Re: SHIMMY FREAKING ME OUT ! HELP PLEASE (archive)

Please guys, tell me anything about this...
I bought 4 BRAND NEW rims, and 4 brand new tires 225/50/16
installed, balanced, everything all right . in a couple of weeks later the car started shaking a little bit... each day more and more, so last week i was going nuts. there are like 3 months that i dont know what does a "BMW MOMENT" means, i'm driving a piece of junk ! so i went to rebalance, and the machine was showing OO and 00 , cool ... but when they put the rims back and i started driving i was even WORST !!! my gosh, how come ? so i figure... it's gotta be the tires, they are not a good one i bought it from pepboys , so i went there and i fight, so they gave me 4 BRAND NEW tires, new models, the same size.. went to the best place around to install and balance. the car is a little bit better, but STILL SOOOOO BAD, it seems like the steering wheel and the back, the whole car is gonna fly... and the funny thing, one day it's sooo bad, the other is not so bad, the other i dont feel anything . i was thinking about two chioces, One the rims are busted .. (it can't be! i never hit anything ...) CAN IT BE THAT SMALL PIECE OF NYLON, ROUND, THAT GOES BETWEEN THE RIM AND THE CAR?? it didnt come with my rims.... what else can it be??
got new shocks (4) , new control arms, mounts, everything that makes the car shake was replaced . Please help me i'm going crazy!!! my rims are just like doug's :

I like Steve's suggestion to check the brake calipers. I had a similar problem on my 1979 Porsche 911 that I resolved this weekend. I had intermittent vibration even though the tires were new and balanced to zero. Brake pistons that do not retract every time will cause intermittent vibration.

Lift your BMW and try to rotate the front wheels by hand. See if one or both are difficult to turn, indicating the brake calipers are not retracting. If they are sticking, you have two options(other than new calipers). If you are mechanically inclined, you can exercise the caliper pistons by forcing them to extend further than normal then pushing them back. MAKE SURE THEY DO NOT FULLY EXTEND OR YOU WILL HAVE BIGGER PROBLEMS. After removing the pads, you need to insert something to prevent the caliper pistons from overextending as you exercise them. You can use a 1/4" piece of plywood or some old thin brake pads. Use a broom handle to press the brake pedal extending the pistons. Push the pistons (inner and outer) back one at a time. Make sure the wood stop stays in place on the one you are not working or it will become fully extended and may/will not return. Do this a few times. You may wish to lower the brake fluid level slightly before you start as you're doing this so as not to overflow on your paint. Brake fluid does a number on paint. Replace the wheels and respin. Press the brakes using the broom handle and release. Respin again. If they continue to spin freely, this was most likely your vibration problem.

If you are uncomfortable doing this yourself and need to take it to a mechanic, you may as well have them rebuild the calipers if they determine they are sticking.

Good luck. By the way I have a 93 740iL.

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