# E90 Out of Alignment



## BadContrakt (Oct 19, 2018)

2008 E90 335XI 131k miles

Brought the car in to get an alignment because it's pulling to the right. Figured for sure the alignment would fix the problem. Nope!

Brand new tires. I mean brand new like 200 miles on all 4 of them. I've rotated them every possible way. Tires are all balanced. Rims aren't bent. Car was just aligned and the tech said he maxed out the alignment and it's still out of spec on the right front and right rear. The left side is in spec, however.

Right front camber: -0.8 to -0.1 (spec) and it's currently -1.1 (WAS -1.7 degrees)
Right front toe: -0.05 to 0.12 (spec) and it's currently -0.06 (WAS -0.08 degrees)
Right rear camber: -1.8 to -1.3 (spec) and it's currently -1.9 (WAS -1.9 degrees)
Right rear toe: 0.03 to 0.13 (spec) and it's currently 0.10 (WAS -0.27 degrees)

The tech told me that the alignment is what it is and cannot be adjusted further. He STRONGLY recommends I replace all 4 shocks/struts, mounts, and springs. He said after replacing those I will be able to get the car properly aligned.

I got a second opinion and that opinion said that he finds it very far-fetched that I'd have to replace all of that just to get my car aligned. He said in his 40 years of car ownership he's never EVER had to replace a shock or a spring to get a car in alignment. He said generally speaking the first thing to look at when it comes to bad alignment is the ball joint.

Opinions? I'd really like to get my car fixed and driving straight so I don't improperly wear my brand new Nittos tread all funky...


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

The rear camber goes more negative as the bushings wear out. And check the control arms on the front. Take a look at the right tie rod. Is it really the case that it can't be set shorter?

Did you hit something on the right? Measure the front-rear axle distances on left and right and compare them.

Your second opinion is more reasonable.


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## BadContrakt (Oct 19, 2018)

acoste said:


> The rear camber goes more negative as the bushings wear out. And check the control arms on the front. Take a look at the right tie rod. Is it really the case that it can't be set shorter?
> 
> Did you hit something on the right? Measure the front-rear axle distances on left and right and compare them.
> 
> Your second opinion is more reasonable.


I just bought the car and haven***8217;t hit anything yet. Previous owner could have. The right headlight is broken, bumper has a small gash in it, and the rim is gnarred up a bit so they clearly weren***8217;t the most careful driver and it definitely appears that the right side has some damage. No accident reported though.

I***8217;ll go check under there right now but I***8217;m really bad when it comes to suspensions... what exactly am I looking for? Bent rods? Excessive play in bushings? What would I look for on the control arm?


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## BadContrakt (Oct 19, 2018)

acoste said:


> The rear camber goes more negative as the bushings wear out. And check the control arms on the front. Take a look at the right tie rod. Is it really the case that it can't be set shorter?
> 
> Did you hit something on the right? Measure the front-rear axle distances on left and right and compare them.
> 
> Your second opinion is more reasonable.


I just lifted the car up a bit and snapped some pictures. I man handled everything down here and all feels tight and solid. I visually inspected boots and they***8217;re all still in one piece. I visually inspected rods and arms etc and they all look straight with no big gouges or dents or bends. Here***8217;s an IMGUR link of the pictures.

https://m.imgur.com/a/Ok3lusO


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

BadContrakt said:


> I just bought the car and haven't hit anything yet. Previous owner could have. The right headlight is broken, bumper has a small gash in it, and the rim is gnarred up a bit so they clearly weren't the most careful driver and it definitely appears that the right side has some damage. No accident reported though.
> 
> I'll go check under there right now but I'm really bad when it comes to suspensions... what exactly am I looking for? Bent rods? Excessive play in bushings? What would I look for on the control arm?


Then look for mushroomed strut towers first.

If the front wheel takes a big hit and the springs get completely compressed, they sometime deform the top of the strut tower. This can be the reason for the camber. Open the hood and compare the shape of the front and left strut tower. Look for signs of mushrooming on the right.

Take a look at the tie rods. Where are they? in the middle or at their limits? If you can see a long thread, they are near max length. If you can't see the thread, they are nearly the shortest.


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

Looks like the right tie rod is in the middle.

Is there a difference in ride height, left and right?


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## BadContrakt (Oct 19, 2018)

acoste said:


> Looks like the right tie rod is in the middle.
> 
> Is there a difference in ride height, left and right?


