Welcome to Tech Talk, where our resident BMW tech Nick Owen answers all your pressing BMW technical questions, frustrations, and issues. Have a question for Nick? Email him at techtalk@roundel.org. Let’s get into it.
2011 535i Handling Issue
I have a 2011 BMW 535i with a manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. Only 60,000 miles. I’ve had the car for 10 years, and the steering has never seemed as good as it should be. It tends to wander at higher speeds, like 50 mph and above. Often it pulls left, then it will pull right, anything but staying in a nice straight line. My other current BMWs—a 2022 X5 and a 2025 M3 sedan with a manual transmission—do a much better job of “holding a line” when I am driving. Even my old 2007 Mustang holds a good line. Whenever I take the 535i in, the dealer just says it needs a front-end alignment, which helps a little but isn’t the full solution. Do you think I need new control arms? Or shocks and struts? The car is 15 years old, and I’ve never had anything done to the front end except alignments.
Doug
Is your 2011 535i an M Sport? Are the wheels staggered or same all around? Are you able to show me a before and after printout of the alignment? There are a few things that can influence what you’re experiencing, however it’s tough for me to determine over email.
The car is not an M Sport, but it does have staggered wheels. I don’t have a before and after alignment printout. Sometimes I wonder if I have a bent wheel. Even though it didn’t come with the M Sport wheel option, the previous owner bought them and switched out the standard wheels.
Doug
A bent wheel would cause a vibration, not a wandering feeling. I wonder if you’re feeling road crown or if there is a discrepancy in front camber or front toe which is causing the sensation you’re feeling. Tough to tell without an alignment printout. I don’t think your suspension components are worn because the symptoms would be different, and I would think the dealership would catch a worn bushing or ball joint.
Might want to get a second opinion from a reputable BMW shop in your area. Have someone go on a road test with you and show them what you’re talking about. Let me know what you find.
Flat Tire Issues
My 2013 128i with the M Sport Package has staggered run flats. They are original equipment since the car has only 20k on it. I want to replace the tires, and since there are few run flats available for the car now, and I suspect regular tires will ride better and perhaps handle better, I am looking at regular tires.
But then I need to figure out what to do if I get a flat. A spare probably wouldn’t work with the staggered set-up, plus there’s the loss of trunk space and the weight.
BMW sells a kit, the description of which includes the following:
Only for approved wheels with 112mm bolt circle. It is not possible to replace the sealant cartridge. Rechargeable battery with included USB-C cable. Storage period 3 years. Charge the battery for a further 3 years storage period (sealant shelf life 6 years. 70% state of charge battery 3 years).
In addition to being expensive, it looks like they have some limits, including that the sealant cartridge is not replaceable. I looked at Consumer Reports, and it looks like the airman ResQ Pro+ would work best of those they tested.
Are you familiar with these types of products and can you provide any advice on how to proceed given those (or other) two choices?
I am not a fan of run flat sealant as it will not fix a hole bigger than your fingernail should you have a catastrophic puncture. For the most part, they’re used for slow leaks or very small, nail sized holes to which the sealant will ruin the inside of the tire/wheel once it gets removed for replacement. The theory sounds great but in reality, it doesn’t work very well. In situations I’ve run into, using the compressor to pump the tire back up was sufficient to get it down the road to a tire shop or to home base.
I would look into a spare wheel (donut size) that can get the car rolling after a tire failure. Staggered or not, a donut spare is going to bail you out far better than a sealant cartridge. I found this online. Might be worth considering since it won’t take up as much space as a full size spare.
N20 Timing Chain Guide
I have read a lot about the timing chain guide failing on the N20 engine. The build date for this car was in 2014 before the design change for the timing chain guides. I have inspected the guide, and it is a brown/orange color, so I believe it is the original part from when the engine was manufactured.
My question is whether or not to have the costly replacement performed. What is my risk level based on your knowledge and experience? I plan on keeping the car for several more years.
Note this car has been maintained per Mike Miller’s maintenance schedule.
Nick Smith
In my opinion you have two choices: Wait until it starts to fail, or just have the repair done at your earliest convenience. I think the first indicator that the guide is failing is when you can’t measure the oil level, followed by a whining noise from the engine that changes with RPM. Last is a check engine light with camshaft timing faults and eventually the engine will jump time and no longer start. I’ve repaired a few of these in various scenarios and the good news is that once the engine was retimed, it started and drove with no further issue. While I wouldn’t recommend it, you could wait until you start to experience symptoms described above before getting the job done. It sounds like since you followed the Mike Miller schedule, the engine is on the healthier side and may not need the guides replaced just yet. But I would plan on having them done by or before the 120k mile mark.
