[nlk10010]

OK, not to get crazy here, just a question: I picked up my M40i yesterday and noticed on the ride home that the steering wheel is at about 11 o'clock when the car is traveling straight ahead.

Any one else have this issue and, if so, then have you tried to have it corrected by the dealer post-delivery? Were you successful? Also, an icon of a little vehicle cocked sideways across lane markings showed up for a few miles, then disappeared. I'm taking it's a lane keep thingie, I'm going to RTFM today.

As I say, in my old age I let a lot more go at delivery than I used to (also, I KNOW the car was just delivered and it had only 6 miles on the odometer); I didn't bother with a stain on the engine cover or tiny little blemishes here and there. I'm a great guy.

But this is annoying.

Thanks in advance for any illuminating thoughts.

[Slalom]

I have not had that. In the 1980's some steering wheels could be installed at just about any angle (and often were). However in BMW's there is a spline that assures that the wheel is at 12 o'clock.

Unless you were driving on a road with a very significant crown it sounds to me that there is an alignment issue. I would make an appointment without delay - you do not want to have your tires wear unevenly.

[nlk10010]

Originally Posted by Slalom

I have not had that. In the 1980's some steering wheels could be installed at just about any angle (and often were). However in BMW's there is a spline that assures that the wheel is at 12 o'clock.

Unless you were driving on a road with a very significant crown it sounds to me that there is an alignment issue. I would make an appointment without delay - you do not want to have your tires wear unevenly.

Good info, thanks, I'm going to drive some more today and then make a determination if it's me or the car.

[arciga18]

Alignment willl be under warranty for the first ~2000 miles .probably hidden in the manual somewhere

[Terry5]

That would drive me crazy. Hope they fix it quickly.

[mjdth]

I picked mine up Tuesday and immediately noticed the same issue. Wheel is always turned about 5-10 degrees counter-clockwise when going straight on all road types. Bringing it back in to the dealer next week for that and a couple other things.

I got the M adaptive suspension option. Not sure if that is related.

[nlk10010]

Well, OK, that's good to know, and somewhat of a relief. I hate to be the "center" of attention with a unique issue.

I think road crowning plays a part in it. I just can't tell if it's the entire problem or not. I will probably make an appointment for next week with the dealer that delivered the car (even though I prefer not to go to them for regular service).

Thanks all above for posting your information.

BTW, I also have the Adaptive Suspension option. Would be interesting to collect data to determine if there's a correlation.

[mjdth]

Originally Posted by nlk10010

I think road crowning plays a part in it.

That was my first thought as well, but it's happening on flat surfaces, parking lots, etc. Seems too coincidental that we're both having the same issue (in the same direction no less) with very similar build dates/delivery dates.

[gearcritic]

I had the same thing and I’m currently at the dealer waiting for them to look into it and correct it.

[nlk10010]

Oh, this does not sound good. Thanks for the report.

Making me rethink the dealer to which I should bring the car.

[mjdth]

Originally Posted by Qgarage

I had the same thing and I’m currently at the dealer waiting for them to look into it and correct it.

Thanks please let us know how it turns out.

[kamek]

I'm glad someone posted this because I have the exact same issue (straight is closer to 11 o'clock) and it has been driving me CRAZY. I keep thinking to myself "how could this brand new car not be aligned?"

Hoping this is easily resolved and looking forward to seeing updates.

[KTMF]

Same here. Adaptive suspension as well. Steering wheel off center to the left, when headed straight. Going to the dealer next week for this.

[JeffHou73]

I hate to sound like an expert on this, but I had the same issue and learned a lot along the way. Many dealers or their technicians do not do BMW alignments correctly. BMW alignment specs assume a specific ride-height range. If the alignment machine they are using does not have BMW software to compensate for the fact your car is not weighted, approximately 500 pounds weight need to be added/distributed to various parts of the car. If, however, the alignment equipment is equipped with BMW software, they MUST either use ride-height fender targets or manually input the ride height (distance from either top of fender opening to either middle of the hub, or bottom of the wheel rim - depends how theirs is set up). NOT doing either of these correctly will result in incorrect camber in the rear and incorrect toe for both front and back - which will affect handling and tire wear. My dealer was doing neither and, after meeting with the BMW field engineer, it was determined my car needs to be realigned - again - correctly. I plan to have this done in the next week or so. BMW's are persnickety regarding alignments so you need to get it done correctly and, if not, keep demanding that it be done correctly. Unfortunately, these are done in the back, without you, the customer, seeing how this is being done, so you have to trust what you are told - which I rarely accept. Call me skeptical - but have been proven to be correct - after pressing hard on this issue. Good luck to all!!