Here***8217;s another couple images displaying the tops of the struts. The passenger side rubber (the problem side) is cracked up pretty bad but no other signs of damage.

The driver side is also shown with much less cracking.

https://m.imgur.com/a/XyijT4X

Let me drop the car down and I***8217;ll measure the ride height for you... one minute.


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

BadContrakt said:


> Here's another couple images displaying the tops of the struts. The passenger side rubber (the problem side) is cracked up pretty bad but no other signs of damage.
> 
> The driver side is also shown with much less cracking.
> 
> ...


The picture is too zoomed. I'm interested in the shape of the tower. Look at the attached image in this and in my prev post. The bolts are pointing away.

Drive the car around the block after dropping before measuring the ride height.


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## BadContrakt (Oct 19, 2018)

acoste said:


> BadContrakt said:
> 
> 
> > Here's another couple images displaying the tops of the struts. The passenger side rubber (the problem side) is cracked up pretty bad but no other signs of damage.
> ...


Shoot I just measured haha! Let me get another picture of the strut tower mounts for you and I***8217;ll drive the car around my development for a minute (speed bumps included!) lol.


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## BadContrakt (Oct 19, 2018)

acoste said:


> BadContrakt said:
> 
> 
> > Here's another couple images displaying the tops of the struts. The passenger side rubber (the problem side) is cracked up pretty bad but no other signs of damage.
> ...


Alright so what I***8217;m seeing here for ride height is:

Driver front: 23.5 inches
Pass front: 23.4 inches
Driver rear: 23.3 inches
Pass rear: 23.0 inches

And WOW! I think you might be onto something with the strut towers... the passenger side is CLEARLY more defined than the driver side. The housing actually has an imprint of the strut that is definite and easily apparent whereas the driver side only has a hint of an outline of the strut underneath... YIKES!

https://m.imgur.com/a/pO6f2Ke


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

Wow.

look at this image, originally no imprint at all.


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

i attached your photos here in case the link disappears


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## BadContrakt (Oct 19, 2018)

acoste said:


> Wow.
> 
> look at this image, originally no imprint at all.


Is that a 2008 335xi pictured? Just to make sure there wouldn***8217;t be any differences in chassis or body or what-have-you...


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## Doug Huffman (Apr 25, 2015)

newTIS.infobeta
Home / BMW E90 335xi Sedan / Repair Manuals and Technical Data / 32 Steering and Wheel Alignment / 32 00 Steering, measurement /
32 00 Wheel Alignment E90 / E91 / E92 / AWD

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/...-alignment/32-00-steering-measurement/6CijOle


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

Take it to a good suspension shop. They will check the parts. You may need new control arms with bushings since at this mileage they are most likely worn. They might add spacers to the right side to compensate for the deformation.


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

BadContrakt said:


> Is that a 2008 335xi pictured? Just to make sure there wouldn't be any differences in chassis or body or what-have-you...


2008 335i


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## BadContrakt (Oct 19, 2018)

acoste said:


> BadContrakt said:
> 
> 
> > Is that a 2008 335xi pictured? Just to make sure there wouldn't be any differences in chassis or body or what-have-you...
> ...


So another thing I***8217;m noticing is the strut tower/housing has evidence of the nuts being shifted... either by force or by removal. See the old markings the nuts made?


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## BadContrakt (Oct 19, 2018)

So I have a question... if I were to get coilovers.... would that eliminate the needs for adding spacers in the tower housing? I could set the driver side to 20 clicks and the passenger side to 21 clicks or 22 clicks or whatever.... could that function as a way to level the strut towers out?


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

BadContrakt said:


> So another thing I'm noticing is the strut tower/housing has evidence of the nuts being shifted... either by force or by removal. See the old markings the nuts made?


Yes, the marks point to the direction of the deformation.


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## BadContrakt (Oct 19, 2018)

acoste said:


> BadContrakt said:
> 
> 
> > So another thing I'm noticing is the strut tower/housing has evidence of the nuts being shifted... either by force or by removal. See the old markings the nuts made?
> ...


Just tagging you to make sure you saw my second post above here... regarding the coilovers!


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

BadContrakt said:


> So I have a question... if I were to get coilovers.... would that eliminate the needs for adding spacers in the tower housing? I could set the driver side to 20 clicks and the passenger side to 21 clicks or 22 clicks or whatever.... could that function as a way to level the strut towers out?


