E46 Steering problems

[rjm8282]

My e46 coupe steering is all over the place.

It steers left and right when going over bumps, according to the dint in the road. It steers to the left when under breaking. The steering wheel goes from feeling loose to tight. I can be going round a corner and I need to steer more round than normal, then all of a sudden the wheels seem to turn that bit more then I end up over steering.

I have had front control arms changed, a full wheel laser alignment, new discs, pads, caliper (For other reasons but still to eliminate what it isn't.

I hope you can all help!!!

Thanks.

[neiljohnson]

Have you checked the rear trailing arm bushes?? i know it sounds strange but had a problem with one a while ago where we replaced all the bits on the front only to discover it was steering from the rear!

Hope this helps

Neil

[darreni]

Have the dealers checked the PS pump? The steering on my M3 was changing from light to heavy & dealer confirmed that the pump was at fault.
Covered under warranty. They mentioned that there is a "puma case" about this issue within the BMW system, whatever that is.

[Killwilly]

Check the fluid level in the PS pump reservoir. I had mine fail last year, £600 to replace, the E46 is prone to PS pump failure.

There was an interesting feature on Watchdog this week regarding PS pump failure on BMW Minis.

[tom g]

if you find yourself battling the steering wheel on certain roads with excessive camber (i.e. tramlining) it could be the tyres... mine was almost undriveable on sections of the M11, it looked like I was pi$$ed (when I wasn't )

Problem fixed by swapping bridgestones for michy pilots. but i didn't have probs over bumps, so may not be the same problem.

[rjm8282]

Thanks Tom,

I know someone else with a BMW E46 COUPE, and he is going to lend me his front wheels to see if it is the tyres or even alloys. I hope its that, its been going on for ages now.

I had Dunlop sp9000 before but changed them to goodyear, I do prefer the Dunlops for handling.

[rjm8282]

Hi All,

I took my car out with Michelin Pilot Sport (17's, 40 - Instead of my 18's, 45 Goodyear Eagle). I found the drive more forgiving, less bumpy and hardly any pull through the steering. I know the tyres are smaller and not as low profile as mine, so I'm not sure if its the profile of the tyres or just the Pilot Sport being better for my car.

I'm thinking of buying a set of alloys, tyres included, I just don't want to spend the money without being totally sure.

Any more suggestions???

Thanks.