640D Vibration Solved

Dustydogs · 02-03-2023, 07:56 PM

I thought I'd share the troubleshooting I went through to finally cure my Gran Coupe of chassis vibration in the hope it'll point someone else in the right direction.

The car is a 2013 640D with 75km (50k miles?) on the clock. I dont know if the n57 diesel is sold in America but it's an amazing car that can get up to 1400km (850miles?) on a tank while still showing 240kw.

I've only had it 3 months old and when I test drove it, I thought the wheels just needed balancing or the run flats had been sitting too long so thought nothing of it.... That was just the start. I was feeling a heavy vibration mainly through the seat from the rear, and only faintly through the steering wheel unless I rested hands on the paddle shifter then I could feel it there as well. It was pretty much through the entire speed range from in town speeds up to highway but the resonance would change. Sometime it'd be rythmic, sometimes buzzing, sometimes just bumpy. n hindsight, I had several different types of vibrating components that would sometime cancel each other out, sometime amplify each other so there was no smoking gun and it turned out to be a range of issues.

In short the following is the process I went down in order, largely thanks to this forums pointing me to different solutions:

- Tyre shop balance. Feedback that I had 3 buckled wheels
- Had the offending wheels rounded/fixed. Seemed to solve the problem but 2 days later it was back and worse than ever.
- Took it back to the used car dealer for warranty repair, they replaced left engine mount & Trans mount. There was a modest improvement (huge improvement in handling however) but the vibration was still there.
- Had the wheels road force balanced. Was advised the right rear tyre was way out and was able to be remedied by re-seating it further around the rim. This also remedied an abs sensor code I was sometimes getting on the wheel too. As a result the Rear felt a bit better but the vibration through the seat was largely there so I focused on the drivetrain.
- Replaced rear Guibo/Flex disc (had minor cracks), Centre Bearing (this didn't need doing but I did it anyway) & rear Diff bushing (was split at the top). Again an improvement, it settled things down and tightened up the acceleration response but the vibration was still there.
- I then looked at the brakes. Pulled all wheels off and popped of the brake rotors, swapping Left to Right and sanding the surface off the pads. Here I noticed the rotors weren't centering on their own so I took the time to centre them well and made sure they spun true. Big improvement was had here, the minor vibration through the wheel was totally removed but some vibration was still there.
- At this point I noticed at stationary idle the car would shudder a little similar to the vibration I was feeling at speed. Gave it some injector cleaner and this suppressed the vibration noticeably.
- I took the engine cover off and noticed oil pooled around injectors so I replaced valve cover gasket, injector seals and cleaned injectors. This effectively removed the vibration entirely so clearly the majority of my vibration issues were engine related.

I know the n57 gets clogged intakes so this will be my next job on the car to smooth it out even more but it's finally driving the way it should.

The prior drivetrain and wheel repairs definitely had an impact though so I'm guessing the chassis in these cars are highly sensitive and as the car gets on in age, bushings etc wear out and the car vibrates its arse off...

Sorry for the long winded post but hopefully someone else can benefit if they're having vibration issues. cheers

nmirza · 03-01-2024, 03:35 AM

Thanks DD for this post, really helpful in summarising the procedure to try and eradicate this issue.

My worry is with my GC is the oddity of the vibration that may not pin point the exact issue either.

So initially my vibration predominantly started off with braking vibration which made me think it's warped discs. However as time went on the vibration was happening just driving at normal motorway/highway speeds. It was at it's worst at 70mph and it wasn't exactly consistent. Felt like it got worse when on high speed motorway corners with camber. The vibration was felt through the footwell, steering wheel and through the base of the seat.

I started off with Wheel Balancing and it reduced the vibration at lower speed but made no difference at 70mph. Got the alloy's checked if any had buckled but they were fine.

When I had them balanced the mechanics there noticed that the front wheels moved when applying the brakes on the ramps. Looking underneath they tried moving the control arms with a bar and there looked like there was slight movement but not much.

Also back when I had the gearbox serviced in November the mechanic there advised replacement of Rear Diff poly bush and prop mount bearing. There was no vibration back then but maybe as time has gone on this is causing the issue?

I've also been advised by local BMW specialist that Brake Control Arms could be the underlying issue with what I'm feeling. There is a distinct rhythmic feeling to the braking when at low traffic jam speeds like it is warped.