I would add spacers anyway. no big deal and at least it's a symmetrical setup.


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## BadContrakt (Oct 19, 2018)

acoste said:


> BadContrakt said:
> 
> 
> > So I have a question... if I were to get coilovers.... would that eliminate the needs for adding spacers in the tower housing? I could set the driver side to 20 clicks and the passenger side to 21 clicks or 22 clicks or whatever.... could that function as a way to level the strut towers out?
> ...


I suppose. Makes sense.

Well thanks for all the help. Wish I had seen these things before buying the car lol I would***8217;ve been a little more leery of it. What***8217;s done is done I guess!

I***8217;m going to ask around in the clubs and Facebook groups locally here and see if I can find a reputable shop to check this out.


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

BadContrakt said:


> I suppose. Makes sense.
> 
> Well thanks for all the help. Wish I had seen these things before buying the car lol I would've been a little more leery of it. What's done is done I guess!
> 
> I'm going to ask around in the clubs and Facebook groups locally here and see if I can find a reputable shop to check this out.


Next time you know. Your welcome.


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## BadContrakt (Oct 19, 2018)

acoste said:


> Next time you know. Your welcome.


I got another (third) opinion on the car and after getting underneath it and driving it and even taking the wheels off and swapping to another set of wheels/tires and driving it again, he said the first thing he would do is refresh the front end, starting with the control arms.

He said replacing the struts/shocks and springs would absolutely help and would make a big difference, however, I could probably get my car to drive straight and drive smooth without replacing those components. Should I replace them to make the car not handle like an 88 Cadillac? Yes. Are they required for the car to drive straight? He doesn't think so.

So I'm going to try to do this on the cheap and I'm REALLY uninformed when it comes to suspension components. I don't want to purchase a whole assembly or pay a thousand dollars for an entire refresh kit that comes with all new metal and rubber. What about just replacing bushings and ball joints? Is that possible on this car? I need some guidance.


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## acoste (Nov 27, 2011)

BadContrakt said:


> I got another (third) opinion on the car and after getting underneath it and driving it and even taking the wheels off and swapping to another set of wheels/tires and driving it again, he said the first thing he would do is refresh the front end, starting with the control arms.
> 
> He said replacing the struts/shocks and springs would absolutely help and would make a big difference, however, I could probably get my car to drive straight and drive smooth without replacing those components. Should I replace them to make the car not handle like an 88 Cadillac? Yes. Are they required for the car to drive straight? He doesn't think so.
> 
> So I'm going to try to do this on the cheap and I'm REALLY uninformed when it comes to suspension components. I don't want to purchase a whole assembly or pay a thousand dollars for an entire refresh kit that comes with all new metal and rubber. What about just replacing bushings and ball joints? Is that possible on this car? I need some guidance.


Yes. i already mentioned that it most likely needs new control arms and bushings. But you still need to do something with the asymmetry of the chassis.

this is the front: https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=VD53-USA-01-2008-E90-BMW-335xi&diagId=31_1220
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=VD53-USA-01-2008-E90-BMW-335xi&diagId=31_1221
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=VD53-USA-01-2008-E90-BMW-335xi&diagId=32_1510

I have never replaced the shock absorbers on my old cars. They are not perfect for sure but they are not leaking and the wheels are not bouncing.

And the rear end as well.

You only need to fix these one time in your ownership. So why wouldn't you invest in it now and the car will drive good from now. Versus driving it with worn suspension until you spend the same money to fix it.


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## southcoastguy (Jan 3, 2017)

BadContrakt said:


> I got another (third) opinion on the car and after getting underneath it and driving it and even taking the wheels off and swapping to another set of wheels/tires and driving it again, he said the first thing he would do is refresh the front end, starting with the control arms.
> 
> He said replacing the struts/shocks and springs would absolutely help and would make a big difference, however, I could probably get my car to drive straight and drive smooth without replacing those components. Should I replace them to make the car not handle like an 88 Cadillac? Yes. Are they required for the car to drive straight? He doesn't think so.
> 
> So I'm going to try to do this on the cheap and I'm REALLY uninformed when it comes to suspension components. I don't want to purchase a whole assembly or pay a thousand dollars for an entire refresh kit that comes with all new metal and rubber. What about just replacing bushings and ball joints? Is that possible on this car? I need some guidance.


If you replace suspension components you will need a new 4-wheel alignment. Other things to check: proper inflation of tires. tires are balanced.


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