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      11-07-2021, 07:37 PM   #1
M3orPorsche
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vibration/ wobble on highway

hi all- my x5D rides great except for a noticeable wobble/ vibration at highway speeds. it is not the worst thing- but on long smooth highways it drives me nuts. the dealer rotated and aligned the tires- but it still does this. any thoughts? somebody said a thrust rod bearing?
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      11-07-2021, 09:07 PM   #2
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Thrust arms on the front suspension (rod bearings would be an engine thing). Depends on your mileage, but others have known them to go as early as 20-40k miles, though they should go 80-100k miles for most. Tie-rods (steering) ball joints can also go and lead to what your describing, but that's usually secondary to the thrust arm bushings going bad first.
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      11-08-2021, 10:42 AM   #3
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Is it x-drive? If so, I'd look into having the transfer case recalibrated. Aftermarket wheels and tires?
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      11-08-2021, 11:54 AM   #4
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If you feel vibration from under your feet/seat and not the steering wheel check your motor mounts
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      11-08-2021, 12:29 PM   #5
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Is this a "new to you" X5? Does it do it at all speeds? 100% of the time or only certain times?
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      11-08-2021, 03:41 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesInSJ View Post
Thrust arms on the front suspension (rod bearings would be an engine thing). Depends on your mileage, but others have known them to go as early as 20-40k miles, though they should go 80-100k miles for most. Tie-rods (steering) ball joints can also go and lead to what your describing, but that's usually secondary to the thrust arm bushings going bad first.
thank you- yes i was half asleep when i posted- this is what i am thinking
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      11-08-2021, 06:42 PM   #7
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Have someone look at your engine while you hold down the brake and slowly accelerate. If your engine moves up, then it is your engine mounts.

Check your tires. It might not be noticiable, but you might have bumps or uneven wear. The easiest way to check them is to remove the tire and roll it while slightly holding your hands to the thread… you will immediately feel if there are uneven spots. The tire has to be rolling to check this properly.

Make sure your lug nuts are tight.
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      11-08-2021, 10:03 PM   #8
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I seriously doubt it's motor mounts unless your north of 150K miles. My first step would be to have the wheels/tires road force balanced to rule that out. If that checks out I'd look into the transfer case recalibration if it's an xdrive. Plenty of cases were the transfer case will self retard itself with worn tires or improper tire/wheels setups. Tons of reports on here having shuddering or vibration at highway speeds in which transfer case fluid is changed and recalibration performed (w/ ISTA) and all vibration is gone.
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      11-09-2021, 08:55 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M302_imola View Post
I seriously doubt it's motor mounts unless your north of 150K miles. My first step would be to have the wheels/tires road force balanced to rule that out. If that checks out I'd look into the transfer case recalibration if it's an xdrive. Plenty of cases were the transfer case will self retard itself with worn tires or improper tire/wheels setups. Tons of reports on here having shuddering or vibration at highway speeds in which transfer case fluid is changed and recalibration performed (w/ ISTA) and all vibration is gone.
thank you for your time and post- again, the only thing i would ask is - would this also happen if i was coasting?
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      11-09-2021, 07:11 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M3orPorsche View Post
thank you for your time and post- again, the only thing i would ask is - would this also happen if i was coasting?
If it was a wheel/tire balance issue then the vibration should still be present during coasting. Transfer case vibration seems to be a bit more finicky. From asking around it happens at both low and high speeds. There's a fuse you can pull that disables the transfer case. If you pull the fuse and the vibration goes away you know the transfer case is the issue.
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      11-10-2021, 11:49 AM   #11
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This is for if the other posted solutions do not work.

If you have a jack I suggest shaking your wheels (like how one would test for bad wheel bearings) to see if there is any play. If you also hear a pulsating humming noise at highway speed (mine was at 55-60+, more noticeable around 70), then look into your control arms. I replaced both front-and-back front control arms (do both sides--so 4 arms in total) on mine and it drives fine again now. Good luck!
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      11-25-2021, 07:39 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lht5059 View Post
This is for if the other posted solutions do not work.

If you have a jack I suggest shaking your wheels (like how one would test for bad wheel bearings) to see if there is any play. If you also hear a pulsating humming noise at highway speed (mine was at 55-60+, more noticeable around 70), then look into your control arms. I replaced both front-and-back front control arms (do both sides--so 4 arms in total) on mine and it drives fine again now. Good luck!
thanks! i do think this is it. i am going to do this, and also change to winter tire and rim setup a bit early, - if it does not go away, we know it's not the wheels
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      11-25-2021, 08:36 AM   #13
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I have the same issue and guessing it’s the Conti DWS tires. Have 12k miles on them.
It’s not balancing.
42k total miles on the car.
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      11-25-2021, 09:14 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Keithwand View Post
I have the same issue and guessing it's the Conti DWS tires. Have 12k miles on them.
It's not balancing.
42k total miles on the car.
Same
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      11-25-2021, 09:45 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Keithwand View Post
I have the same issue and guessing it’s the Conti DWS tires. Have 12k miles on them.
It’s not balancing.
42k total miles on the car.
really, so you think it's the brand of tire causing this?
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      11-25-2021, 10:58 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M3orPorsche View Post
really, so you think it's the brand of tire causing this?
May be, may be not. What have you checked so far? Did you check anything at all? Tire pressure? Tire balance? Visual inspection? Suspension? Engine mounts? Tranny mounts? It can be anything, if you really want to solve the issue you need to troubleshoot it a bit more.
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      11-27-2021, 11:50 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M3orPorsche View Post
hi all- my x5D rides great except for a noticeable wobble/ vibration at highway speeds. it is not the worst thing- but on long smooth highways it drives me nuts. the dealer rotated and aligned the tires- but it still does this. any thoughts? somebody said a thrust rod bearing?
Before suggestion a diagnostic approach ...

- When did the symptoms first appear?
- At what mileage?
- Did anything change when symptoms appeared: tires changed, hit a pot hole ...
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      12-23-2021, 03:13 PM   #18
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Update.
RF tire is out of round. I’m having it replaced then both front road force balanced.
Bought them at 28k miles and now 45k.
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      01-09-2022, 01:41 PM   #19
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Figure I'd give a quick update on my issue too. Had my motor mounts changed and now my vehicle is serene 🙌🏽 (I got them done for free from my INDY because of some issues with them, so they did not charge me)

The passenger side mount was busted. I'm guessing it's because it sits directly under the DPF, and it gets cooked. The bottom looks like it was rusted (looks bad). The driver one didn't look bad, just dirty. I'm sitting at 106k+\
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      01-09-2022, 02:40 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XxBBVTMxX View Post
Figure I'd give a quick update on my issue too. Had my motor mounts changed and now my vehicle is serene 🙌🏽 (I got them done for free from my INDY because of some issues with them, so they did not charge me)

The passenger side mount was busted. I'm guessing it's because it sits directly under the DPF, and it gets cooked. The bottom looks like it was rusted (looks bad). The driver one didn't look bad, just dirty. I'm sitting at 106k+\
Glad you got it figured out my passenger side motor mount was also shot but at around 60k
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      01-09-2022, 02:50 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Swiftness~ View Post
Glad you got it figured out my passenger side motor mount was also shot but at around 60k
Symptoms?
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      01-09-2022, 03:13 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by G05V8 View Post
Symptoms?
Front end would randomly shake at 75mph+ and my idles had a pulsing vibration which was felt by my feet/seat even more so on the passenger side.
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