Just worried that this is going to be a lengthy and costly process of elimination but will keep everyone on here posted.

RoderickW · 03-05-2024, 03:02 PM

Before you agree to change all parts to resolve the vibration, please not it can be something small as the Hub centric rings.

When you have the wrong ones on your Rims (or if they are stuck to your Hub and you overlook them when you out new wheels in your Car) this can create weird Vibrations from 110 to 140km/h, and as you described, especially in cambered corners.

Good Luck!

LA640WS · 03-05-2024, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoderickW

Before you agree to change all parts to resolve the vibration, please not it can be something small as the Hub centric rings.

When you have the wrong ones on your Rims (or if they are stuck to your Hub and you overlook them when you out new wheels in your Car) this can create weird Vibrations from 110 to 140km/h, and as you described, especially in cambered corners.

Good Luck!

Agreed,

I went through suspension components, center drive bushings balancing, alignment all of it.

turns out two of my rings were fine, one was smashed back slightly, and the other was cut open. by the time bmw had done all of the above, it took one master tyre shop in santa monica 20 min to come up with the issue and solution.

nmirza · 03-06-2024, 03:38 AM

Thank you so much for the reply guys.

My mechanic took the car in on Tuesday and to my shock he has identified that all 4 brake discs have warped. Fronts are worse than the rears. He has suggested that this will have to be the first thing to change and see if any vibrations persist to look at other components.

Has anyone ever come across all 4 discs warping?

Mechanic has suggested that it could be an ABS issue but no codes have come up. I did suggest that a set of discs and pads where put on 'new' from the garage I bought it from back in June - could have started from that?

He has taken a look at suspension components/control arms etc. and has said there is some deterioration but it's in-keeping with age of the vehicle and not much to worry about. There isn't any play in the bushings.

He did note that one of the rear pads was stuck in carrier so 'maybe' contributing factor - which now that I think about think the garage I bought the car from had the rear's renewed.

I'm still not 100% sold on warped discs causing vibrations even when you don't use the brakes however mechanic said the discs were very badly warped.

I have taken your suggestion and asked that while he changes over to new discs and pads that the hub centric rings are looked into too.

LA640WS · 03-06-2024, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nmirza

Thank you so much for the reply guys.

My mechanic took the car in on Tuesday and to my shock he has identified that all 4 brake discs have warped. Fronts are worse than the rears. He has suggested that this will have to be the first thing to change and see if any vibrations persist to look at other components.

Has anyone ever come across all 4 discs warping?

Mechanic has suggested that it could be an ABS issue but no codes have come up. I did suggest that a set of discs and pads where put on 'new' from the garage I bought it from back in June - could have started from that?

He has taken a look at suspension components/control arms etc. and has said there is some deterioration but it's in-keeping with age of the vehicle and not much to worry about. There isn't any play in the bushings.

He did note that one of the rear pads was stuck in carrier so 'maybe' contributing factor - which now that I think about think the garage I bought the car from had the rear's renewed.

I'm still not 100% sold on warped discs causing vibrations even when you don't use the brakes however mechanic said the discs were very badly warped.

I have taken your suggestion and asked that while he changes over to new discs and pads that the hub centric rings are looked into too.

warping can come from many different scenarios. braking habits, not allowing rotors to cool before you wash them, weather, inferior manufacturing.It's hard to pin down without starting with a clean install and measuring from there. Warped rotors vibrate on braking, and they might throw off the balancing slightly.

nmirza · 03-06-2024, 02:49 PM

So the car has returned tonight - as far as the mechanic has stated all is well now.

He noted that all 4 discs and pads were of an inferior manufacturer, think he said Eicher? From what I remember they are the cheapest available on the market for this car.

In terms of braking habits, the only time I drove in anger and it was for a family emergency was in mid-December and remembering back that is roughly when I started feeling very faint vibrations.

Fingers crossed when I head to work tomorrow all is well.

Will keep you guys posted and many thanks for your replies.

nmirza · 03-07-2024, 03:47 PM

So its not great news. Car was driving fine up to a certain point however I have noticed that the initial vibration felt predominantly through the base of the seat is still there. This was most prominent when driving downhill, not entirely sure if it was off throttle or on throttle - think it was both to be honest.

