Re: 88 735i (E32) front wobble

["Diana and Mike Kohlbrenner" <kohlbren-m-d@xxxxxxx>]

- -----Original Message-----

>ebelmont@domain.elided wrote:
>
>>   Hello all,
>>
>>  I have been having a trouble with a front end shake with 88 735i. It
seems
>> that the front end will shake slightly however, enough that it is felt in
>> the car at 90 km/h only. This shake is worsened by applying the brakes at
>> this speep once you are at a lower speed the shake is gone. I had the
front
>> wheels balanced and that seemed to help a little. However, it is still
>> there? I was told that the front end has a bit of play in it however not
>> much? Any ideas or quick fixs. WOrse case senario what are the costs for
>> new ball joints? The rotors and pads are less than 2 months old so I
don't
>> think the rotors are warped?
>
> From: Henri Baccouche <henrib@domain.elided>
>
>I suspect this car probably has well over 125k miles........ the quick fix:
>Ball joints, struts, control arm bushings, strut bearings etc. need
>replacement.
>They wear out as a "group".......IME.

The REALLY quick fix is most likely going to be the replacement
of worn thrust arm bushings, which probably  93.534% of the time
is the cause of the so-called "55-60 mph shimmy".  The other
times, it is a matter of a bad tire or a crappy wheel balancing
job.  Warped brake rotors won't shake the car when the brakes
are not in use and they will shake the car at most speeds when
they are used firmly.

Thrust arm bushings are less than US$100 for the pair with
probably another US$100-200 for labor.

There are actually two separate arms at each front corner, a
thrust arm and a control arm, each having a ball joint.  If the ball
joint in an arm is worn, the entire arm must be replaced and
they should always be done in left/right pairs.  These cost a
couple of hundred dollars in parts and labor to replace.

Go ahead and replace everything in your suspension if you want
your 14+ y.o. car to feel almost as tight as when new, but expect
to spend 15-25% of your car's current market value to do it.

And don't forget the expensive steering box which is also
worn to some extent and likely has a bit of play in it.

> Safety is important , yes?

Yes.

However, many of the components you suggest be replaced
simply because some arbitrary mileage point has been
reached may still be perfectly serviceable in this car.  This
particular owner may not want to spend money replacing
such parts on an old car like this.

Things like ball joints and upper strut bushings can be
inspected for wear.  Struts and shocks wear out gradually
and usually aren't "unsafe" unless they are REALLY worn
or they have failed completely by loss of charge or leaking
fluid.  A qualified mechanic can give a good assessment
of strut/shock condition.

Regards,
Mike Kohlbrenner

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