Hard to describe steering issue.

[02330ci]

All of a sudden I have a steering issue with my 2002 330ci sport package(build date April 2002).

Drove to work one morning and everything was fine, steering normal. Get in the car to go home and even when I first started leaving the parking lot I noticed something seemed odd with the steering. Steering is very, very light not like usual with heavy and sporty feel. It was so apparent I actually pulled over and checked the tires because I thought I might have a flat.

Its almost like it has way too much power steering now. And at higher speeds it seems to be very touchy, slight movements and the car reacts. It feels almost unsafe to drive at the very high speeds I'm used to. It does still track straight though, and the wheel is centered.

Now I've had this car for over 1 1/2 years and this all of a sudden just happened. Car has 25k miles on it. I checked tire pressure and its the same as I always run it. Only work Ive ever had done on car is 1st maintenance and that was back in May. Havent hit any bumps or had any recent problems, this just all of a sudden happened. I mean the car was absolutely fine when I drove it to work, no problems. 9 hours later I hop in and all of a sudden this problem. Only recent thing was an automatic car wash this past weekend, maybe something there to the undercarriage?

I know this isnt in my head because a friend has the same car as mine and you can tell the difference between the steering immediately. I went to the dealer once and they said there was nothing wrong with it. They said 3 of them went for a test drive and didnt notice anything [???1] Anyway, any help you could give would be great, I want to be able to suggest some things to the dealer to look for. Thanks.

 

[SplinterPDC]

02330ci I have just recently encountered a very similar issue with my 2001 330ci. The only difference is that I have just recently had a tire change moved from Michelins to Bridgestone’s, and because of that I thought I just needed to get used to the new tires. However 1 month later the car still feels unstable even though it was properly balanced and aligned. The steering wheel feels wicked light and if your on the highway you cant take your eyes of the road even for a split second or your wandering all over the place. Funny thing is it is that it feels over sensitive like you could spin the care out with a ¼ turn. On my old tires I would be sliding around corners at crazy speeds and feel completely in control, now I am wicked afraid to push it because it simply feels out of control. And yes I am always checking to see if I have a flat tire. Its not in your head there is a definite problem however I have no idea as to what it is.

 

[Kirby]

Have you checked your tire pressure? Over inflation can cause these symptoms on some cars with certain tires. Start with the normal inflation recommendations on the door label. If it still does it, try dropping the front pressure by 3 lbs and see if it changes. It may not be a solution but it could help you figure out what's going on.

 

[bmwrocks]

Do our cars have variable assist? More assist when stopped vs. less assist when moving. If we do, maybe that system is failing and you are always getting max assist (or > max).