Robg

I've been curious as to what brand of tires people with the dead spot steering have. Most people I have heard from have ContiSports with the Sport Package.

People with Dunlops or Michellins haven't reported similar problems.


-RChoudry

RChoudry said:

Come to the Pa. meet this Sunday. Maybe we can start a class-action claim.

-RChoudry

Click to expand...

PA meet ???? Where???? When ???? :dunno:

Are Al, Josh, Mike aware?

whoops, sorry dude,

it is in fact Sunday, March 24.


-RChoudry

Rchoudry--

i won't be able to make it out on Sunday. Was the $1000 including installation? I wonder how much Circle BMW charges for the rack (they're usually cheaper)-- and maybe an independent shop would perform the labor for cheaper. Pretty weak grounds for a lawsuit unfortunately-- we were unhappy w/ the feel of our steering, BMW voluntarily replaced it and we're still unhappy. It is interesting that everyone w/ the wandering problem seems to have the contisport tires. But, I didn't have a wandering problem before the retrofit was done and I had the same tires. I don't really believe BMW about the 2002 rack not fitting. If you called the average customer rep at BMWNA and asked if a 2000 rack would fit in a 2001 car they would say no too. They're just "programmed" to give the safest response- and if a quetion involves the slightest bit of tehcnical knowlegde they'll just say "contact your dealer" or " it can't be done". Then again, I'm not convinced that I need a new steering rack to solve the problem-- I think it could be a problem w/ the installation. Check this link out:
http://www.pss1.com/darting.htm

It gives a number of causes for darting or wandering steering-- like overtightened tie rods, undertightened bolts that hold the steering rack, air in the steering lines, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if our dealers somehow botched the installation and this causes the problems. The sports package tires probably help magnify the problem by being sensitive to road grooves. Unfortunately, we'll never get a dealer to re-install the rack under warranty-- they'll claim that nothing is wrong because they won't get paid by BMWNA to really diagnose the problem--there's too many things to check. Most dealers seem to follow the "rip out and replace" school of repair for this reason. But, BMW is unlikely to reimburse the dealer for a new rack unless the old one can be proven faulty. The one hope for getting BMW to replace the rack again might be to get a BMWNA field rep to drive the car and authorize that work be done. Field reps have a lot of authority in approving or rejecting warrnaty work.

I'd like to find a really, good independent BMW mechanic and pay him to diagnose and fix this problem-- because i'm fairly certain its not the rack itself. And, if it is the rack, I could use the mechanic's diagnosis to possibly get a new rack under warranty. If it really turns out that the rack is bad and BMW won't pay, i may just resign myself to paying for the 2002 rack to be installed. I'm just not willing to aggravate myself too much over this issue and want to get it solved to my satisfaction as quickly as possible--even if that means i have to spend some money.

Unfortunately the problem we're experiencing is a subtle problem, requiring subtle and possibly lengthy diagnosis that will probably result in a very slight correction to fix the problem.

the 1000 dollars includes the cost of the rack, but not the coupler, seals, bolts, or core charge for the rack core. Steering racks are mostly rebuilt and the core is re-used so if you don't return one, they charge you. That price is from Circle BMW.

I'm hoping the tires make the situation better, otherwise, I'll give a few more tries to fix this problem and then simply drive out the lease and get a new car. Almost got a new car last month, but really didn't want to pay more money because BMW wasn't pro-rating my down payment on the lease.

I agree that the rack is probably mechhanically okay. It's likely the installation process like you said.

I'm really curious as to how many retro-fitted owners have thois problem. Some are happy and others do indeed report a problem. I don't think enough people have complained to dealers for there to be a service bulletin.

What amazes me is how much subtle changes in tire pressure affect the steering. That's really the impetus for trying the new tires.

I do have a friend who works for BMW Service and he acknowledges the problem but isn't sure either what the cause is.

Keep me posted.


-RChoudry