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David 94 530i
03-08-2004, 03:45 PM
I just developed a vibration on the freeway this morning that appeared at about 65 mph and got progressively worse as my speed increased. When I got off the freeway, I could smell something burning. I just had my car serviced last week - brakes front and rear, tires rotated and oil change. I drove the car over the weekend and there wasn't a vibration nor a smell. Any ideas what may be wrong.
Unregistered
03-08-2004, 04:33 PM
Smell could be your new brakes. I had the burning smell on my car after the new brake job but went away after few weeks. Vibration could be that you need to balance the wheel since you recently rotated the tires. Maybe the unbalanced back wheel switched to the front is causing the vibration since front wheels are more sensitive.





I just developed a vibration on the freeway this morning that appeared at about 65 mph and got progressively worse as my speed increased. When I got off the freeway, I could smell something burning. I just had my car serviced last week - brakes front and rear, tires rotated and oil change. I drove the car over the weekend and there wasn't a vibration nor a smell. Any ideas what may be wrong.
Marshy
03-08-2004, 04:35 PM
When I had this sort of symptom the speed varied, but the cause was a sticky right front brake caliper. Massive vibration on the move (felt like the wheels were about to come off) and a right old stink from the brakes, but it would only strike randomly to start with. Cause was a previously incorrectly fitted outer seal, allowing crud to get in between the piston and bore. I'd just had new discs and pads at the front too, and the theory goes that the new pad meant that the piston was further back in the bore than it had been for some time, thus causing a problem that had probably been brewing over time to rear its ugly head.

When you experience the problem, stop the car and check to see if either front wheel is hot, although be careful as the duff side could be really hot! If a wheel is hot, then it's possible that the pad is binding.

Fix was for a mechanic friend of mine to strip the caliper down, pop the piston out, clean it all up and fit new seals. Trouble free ever since.