Not sure why so many X3's seem to be coming off the assembly line with steering wheels off-center. Mine was as well and had it aligned to correct for this - but it still needs to be done again to address the secondary issue I just wrote about above.

[JSY]

Originally Posted by nlk10010

Also, an icon of a little vehicle cocked sideways across lane markings showed up for a few miles, then disappeared. I'm taking it's a lane keep thingie, I'm going to RTFM today.

That is the lane departure warning light telling you that it is activated. It is only activated above a certain speed, so it will turn off when you are going slower or if it can't detect the lane markings.

The lane keeping assistance indicator is on your instrument cluster and your HUD - and that is the two green bars that look like lane markings when it is activated, and it is gray when it is not. (This is turned on with the first button on the left spoke of the steering wheel.)

Just thought I'd address it since no one mentioned it.

Good luck with that alignment - that would drive me bonkers and it being so new I would also bring that back.

[gearcritic]

They had mine fixed in a hour. The service manager told me it was an alignment issue.

[mjdth]

Originally Posted by Qgarage

They had mine fixed in a hour. The service manager told me it was an alignment issue.

Thanks for the update. Hopefully it will be the same result for the rest of us.

[nlk10010]

Originally Posted by JeffHou73

I hate to sound like an expert on this, but I had the same issue and learned a lot along the way. Many dealers or their technicians do not do BMW alignments correctly.
-snip-
My dealer was doing neither and, after meeting with the BMW field engineer, it was determined my car needs to be realigned - again - correctly. I plan to have this done in the next week or so. BMW's are persnickety regarding alignments so you need to get it done correctly and, if not, keep demanding that it be done correctly. Unfortunately, these are done in the back, without you, the customer, seeing how this is being done, so you have to trust what you are told - which I rarely accept. Call me skeptical - but have been proven to be correct - after pressing hard on this issue. Good luck to all!!

Not sure why so many X3's seem to be coming off the assembly line with steering wheels off-center. Mine was as well and had it aligned to correct for this - but it still needs to be done again to address the secondary issue I just wrote about above.

Thanks for the comprehensive post but as you pointed out, all the cars in question were recent builds @ Spartanburg, and certainly THEY know how to do alignments, no? Yet the steering wheel off-center is said to be a definite symptom of an incorrect alignment.

I apologize if you already said this but I sometimes have a comprehension problem: Are you saying that your dealer did one alignment to correct the steering wheel issue but did it incorrectly and now has to do a second one? So NEITHER Spartanburg NOR their dealers know how to do this?

BTW, do you have the Adaptive suspension?

I guess my main question is: How did you know the first alignment your dealer tried wasn't done correctly? What did you look for? Thanks in advance for any tips, I'm sure we all would appreciate them.

[JeffHou73]

Originally Posted by nlk10010

Thanks for the comprehensive post but as you pointed out, all the cars in question were recent builds @ Spartanburg, and certainly THEY know how to do alignments, no? Yet the steering wheel off-center is said to be a definite symptom of an incorrect alignment.

I apologize if you already said this but I sometimes have a comprehension problem: Are you saying that your dealer did one alignment to correct the steering wheel issue but did it incorrectly and now has to do a second one? So NEITHER Spartanburg NOR their dealers know how to do this?

BTW, do you have the Adaptive suspension?

I guess my main question is: How did you know the first alignment your dealer tried wasn't done correctly? What did you look for? Thanks in advance for any tips, I'm sure we all would appreciate them.

To answer your questions...
1. While the steering wheels are coming out off-center, I think the alignments are okay and won't affect tire wear or handling. But - like all of us, it drives us NUTS the wheel isn't straight. For some reason Spartenburg plant seems to be sloppy with centering the wheel prior to aligning the wheels is all. But - it is a nuisance and you should have it corrected.
2. My dealer put my car on the rack3 different times to get my wheel straight. It was during those conversations, I asked about why they weren't putting the required weights in the car. I have had BMW's on and off for over 30 years and this, unfortunately, is why I'm familiar with how they are supposed to be done. They stopped putting sand bags in the cars after Hunter and BMW got together on a new improved method of measuring the ride height and then compensating for how the adjustments are set. The fact is this: BMW does not publish specs for an unweighted vehicle. As such, any alignment at a 3rd party tire store or alignment shop will no be correct without adding sand bags! My dealer does have a BMW machine but it was not working correctly. Most technicians will tell you "we don't weight he cars because you don't drive around with that much weight in it." That is pure B.S. because they do not understand the problem. You weight the cars because that is how the specs are written!!
3. Yes - I do have adaptive suspension, but this does not affect the alignment, except for the fact these cars sit fractions of an inch lower to begin with - which also affects the alignment specs.

