Vibration above 50mph
05-07-2010, 08:51 AM
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Vibration above 50mph
Hey guys, I did a search on this subject and couldn't find anything that fit the bill.
I was in the market to buy a RX-8 and found a 2009 RX-8 R3 at a great price in Maryland. I am in Connecticut. So, I had phone comms with the dealer and I questioned them multiple times about the physical status of the car (feeling suspicious of the low price) and if there were any mechanical issues with it. They claimed no, that the dealership was being bought out by another and they were getting rid of inventory, so I drove 400 miles to test drive it. Well, I test drove it and didn't find any problems during the drive.
I bought it and then on the way home I noticed that above 50 mph the car will have an ever so slight vibration that you can barely feel but you can definitely hear, which seems to come from the front passenger side. I guess I didn't notice it because the roads in the area were very rough. The vibration is intermittent, with about 1 second in between the sound coming in and out (i.e. vroom....vroom....vroom). There seems to be some pull on the steering wheel when I brake hard, but the wheel alignment checks out. I also bought new tires a few weeks ago and the problem is still there. I think it might be a wheel bearing, but the wheels don't budge at all when you have the car jacked up. The car has signs that the previous driver had hit something on the passenger side, a gouge in the quarter panel and some scrapes on the rim. I think it might be a bent rim but the wheels are balanced. Does a bent rim affect wheel balancing? I am at a loss as to what it could be.
I don't want to be stuck with a car that has this vibration that can't be fixed, are there any legal actions I can take? Do lemon laws apply in this condition and with a used car?
I was in the market to buy a RX-8 and found a 2009 RX-8 R3 at a great price in Maryland. I am in Connecticut. So, I had phone comms with the dealer and I questioned them multiple times about the physical status of the car (feeling suspicious of the low price) and if there were any mechanical issues with it. They claimed no, that the dealership was being bought out by another and they were getting rid of inventory, so I drove 400 miles to test drive it. Well, I test drove it and didn't find any problems during the drive.
I bought it and then on the way home I noticed that above 50 mph the car will have an ever so slight vibration that you can barely feel but you can definitely hear, which seems to come from the front passenger side. I guess I didn't notice it because the roads in the area were very rough. The vibration is intermittent, with about 1 second in between the sound coming in and out (i.e. vroom....vroom....vroom). There seems to be some pull on the steering wheel when I brake hard, but the wheel alignment checks out. I also bought new tires a few weeks ago and the problem is still there. I think it might be a wheel bearing, but the wheels don't budge at all when you have the car jacked up. The car has signs that the previous driver had hit something on the passenger side, a gouge in the quarter panel and some scrapes on the rim. I think it might be a bent rim but the wheels are balanced. Does a bent rim affect wheel balancing? I am at a loss as to what it could be.
I don't want to be stuck with a car that has this vibration that can't be fixed, are there any legal actions I can take? Do lemon laws apply in this condition and with a used car?
Last edited by tryce101; 05-20-2010 at 10:31 PM.
05-07-2010, 08:58 AM
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There seems to be some pull on the steering wheel when I brake hard
-wheel alignment -new tires -wheel bearing -bent rim
-wheel alignment -new tires -wheel bearing -bent rim
05-07-2010, 08:59 AM
#3
For lemons, I'm not sure with wheels but it might.
Just because a rim is balanced weight wise, doesn't mean it can't be bent. Jack up the car and spin the wheel and look to see if you notice it moving up and down when doing so. Another possibility is your rotor is worn unevenly.
Just because a rim is balanced weight wise, doesn't mean it can't be bent. Jack up the car and spin the wheel and look to see if you notice it moving up and down when doing so. Another possibility is your rotor is worn unevenly.
05-07-2010, 09:46 AM
#4
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The pulling might just be tramlining especially on worn tires and now brand new tires. But the vibration could be brakes or something like wheel well lining. maybe loose undertray....
05-19-2010, 08:17 PM
#6
I'm having the exact same vibration as described above the only difference being that my vibration is worse between 60 and 69 mph. You can feel the vibration slightly but the noise it makes is most annoying.
I recently installed new brake pads, new rotors and new tires. I even took the car in again just to have the balance and allingment checked and it all checks out.
Any idea what else could be going on??
Thanks
I recently installed new brake pads, new rotors and new tires. I even took the car in again just to have the balance and allingment checked and it all checks out.
Any idea what else could be going on??
Thanks
Last edited by Warrior777; 05-19-2010 at 08:36 PM.
