Alignment out at first oil change

[samguan]

So I went in at 14000KM for the first oil chand was they out on the alignment sensors and told me that my alignment is off.

I know it's consider a wear and tear and I don't remember hitting any pot holes at all. I know there are many things that can cause alignment to go out.

is there is a possibility that the alignment was already off from factory? Any one had to do an alignment on first service.

I also asked them about excessive odor coming in when using windshield fluid, we had that in our previous E93 but I wasn't as bad as the x5. Anyone else has this issue?

[ajob]

Since many years I check the alignment of new cars - say, every three new cars about one was ok, another needed alignment and another could not be checked because not yet in the database of the alignment gear...

Both my new X5s in 2011 and 2015 were ok.

Still, look also for a non centered steering wheel, pulling on one side on flat roads and, after a few k-miles, for small "steps" on the outer and inner sides of the tire tread.

[42pilot]

Wow. Not sure what alignment sensors are unless you are talking about the dealer putting the car on an alignment rack.

Anyway, I can't tell you the last time I had an alignment. I buy all my cars so I keep them a while. I have not had an alignment on one vehicle in over 25 years. Even my 05 Powerstroke with 120,000 miles is spot on and its suspension is used much more pulling a 35ft horse trailer (GVW approx 17,000 lbs).

I guess what I am saying is, there is something wrong - you either drive on horrible roads or you have a crappy suspension from the factory. Remember, the reason we have a quiet ride inside the cabin is because most of the suspension mounting points, ball joints, tie rod ends, etc., use rubber bushings to isolate noise. Rubber deteriorates over time and needs replacement. On my performance cars, I always replaced the rubber, where possible, with nylon or polyurethane bushings. It took the slop (we never notice driving our road cars) out of the handling, but you heard every crack/rock/road surface known to man in the cabin. But the handling more than made up for it.

But I digress. The BMW tech should be able to figure out the problem, if there is one, pretty quick - if they know anything about suspensions. It might be possible it was bad from the factory. Also, don't go by the factory run flat tires as an indication of alignment. They wear unevenly because they are super-soft and none are very high quality. Cupping is rampant with these crappy tires.

[lowlevelhell]

Originally Posted by 42pilot

Wow. Not sure what alignment sensors are unless you are talking about the dealer putting the car on an alignment rack.

Anyway, I can't tell you the last time I had an alignment. I buy all my cars so I keep them a while. I have not had an alignment on one vehicle in over 25 years. Even my 05 Powerstroke with 120,000 miles is spot on and its suspension is used much more pulling a 35ft horse trailer (GVW approx 17,000 lbs).

I guess what I am saying is, there is something wrong - you either drive on horrible roads or you have a crappy suspension from the factory. Remember, the reason we have a quiet ride inside the cabin is because most of the suspension mounting points, ball joints, tie rod ends, etc., use rubber bushings to isolate noise. Rubber deteriorates over time and needs replacement. On my performance cars, I always replaced the rubber, where possible, with nylon or polyurethane bushings. It took the slop (we never notice driving our road cars) out of the handling, but you heard every crack/rock/road surface known to man in the cabin. But the handling more than made up for it.

But I digress. The BMW tech should be able to figure out the problem, if there is one, pretty quick - if they know anything about suspensions. It might be possible it was bad from the factory. Also, don't go by the factory run flat tires as an indication of alignment. They wear unevenly because they are super-soft and none are very high quality. Cupping is rampant with these crappy tires.

What's your choice for a replacement tire?

[Doanster]

Could the alignment been off from the factory? Sure, but not likely. As you said, many things could cause the alignment to be off, not just hitting one pothole. I'd just get it corrected and try to get it covered.
Windshield wiper fluid toxicity is known on certain model years. I jut emptied the tank and replaced with generic fluid.

[42pilot]

Originally Posted by lowlevelhell

What's your choice for a replacement tire?

I have the Conti DWS06 for my model/wheel size. A great tire for the Southeast US where we generally have good asphalt roads, warm temps, occasional heavy rains and little snow. For $1300 installed, I am confident they will easily outlast the OEM Dunlop RF (hell, that won't take much), the ride is quiet, feedback through the steering wheel is smooth, feels secure, and the traction is top notch in dry and wet. With the short side-walls, the turn-in is quick but not at the expense of ride quality or road noise. Good tire.

[lowlevelhell]

Originally Posted by 42pilot

I have the Conti DWS06 for my model/wheel size. A great tire for the Southeast US where we generally have good asphalt roads, warm temps, occasional heavy rains and little snow. For $1300 installed, I am confident they will easily outlast the OEM Dunlop RF (hell, that won't take much), the ride is quiet, feedback through the steering wheel is smooth, feels secure, and the traction is top notch in dry and wet. With the short side-walls, the turn-in is quick but not at the expense of ride quality or road noise. Good tire.

Thanks, I'll keep those in mind. My E70 X5 had the 20" wheels and while they looked great, the tires were total shit and I hated the expense of new shoes for it. I just rotated my 19" wheels in my driveway yesterday (it's still odd to me that BMW uses wheel bolts and not hub studs, from a convenience standpoint). It pays to have two floor jacks. Anyhow, they're wearing nicely. But I know the 20" on our 740i will be total run-flat shit, so...

[MotoWPK]

Originally Posted by 42pilot

Anyway, I can't tell you the last time I had an alignment. I buy all my cars so I keep them a while. I have not had an alignment on one vehicle in over 25 years.

I felt similarly until recently. A combination of good quality vehicles with apparently robust suspensions plus care in driving, it had been a long time since I'd had an alignment performed on any of my vehicles. Then, a few months ago, I purchased replacement tires for my 128i which were an improvement in all respects to the tires they replaced except for a slight loss of steering precision around center. A regular maintenance visit was approaching and, coincidentally, I'd received an email from our dealer with a service special discount on their four wheel alignment (and remember, there are quite a few adjustments on a Bimmer, unlike some other cars). Now mind you there wasn't anything that indicated to me the alignment was out, but I thought I'd give a try. Well what do you know, that steering precision was recovered.

A month later our X5 was going in for a regular maintenance and, again, there was nothing that really made it feel as if an alignment was needed, including tread wear which was extremely uniform on all tires, but, I'd just had this positive experience with my 128i and the dealer's alignment special was still on, so I had it done. Similar to the 128i experience, steering precision and feel around center improved.

So, after many years I think I've changed my mind and concluded that regular realignments are of value even when nothing seems particularly out of whack.

[42pilot]

I have the alignment checked when I buy new tires so I don't waste money, but so far, everything has been in spec. So...

[stewy604]

Never had an issue with a new vehicle being out of alignment from factory. That said, that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I would work with your local dealer and see if they can help in covering the cost, or maybe even a split. The local shop I use for anything I can't do myself has an alignment rack...only charges me $125 for an alignment, which is really reasonable IMO. As for the washer fluid...I always make sure my fluid is topped up before I take it in so they don't add any. I use the Rain-X fluid, works great.

[Kzang]

Actually, lots of E70's came from the factory out of alignment from what I had read.
You can check and search on the E70 forums on bimmerfest.com to confirm

[stewy604]

Ah, that sucks...I'd be pissed. I aligned mine once I put the new springs/links in, wasn't too far out.