Ok so ever since i bought my car which was like 3 weeks ago the steering wheel wobbled a little bit in between 50-60 miles per hour, in neutral and every gear. so i figured it was suspension, maybe the alignment? i didnt really worry about it until today. literally after driving for an hour it got 10 times worse. soon it was between 40-60, then 30-60. Now i can feel the wheel shake goin 10 mph wether im in gear or not. When im goin 40 it shakes like crazy. Feels like a flat tire but it isn't. All the psi in my tires is fine. I'm really scared. So far all i can think that it could be is either something went wrong in my suspension (please god no) or i threw a weight. It feels like it is only one wheel but i can't figure out which one. Literally one week ago i drove 100 and it was sooo smooth. How did this happen? Is something rubbing? Maybe a tire is lop-sided? Did i throw a weight? Anyways im taking the car in tomorrow but i don't even know what direction to point them in. Please help me out guys. Thank you!!!!

P.S. It's a 95 540i 6sp e34 with stock 16" wheels and im not sure about the suspension but here is a pic from the side, well kinda.
http://forums.***************************************?attachmentid=119198

Sounds like thrust arms, control arms, tie rods, basically anything in your front end having to do with the front suspension and steering.

Lift the car up and do a visual inspection, replace what needs to be replaced, get your wheels balanced and your car aligned after you do the work.

i don't know what any of that stuff looks like, ad i sure as heck wont know if anything needs to be replaced. i'd have a hard enough just getting the front end off the ground. :)

Yep, you have the completely common, inevitable, annoying front end shimmy that is incredibly difficult to track down and fix. More often than not, it's a matter of the connecting materials (bushings, rubber inserts, etc) than actual parts, but sometimes it is. THis problem usually has a very unique solution for each car. Sometimes it's just the tie rods, other times it's the whole thing. e34.net I think tells you the most common solution to this problem.

It doesn't feel like a shimmy though. It feels like something is wrong with one of my wheels.

i have the same problem. i also hear a slight rumbling sound. Possibly a bad wheel bearing?

I've never repaired a suspension before, i don't even know how one works. But im damn smart, and i work well and fast when im pissed. Could i knock this problem down in a day if i work at it for like 6 hours straight? Should i buy the bently repair manual? Is there anybody close to me that is willing to help me with this project (that has done this before) for like 100 bucks and lunch on me? I live in Redondo Beach, 90277.

here is a site that has all of the diy write ups. It has symptoms and trouble shooting also.
http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Maintenance/Suspension/Suspension_main.htm

darron

If it was me. This is the sequence of repair / inspection I would do.

1. Check Tire wear.
Get new tires if they are worn if not rebalance tires

2. Alignment
Machine and tech wil set the car straight.

3. If shimming at braking on certain speed.
Change Thrust arm bushing. or Thrust arm and bushing altogether.

IF it still wobbles then you may need to replace other suspension component
Lower control arm bushing
Strut
Strut top mount

also check to make sure all your wheels still have the weights on them. might even have to be rebalanced.

PROBLEM FIXED!!!!

Ok so here's what happened. I took the car to my long time tire shop. He looked at the front right tire and said "holy sh__!". Apperently my front right tire was "seperated" and i almost had a blowout. He took both front tires off to check them and they were BOTH bad. BOTH FRONT TIRES HAD BEEN REPAIRED WITH FIX-A-FLAT AND HAD NEVER BEEN PATCHED OR REPLACED AFTERWARD. He replaced both front tires with Kumho Ecsta ASX 225/50R16 for 216 bucks out the door. Car drives smoother than ever before and the previous 50-60mph shimmy is no more. I'm out 2 bills but at least the car is running good, it took 20 minutes to fix, and i know that the suspension is ok. Thanks for your help and input everybody.

Cool. glad it was an easy fix.. New front tires is always worth the expense.

Cool. glad it was an easy fix.. New front tires is always worth the expense.
True but its going to be harder for me to part with my wheels now that i have put some money into the tires.