F32/F33 440i

[Vince Noir]

Hi all,

Just bought a 440i in Tanzanite Blue with the M Sport package and very keen to get driving it.

Purchased the car from a Lotus garage who just dropped it off with MOT done, 12 month warranty, breakdown cover, oil service done, etc.

Having just received the new MOT though I've noticed this advisory - "Offside Front Play in steering rack inner joint(s)".

Does anyone have any insight into this? Is it likely to be the tie rod inner joint, or could it be a sign of a rack issue? The car does have a 12 month warranty so I'm considering asking Lotus why they didn't fix this when they MOT'd it, although it is only an advisory. The biggest concern would be that it's not in fact an inner tie rod but a rack issue.

Not ideal to have the car dropped off with this report as I'm taking it down to Spain soon.

Thanks in advance!

[d_a_n1979]

IMO more than likely track rod end/inner CV joint

Can you feel any vagueness / noises when steering with the rack etc?

Also worth checking to see if you have the ZF rack or the Thyssenkrupp rack; difference is easy to spot with the different caps:

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t...

If it is the track rod ends/inner CV joint; PNs are here on RealOEM: https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=3K72...

IIRC they're the same throughout the F3X range

TRW/Lemforder are OEM; Moog are also a superb option

The garage may not replace them as they're only an advisory; but deffo worth asking...

Who's the warranty with; them?

Have you looked into BMWs warranty?

[Vince Noir]

That's great information, thanks for taking the time to collate all that.

The car has just been delivered to the family home but I'm away with work for 3 weeks unfortunately, so I won't be able to get my hands on till I return.

I've emailed the Lotus garage regarding the advisory and why they didn't mention it before delivery but I'll likely have to ring them tomorrow.
The salesman indicated that the warranty wasn't with them but with a BMW endorsed outfit, or something to this effect, and to the entire value of the car, no matter if the gearbox and engine fell out. I'll have to get all the information tomorrow but it did sound comprehensive. If it's not as shiny as hoped I'll take a look at BMW warranty.

I went for a good hour long test drive without any radio interference but didn't notice any vagueness, clunking, clicking or anything, even over bumpy Nottinghamshire roads.

Ideally if I could I'd raise the vehicle, disconnect the outer tie rod end and see how tight the inner rod is under its own weight, but that's out of the picture at the moment.

[stevemcs]

Good luck separating them

[Vince Noir]

stevemcs said:

Good luck separating them

Sounds ominous! Maybe just buy the whole assembly from inner to outer then, having said that I have swapped engines, gearboxes, suspension etc before, albeit 15 years ago or so

[stevemcs]

Vince Noir said:

Sounds ominous! Maybe just buy the whole assembly from inner to outer then, having said that I have swapped engines, gearboxes, suspension etc before, albeit 15 years ago or so

That’s the way to do it, unless you have access to heat sometimes that can help

[d_a_n1979]

Vince Noir said:

stevemcs said:

Good luck separating them

Sounds ominous! Maybe just buy the whole assembly from inner to outer then, having said that I have swapped engines, gearboxes, suspension etc before, albeit 15 years ago or so

Buy the whole lot; both sides and new boots etc - do it all in one go and have a full tracking/alignment done and it'll be spot on after that Parts 1-5 in that link above

I've just had a FULL suspension overhaul on my F31 (every arm/link/bush etc as well as new shocks & springs) and it's like a new car; but the one thing that stands out the most is how after a full tracking & alignment set up, it's just so much better

[The Conflated Outlier]

F30's etc are known for a bit of 'up and down' in the rack bar itself.

If it's not making a clonking noise, ignore it.

[Vince Noir]

Many thanks.

Is there a go-to site/vendor that people use for BMW parts such as these Lemförder, TRW, MOOG parts?

Doing both sides in one job does sound like the best option - the other side can't be far behind if the offside is genuinely having an issue.

[stevemcs]

Vince Noir said:

Many thanks.

Is there a go-to site/vendor that people use for BMW parts such as these Lemförder, TRW, MOOG parts?

Doing both sides in one job does sound like the best option - the other side can't be far behind if the offside is genuinely having an issue.

All good parts and in that order for quality, although we pretty much fit MOOG to anything, never had an issue and prices are reasonable.

[d_a_n1979]

Vince Noir said:

Many thanks.

Is there a go-to site/vendor that people use for BMW parts such as these Lemförder, TRW, MOOG parts?

Doing both sides in one job does sound like the best option - the other side can't be far behind if the offside is genuinely having an issue.

Moog you'll get from your local motorfactors or eBay (using the BMW part numbers)

TRW & Lemforder you'll get from Autodoc but allow close to 2 weeks for delivery

Personally I'd just go Moog from your local motorfactors and BMW for the dust boots/clips - Try Cotswolds BMW as they offer forum discounts: [e-mail]

Moog offer 2-5 years warranty part depending; used them for years now, zero faults. Have had more issues with OEM BMW & Lemforder parts!