Vibration felt through whole car

Hi guys, just a quick one. Working in a wheel and tyre centre i come across this problem all the time.

When the vibration is felt through the entire vehicle then the problem is most definately at the rear.

If you have had your wheels balanced then do this and let me know

look to see if you have bang on weights on the inside and outside of the rim?

If not, do you have stick on weights on the inside of the rim but on the inner and outer edges?

If not are the weights just being put in one strip in the centre of the rim?

Check all four wheels

Any damaged wheel needs to removed from the vehicle immediately. you will be very surprised how bad a vibration can be caused from even minor flat spots on a rim.

Has anybody tried getting up to speed where the vibration can be felt and then slipped into neutral, if the vibration goes away then it's more likely to be engine or prop related, but this would also be felt under acceleration.

If it doesnt go away then the only thing can be is the wheels or tyres.

I once had a coil pack go down. That gave a misfire at about 4500 rpm and could easily be mistaken for a vibration. The only test for this is to buy a new coil and test each coil in between test drives. Everyone i know who has had a fault with coil packs and had diagnostic tests done have had the reports come back with no faults.

I'd be interseted to hear how you get on

Tom,

As you know i had all 4 tyres replaced in my quest to cure the vibration.  I went back to the original tyres which are Conti Eco Contacts.  I had my car from new so I know for sure they are the original equipment.  My wheels although a different style to yours are exactly the same size.  The tyre size is 225/55/16.  My original set lasted 33000 miles. I decided to fit Fulda extremos (directional aquatread type) as replacements on advice from a mate.  Right from the start it was a bad decision.  They were terrible for tramlining and my fuel consumption went through the roof.  i.e on the 800 mile round trip from Oxfordshire to Scotland which i do around 5 times per year I'd get approx 34mpg at around 90mph depending on wind direction and wet roads.  With the Fuldas I was only getting 29 mpg on the same journey.  I saved £40 on the set of tyres but calculated that over 33000 miles they'd cost me about £1000 more in fuel.  Now I have new Contis back on, the difference is amazing.  The steering and directional stability is so much better and the economy has improved already.  The ride is smoother and so much quieter it is unbelieveable.  So my advice is get the Contis.  You won't be dissapointed.  They are what the car was meant to have and it really shows.  I didn't think tyres could make such a difference.  Now I know better.

Hope this helps

Alex

Hi phllip glad you are enjoying your car!.You will find that if you drive quite enthusiasticly the asc will come on easily! Only time i find it annoying is when at a roundabout when its wet and you need to pull away quickly it cuts the power for a few seconds,mind you beats sitting ther with both wheels spinning !. Maybe you can post some pic's when you have some .ENJOY.

Hi phillip sorry to hear about your problems with your 520i .I own a e39 528ise best car ive ever had ! smooth torquey straight six,comftable capable cruiser ENJOY!

a bit extreme Phil....I suppose if you're not happy then you go with it..

I'm getting my exhaust finally sorted tomorrow and the arms/bushes done Tuesday, so I'm hoping Wed I'll be driving mine and it will feel like a 2003 car????

Hi Toxic,

Just dropped my car off and asked for a proper breakdown of the quote...£19.50 each side for the bushes and £45 per side labour. I got confused as I thought he was chrging me £30 per side labour...but he is £30 an hour and he said the job takes 1.5hrs ish. He has only done one before on an e39 and thats how long it took but he will charge less if it is quicker. So not too bad I think...like i said if it fixes it I don't really care how much.I will let you know tonight.. 

Its an independant. Two hours labour at £30 per hour and the rest the parts. Hope I am not being ripped off but he is a good guy and been doing german cars for 20 years.If I had a FBMWSH i would go to BM but I don't.And  I am about as handy with spanners myself as a fish.

I'm not really too bothered whether they've driven worse, fact is, my car has driven better and I want it back that way. "Quote"

Toxic the cost was for the whole job, inc. labour. And you rae completely right. I don't care if there are worse about..I want my car back the way it was too.

Phillip

I am now booked in on Tuesday for upper control arm bushes. £151.26 inc VAT. Don't know whether this is expensive but hey, already wasted about 1k on changing things that don't need it so who cares.

Will let you know on tuesday.

Phillip

Dergside wrote: Toxic wrote: As for tyres....any recommendations as to what people use? Tom I replaced mine a few months ago and got Pirelli P7's.  Not overly impressed.  Seems like the consumption has dropped off by about 1.5 mpg and they don't feel quite as communicative.  Having said that, I can't be sure that tracking isn't contributing to the problem a bit. I had the Conti's before these and they felt better.  Goodyear Eagles seem to be recommended here by many as well. TJ pointed me to Rathcormac Tyres (025) 36301, near Fermoy and their prices were excellent.  Couldn't beat them with Dave McCann or Eiretyres (the other outfits recommended this side of the pond). I missed out on some of this thread earlier.  My cat is has been on the way out and last week started to sound like a tin of marbles so I'll need to get that done.  Did you get the bits for that yourself or did your service guy?  What sort of cost did that come to.  I'm hoping its not going to be as eye watering as KBannon's!

I got a price up North last time for about €130 each inc. fitting for Dunlop Sport 8000's.  I'm not sure if that can be beaten down here.  I know the place in Rathcormac, I pass by every time going to Cork.

I'm going to Cork in April and also the North so I'll compare the 2 prices.

I got the cat from GSF with the sleeve and gaskets at just under €400.  Got a local mechanic to fit it but it wasn't fitted 100% straight and needs a minor adjustment.  Just make sure it's the cat before you go shelling out the yoyo's.  My back box is a bit 'marbly' also...grab the tail pipe and give it a shake and see if the marbles can be heard in there.  It could be that and would save you €200.