Should I maybe look into prop bearing and diff bushes to be replaced as this was something that was picked up by a mechanic back in August? Following on from original post, maybe even engine mount as well?

kamilo94 · 03-11-2024, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nmirza

So its not great news. Car was driving fine up to a certain point however I have noticed that the initial vibration felt predominantly through the base of the seat is still there. This was most prominent when driving downhill, not entirely sure if it was off throttle or on throttle - think it was both to be honest.

Should I maybe look into prop bearing and diff bushes to be replaced as this was something that was picked up by a mechanic back in August? Following on from original post, maybe even engine mount as well?

I have been going through the same issues with my 2013 640d GC. I replaced the prop shaft bearing and both couplings. Balanced the wheels multiple times. Replaced all discs and pads (which actually made a slight difference for the better)

But recently I had replaced the engine mounts and this has made a massive difference. The car drives great now so I would recommend looking into it as its not as expensive.

nmirza · 03-15-2024, 09:19 AM

Thanks Kamilo for the info. I had asked my garage to add that as a quotation and something I'll be ticking off my current list -

Rear Diff Bushes
Prop shaft bearing
Flex Disc
Engine Mounts
Transmission Mount

On Monday we are starting off with Prop-shaft bearing and flex disc.

However some interesting developments today. I had to pop to the shops this lunchtime and I started the car, put into Drive and handbrake down and the car wouldn't move. I have come across this issue before where I am assuming the handbrake/caliper was still engaged. So pull on handbrake again and put down but still no movement.

So risked by starting to throttle up awaiting for the clang as the handbrake/calipers let go.

As I was driving to the shops I am questioning whether or not I can remember, it feels like the car is not coasting as much as I remember? Even on downhill sections where normal automatics would coast at a steady speed, the car is losing speed.

When I returned and put the car into Reverse, it feels like the car is squatting a bit more than usual. So I tried shifting between Drive and Reverse a few times while stationary, there is a definite squeak at the rear. So I am guessing even with the new Discs and Pads, there maybe a faulty caliper or handbrake shoes?

Going to ask the garage to check the rear discs/pads/handbrakes etc. on Monday as well as changing over the Prop Shaft Bearing and Flex Disc.

nmirza · 04-11-2024, 08:54 AM

Thought I'd update anyone who might be interested in this thread. Didn't want to start a new one as there seems to be a few on this subject.

So since last month this is what the car has had done -

Prop shaft bearing including housing replaced
Flex disc replaced
Diff seals and bushes replaced
Tie rod ends replaced

So the reason the tie rods were replaced as I failed to get a 4 wheel alignment, garage found that they had all seized.

This hasn't fixed the vibration issues through the car.

I do wonder if it is still Alloy/Tyre related. I only say this as my garage carried out a Dial test on all 4 alloys. Found two alloys were not indicating to be straight.

So I took the car to an alloy refurb specialist, they said they couldn't find anything wrong with the Alloys. I'm wondering now if it's time to change hubs? Or at least carry out a run-out/dial test on the hubs.

