Steering problems

[Alex1986]

Hi can anyone help! I Bought a 1 series 2012 plate with 37000 on the clock , the car is in great nick for its age and drives great apart from a problem with the steering the steering wheel when in the middle intermittently wants to pull to either the left or the right mainly the left it’s subtle but I can feel it pulling in my hands, if I test the car to see how straight it drives eventually the steering wheel will move slightly on its own and wander, 1st I had the car tracked and it changed nothing so I rang the dealer who was apologetic and said he’d have his mechanic look at it, he diagnosed it to be an inner track rod, a day later the work was done but he said he couldnt track the front cos they didn’t have the equipment so I said no bother il get it tracked up , wen I left the steering wheel was slightly off centre but seemed fine however when I had it tracked again I left only to find I had the same problem, this is my 3rd BMW n I’ve never experienced this before could anybody diagnose this cheers 

[Greydog]

Morning Alex

An almost impossible to answer question as the diagnosis relies on "your feel" for the issue, so without actually feeling it we are all guessing.

So things that I would check carefully (1) Tyres, are they a decent make, all the same make, wear rate even and correct pressure's front and rear. (2) Suspension, has it been checked for worn or damaged bushes. (3) Tracking, when you have had the tracking done was it Front only or 4 wheel alignment? (4) Power Steering, has the power steering unit been checked? (5) Brakes, are they binding or rubbing, a sticking calliper front or rear or handbrake can cause the issue you describe. After a drive put your hand on the wheel centre if it is hot/warm it could be where your problem is. 

Let us know how it goes

Dave

 

[Alex1986]

The problem is intermittent every time I get someone to drive it it doesn’t do it for them for example I drove to work this morning and it did it 2wice on my street then nothing, last night I drove my daughter to football and the wheel did almost a quarter turn anti clockwise n I had to steer back to the middle quickly, tyres could do with changing they are a bit edgy but even so it shouldn’t be moving my steering wheel, I assumed the mechanic that sorted the track rod looked at suspension bushings and so on, first time I had the car tracked it was all 4 second time it was front 2, not sure on power steering unit, brakes are fine it’s had fresh pads all round n they are very responsive. 

[Greydog]

The fact you say the "Tyres are edgy" would indicate to me that they are worn oddly on the edges? Are the tyres still the OEM Bridgstone or Michelin runflat type?

You could be experiencing "tramline effect" where the tyre follows imperfections in the road surface runflat tyres are known to be quirky when near to the end of their life. Are all the tyres the same make and type? Does it always happen at the same piece of road? Are the tyres correctly inflated? The drag from an under inflated tyre can be very high.

I doubt the mechanic would check anything he would only change the part as tasked, with regard to brakes if a calliper sticks brakes will work fine but that brake will bind pulling steering to that side which is why I said feel the wheel at its centre after driving if one is warm/hot then that could be the issue. 

As I said in my original post virtually impossible to diagnose without feeling it.

Dave

 

 

[Alex1986]

3 tyres are Bridgestone run flat 1 at the rear is a Churchill run flat when I get this issue fixed I plan to get a new set of tyres I’m reluctant until the issue is sorted though, tyre pressure is correct I did check the wheel centres as you said and there’s no problem there, no mate it happens sporadically, it’s driving me insane lol I’ve rang the dealer it’s in next Monday at BMW specialist so we shall see what they say, thanks for the advice.  

[Greydog]

Sorry Alex

I think you are ignoring the biggest possible cause which is MISMATCHED TYRES? Run flat tyres are great but mixing tyre types/makes across an axel could well be your problem. BMW (and other manufacturers) strongly advise against mixing tyres on and axel 2 Bridgestone on the front 2 of another make at the rear OK but not on an axel.

