2009 BMW 750Li Vibration/Shimmy

Hi All: I have a 2009 750Li with the Sport Package, Pirelli PZero 245/45 19 fronts, and 275/40 19 rears. I got the car in August, and as the weather got colder, I have noticed a shimmy or vibration that makes it feel like I'm driving on rippled pavement. It is much worse when the car shifts at roughly 30 and 40 miles per hour. At 80 miles per hour I can't feel it, but at 50 to 60 miles per hour it can feel like I'm driving on a rough road even though the pavement is perfectly smooth. There is no noise coming from the drive train. The problem improves after about 25 to 30 minutes once the car and tires are very warm, but I don't think the shimmy ever completely goes away. At times it can feel as if something is grabbing in the rear of the car giving a to-and-fro sensation or high frequency hesitation. I've never hit a pot hole, but the dealer said it was a balancing issue with the wheels and tires. Unfortunately, that did not correct the problem. The dealer also replaced the spark plugs because of a service bulletin, but I haven't noticed any difference with that either. I have another appointment with the dealer next week...they still think its a tire issue. The tires are about $500 each, so I would expect them not to be the problem. It seems more like the differential or transmission to me. I love the car otherwise. I've had 3 other BMW's, and I've never had an issue like this.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks

Originally Posted by peskas

Hi All: I have a 2009 750Li with the Sport Package, Pirelli PZero 245/45 19 fronts, and 275/40 19 rears. I got the car in August, and as the weather got colder, I have noticed a shimmy or vibration that makes it feel like I'm driving on rippled pavement. It is much worse when the car shifts at roughly 30 and 40 miles per hour. At 80 miles per hour I can't feel it, but at 50 to 60 miles per hour it can feel like I'm driving on a rough road even though the pavement is perfectly smooth. There is no noise coming from the drive train. The problem improves after about 25 to 30 minutes once the car and tires are very warm, but I don't think the shimmy ever completely goes away. At times it can feel as if something is grabbing in the rear of the car giving a to-and-fro sensation or high frequency hesitation. I've never hit a pot hole, but the dealer said it was a balancing issue with the wheels and tires. Unfortunately, that did not correct the problem. The dealer also replaced the spark plugs because of a service bulletin, but I haven't noticed any difference with that either. I have another appointment with the dealer next week...they still think its a tire issue. The tires are about $500 each, so I would expect them not to be the problem. It seems more like the differential or transmission to me. I love the car otherwise. I've had 3 other BMW's, and I've never had an issue like this.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks

Hi Peskas,
Your posting seems very similiar to bcool's. You are best to weigh in on that posting: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=399886
I am sure you will find the guys on that posting very helpful.
Good luck!

Thanks you.

You dd a good job of describing the EXACT same problem I'm having on the same year / make / model. . Did you ever have any luck fixing it? What did you end up doing?

Not really. They did some software updates, balanced the wheels, and perhaps changed the character of the problem, but it never went away. I finally just traded it in on a 2013 650i Gran Coupe.....which has an 8 speed automatic and no vibrations. I think the dealer though I was imagining the problem on the 750Li.

Thanks for the update though that's wildly depressing. I took the car to discount tire for an opinion and they brought me back - rims are bent, 3 of them. The dealership said they'd be happy to relieve me of $2k to replace them or buy an insurance policy. The dealership sold me the car with bent rims, because I've had this problem as soon as I drove it off the lot and onto the highway. Silly me for not driving it at highway speeds before I bought it, but I was lulled into a false sense of confidence that they checked everything. I got somewhat of a snide remark from the salesperson telling me how "surprised" he was that BMW woodlands and BMW Austin didn't notice the issue. Well a little clue is that they had to bolt a 20 lb dumbbell to the wheel when they balanced it out. I'm thinking after-market rims for roughly half the price but don't know what that'll do to the warranty. In worried the bent rims fatigued other parts of the suspension or drivetrain. It's the most I've ever spent on a car, and I've never been so bummed out.

Curtis, I have the same problem. Here is some advice. Assuming you have 19"s rims or larger, take the full sized spare out of the trunk and replace it with your wobbly front tire/rim only. Put that into your trunk as a spare. Use your money to focus on buying oem replacement rims for the two rear units. Out of pocket approx $900 ($450 per rim) + tire mount + full balance and alignment = maybe $1,500. Not ideal but a less expensive option then replacing all rims, tires, ++.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by Curtisjmwc1

Thanks for the update though that's wildly depressing. I took the car to discount tire for an opinion and they brought me back - rims are bent, 3 of them. The dealership said they'd be happy to relieve me of $2k to replace them or buy an insurance policy. The dealership sold me the car with bent rims, because I've had this problem as soon as I drove it off the lot and onto the highway. Silly me for not driving it at highway speeds before I bought it, but I was lulled into a false sense of confidence that they checked everything. I got somewhat of a snide remark from the salesperson telling me how "surprised" he was that BMW woodlands and BMW Austin didn't notice the issue. Well a little clue is that they had to bolt a 20 lb dumbbell to the wheel when they balanced it out. I'm thinking after-market rims for roughly half the price but don't know what that'll do to the warranty. In worried the bent rims fatigued other parts of the suspension or drivetrain. It's the most I've ever spent on a car, and I've never been so bummed out.

Go to Hubcaphaven.com. They have rep wheels that look exactly like the factory wheels for about $250 per wheel. Much cheaper than the Dealer!