Symptoms:

This 1997 BMW 740iL is driving me nuts! Every time you drive this car for 4 miles at 40 mph, it will start making the steering wheel shakes. If you drive over 45 mph, the problem goes away! I have a garage that checked the front end alignment and they tried rotating the tires and the same thing happened. They also tried another set of tires, which worked OK for another BMW 740iL, but we got the same results! What could cause this problem? Help!

Tire Problem Advisor:

Here are the most common causes of this problem:

Prying them and observing for signs of looseness can verify most of these components. Of course you are better off having the BMW mechanics checked them for you because they have the tolerances on how much looseness is allowed in the suspension.

Those bushings above can be verified by actual inspection and checking for signs of wear. If possible, have them to take it apart so those parts can be inspected thoroughly. Finally try using original OEM parts from BMW and make sure to load the suspension before tightening the mounting bolts.

Notes:

When tightening the control arms, BMW recommends loading the car before tightening the suspension bolts with the following weights: 150 lbs at front seat, 150 lbs at rear seat, 46 lbs at rear trunk and fuel tank full.

This suspension is the same as the 1995 740i model.

When in doubt, bring your vehicle to authorized BMW dealer shop to make sure your tire problem is fixed.