Hello Everyone!

My wife owns a 2004 525i sport (105k miles) and I need some help with figuring out what is wrong with the suspension. She is complaining that the wheel shakes between 65-80 mph and then goes away. (Save me on driving faster/slower comments) I notices that the passenger front wheel well is lower than the driver side. It has the look that I dropped the suspension on one side and not the other.

Could it be the shocks/strut? Or the control arm bushings?

Also, if anyone has any solutions to the SES light with lean mixture fault code, I would welcome that advice as well.

Thank you!

JB

2004 BMW 525i, sport package, nav, cold weather

 

Try re balancing the wheels and make sure the tire pressure is correct. If the passenger side is lower by a lot your shock maybe blown...check to see if there is any residue on the shock itself.

As for SES light take out the MAF and spray it with MAF cleaner and reset the codes and you should be good to go.

 

sounds like the hydro bearing in the thrust arm or the ball joint. those are both replacable parts on the upper control arm. i'm replacing mine next weekend. get under the car and look for a leaking bushing or play in the ball joint.

 

your shocks may need replacing at that mileage, but it is also true that BMW uses suspension settings where the passenger front IS noticeably lower than the driver front----
their reason is that when a driver is alone in the car, then the weight of the driver helps to settle the car evenly...
even when factory-new, the E60's had this trait.

I do not know if this height difference is achieved with different spring rates on the front left versus right, or suspension geometry---
but it is likely not going to be "corrected" with a new pair of shocks...

to say it another way---- "it works as designed"

 

make sure the wheel is not bent or the tires are not wearing unevenly ..

the height issue was also a concern for me when I first purchased my car , i took it to the dealer and they mentioned the same thing as Timmer stated , the passenger side of these cars are lower compared to the drivers side.
don't sweat the height. if it bothers you visually , get some coil overs so you can lower the car evenly all the way around.

 

Thank you for the suggestions, I will have the mechanic check it out. Now if I only can fix the P0171 and P0174 codes.....I have looked at the DISE (?) and it was clean and the suction held the butterfly valve open/closed as designed. The wife says the idle is rough, and the code reader does not show any codes for the O2 sensors. I am in Colorado, thus very dry air, am I looking at a cracked hose issue?

Take care,

JB

 

control arms. replace both the lower and upper and the stabilizer links and you'll be good to go