Car Vibration

[hossamo335]

Hi guys,

I need advice please. I drive a 2010 BMW 335xi coupe. The car shakes when drive at around 100/hr. The steering wheel does not though, just the car. The shake/vibration feels like its coming from right under the car. Im not sure what the issue is. Doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with the tires. Any suggestions/advice, please?

[jclausen]

Bent rim delaminating tire?

[hossamo335]

I dont think so. The vibration happened on the last day of using my summer tires, and is still there after switching over to winter tires. Both tires are on rims. I dont think it has anything to do with tires/rims. The car just vibrates and judders, so to speak. Doesnt vibrate at all at lower speeds, only at 100km/hr+ .Steering wheel is stable. So annoying!

Im planning on taking the car to a mechanic, but i just want a heads up/advice before i see one, just so i know what i should be expecting them to say.

[328 Power 04]

Driveshaft flex disk?
It needs to be thoroughly inspected underneath.

[bmwdirtracer]

Driveshaft center support bearing? If so, you need a driveshaft, complete. Replacing the CSB alone is futile; they die in conjunction with the u-joints. Driveshaft Specialists in San Antonio would be your best bet, if you find out that's what's bad.

[hossamo335]

Driveshaft center support bearing? If so, you need a driveshaft, complete. Replacing the CSB alone is futile; they die in conjunction with the u-joints. Driveshaft Specialists in San Antonio would be your best bet, if you find out that's what's bad.

Problem is, i live in a small town in Canada. The closest BMW dealer is 500km away. I took the car to a local mechanic, he took the car in for a couple of hours after a test drive. He then refused to dismantle the car, saying it was too much work without knowing the actual diagnosis. Ill have to look for someone else. The car is a 2010 with only 70k km on it. Very well taken care of. Im really hoping its not the drive shaft, cant imagine a drive shaft failing like that. One more thing to add, when this vibration first started happening, the car would clunk when shifting to reverse. It did that a few times. Not anymore. But tue vibration is obviously still there when driving 100km/hr. And its awful.


Im so stressed.

[hossamo335]

Problem is, i live in a small town in Canada. Closest BMW dealer is 500km away. Took the car to a local mechanic, after going out for a test drive, he kept the car for a couple of hours. He then called and refused to go any further. He says dismantling the underneath car is a lot of work. He advised me to go to the dealership.

Another thing to add, the car did clunk a few times when shifting from nuetral to reverse (car is manual). It doesnt do that anymore, but the vibration is still there and its bad. Im not sure what the problem is. Will have to try another mechanic.y car is a 2010 but with only 70k km on it. Very well taken of. Would a drive shaft fail so soon like that, given the low mileage?

So stressful.

[bmwdirtracer]

Cars break. Some faults are common, some aren't.

We can't touch the car, can't drive it, so we can only guess.

You should certainly avoid the mechanic who tells you he's got to have someone else diagnose it for him. Sometimes you have to take the car apart, sometimes you don't. A CSB, or a driveshaft u-joint, can usually be inspected by prying down a couple of heat shields....but if not, and the tech needs to drop the exhaust or something, well, okay, so he tells you "I need to be paid for an hour to drop the exhaust and examine ....whatever."

Being a 4 wheel drive car, you might have a bad transfer case, bad front driveshaft, or other issue. But a good technician needs to do his best to figure it out for you. Refusing to go any further because it's too much work??? WTF is that?

[hossamo335]

I know. I have a question, if the car still vibrates at 100km/hr even after shifting to nuetral, does that mean its not the driveshaft?

[bmwdirtracer]

No, because the driveshaft is still spinning. If the intensity and "tone" of the vibration doesn't change when you take it out of gear, it certainly becomes less likely that the driveshaft is the fault.

Let's see if we can narrow it down:

Is the vibration road-speed related? In other words, as you increase speed, does the frequency of the vibration increase?
Is the vibration engine-speed related? (If you downshift to a lower gear, does the frequency increase?
Is the vibration related to cornering loads (however slight)? (Does the vibration change if you turn the wheel a little left or right?
Does the intensity of the vibration change when you accelerate or decelerate?

[hossamo335]

I notice the vibration at 100-120km/hr. It doesnt happen right away. Ill drive to 100km/hr and then have to let the car settle at 100 for a bit before the vibration starts. If i then decrease the speed to anything lower than 80km/hr the vibration significantly reduces. Dont think acceleration has anything to do with it. It is speed related, i think. Not engine related either. Downshifting or upshifting has no affect on the vibration.

On another note, another mechanic checked the rear right caliper and he says it definitely needs to be replaced. He says he couldnt turn the wheel, and that its sticking. He says he’s 99% sure thats what the problem is. He also says the rotors need to be replaced. Im going to change that caliper as the mechanic suggested. I’m just unsure if the vibrations that are happening really are the symptoms of a bad caliper.

Any thoughts?