[richard in NC]

Looks like I bought the wrong car.
It's apparently "normal" for the S58 to shake the steering wheel at idle at a traffic light. "Its an M, its supposed to be raw". Well My M2 Comp sure as heck doesn't do that. Nor does it do a low frequency vibration when cruising down the highway. Nor did my previous 12 BMWs EVER do that... Of course it wasn't at its worst when the service manager rode with me. At least it vibrated some at idle. Sure enough it was worse driving it home....
I've never experienced anything like that where a vibration comes and goes.

Plus I had to reprogram EVERYTHING after they updated the iDrive SW and nav map. I hate they don't even return the headlight switch to auto....

At least they pointed out my winter tires were installed with the wrong rotation. I went straight to Discount Tire for that to be fixed.

Not a fun day.

EDIT: Corrected to S58. Oops...
Car was new in October but had sat on lot for nearly a year. Only 90 miles of test drives. Not sure how that could lead to a engine vibration. Craziest thing is how it goes away on its own sometimes. Sometimes not.

[BMWZ4]

FYI When I had my B58/M40i I had zero vibrations of any kind. Not so sure that you should consider it normal

[JL_X3M]

X3m? Mine def doesn't shake at idle. And yours probably didn't shake when you first bought it. So I assume something became loose? Stock? Modded? Bad motor mount? But then I'd be worried if that was the issue. Cars too new.

Vibration while driving probably your tire being installed wrong or just poorly balanced.

[Max Well]

The S58 doesn't shake at idle. Have never experienced it in the near 24K miles we've put on both of our X3MCs. Document and back to the Dealership with second opinions with another one if your team can't diagnose.

[J-Pizzle]

Agreed this is not "normal" for an S58 at idle. Definitely find a new service advisor or have the mechanic ride with you to point out the problem. They need to get that corrected under warranty. 900 miles on my X3M and it's as smooth as ever... even more so after getting a little more tire cushioning with my winter setup.

[richard in NC]

EDIT: Corrected to S58. Oops...
Car was new in October but had sat on lot for nearly a year. Only 90 miles of test drives. Not sure how that could lead to a engine vibration. Craziest thing is how it goes away on its own sometimes. Sometimes not.
Vibration on the highway is the exact frequency of idle shake. Does NOT seem to be speed related.

[BMWZ4]

Ah, ok well either way no shake on either "58"

[LimeRock]

Adding on here — very smooth idle for me. I only notice a little vibration coming off idle under load, but after cresting 1000 RPM it’s smooth again.

[allinon72]

I can barely tell it's on sometimes mine is so smooth.

[richard in NC]

Originally Posted by Weissach

Adding on here — very smooth idle for me. I only notice a little vibration coming off idle under load, but after cresting 1000 RPM it’s smooth again.

My idle vibration is exactly that. But at lower RPMs, very noticeable and frequent during traffic lights. I can avoid the frustration by enabling auto stop/start but that seems to be very jerky on the X3M.

[Young04]

Originally Posted by richard in NC

My idle vibration is exactly that. But at lower RPMs, very noticeable and frequent during traffic lights. I can avoid the frustration by enabling auto stop/start but that seems to be very jerky on the X3M.

I sometimes get rough idle when I stop at a light on an incline. Also sometimes, I will get rough idling for a couple seconds after I come to a full stop (on level ground) and then it smooths out.

[JL_X3M]

Maybe need new plugs or injector cleaned?

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by richard in NC

Looks like I bought the wrong car.
It's apparently "normal" for the S58 to shake the steering wheel at idle at a traffic light. "Its an M, its supposed to be raw". Well My M2 Comp sure as heck doesn't do that. Nor does it do a low frequency vibration when cruising down the highway. Nor did my previous 12 BMWs EVER do that... Of course it wasn't at its worst when the service manager rode with me. At least it vibrated some at idle. Sure enough it was worse driving it home....
I've never experienced anything like that where a vibration comes and goes.

Plus I had to reprogram EVERYTHING after they updated the iDrive SW and nav map. I hate they don't even return the headlight switch to auto....

At least they pointed out my winter tires were installed with the wrong rotation. I went straight to Discount Tire for that to be fixed.

