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      03-02-2018, 08:43 AM   #1
Mark333032
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Vibrations on a 640d with N57 Engine

I bought a 640d M Sport F06 about 6 weeks ago with 50k miles from an independent dealer. It shook through the body of the car throughout the speed range and being a low frequency vibration, I knew it had to be wheel related because drivetrain vibes are higher frequency and engine vibes higher still. However, it was a good price and I reckoned I could fix it starting with a wheel balance. It was still on runflats which I don’t like but with each having 5mm left I was going to live with them for a while. The engine also appeared to be vibrating at idle and I thought I would be able to fix that too. It was a well spec’d car for a good price which I bought to replace my crashed F13 and so I knew enough about these cars to know how they should drive and how to maintain them. It still had 6 months on the BMW warranty so what could possibly go wrong?

I spent a lot of time Googling around the web trying to find what might be wrong so here’s my story in case anyone else experiences something similar.

Step 1
I had the wheels balanced at my local tyre place where we found 3 wheels were a little out of true round on the inside rim and one significantly so. These 20 inch 373m wheels are rather fragile and prone to this kind of damage. I had that one wheel straightened and all wheels and tyres balanced. My old car had similar wheels and despite similar wheel imperfections it drove nice and smooth. But the test drive actually felt worse than before.

Step 2
Figuring the problem might be the wheels, I bought 4 nearly new and true 373m wheels for a great price and 4 new Michelin Pilot Super Sports (non runflats) tyres. They were fitted and balanced at the same tyre shop as before. We found 3 of the 4 runflats we took off had already been patch repaired in the sidewalls so I was happy to be switching to the MPSS. I also had the 4 wheel geometry done. But on test drive the car felt no better so I took it back for a re-check. I stood next to the balance machine as each wheel went on which confirmed all wheels were straight and properly balanced.

Step 3
Before going to BMW who I suspected would point to wheel balance, I took the car to Ninemeister in Warrington where they have a Hunter roadforce wheel balancer. I was shocked to see all 4 wheels were out of balance by varying amounts; 60g, 20g, 20g and 15g. One tyre was turned on the wheel to balance out a high spot on one tyre. They then set up the 4 wheel geometry which was well out and the front track rods were frozen so they had to attack them with the welding torch. This means my local tyre shop wheel balancer was not calibrated properly and despite charging me for the 4 wheel geometry, they did not check or adjust it. The process took the Technician, Lewis, 3 hours altogether and it cost me £264 but it was money well spent and I highly recommend these guys. A very thorough job indeed.

But my subsequent road test was disappointing. Whilst it was now smooth at speed, at 20 to 40 mph it still felt harsh and lumpy and steering a bit vague. It was worse on uneven surfaces and just about OK on smooth. If I had not owned one of these cars before I would have probably thought this was just down to the car’s ‘character’ but I had and so I knew something else was wrong.

Step 4
I took it to BMW Crewe for diagnosis. Chris the Technician, was very knowledgeable and helpful. He quickly diagnosed engine vibration on idle which disappeared as revved up to be failing rubber mountings on the engine cover and associated plastics. He showed this by getting me to put my finger on the oil filter cap and other engine parts to show how these parts hardly vibrated at all. So that’s an easy warranty fix. Reading stuff on the internet suggested it could have been injectors, vacuum hoses, coil pack, EGR valve, sludge in the manifold or engine mounts. But in my case, it was none of these.

We then took it for a test drive and he too felt something was wrong at the back end. He suspected a damper. So up on the ramp and a poke around the rear end he found the source which was a split Rubber Mounting Rear part number 33316792872. It fits into the rear axle carrier for one of the bolts into the rear of the axle.


Step 5
These warranty jobs will be completed at BMW Crewe on Friday next week. I’ll update this thread when it’s done and I’ve test driven it. I have to say, I’m optimistic that this will fix it

The thing is, I have been using my local tyre place for years. They have always been good to me and I know the Manager and one of the lads very well. We are on good terms. The Manager seemed genuinely upset when I called him out on the wheel balancing machine and the geometry setup. I do believe him when he said he thought the geometry had been done because he was told it had been done. It just goes to show you need to witness these things being done and if your wheels and tyres don’t feel balanced, have them checked somewhere else or better still, have them road force balanced.

Last edited by Mark333032; 03-10-2018 at 05:21 AM..
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      03-10-2018, 05:28 AM   #2
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Well it's done and I picked it up last night. I checked under the car to make sure the bush was done and could see it had been renewed. The car now feels much tighter to drive and is super smooth at speed but I can't make up my mind whether or not it is entirely fixed. Is there a bit of a low level wobble vibration through the car at slower speeds? Maybe. Or maybe I am being over-sensitive because I've had such a painful journey to get here.

The engine cover, filter cover vibration on tickover can still be felt through the covers but is less obvious. Maybe they all do that. Another case of me being over sensitive now?
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      03-10-2018, 07:38 AM   #3
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Interesting read, I may be experiencing a similar issue.