05-20-2010, 10:30 PM
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Well, for everyone who has been wondering what the problem was with my car, I finally found out what it was that was causing the vibration. I hit it right on the nose....a damaged wheel bearing. Actually, it was two bearings. I even brought up this idea to the dealership and they blew me off because "wheel bearings don't fail on cars with such low mileage." (24K miles)
The first time I brought my car to them they told me they did a wheel alignment and that my tires were over-inflated, so they deflated them to the right spec and that magically solved the problem they claimed. I called bullshit over the phone when they told me this because I had just gotten new tires put on, balanced, and aligned by a guy I trust more than my own father, just a few days prior to bringing the car to them. In fact, my friend who installed the tires told me the exact pressure he pressed them up to and then the dealership said they checked them and they were 10 pounds higher than what he put in. They swore up and down that the vibration was gone. So, they tried to charge me $95 for deflating my tires!!! I said, I am not paying that, so they knocked it down to $75. I then found out their hourly charge was $95 and I paid the $75 because I did take up their time.
Then I jumped on the highway, immediately took it up to 50 mph and vroom....vroom...vroom....that damn vibration was still there. I turned around and went right back and told them they need to do their job better.
They held onto to the car for a day and took apart the underbelly and wallah! Holy crap the front and rear wheel bearings on the passenger side were damaged. After they found this out they told me it was unsafe to drive the car. How the hell do you go from over inflated tires to failed wheel bearings and my life is in danger?! Also, why the hell did the dealership in MD let me drive this car 500 miles back home. They had to have known of this problem, that is why they sold it so cheap.
Anyways, I got the car back yesterday (after waiting 7 days longer than they told me it would take) and it seems to be driving smoothly, but I will keep an ear out for any new problems. I only put 20 miles on it since I got it back, so I think more testing is required and that must wait for the weekend.
Also, I finally had my first street race today at the light. It was some teenager with a cheap exhaust on a Hyundai Tiburon. He revved his engine and I was a little unsure if I should try since I just got the car back, but what better way to test the new bearings....I blew him out of the water.
The first time I brought my car to them they told me they did a wheel alignment and that my tires were over-inflated, so they deflated them to the right spec and that magically solved the problem they claimed. I called bullshit over the phone when they told me this because I had just gotten new tires put on, balanced, and aligned by a guy I trust more than my own father, just a few days prior to bringing the car to them. In fact, my friend who installed the tires told me the exact pressure he pressed them up to and then the dealership said they checked them and they were 10 pounds higher than what he put in. They swore up and down that the vibration was gone. So, they tried to charge me $95 for deflating my tires!!! I said, I am not paying that, so they knocked it down to $75. I then found out their hourly charge was $95 and I paid the $75 because I did take up their time.
Then I jumped on the highway, immediately took it up to 50 mph and vroom....vroom...vroom....that damn vibration was still there. I turned around and went right back and told them they need to do their job better.
They held onto to the car for a day and took apart the underbelly and wallah! Holy crap the front and rear wheel bearings on the passenger side were damaged. After they found this out they told me it was unsafe to drive the car. How the hell do you go from over inflated tires to failed wheel bearings and my life is in danger?! Also, why the hell did the dealership in MD let me drive this car 500 miles back home. They had to have known of this problem, that is why they sold it so cheap.
Anyways, I got the car back yesterday (after waiting 7 days longer than they told me it would take) and it seems to be driving smoothly, but I will keep an ear out for any new problems. I only put 20 miles on it since I got it back, so I think more testing is required and that must wait for the weekend.
Also, I finally had my first street race today at the light. It was some teenager with a cheap exhaust on a Hyundai Tiburon. He revved his engine and I was a little unsure if I should try since I just got the car back, but what better way to test the new bearings....I blew him out of the water.
08-24-2010, 02:02 AM
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I own a 2009 RX-8 R3 and I have this EXACT problem. Take it over 50mph and from 50-60mph you get this weird humming vibration. And I bought it new with only 30miles on the odometer. Noticed it after 1000miles. They told me it was a bent rim issue and that I must have hit a pothole and they wouldn't cover it. Problem is last weekend I actually did curb my car and bent a rim so I'll have to get my rims straightened. If this doesn't solve the problem I will flip sh*t at my dealership. Thanks for the in depth explanation. Keep you guys posted.
10-14-2010, 10:54 PM
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Same problem with 15,000 on the clock
After finally getting all my rims fixed (done by the wheel doctor in cincinnatti; they do AMAZING work, fyi) that vibration was still in my car so I took it back to my dealership suggesting that the wheel bearings might have an issue. They did the same song and dance as before but thankfully they gave me a loaner for free BECAUSE IT TOOK THEM OVER TWO WEEKS TO CONCLUDE IT WAS ACTUALLY A BEARING ISSUE.
Needless to say I'm a little miffed it took them so long but I'll be picking it up tomorrow. Anyone have any ideas why it might have taken them so long? I know they have checklists they need to run through but this seems like an absurdly long amount of time.
Needless to say I'm a little miffed it took them so long but I'll be picking it up tomorrow. Anyone have any ideas why it might have taken them so long? I know they have checklists they need to run through but this seems like an absurdly long amount of time.
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