Not a fun day.

EDIT: Corrected to S58. Oops...
Car was new in October but had sat on lot for nearly a year. Only 90 miles of test drives. Not sure how that could lead to a engine vibration. Craziest thing is how it goes away on its own sometimes. Sometimes not.

That could be a contributing factor to the vibration when "cruising" clearly your tyre fitter of choice didn't have clue what they were doing.

[richard in NC]

Bumping this to the top with a question.

After my last drive, the vibration was pretty constant on the road and didn't go away at idle on its own. Under the hood, I could feel the top plenum shake significantly (felt but not seen). After a few revs of throttle, it then went away. Always strange.

Since the car sat on the lot nearly a year and was only driven 90 miles, I suspect a clogged injector or something with the Vanos/variable lift not returning the tune to an idle/low RPM state. And the service SA said I was imagining things, and that its normal for an M (albeit it was barely noticeable on the test drive).

Now for the question, would a fuel treatment or injector cleaner be wise to try? I'm doing a weekend trip and will have plenty of good miles to run through a tank.

PS: The whole thing is ruining what could be a great car.

[heavyD^2]

Sounds like something is wrong with your car. Since the polar vortex hit and the weather has been freezing cold I notice a little vibration when engine RPM's drop down low to idle but only when the engine is cold as once it warms up it's gone.

[BMWZ4]

Originally Posted by richard in NC

Bumping this to the top with a question.

After my last drive, the vibration was pretty constant on the road and didn't go away at idle on its own. Under the hood, I could feel the top plenum shake significantly (felt but not seen). After a few revs of throttle, it then went away. Always strange.

Since the car sat on the lot nearly a year and was only driven 90 miles, I suspect a clogged injector or something with the Vanos/variable lift not returning the tune to an idle/low RPM state. And the service SA said I was imagining things, and that its normal for an M (albeit it was barely noticeable on the test drive).

Now for the question, would a fuel treatment or injector cleaner be wise to try? I'm doing a weekend trip and will have plenty of good miles to run through a tank.

PS: The whole thing is ruining what could be a great car.

Can't imagine an injector cleaner would do any harm? Could end up being a simple fix - I'd give it a go. Also, what about engine mounts - maybe after all that time sitting they're breaking down? Just a guess.

[sd306]

Originally Posted by heavyD^2

Sounds like something is wrong with your car. Since the polar vortex hit and the weather has been freezing cold I notice a little vibration when engine RPM's drop down low to idle but only when the engine is cold as once it warms up it's gone.

Same for me

[spta97]

Originally Posted by allinon72

I can barely tell it's on sometimes mine is so smooth.

Me too. A few times I forgot to shut it off because I couldn’t tell (I realized quickly though).

From the outside it sounds like an unsexy diesel though.

[2kaccordocoupe]

A fuel treatment and injector cleaner is a good idea. The car sat with the same gas that was most likely not treated with a stabilizer for a year. Could have a bit of gum or varnish that started to form.

Fill the tank with non-ethanol fuel and add seafoam to it.

[LimeRock]

Originally Posted by 2kaccordocoupe

A fuel treatment and injector cleaner is a good idea. The car sat with the same gas that was most likely not treated with a stabilizer for a year. Could have a bit of gum or varnish that started to form.

Fill the tank with non-ethanol fuel and add seafoam to it.

I mean no offense, but do not add seafoam to your new $80k+ M-car. The evidence that product works is spotty at best...it may even cause damage.

Take your car to a less incompetent dealership and let the trained professionals figure it out.

[2kaccordocoupe]

Originally Posted by LimeRock

I mean no offense, but do not add seafoam to your new $80k+ M-car. The evidence that product works is spotty at best...it may even cause damage.

Take your car to a less incompetent dealership and let the trained professionals figure it out.

No offence taken. $80K car or $200 lawn mower, an ICE is an ICE. The same evidence that you say doesn't work has an equal amount of evidence that suggests it does work.

I do agree with you comment about the service department. BMW should really be addressing the concern and not dismissing it as 'in your head'. Find another service dept.

[spuntyb]

"...And the service SA said I was imagining things..."

Find a better dealer, full stop.