two problems-Steering wheel vibrations and squeaking brake

[Cal beam]

I fIrst wanted to thank you for a wondeful web site. I am sure many people are reaping the rewards of having this site. I accidently stumbled upon it and am very excited to be registered as a user.

Following are two recent problems I am facing with my 2001 330i
1) Slight vibration of my steering wheel at low speeds anD when I apply brakes. I have about 30,000+ miles. I maintian tire air pressures regularly. Could thid be an allignment problem or a brake problem or something else?

2) ever since I have owned the car ( some two years now) I have had a squeaking noise on and off- from my rear wheels, particularly hen I first move my car in reverse from a praked position. I do put my parking brake on when I park and release it when I start again. I have taken it to the dealer twice. The First time they said they could not duplicate the problem and the second time they said that they checked with the factory and that it was normal and is caused by brake dust on the rotors.....I am afraid I am not getting the right daignosis. I checked with a few other 3 series owners to see if they have the same problem, but none of them had this problem. DOES ANYONE READING THIS POST KNOW ABOUT THIS AND IF SO HOW HAVE THEY HANDLED IT?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Cal beam on 2002-07-22 19:50 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Cal beam on 2002-07-22 19:50 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Cal beam on 2002-07-22 19:51 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Cal beam on 2002-07-22 19:52 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Cal beam on 2002-07-23 09:18 ]</font>

[fcotanis]

Parking brake squeek /forums/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif

I did notice on used BMW in the dealers parking that when I sat in tem in the rear and jumped up and down I would get a sqeek.
At the time I though something was wrong with em.
Later I got mine - brand spanking new - and one afternoon when I went to pick up a frind I was shocked to get up from my car and hear teh sqeek. I freaked - the car was brand new.
Then I remembered what it said in the manual. To brake in the parking brake wtach traffic and apply the parking brake lightly when conditions permit. Do this regularly to clean them up of rust and corosive deposits.
So I did and next time I parked - no omre sqeek. Ocassionally the sqeek is back but now I know what to do to rid myself of it. I slightly apply the parking brake while driving and - voila - sqeek is gone.

Hope this helps and it's yoru parking brake that does it - imagine how little usage that thing gets - imagine the rust it must take on it by sitting outside in humidity and all.
Hope this is yoru problem. Try use yoru parking brake a few times while driving control it from yoru hand like it's sort of a handbrake. Dont; exagerate - you only need to use friction t oclean it - not wear it off. Do not release it's locking button when you do tihs - you whan to have full control. And you want to apply it lightly so taht you get lots of friction = heat = cleaning. Do it only a few times - test what oyu have accomplished - if sqeek is gone then you're done - if diminished do it again - if onthing happend and sqeek is the same - smething else may be wrong. $$$ - ouch.
Good luck, Best wishes,
God bless,
Filip

[Cal beam]

Did that when mine was brand-spanking-new.

Didn't think that what the owners manual said needed to be done on a regular basis.

Other cars certainly have parking brakes and they never have this problem. You mut have had something else.....with your squeaks

Thanks any way...will give it a try and let you know

[MarvelPhx]

Vibration: Usually low speed vibrations are related to suspension problems. I know there is an active TSB for vibrations under braking on certain E46s. You might want to check with your dealer.

Squeaking: By design, the parking brake in E46s uses an integral drum brake inside the rear brake rotors. My car squeaks when I get out after setting the parking brake. It is normal and should cause no problems.

[apar328i]

I had the same vibration problem with my 328i. I noticed it most often when braking from highway speeds to hit the off ramp. There is a service bulletin out in it so I finally got it fixed, hopefully there is one for the 330. The basically rebuilt my front end - brake rotors, steering parts, etc... The cool thing about it was I already had 30K miles and got a free brake job. That saved me some serious cash. I would bet that the 330 shares a lot of the same components as the 328 so I'd definitely check with the dealer to see if a service bulletin is out. Hope this helps.

[MarvelPhx]

The E46s share components between 323, 325, 328, & 330... however, coupes, sedans, and xi all have different designs.

[Cal beam]

First of all Congratulations on your ( Web page's) First Birthday. I have found it very usefull. Keep up the good work.

With regards to the noise in the brake.. it is more of a howling noise , and not squeaking. It happened again today as I was backing out of a parking stall. It seem as though the brakes were sticking to the Drum/Discs and the noise was coming from the rear wheels.

Can you please advise. When I took it to the dealer several months ago they said they could not duplicate the problem.

[MarvelPhx]

Perhaps your parking brake needs adjustment?

[Cal beam]

To be more specific, when moving in reverse, you know how you need to apply slight brake by pusihing down the brake pedal; thats when I feel that brake is sticking to the drum in the rear wheel and thats when I hear the howling noise. As soon as I take my foot of the brake the sticking is gone and so is the howling noise.

Do you still think the parking brake may need adjustment?