02-03-2023, 07:56 PM	#1
Dustydogs New Member 8 Rep 6 Posts Drives: 2013 640D Gran Coupe Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: Australia iTrader: (0)	640D Vibration Solved I thought I'd share the troubleshooting I went through to finally cure my Gran Coupe of chassis vibration in the hope it'll point someone else in the right direction. The car is a 2013 640D with 75km (50k miles?) on the clock. I dont know if the n57 diesel is sold in America but it's an amazing car that can get up to 1400km (850miles?) on a tank while still showing 240kw. I've only had it 3 months old and when I test drove it, I thought the wheels just needed balancing or the run flats had been sitting too long so thought nothing of it.... That was just the start. I was feeling a heavy vibration mainly through the seat from the rear, and only faintly through the steering wheel unless I rested hands on the paddle shifter then I could feel it there as well. It was pretty much through the entire speed range from in town speeds up to highway but the resonance would change. Sometime it'd be rythmic, sometimes buzzing, sometimes just bumpy. n hindsight, I had several different types of vibrating components that would sometime cancel each other out, sometime amplify each other so there was no smoking gun and it turned out to be a range of issues. In short the following is the process I went down in order, largely thanks to this forums pointing me to different solutions: - Tyre shop balance. Feedback that I had 3 buckled wheels - Had the offending wheels rounded/fixed. Seemed to solve the problem but 2 days later it was back and worse than ever. - Took it back to the used car dealer for warranty repair, they replaced left engine mount & Trans mount. There was a modest improvement (huge improvement in handling however) but the vibration was still there. - Had the wheels road force balanced. Was advised the right rear tyre was way out and was able to be remedied by re-seating it further around the rim. This also remedied an abs sensor code I was sometimes getting on the wheel too. As a result the Rear felt a bit better but the vibration through the seat was largely there so I focused on the drivetrain. - Replaced rear Guibo/Flex disc (had minor cracks), Centre Bearing (this didn't need doing but I did it anyway) & rear Diff bushing (was split at the top). Again an improvement, it settled things down and tightened up the acceleration response but the vibration was still there. - I then looked at the brakes. Pulled all wheels off and popped of the brake rotors, swapping Left to Right and sanding the surface off the pads. Here I noticed the rotors weren't centering on their own so I took the time to centre them well and made sure they spun true. Big improvement was had here, the minor vibration through the wheel was totally removed but some vibration was still there. - At this point I noticed at stationary idle the car would shudder a little similar to the vibration I was feeling at speed. Gave it some injector cleaner and this suppressed the vibration noticeably. - I took the engine cover off and noticed oil pooled around injectors so I replaced valve cover gasket, injector seals and cleaned injectors. This effectively removed the vibration entirely so clearly the majority of my vibration issues were engine related. I know the n57 gets clogged intakes so this will be my next job on the car to smooth it out even more but it's finally driving the way it should. The prior drivetrain and wheel repairs definitely had an impact though so I'm guessing the chassis in these cars are highly sensitive and as the car gets on in age, bushings etc wear out and the car vibrates its arse off... Sorry for the long winded post but hopefully someone else can benefit if they're having vibration issues. cheers
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03-01-2024, 03:35 AM	#2
nmirza New Member 0 Rep 8 Posts Drives: BMW 640d GC Join Date: Mar 2024 Location: England, UK iTrader: (0)	Thanks DD for this post, really helpful in summarising the procedure to try and eradicate this issue. My worry is with my GC is the oddity of the vibration that may not pin point the exact issue either. So initially my vibration predominantly started off with braking vibration which made me think it's warped discs. However as time went on the vibration was happening just driving at normal motorway/highway speeds. It was at it's worst at 70mph and it wasn't exactly consistent. Felt like it got worse when on high speed motorway corners with camber. The vibration was felt through the footwell, steering wheel and through the base of the seat. I started off with Wheel Balancing and it reduced the vibration at lower speed but made no difference at 70mph. Got the alloy's checked if any had buckled but they were fine. When I had them balanced the mechanics there noticed that the front wheels moved when applying the brakes on the ramps. Looking underneath they tried moving the control arms with a bar and there looked like there was slight movement but not much. Also back when I had the gearbox serviced in November the mechanic there advised replacement of Rear Diff poly bush and prop mount bearing. There was no vibration back then but maybe as time has gone on this is causing the issue? I've also been advised by local BMW specialist that Brake Control Arms could be the underlying issue with what I'm feeling. There is a distinct rhythmic feeling to the braking when at low traffic jam speeds like it is warped. Just worried that this is going to be a lengthy and costly process of elimination but will keep everyone on here posted.
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03-05-2024, 03:02 PM	#3
