[Redfire03]

Hello,

New guy here with a 2011 335i Xdrive. I just bought it with less than 27,000 miles from the original owner and still have a couple months of the factory warranty. Car is incredibly clean and came with all service records (5,000 mile oil changes!). I have read a couple threads on my problem. There doesn't seem to be a definitive answer on what it is. Loose steering rack bolts, column, steering assembly, misc gear, etc. have all been listed as a culprit.

The issue: When driving slowly (forwards or backwards) if you move the steering wheel back and forth a small amount you will get a very light knock. The knock is felt in the steering wheel and heard, but only when make small adjustments. It almost feels like the steering is loose and then hitting its engagement point.

Any help would be appreciated, and would the fix or inspection of this issue be covered under my factory warranty?

Thank you!

[FamilyManTrackSedan]

I felt this before also just once in particular right after a track event. It went away, but I'm curious what it might be also.

[frenchi]

Originally Posted by Redfire03

Hello,

New guy here with a 2011 335i Xdrive. I just bought it with less than 27,000 miles from the original owner and still have a couple months of the factory warranty. Car is incredibly clean and came with all service records (5,000 mile oil changes!). I have read a couple threads on my problem. There doesn't seem to be a definitive answer on what it is. Loose steering rack bolts, column, steering assembly, misc gear, etc. have all been listed as a culprit.

The issue: When driving slowly (forwards or backwards) if you move the steering wheel back and forth a small amount you will get a very light knock. The knock is felt in the steering wheel and heard, but only when make small adjustments. It almost feels like the steering is loose and then hitting its engagement point.

Any help would be appreciated, and would the fix or inspection of this issue be covered under my factory warranty?

Thank you!

Hi there,

Your problem is the lower steering shaft,i got the same problem on 330 xi, replace it with new one is a permanent fix but you can try to tight a little bit the lower rack bolt.../make attention it's an aluminum one !!/ will fix the problem almost but not completely,there will be a huge difference on how tight your steering will become.
Hope this will help you...

[Redfire03]

Frenchi, thanks for the response!

Does anyone know if this part will be covered under warranty (there shouldn't be a knock in the steering with less than 30k miles)? Or if it is not, what the average cost to fix this problem is?

[Dhillon92]

I had the same clicking/knocking sound from my steering wheel, dropped it to the dealer, and they replaced the lower shaft assembly, exact same thing frenchi posted. My issue is completely resolved, although the steering wheel is a bit tighter now, but I actually like it!

[soons50]

I have the same problem and the dealer changed the power steering pump (I think). It stills knocks. I am also interrested to know if the lower shaft assembly replacement is covered under the CPO warranty..

[Dhillon92]

This was covered under my factory warranty, but the SA told me it would have also been covered under CPO. (I'm in Canada if it matters)

[Sidewinderpb]

Originally Posted by frenchi

Hi there,

Your problem is the lower steering shaft,i got the same problem on 330 xi, replace it with new one is a permanent fix but you can try to tight a little bit the lower rack bolt.../make attention it's an aluminum one !!/ will fix the problem almost but not completely,there will be a huge difference on how tight your steering will become.
Hope this will help you...

Yup. Had mine replaced twice because the first one failed immediately. Covered under CPO.

[Redfire03]

I have an appointment with the dealer on Tuesday, will follow up with this thread with what they say and if the car gets fixed. Thanks for the replies everyone!

[Redfire03]

UPDATE: Dealer confirmed it was the lower steering shaft, or "intermediate steering shaft" in their terms. Had to order the part and should have the car completed tomorrow. As of now it is covered under warranty.

I will update again once I get the car back.

[feuer]

Originally Posted by Redfire03

UPDATE: Dealer confirmed it was the lower steering shaft, or "intermediate steering shaft" in their terms. Had to order the part and should have the car completed tomorrow. As of now it is covered under warranty.

I will update again once I get the car back.

I'm stunt that this failed at < 30k miles. I know BMW isn't the best quility but still. Makes me wonder how the car was driven and where! Perhaps is an XI issue.

[f0xfire021]

As others have said, it's the lower steering joint. I've had my replaced twice under CPO and the slight knock sound the OP described has come back (again) after about a year with the latest joint. Had the head tech at the dealership drive with me, and he noted that the needle bearings in the joint loosen over time since the whole shaft is aluminum, and he noted it's considered a wear item. Seems logically how it happens, but insane that it's considered a wear item.

Anyone have any ideas why the noise / feeling would go away and the steering feel tight at speed? Also, anyone have any experience replacing it and the looseness not coming back after more than a year?

[Redfire03]

Got the car back from the dealer today, new joint is installed and the low speed knock is completely gone.

Originally Posted by feuer

I'm stunt that this failed at < 30k miles. I know BMW isn't the best quility but still. Makes me wonder how the car was driven and where! Perhaps is an XI issue.

Sounds like it is a pretty common thing from what everyone is saying. The car doesn't show any signs of abuse and is in perfect condition.

Originally Posted by f0xfire021

As others have said, it's the lower steering joint. I've had my replaced twice under CPO and the slight knock sound the OP described has come back (again) after about a year with the latest joint. Had the head tech at the dealership drive with me, and he noted that the needle bearings in the joint loosen over time since the whole shaft is aluminum, and he noted it's considered a wear item. Seems logically how it happens, but insane that it's considered a wear item.

Anyone have any ideas why the noise / feeling would go away and the steering feel tight at speed? Also, anyone have any experience replacing it and the looseness not coming back after more than a year?

How many others have experienced the steering knock coming back after a year or so? My receipt says they had to lower the subframe to replace the part and I am very concerned that this could be considered a "wear item" and what the associated cost of replacement might be out of warranty.

[f0xfire021]

Redfire03 , I don't think you have to drop the front subframe to get at it – in my experience the dealership would only spend a couple hours of labor with the car once the part was in stock. I think I looked up the lower joint and it was around $200. Also, FWIW my car has about 100k on it, but is babied and hasn't experienced any abuse other than some bad hits on frost joints and pot holes in the winter, so it does seem to be a "normal" issue, if you can call it that.

Anyone DIY this before? Not in a huge hurry to swap anything out on my own, but curious how hard it is to do.

[kisarci]

Ahhh so is that what the knock is....I got thicker sway bars and new endlinks and it started to knock. I took it back to my mechanic and he said everything looks fine so its been boggling my mind for a while. Any idea if its a bad thing to keep driving with it knocking? Should I also get this replaced? How much is the cost with part+labor for this? (i'm out of warranty)

[f0xfire021]

Originally Posted by kisarci

Ahhh so is that what the knock is....I got thicker sway bars and new endlinks and it started to knock. I took it back to my mechanic and he said everything looks fine so its been boggling my mind for a while. Any idea if its a bad thing to keep driving with it knocking? Should I also get this replaced? How much is the cost with part+labor for this? (i'm out of warranty)

Don't know how much this costs out of warranty (always had to done under CPO), but from what the master tech at the dealership said, it doesn't seem to be a safety issue to keep driving with it. The needle bearings in the U joint become worn and that's what causes the play in the joint, which in turn causes the noise.