I have never heard of Churchill tyres so have to assume it is a cheap import from Asia or similar. It's construction (materials used) will be different to the Bridgestone so its rolling dynamics will be different too. The tyre footprint is about the size of a saucer and is our only connection to the road for steering and braking 

If it were me I would either talk to the supplying garage and tell them you want matching tyres or just change the tyres 

Dave

 

[Alex1986]

I hear what your saying pal I have every intention of changing them but I don’t think my problem is the tyres, if the car was just wandering then I’d agree but what is happening to the steering wheel is not normal, the only way I can describe it is it’s like the car steering wheel has a spasm momentarily or if you’ve ever had alcohol shakes from drinking far too much on a stag doo lol. 

[Greydog]

Drinking to much on a stag do !!! Never, Well not that I remember 🤣

The only thing left is the Power Steering pump/control unit you will need a BMW Specialist or Dealer to check that.

Dave

 

[Alex1986]

😂, That’s what my father in law thinks, thanks for the advice, much appreciated 👍🏻

[Alex1986]

Just for a bit of information, took the car to a BMW specialist Monday he diagnosed the problem as a faulty lower control arm on the front of the drivers side he also said a common fault is the thrust piece in the steering rack, both have been changed today, I’ve done a good 30 miles in the car since and the problem is no longer there so fingers crossed that’s the end of it 🤞🏻

[Greydog]

Now you can enjoy your Beemer 😃

Dave

[Alex1986]

I thought so but the problem is back it’s having a new steering rack fitted in the next week or so, I can’t help thinking now though that the car may of had a smash in the past and is bent I can see the problem still being there even when the rack is replaced 🤷🏼‍♂️

[Greydog]

Your BMW specialist should be able to carry out a 4 wheel alignment which would show up a chassis problem. Was there not an HPI report with the car when you brought it? That should show up any accident history, even if it were a self repair I would think any chassis damage should be evident

Dave

[Alex1986]

I’ve had the car aligned when I 1st bought the car, the guy who did it for me didn’t mention any alignment issue when he did it he said the front was a bit out and was now corrected, I asked the dealer if it could of had a smash he said the car was bought from BMW auction and that they wouldn’t have sold him a bent car, but I’m sceptical, il see how the car is after the new rack is in next week n go from there I’m just worried I’ve bought a heap of junk 🤷🏼‍♂️

[Alex1986]

The thing bothering me is that when I’ve checked the mileage history it’s only had 1 owner n they we’re doing on average 4000 a year, it had an MOT in Dec 2020 then before I bought it in June and the car only did another 500 miles in that time surely it would of been close to 2000 or at least 1500 it just seems like it’s been stood for whatever reason, I dunno the problem is just driving me crazy i’m Thinking allsorts

[Greydog]

Don't over think things Alex

When did the Dealer you purchased from get the car? the process time line could well be something like, Traded in at Main dealer, sits in Dealers yard until decisions made whether to put it on the Forecourt or sell it at Trade auction (Main Dealers make their decision based on cars in stock? Is it a popular model? Mileage and condition). Your Dealer buys it and puts it on his Forecourt, how long was it there? Often cars sit at the Auction yard until transport is available if more than 1 car was purchased. So 500 miles in 6 months is very possible. 

You can check yourself by measuring wheel centre to wheel centre on each side, they should match Then put a spirit level vertically through the wheel centre and chalk mark the floor, repeat on all 4 wheels then measure diagonally front to rear, if there is more than a few mm variance get it checked professionally 

Dave

 

[Alex1986]

Nice one I’m deffo gonna try cheers 

[Alex1986]

Just done all of what you said and everything is good so il see what happens when I have this new rack 🤞🏻

[Alex1986]

I’ve recently had a full new set of Bridgestone potenza tyres on and a new steering rack the tyres have made a difference I had those on around a week before the steering rack, the rack has changed nothing I’m still getting the same problem I really don’t know what to do now 🤷🏼‍♂️

[X5smw]

Long shot but have the brake discs been checked for warps? Is the calliper loose? 
is there any air in the power steering pump? 
 

[Alex1986]

I’ve got a service coming up soon so gonna have a chat with the chap at my local garage n see what he says, il mention these things, cheers.