By the way - aligning without weights or compensating for ride-height won't be a disaster. However, you won't have the BMW handling that was intended. Also, you are paying the dealer $200-$300 to do it the BMW way where what you are probably getting is an alignment Sears or NTB or Firestone or Goodyear will do for less than $100. For these warranty repairs, BMW is getting screwed by paying the dealers for an alignment quality we are not receiving.

[nlk10010]

Jeff: Thanks again but I still don't understand something. Give me one more shot.

You seem to be saying that steering wheel centering and wheel alignment are different things, they can be done independently. If that is the case then why did your dealer need to put the car on the rack when centering your wheel and why did questions about alignment come up at all?

As I mentioned, I'm going to have this addressed next Tuesday and want to know what I should look for other than a centered steering wheel.

Frankly, between you and me (shhhh) I have a feeling my dealer will come out with their standard response: "Nothing wrong, the off-center steering wheel is within specs and the alignment is fine". But I'll give them a chance before visiting the service department I've relied on for my previous BMWs.

Edit: I just realized you could be saying that the relationship is more complicated; e.g. that several different steering wheel positions are consistent with a proper alignment, but to change from one to the other the dealer has to repeat the whole alignment procedure. If that's the case then I apologize for asking the question again, but it does seem a bit odd to me.

[JeffHou73]

Originally Posted by nlk10010

Jeff: Thanks again but I still don't understand something. Give me one more shot.

You seem to be saying that steering wheel centering and wheel alignment are different things, they can be done independently. If that is the case then why did your dealer need to put the car on the rack when centering your wheel and why did questions about alignment come up at all?

As I mentioned, I'm going to have this addressed next Tuesday and want to know what I should look for other than a centered steering wheel.

Frankly, between you and me (shhhh) I have a feeling my dealer will come out with their standard response: "Nothing wrong, the off-center steering wheel is within specs and the alignment is fine". But I'll give them a chance before visiting the service department I've relied on for my previous BMWs.

Edit: I just realized you could be saying that the relationship is more complicated; e.g. that several different steering wheel positions are consistent with a proper alignment, but to change from one to the other the dealer has to repeat the whole alignment procedure. If that's the case then I apologize for asking the question again, but it does seem a bit odd to me.

No need to apologize. I'm happy to further explain.

In theory, you could have a steering wheel that is off by 90 degrees but still have the correct alignment geometry insofar as the camber, caster and toe settings. Your car would track fine and handle fine, with the exception that the steering rack should be close to dead center just for balancing purposes. All you are really doing when centering the steering wheel is moving the rack to the right or left (by turning the wheel - then shortening one tie rod and lengthening the other. To do this correctly, it really does take an alignment machine to get this done correctly, without screwing up the settings. In short (or long), a CORRECT alignment, which is what you need/want requires an alignment - to both center the wheel and to have the correct alignment of the wheels (toe, in particular).

If the steering wheel isn't straight, after doing the alignment correctly, either they missed on setting the steering wheel correctly before they made the changes or you could have a bad tire (which is doubtful). If you your car is tracking (not pulling or drifting) now, it should not when they are finished, if done correctly. Oftentimes, any pull or drift is not even caused by tires, but because the rear alignment is off, which affects the thrust angle. A perfectly aligned car will have a 0 degree thrust angle. One that is off would remind you of a dog running down the beach sideways, which you sometimes see on old beat up pick up trucks/cars.

You should have a simple request and a simple solution. Just tell them to re-center the steering wheel. However, you should ask them if they are going to put it on the alignment rack to do this. Some technicians will tell you they only need to "tweak" each of the tie rods, but I assure you, their tweaks are not nearly as accurate as a laser based alignment machine, which all dealers use.

If you'd like to chat, send me a private message with your phone number and I'd be happy to chat with you.

[nlk10010]

Originally Posted by JSY

That is the lane departure warning light telling you that it is activated. It is only activated above a certain speed, so it will turn off when you are going slower or if it can't detect the lane markings.

The lane keeping assistance indicator is on your instrument cluster and your HUD - and that is the two green bars that look like lane markings when it is activated, and it is gray when it is not. (This is turned on with the first button on the left spoke of the steering wheel.)

Just thought I'd address it since no one mentioned it.

Good luck with that alignment - that would drive me bonkers and it being so new I would also bring that back.

JSY: Thank you, that's what I figured and I double-checked it in the manual. Glad to get yet another confirmation. Thing is, it seems that when I'm on the highway/parkway, no matter where I move within the lane the icon lights up. I don't think the lanes are particularly narrow but this feature seems very sensitive. There is an option in the menus to set lane keep assist to reduced but I just turned it off.