RoderickW New Member 3 Rep 6 Posts Drives: E38 750i , F06 640D Join Date: Jan 2024 Location: Germany iTrader: (0)	Before you agree to change all parts to resolve the vibration, please not it can be something small as the Hub centric rings. When you have the wrong ones on your Rims (or if they are stuck to your Hub and you overlook them when you out new wheels in your Car) this can create weird Vibrations from 110 to 140km/h, and as you described, especially in cambered corners. Good Luck!
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03-06-2024, 03:38 AM	#5
nmirza New Member 0 Rep 8 Posts Drives: BMW 640d GC Join Date: Mar 2024 Location: England, UK iTrader: (0)	Thank you so much for the reply guys. My mechanic took the car in on Tuesday and to my shock he has identified that all 4 brake discs have warped. Fronts are worse than the rears. He has suggested that this will have to be the first thing to change and see if any vibrations persist to look at other components. Has anyone ever come across all 4 discs warping? Mechanic has suggested that it could be an ABS issue but no codes have come up. I did suggest that a set of discs and pads where put on 'new' from the garage I bought it from back in June - could have started from that? He has taken a look at suspension components/control arms etc. and has said there is some deterioration but it's in-keeping with age of the vehicle and not much to worry about. There isn't any play in the bushings. He did note that one of the rear pads was stuck in carrier so 'maybe' contributing factor - which now that I think about think the garage I bought the car from had the rear's renewed. I'm still not 100% sold on warped discs causing vibrations even when you don't use the brakes however mechanic said the discs were very badly warped. I have taken your suggestion and asked that while he changes over to new discs and pads that the hub centric rings are looked into too.
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03-06-2024, 02:49 PM	#7
nmirza New Member 0 Rep 8 Posts Drives: BMW 640d GC Join Date: Mar 2024 Location: England, UK iTrader: (0)	So the car has returned tonight - as far as the mechanic has stated all is well now. He noted that all 4 discs and pads were of an inferior manufacturer, think he said Eicher? From what I remember they are the cheapest available on the market for this car. In terms of braking habits, the only time I drove in anger and it was for a family emergency was in mid-December and remembering back that is roughly when I started feeling very faint vibrations. Fingers crossed when I head to work tomorrow all is well. Will keep you guys posted and many thanks for your replies.
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03-07-2024, 03:47 PM	#8
nmirza New Member 0 Rep 8 Posts Drives: BMW 640d GC Join Date: Mar 2024 Location: England, UK iTrader: (0)	So its not great news. Car was driving fine up to a certain point however I have noticed that the initial vibration felt predominantly through the base of the seat is still there. This was most prominent when driving downhill, not entirely sure if it was off throttle or on throttle - think it was both to be honest. Should I maybe look into prop bearing and diff bushes to be replaced as this was something that was picked up by a mechanic back in August? Following on from original post, maybe even engine mount as well?
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03-15-2024, 09:19 AM	#10
nmirza New Member 0 Rep 8 Posts Drives: BMW 640d GC Join Date: Mar 2024 Location: England, UK iTrader: (0)	Thanks Kamilo for the info. I had asked my garage to add that as a quotation and something I'll be ticking off my current list - Rear Diff Bushes Prop shaft bearing Flex Disc Engine Mounts Transmission Mount On Monday we are starting off with Prop-shaft bearing and flex disc. However some interesting developments today. I had to pop to the shops this lunchtime and I started the car, put into Drive and handbrake down and the car wouldn't move. I have come across this issue before where I am assuming the handbrake/caliper was still engaged. So pull on handbrake again and put down but still no movement. So risked by starting to throttle up awaiting for the clang as the handbrake/calipers let go. As I was driving to the shops I am questioning whether or not I can remember, it feels like the car is not coasting as much as I remember? Even on downhill sections where normal automatics would coast at a steady speed, the car is losing speed. When I returned and put the car into Reverse, it feels like the car is squatting a bit more than usual. So I tried shifting between Drive and Reverse a few times while stationary, there is a definite squeak at the rear. So I am guessing even with the new Discs and Pads, there maybe a faulty caliper or handbrake shoes? Going to ask the garage to check the rear discs/pads/handbrakes etc. on Monday as well as changing over the Prop Shaft Bearing and Flex Disc.
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04-11-2024, 08:54 AM	#11
nmirza New Member 0 Rep 8 Posts Drives: BMW 640d GC Join Date: Mar 2024 Location: England, UK iTrader: (0)	Thought I'd update anyone who might be interested in this thread. Didn't want to start a new one as there seems to be a few on this subject. So since last month this is what the car has had done - Prop shaft bearing including housing replaced Flex disc replaced Diff seals and bushes replaced Tie rod ends replaced So the reason the tie rods were replaced as I failed to get a 4 wheel alignment, garage found that they had all seized. This hasn't fixed the vibration issues through the car. I do wonder if it is still Alloy/Tyre related. I only say this as my garage carried out a Dial test on all 4 alloys. Found two alloys were not indicating to be straight. So I took the car to an alloy refurb specialist, they said they couldn't find anything wrong with the Alloys. I'm wondering now if it's time to change hubs? Or at least carry out a run-out/dial test on the hubs.
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