefully they will be better. I don't expect "perfect."

As for the tires, I have Bridgestone Pole Positions on the replicas, so I doubt the OEM Continentals are the problem. Also, when the car has been sitting for 10 hours while I am at work, the vibration is very pronounced, even at low speeds, with both sets of wheels. It's like there are serious flat spots as a result of the inactivity, even if it's 90 degrees out all day. I've never experienced this with any other car I've owned, and the road I drive on immediately after leaving work is brand new blacktop..perfectly smooth, and still the shimmy at 30 mph and up. I just think my car is a lemon. We'll see. I'd like to get rid of it at this point. There are 2 M5's sitting on my dealer's lot! But at $98K and $91K, respecitvely, they are not in my price range!

 

I don't know if it's still something that's done these days but years ago, on my E30 M3, they did a "finish balance" (not the same as the Hunter road force balance) which I think is where they attach the wheel to the car and a machine spins the entire wheel assembly as it's fastened to the car. This method actually balances the wheel/tire/rotor/lugnuts, etc. as one system instead of just the wheel/tire assembly.

Maybe you can ask if they still do that or have that equipment?

 

I've read about that method being superior to road-force balancing and will inquire. And for your information, the work will be performed at Sewickley, so I don't have to pay! I will give them one last chance to get it right, and then I'll head to Rahal. Thanks for the advice.

 

I have had tires that balance and align but have had a defective crooked tread causing a shimmy but you have two sets of wheels and two sets of tires that all shimmy, so it appears not to be those components. The fact that it shimmy's more with the staggard setup only means that whatever the problem is (in possibly the supension components) it's being exagerated with that setup.
Have you tried having a friend driving next to you while your driving, at the speed that shimmy's the worst, to see if he can see the shimmy on a specifc wheel. This would narrow down your suspension diagnostics.
Does the shimmy change if you lightly brake? With the increased use of aluminum, wheel nut over-torquing can cause a shimmy/vibration.
Does the shimmy change if you change lanes to the right or the left lane? That loads and unloads the wheel bearings on each respective side and if defective can cause similar issues.

Sorry for your problem, good luck.

 

I have no more vibration with braking than without, and there's no difference when changing lanes. I have torqued my lugs to OEM spec..90 lb-ft. and the I will assume the dealer has also. Having someone drive next to me on the highway to stare at my wheels probably won't help anything, esp. with the OEM's, since the vibration is so light. I am guessing the problem is not in the wheels, but somewhere in the steering components. Remember, I've had this problem from day one. I will keep you posted. Thanks for your suggestions.

 

My 06 XI has developed the same shimmy, it started around 15K - nothing major but annoying and as someone mentioned, it make the passenger head rest do the cha cha. My SA said an alignment would cost me a buck seventy five, I didn't have it done but will probably do so in the coming weeks.

 

An alignment won't fix your cha cha. That has nothing to do with shimmy. The only reason I'm having mine realigned is because the dealer didn't get it into spec after my springs were installed. I didn't realize it till I got the before-and-after spec sheet in the mail a week later, only after I requested it. The front, left wheel's camber was out of spec. So, they are doing it over.

I'd have your wheels balanced if I were you, assuming it's been a while. Maybe you threw a weight or something has shifted. Try swapping the front and rears to see if there's a difference. Good luck. If you figure it out, let me know what the problem was.

Oh, by the way....I found a nail stuck in my tire on my 19's today (which are currently off the car), and of course I had to pull it out...hsssssss! Oh well....I'll put it on my list for Friday's appt.