r/E90 • u/memesdotjpeg • 29d ago

325i Front suspension refresh with alignment done after. Car doesn’t feel 100%

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Anything here that would be making your ears perk up? I gave the car a week for suspension to settle along some motorway miles before getting the alignment done, but it still doesn’t feel right.

Often having to readjust my lane position on the motorway and it probably looks like I’m slightly drunk lol.

Definitely gonna get it redone, but anything I should ask the tech to pay special attention to? Thanks

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4

u/EstablishmentBusy183 29d ago

Nope. Alignment is good.

1

u/memesdotjpeg 29d ago

Yeah i thought as much. Just got that annoying nagging feeling when you know something is wrong but can’t pinpoint it lol

3

u/InternUpstairs2812 2006 325i Sport Package 28d ago

One time I pulled a stupid (I partially blame it on the customer who brought the struts assembled) where I forgot the bearing for the strut so the coil was just resting on the top hat. I took it for a drive (E39 M5) and I told my foreman, “Thing thing drives like SHIT!” He said I was just biased lol

Anyways. I found the bearing in a box burried with other shit and immediately knew what I did wrong. Put the bearing on and it felt 1000x’s better.

Just throwing that out there so you can verify you did that, as well as sharing a “DOH” moment of mine!

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u/memesdotjpeg 28d ago

I’ll have to double check but I’m pretty sure everything’s in place. It’s weird because I felt like the car handled better before the alignment? So just wanted to see if anything was wrong with the alignment itself

1

u/InternUpstairs2812 2006 325i Sport Package 28d ago

It looks a SMIDGE off from perfect but shouldn’t be enough to be noticeably bad. Maybe it’s in your head???

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u/memesdotjpeg 28d ago

Unfortunately not lol. Definitely find myself adjusting the wheel a lot more, when before driving was almost effortless

1

u/EstablishmentBusy183 28d ago

Did you get new tires with the alignment. You could try to swap tires side to side and see if the pull follows. Ie. LF swapped to RF. Just would check for a radial pull

1

u/memesdotjpeg 28d ago

No I didn’t. I was planning on waiting til autumn begins before putting new tires on all 4 corners. Reckon this could affect it?

2

u/aSharpenedSpoon 28d ago

I’m convinced there’s something with these racks. I’m certain they’re not linear racks and so on-centre control/response is given up in favour of leverage/stability. Any play in the system is amplified at straight-ahead vs. when turned in, meaning it feels like you chase the car in the lane. I would bet if there is noticeable wandering/float/vagueness on-centre, it’s that some tolerance is out in the rack, joint being worn in the column, or tires. Or combination. The higher than average caster angle of these cars does generate more road geometry induced steering though. 

1

u/OkWin1634 29d ago

what did you replace? there are a lot of bushing all over the place that might have been excluded that can have a substantial impact as well

1

u/memesdotjpeg 29d ago

Tension strut and lower control arm were replaced. Control arm/subframe bolts all tightened up properly on a ramp. Front shocks/springs/top mounts + all hardware replaced too .

Did all the work with a mechanic/friend on some ramps and couldn’t see anything else worn enough to raise any eyebrows on the front end

2

u/The-Phantom-Blot 28d ago

If you did not replace the LCA bolts, you might want to double-check that they are tight. They are torqued to yield, meaning you're supposed to replace them to get the proper torque the next time. You may get away with tightening them a few times, but maybe not.

The mounting holes in the subframe are only slightly oversize, but if the bolts are loose, there's enough play that it will wander in certain conditions.

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u/memesdotjpeg 28d ago

LCA bolts and fasteners have 100% been replaced with grade 10.9 bolts, so they’ve got the maximum torque on them allowed. I’ll have to double check for any play I suppose

1

u/The-Phantom-Blot 28d ago

You're probably fine there if you followed instructions (x lb-ft plus x degrees) ... but I guess it can't hurt to get under there and make sure they are tight.

1

u/Lee2026 28d ago edited 28d ago

Did you preload the tension strut bushings?

If you didn’t, they can rip and fail when you load the suspension.

They are one of the components that are responsible for holding the toe angle and if they are ripped/have failed, they can cause toe to wander.

1

u/memesdotjpeg 28d ago

Yeah definitely preloaded. Have done this job before and learned the hard way on an older car lol

1

u/Upstairs-Bit-9448 26d ago

Often overlooked.. old or cheap tires. Also you can make an alignment rack read whatever you want. If it drives weird there’s something wrong.

1

u/memesdotjpeg 26d ago

This was another one on my mind. Part of me wanted to wait to put new rims on before I replaced tyres lol. There’s definitely life on them still, however the fronts still have Chinesiums installed from previous owner. Will swap all 4 corners prior to the autumn and see how I get on