XSeries-forum

Hi all,

Shot off up to leeds last night on the M1 and I seemed to be getting a slight weaving from the front end, hard to explain really but I had to keep adjusting the steering wheel very slightly to keep it going straight.
There doesn't seem to be any play in the steering that is noticeable and its not pulling obviously left or right, it does however shake its head slightly if you brake hard at 60+ mph. The tyres are new and so are the front discs.

Could this be the track control arm bushes on their way out, I have priced a full kit up at £140 (ebay), are they easy enough to change?
Thanks,
Paul. 

it could be that but equally it could be that a wheel balance weight has come off

If it was Lane 1 on the M1 it might be tram-lining in the grooves left by trucks... >:(

My X6 was doing it the other day on the way to the NEC.  Stopped as soon as I went to Lane 2.

Richard

pretty sure its not wheel balance weights as the steering wheel is not knocking around at any speed, yes sure I have noticed the truck trails (how could you not) but it seems to do it quite consistently at speeds over 50mph, its not at all noticeable when accelerating and only when cruising in a straight line.

Not had the car long so not sure what to expect from the handling etc but something else happened on the way back from leeds......an Audi (? they all look the same) and  GT-R came steaming past and I decided to see how fast the X5 (diesel) actually is (it isnt lol) and floored it to try and stay with them.........fine up to 110mph but had to back off over that as it didnt feel very sure where it was going.....sound right??

Had mine up to the listed speed (on a test track I hasten to add) and it fell completely planted - unlike a Disco I once dared to drive at more than 90mph once at which point it began to 'float' and was very disconcerting!

Richard

Weave,

Had similar.
most of the front end joints were "tired"... all MOT good, but gently sloppy, as mine has done 140k

The X5 is a heavy beast, and any slop or movement will have undesired results.

I went thru mine a piece at a time, starting with track rod ends, until 90% of everything was replaced.... most of the joints were soggy & not as good as they could be.
Luckily I could do it myself and saved a bundle of garage bills, and everything came from Flea-Bay.

Many of the joints could do this, & as these vehicles ride gently but solidly, so it won't necessarily be easy to tell what's wrong from the drivers seat.

For what it's worth, my 1st thought would be to.....
Go to a friendly garage armed with £20 cash, and get them to have a poke about underneath the front end  for 20 minutes while you watch.

I made sure mine had a full mot before I picked it up, lol !

I think I will take it to garage as you said and get it looked at although I am pretty competent on the spanners and I guess I will swap all the control arms out.......is it a long job or easy?
cheers.

Remember an MOT is only good when it takes place, literally when you drive out of the center something could go wrong or start to fail.
If you are able to get it up on a ramp check the rear bushes and joints as well as they could cause a bit of rear wheel steering if any are worn.

Good point Chelsea,

Also note that some MOT centres do a Judder test for joints etc, and it can pass a vehicle as heavy as an X5 because the sheer weight of the vehicle hides the failed/sloppy suspension joints...

Additionally, an MOT garage is not allowed to remove under body panels that may hide failed items....

Where as, if you pay some one to intentionally look for sloppy joints, they will find it if its there.

[quote="X5-D-Sport Salisbury"]
Luckily I could do it myself and saved a bundle of garage bills, and everything came from Flea-Bay.
[/quote]

I do hope that you don't find yourself doing this work all over again in 12 months time. As an E38 owner as well E53, there has been much discussion over the years on 7 series forums over sourcing parts. As the E38 has been around a lot longer, and some versions are at least as heavy as the E53, most owners would now avoid fleabay parts unless these are known to be OEM, due to rapid wear...save once, pay twice!

some good points thanks

I will probably go in search of poly bushes if it turns out to be them and someone at work also pointed out that it could be the rears that are sloppy also.
I have also noticed that it may be pulling very slightly to the left and it could be that Im correcting when driving, lol its hard to tell with 4x4  ::) its not at all that noticeable and basically its the only niggle except for the parking sensors so will take it to garage and get it looked at over next weekend.
Cheers all.

Also when checking the rear suspension you need to let the air out otherwise it atkes up most of the play in the joints for a static test.

Point worthy of note -
but I made sure I got proper branded bushes / yellow / blue polly & decent joints too.
The joints will probably outlive the vehicle lol..


[quote="chrisn7"]
[quote="X5-D-Sport Salisbury"]
Luckily I could do it myself and saved a bundle of garage bills, and everything came from Flea-Bay.
[/quote]

I do hope that you don't find yourself doing this work all over again in 12 months time. As an E38 owner as well E53, there has been much discussion over the years on 7 series forums over sourcing parts. As the E38 has been around a lot longer, and some versions are at least as heavy as the E53, most owners would now avoid fleabay parts unless these are known to be OEM, due to rapid wear...save once, pay twice!
[/quote]

:hmmm:    . Thinking aloud ,  strong winds can upset  vehicle handling . Tyre pressures ?
You may see people stopped at the roadside kicking tyres - scratching head , baffled as to why the car is weaving and not realising it is the wind causing it .

An extract from a news article , some strong wind in Scotland .

At the height of the gale, the harbour-master radioed a coast guard and asked him to estimate the wind speed. He replied he was sorry, but he didn't have a gauge. However, if it was any help, the wind had just blown his Land Rover off the cliff.
( Aberdeen Evening Express)

Brilliant - Only in Britain...... ha ha ha ha
========================
At the height of the gale, the harbour-master radioed a coast guard and asked him to estimate the wind speed. He replied he was sorry, but he didn't have a gauge. However, if it was any help, the wind had just blown his Land Rover off the cliff.
( Aberdeen Evening Express)