[stevenvillatoro]

Does BMW deliver 'accurate' or 'sloppy' OEM-spec alignments from the factory?

Wondering if it's a worthwhile standard procedure (on relatively new 2 Series) to invest in a quality alignment check, in absence of noticeable symptoms of any issue. Also, how often do you routinely check your alignment?

[wntrsnowg]

Dealer kept telling me to have my alignment done everytime i brought the car in and they saw the front outer shoulder tire wear. They obviously didn't know our cars chew front tires up with spirited driving.

Ive always gone by don't do an alignment unless you notice a steering problem (ex: car pulls to the right), or if you get a new set of tires installed.

[aerobod]

Never had a factory alignment issue on the 5 new BMWs we have bought over the years.

[hwntime]

Originally Posted by aerobod

Never had a factory alignment issue on the 5 new BMWs we have bought over the years.

Same here with my 3 Bimmers. I've always had even tire wear and no pulling to either side. *knock on wood

[harma24]

46k miles in and I've never had it pull even a little. It's very precise.

[MrOhnoez]

Gotta say mine was spot on.
Perfect wear across 15k miles
Rotated tires after a year and still looks great.
I always recommend a check after getting a new car, working with BMWs I see ALOT of excessive tire wear on the front outside edges.

[ScottAndrew]

Originally Posted by MrOhnoez

Gotta say mine was spot on.
Perfect wear across 15k miles
Rotated tires after a year and still looks great.
I always recommend a check after getting a new car, working with BMWs I see ALOT of excessive tire wear on the front outside edges.

Had 6 BMWs in the last 28 years. Never a problem with any of them.

Always wore at least the first couple of sets of tyres evenly, subsequent sets depending on how crappy the roads were (potholes and speed bumps eventually caused it to drift slightly).

[Sportstick]

For me, this is a puzzling question. BMW's ISO-certified assembly plants assemble bodies with exacting specifications resulting in consistent small gaps, they assemble engines within minute tolerances, interior trim fits snugly and consistently, paint is evenly applied. I think most, if not all, found their 2 Series in outstanding condition when delivered. Why would BMW's assembly plant at Leipzig's ability to set up the chassis with proper alignment in assembly be a particular failing on their part when the standards are so high for all else? Is there any single other part of the vehicle assembly which is being found to be "sloppy"?

I ask for an alignment check when I find that the tire wear appears uneven or I feel the car no longer tracking properly on a flat surface.

[hwntime]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

For me, this is a puzzling question. BMW's ISO-certified assembly plants assemble bodies with exacting specifications resulting in consistent small gaps, they assemble engines within minute tolerances, interior trim fits snugly and consistently, paint is evenly applied. I think most, if not all, found their 2 Series in outstanding condition when delivered. Why would BMW's assembly plant at Leipzig's ability to set up the chassis with proper alignment in assembly be a particular failing on their part when the standards are so high for all else? Is there any single other part of the vehicle assembly which is being found to be "sloppy"?

I ask for an alignment check when I find that the tire wear appears uneven or I feel the car no longer tracking properly on a flat surface.

Honestly, the F22 was not built as stout and robust as the last generation of vehicles. Not even close as far as interior shakes and rattles go. It seems like they took shortcuts and cheapened a bit on materials. I've had my F22 in service for a squeaking seat which took 3 visits to finally fix (seat back frame needed replacing), a clunking from my suspension which took 3 visits (had my car for 9 days and basically tore it apart and ended up replacing the hood mounts), and my info screen which was blacking out on me off an on (updated system first time, replaced the screen second time). This all happened within the first year of ownership. Now I have a ticking coming from my rear deck which I've had in twice and they "can't duplicate it" so it's just irritating the crap out of me. The only thing I did to my E92 in 5 years was replace one ignition coil which was a known fail point with the OEM Bosch coils.

I love the look and feel of the F22, but quality is not up to BMW standards in my opinion.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by hwntime

I love the look and feel of the F22, but quality is not up to BMW standards in my opinion.

No squeaks and rattles in our M240i so far at 20K km. I would say it is equal to the 2000 E46 we had and better than the 2007 Z4M, 2006 E90 and 2010 E82 (which was probably lowest quality of the bunch, but only by a small margin). All have been better than Hondas, Nissans, VWs and Subarus we have had over the years.

[stevenvillatoro]

OP here. Over the years, I'd come across anecdotal forum stories of poor factory alignments for **other** brands with suggestions to have the specs checked, even on new cars. My experience with BMW is limited, so I'm happy for the affirmation about BMW alignment precision (which should be expected, of course).

Since I now need to replace a rim (from a minor curb rash), my question was due to wondering whether I might want to do an alignment check – as a precaution only, NOT related to the damage I caused – while doing the necessary front rim swap. My car has just 2,700 miles, no rough suspension treatment, and no symptoms of an alignment issue.

The dealer asks $240 to do an alignment, so... based on the good feedback here I'll PASS on a suspension check, and just get the rim swapped by the dealer for the $50 labor charge. (Ordered the replacement rim and valve stem elsewhere online.)

Thanks for your helpful replies.

[AndDown]

Our previous F30 (2013 MY) had a very slight drift to the right from day 1 which I attributed to the crown of the road - this was noticeable mainly on the freeways. After I changed to a new set of tires, I brought the car in to an independent alignment shop and he found that the right rear was off causing the car to drift to the right. After the re-alignment, the car drove and handled so much better, I regretted not bringing it in initially, my thinking being that they would say I probably ran over a pot hole or something. Our current F36 has been straight as an arrow since day 1 as was my E46.

[amw896]

have not had 1 alignment and still drives like new after almost 45k. Unlike my crappy prior 2 Lexus' which seemed to require an alignment every oil change.

[morphomeman]

This is another one of those unanswerable questions, given the sample size. There are so many reasons, most of them external, for an alignment to go out of whack, that there probably don't even exist enough 2-class cars to be able to come to a sensible conclusion, even if we were able to poll every single owner.
If BMW issues a service bulletin, then they have found a mechanical problem, but I know of none.

[paposalsa]

Originally Posted by stevenvillatoro

The dealer asks $240 to do an alignment, so... based on the good feedback here I'll PASS on a suspension check, and just get the rim swapped by the dealer for the $50 labor charge. (Ordered the replacement rim and valve stem elsewhere online.)

Thanks for your helpful replies.

That is pretty steep price for an alignment. They try to tell me about a variable steering mechanism and that was going to cost $129.00 without and $199.00 with.

They could not explained the different nor tell me using the VIN if my car has it. So I have to take it in which I think is total BS.

I just goy 4 new tires with 27K on the car because they were dry rotted ....

[ScottAndrew]

Originally Posted by hwntime

Honestly, the F22 was not built as stout and robust as the last generation of vehicles. Not even close as far as interior shakes and rattles go. It seems like they took shortcuts and cheapened a bit on materials.

I agree on the latter part; the plastics below the steering wheel are pretty crude in parts. But so far the car seems as well put together as the E46, better than the E9x and on a par with my (late model run, bug-free) E36.

Not as good as an E39 but there is little that can ever touch that

Also worth pointing out that in the UK at least, where the 2 series is popular with lots of 218i/d and 220d sold (and the very occasional M car), the 2 is the most reliable coupe around. Sure, the sample size is small - Brits like crossover family diesels, 4x4s and German family cars - but this is from a marque that generally does very badly indeed.