Topic: Girlfriend's new-to-her Z4

[mmret]

Mostly went by the reasonable price, very solid reviews, and the (420 I think?) UTQG treadwear rating. I know UTQG isn't meant to be compared across manufacturers but still...

[mmret]

Brutal. Absolutely brutal. There may be no vibration when braking from 70, but now there is a HORRIBLE vibration braking from 120. I'm taking it back tomorrow.

Is it the bushings? The labour? Something else? Who knows. If this goes wrong I'm giving it to the dealer and just ponying up the money. Life's too short for this stress.

[aquadorhj]

woah, what happened?

it wasn't the control arms?   maybe the new wheels not balanced properly?
hope that gets fixed soon.  i hate steering wheel vibrations.

[rrocket]

Brutal. Absolutely brutal. There may be no vibration when braking from 70, but now there is a HORRIBLE vibration braking from 120. I'm taking it back tomorrow.

Is it the bushings? The labour? Something else? Who knows. If this goes wrong I'm giving it to the dealer and just ponying up the money. Life's too short for this stress.

Rotors warped??

[Railton]

Brutal. Absolutely brutal. There may be no vibration when braking from 70, but now there is a HORRIBLE vibration braking from 120. I'm taking it back tomorrow.

Is it the bushings? The labour? Something else? Who knows. If this goes wrong I'm giving it to the dealer and just ponying up the money. Life's too short for this stress.

Man, you don't need this shat - life's too short. Sell it and by G.
Railton

[inco]

Brutal. Absolutely brutal. There may be no vibration when braking from 70, but now there is a HORRIBLE vibration braking from 120. I'm taking it back tomorrow.

Is it the bushings? The labour? Something else? Who knows. If this goes wrong I'm giving it to the dealer and just ponying up the money. Life's too short for this stress.

Rotors warped??

  Think this is the problem.

[johngenx]

I'm betting warped rotors as well.  Had the wheels on and off a lot?  If so, hammering them back on with high torque values will warp them.  But, they can just warp regardless.

[mmret]

But how do the rotors warp this badly after just changing FCABs?

[blur911]

But how do the rotors warp this badly after just changing FCABs?

Maybe they're not actually warped, but contaminated. Oil, grease or uneven pad material transfer on part of the rotor can make it grabby, a little sandpaper and lots of brake cleaner sometimes works.

[mmret]

Shouldn't I also feel it in the brake pedal if its the rotors?

[johngenx]

Shouldn't I also feel it in the brake pedal if its the rotors?

No.  Often, just the wheel shakes.

[mmret]

Shouldn't I also feel it in the brake pedal if its the rotors?

No.  Often, just the wheel shakes.

Ah, I guess the brake fluid provides the sort of cushion that my new solid rubber bushings do not.

[mmret]

So, the horrible vibration under braking is gone now (rotors + pads replaced), but it seems that as a result of replacing the fluid filled OEM bushings (which were wobbly and broken after 56k) with hard rubber aftermarket ones, I now get tons and tons of extra feedback and vibration through the wheel. Its akin to when I just got the car and it was wearing RFTs.

I can feel a lot of "push" through the wheel at 110km/h and up. Feels unsafe to be honest and at a minimum adds a lot of stress to the driving experience.

Sadly, looks like I'm going to have to pony up the cash to get the OEM stuff. What a waste of money.

[rrocket]

What a waste of money.

You mean the BMW?   

Or the bushings??

[mmret]

What a waste of money.

You mean the BMW?   

Or the bushings??

The bushings you cheeky bugger.

Breaking My Wallet indeed. Especially after the last week or so of market action.

[rrocket]

What a waste of money.

You mean the BMW?   

Or the bushings??

The bushings you cheeky bugger.

Breaking My Wallet indeed. Especially after the last week or so of market action.

OHHHHHHHH!!!!!!   


You don't own a BMW, you support it.  Didn't you know that?? 

[mmret]

What a waste of money.

You mean the BMW?   

Or the bushings??

The bushings you cheeky bugger.

Breaking My Wallet indeed. Especially after the last week or so of market action.

OHHHHHHHH!!!!!!   


You don't own a BMW, you support it.  Didn't you know that?? 

Nice things cost money.

[blur911]

I suspect the 1.8hrs of labour they charged me was on the high side (this is at an indie mechanic...dealer wanted $300 plus a mandatory $200 alignment afterwards...urgh), but I can't be sure. Still on the lookout for the right indie mechanic in Markham/RH.

So, did you get the alignment done after the bushings were replaced? 
Could be the reason for your feedback and push, perhaps there's a little toe out now, which makes for a darty car.

[huota]

Long story short, $185 of parts (blasted UPS brokerage charges!) and $185 of labour later, the wobble is gone. Replaced with aftermarket solid rubber bushings instead of the pricey OEM fluid filled ones. It seems to have tightened things up nicely.

I suspect the 1.8hrs of labour they charged me was on the high side (this is at an indie mechanic...dealer wanted $300 plus a mandatory $200 alignment afterwards...urgh), but I can't be sure. Still on the lookout for the right indie mechanic in Markham/RH.

In my experience 1.8 hrs sounds right. It takes longer to replace the bushing only than the whole arm. When I had PU bushings installed on my E46, it took the shop approx. 5 hours to do it. It was their first time and fortunately I didn't have to pay for all of that time. The estimated time was two hours, IIRC.

[mmret]

I suspect the 1.8hrs of labour they charged me was on the high side (this is at an indie mechanic...dealer wanted $300 plus a mandatory $200 alignment afterwards...urgh), but I can't be sure. Still on the lookout for the right indie mechanic in Markham/RH.

So, did you get the alignment done after the bushings were replaced? 
Could be the reason for your feedback and push, perhaps there's a little toe out now, which makes for a darty car.

Yes, it was aligned. I will check the printout of the specs when I get home.