My 2012 640d started a feint vibration at motorway speeds, 70-75mph. Not so much through the steering but noticeable from the seat, centre console and peddles.
It's always been on 20s with run flats and for the first two years felt planted and perfectly smooth at speed.

A few months ago I hit a very deep pothole which I believed caused a bulge in my near side front tyre, this was replaced & balanced but the vibration was till there.

Last month my car was at my local BMW dealer for various warranty work, their advice on the vibration was to balance all four wheels. This was done but now it seems the vibration is more apparent at around 45mph....

The warranty work also included two rear struts being replaced due to 'squeek' over speed bumps, not sure if this is anyway related...

I'll be speaking with my garage on Monday to discuss further options
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      03-12-2018, 04:24 AM   #4
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Sorry to hear of your vibration issues. When I bought my 640d last year January, I spent over 1k on tyres, 4 different balancing processes, 4 wheel geometry etc etc.

In the end, I could never get rid of the vibration at certain speeds, specifically around 60-70mph. Yes it was not terrible by the end but still noticeable. Couldn't deal with it so got rid of the car, not just because of that but it was a factor. Great car but could not find the source and I think it's a problem that is common to this car.
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      03-29-2018, 03:18 PM   #5
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Seems we've all be affected by this vibration issue. Vibration https://www.6post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1347142
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      04-07-2018, 06:36 AM   #6
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Having a similar problem on my 2010 635D. Have 19 inch Bmw wheels on it. Vibration at lower speeds in steering wheel and in the seats up to 60Mph. I’ve had all wheels balanced and checked for buckles several times, had new non run flat Tyres fitted but all to no avail. Ive had it in with several BMW independents and with BMW itself. I’ve had both lower and upper front control arms on the front changed but no improvement . I also borrowed a new set of 18 inch alloys with brand new continental Tyres and the vibration was worse. So at my wits end and thinking of getting rid of the car. Last thing I’m thinking of is changing the front end struts and springs. But any ideas other than that would be welcome.
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      04-08-2018, 04:58 PM   #7
Mark333032
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I left mine with BMW Crewe for the entire week while I was away a couple of weeks ago. I gave them a long list of components to check, a full tank of fuel and asked them to drive it. When I picked it up, they seemed to think nothing was wrong but said something about getting a similar car in for me to compare but I have not heard from them since. I am still not convinced it is right. I think it is suspension related - when I bounce on each corner, the front seems far softer then the rear. I really do need to compare it against a known good one
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      04-12-2018, 05:50 AM   #8
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While I was down in Ascot this week, I dropped into the local BMW dealer and asked them to take a look at my car. After a test drive, the Technician agreed with me that the front suspension seemed quite soft and thought the car floated a little on roads that were less than smooth. They did not have a similar car for to compare but he kindly got it up on the ramp for a look but found nothing obvious.

So on the way home up the M6, I dropped into Knights BMW in Stafford. They had a few similar cars in stock. Bouncing on the corners confirmed mine was much, much softer. Aha...or so I thought.

This morning another trip to BMW Crewe and another meeting with the Technician, Chris. They had one similar car in stock on the forecourt which had recently arrived. Bouncing on the front corners showed it was just as soft as mine. Bouncing on the corners of a second car which had been stood on the forecourt for a while showed this car was as stiff as the cars I had tried in Stafford yesterday. Chris explained when they have been left unused for a while the shocks stiffen up. They quickly soften when driven.

So I think I am at the end of the road...For Gran Coupes without Variable Damper Control, this is how they drive. I have to say, my old F13 felt much tighter than this F06. I'll just have to get used to it
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      05-19-2018, 05:50 PM   #9
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I finally got around to replacing the disks and pads on all 4 corners yesterday ahead of a long trip planned for today. I used Zimmerman disks and EBC Redstuff pads. Immediately I noticed how much better the car felt in all sorts of ways. Smooth on the road with no vibrations whatsoever and somehow the car felt more planted and under braking, no more tramlining (something I had not yet mentioned in this thread).

If you are unhappy with how your car drives, consider replacing your disks and pads. My car had covered 55,000 miles and I suspect they were the original disks. This is the link to the thread where I did the same job on my 2012 coupe. £550 well spent I'd say....

http://www.6post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1275069
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      06-30-2018, 01:54 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark333032 View Post
I finally got around to replacing the disks and pads on all 4 corners yesterday ahead of a long trip planned for today. I used Zimmerman disks and EBC Redstuff pads. Immediately I noticed how much better the car felt in all sorts of ways. Smooth on the road with no vibrations whatsoever and somehow the car felt more planted and under braking, no more tramlining (something I had not yet mentioned in this thread).

If you are unhappy with how your car drives, consider replacing your disks and pads. My car had covered 55,000 miles and I suspect they were the original disks. This is the link to the thread where I did the same job on my 2012 coupe. £550 well spent I'd say....

http://www.6post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1275069
have to agree with mark, i tried alsorts (all be it on my F10) when disks and pads were replaced i noticed 95% of vibration issues stopped,
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