Steering wheel change may require alignment? - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

aras · 12th January 2004, 06:16

I had the steering wheel on my 02 M5 replaced under warranty. When I picked up the car with the new wheel it was noticeably off center to the right, which was not the case before the replacement. The dealership checked it on my request, agreed it was off center and then said that the car needs an alignment, also saying that sometimes when you replace the steering wheel you need an alignment. This seems new to me. Is this unique to some cars and the M5 in particular? Any info is appreciated. Thanks.

BmwNut · 13th January 2004, 02:00

That's a first for me. I cant think of why the car would be out of alignment when the wheel changes. One big bolt, off comes the wheel, next one goes on, bolt goes back on. Maybe they bumped a curb when they had it in the shop? Check for curb rash on the rims, b/c that is the only thing I can think of.

Need4Spd · 13th January 2004, 04:09

A little nutty, but it could happen. The steering wheel sits on a splined shaft. If you aren't careful, you could put the new wheel on "off" by a spline or two, which would make the wheel crooked in relation to the actual wheels of the car driving straight. Generally you could remove and replace the steering wheel and move it over the right number of splines to get it centered. That used to be the easiest way to correct this type of problem. Because of the complexity of the M5 steering wheel (all those buttons and the air bag and all), however, it's probably easier to re-do the wheel alignment (mainly the toe-in settings) so that the wheels point straight down the road when the steering wheel is centered.

ELEVENS · 13th January 2004, 04:36

I don't think alignment is the answer, although by suggesting it (and assuming you don't call them on it) the shop saves face and gets paid even more for fixing their own mistake.

The steering wheel must be centered properly for the turn signals to cancel with the same number of degrees rotation on each side. Wheel alignment will not fix this. IOW, if you install the steering wheel a spline or two off-center, the turn signals will cancel differently left and right.

It's a cover-up.

JMHO

I could be wrong - haven't done an alignment in over 30 years (on U.S. cars to boot).

aras · 13th January 2004, 04:40

Thanks for the replies. I checked the front wheels, no curb damage and does not seem to have had a hit of some sort. The service quality of the dealer in question has been abysmal. I was getting worried that they had botched something quite bad.

jeeperjohn · 13th January 2004, 05:35

Aras,
If you try and center the steering wheel by moving the tie rods around (assuming that the alignment is OK) you will end up with a car that can turn a tighter turning radius in one direction than the other. Most factory shop manuals are very specific about how to center the steering wheel to eliminate this problem. Also, some steering boxes have an on center position that must be maintained to for good steering feel in straight away driving. It's easier to pull the steering wheel and reposition it.

John

aras · 13th January 2004, 05:55

John,

You might be onto something here. After I picked up the car after the steering wheel was replaced and then an aligment done, the steering feel has just not been the same as before (ie. communicative). Also I noticed that the steering feel now between sport and non-sport mode is close and not as different as they used to be. If this is a mess, how can it be undone?

The car is such a delight but the dealer service experience has been so stressful.

jeeperjohn · 13th January 2004, 06:14

Aras,

The issue of the turning radius being different from turning left to right and the on center position is something that I saw with Saginaw steering boxes that I worked on.

A easy way to check this, is to take a parking lot or street with a stripe or datum point from center and center the car over it. Stop and turn full lock in either direction, go until you are 90 degrees from the straight away position and see the radius (distance from curb or measure). Then do the same procedure in the other direction and measure the difference. Note what direction is giving you a smaller turning radius. You could probably do the same thing on an alignment rack with the turntables under the tires used to check the caster alignment. Most cars can turn around 40 degrees and you will see the difference since the recirculating ball steering box is probably hitting the internal stops set up for the car. (Saginaw boxes look the same on the outside, but have internal stops at different degree angles for cars with wider tires (clearance issues) and those with narrow tires)

The feel issue may be that the sensor for the sport setting has to have the box in proper alignment relative to the wheels to work correctly. ( I don't know enough about it, but I'm pretty sure the Germans set it up with some scienced out alignment issue).

I'll try to look up some of these issues and other information (saw some neat cold air HP tests and engine wear vs oil temp, etc) and figure out how to scan the manuals and books, while being able to post them. I' not sure how you get a scanned item into a post. If someone knows how to, please PM me.

Thanks, John

aras · 17th January 2004, 03:21

Thanks John.

Will try it out. In the meantime I am getting the tires replaced as the ones I have are at the end of their life. The new dealer has agreed to check the alignment and see what was done to center the steering wheel. I have switched dealers by the way as I was wary about going back to the one that fixed the steering wheel off center, among other service work that has been shoddy. To put it simply, they service your car only to create more work for themselves

ELEVENS · 17th January 2004, 05:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by aras

Thanks John.
... I am getting the tires replaced as the ones I have are at the end of their life.... I have switched dealers by the way as I was wary about going back to the one that fixed the steering wheel off center, among other service work that has been shoddy. To put it simply, they service your car only to create more work for themselves ...

Smart. Very smart. What tires are you buying?