[928]

I think the universal joint on my steering shaft (2010 335i xdrive) is worn. As far as I can tell I don’t have active steering or servotronic. I see that rock auto has an aftermarket replacement by Dorman. FCP appears to only have the OEM, which makes me wonder if they don’t sell it because it’s not adequate in its quality/fitment. Has anyone used the Dorman? Is this considered a part where one should spend more and get the oem part?

[Brian86]

Dorman parts are usually fine.

Check to see if the coupling between the U-joint and the shafts has come loose and simply needs tightened before replacing the U-joint.

[928]

Thanks, Brian. Great to know that Dorman should be good. I tightened the bolt on the lower end of the universal joint (right above the steering rack). I didn’t see a second bolt on that universal joint, but I didn’t get a good look either. When I look at the parts diagram on real oem it doesn’t look like the same shaft so can’t use that to determine how many bolts there are. I’ll take another look. If I have to replace the shaft, does it only connect the rack and column in one way so that there’s no risk of messing up the orientation of the steering wheel to rack?

[Runnin'Rich]

I think both ends are keyed if I remember correctly.
The rubber inside the boot on mine was ripped and the joint inside corroded.
Sometimes I'd pull off the highway and my steering would be really heavy like the power steering was out. I think it was the joint getting seized.

Don't spin your steering wheel at all when you remove the shaft. The clock spring can only turn 2.5 turns. I span my steering wheel one turn from the engine bay without realising when trying to connect the shaft. The first drive I took a turn and I felt a bit of resistance in the steering wheel as I ripped through the ribbon cables inside the clock spring!! Haha costly mistake!

Haven't tried Dorman parts. I went genuine bmw as I want my steering to be as tight as possible.

[928]

Wow, great advice based on your first-hand experience; thank you!

[kkasson]

For something critical like this I'd personally recommend just paying the extra and getting OEM. Dorman quality control is all over the place; some of their parts are fine, occasionally they're actually better than the original, and often they're total junk.

I don't know anything about this part in particular so I can't say for sure, but that's been my experience with them in the past.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Runnin'Rich

I think both ends are keyed if I remember correctly.
The rubber inside the boot on mine was ripped and the joint inside corroded.
Sometimes I'd pull off the highway and my steering would be really heavy like the power steering was out. I think it was the joint getting seized.

Don't spin your steering wheel at all when you remove the shaft. The clock spring can only turn 2.5 turns. I span my steering wheel one turn from the engine bay without realising when trying to connect the shaft. The first drive I took a turn and I felt a bit of resistance in the steering wheel as I ripped through the ribbon cables inside the clock spring!! Haha costly mistake!

Haven't tried Dorman parts. I went genuine bmw as I want my steering to be as tight as possible.

Funny you mention the clock spring issue. I just replaced the upper and lower steering shaft sections on my H3T. The center U-joint was seriously degraded by corrosion; it was dangerous in fact. The GM replacement procedure calls for a locking pin be inserted into the steering column to prevent steering wheel rotation; there is a hole in the column surround where the pin is inserted. Fair enough, the special tool was $8 plus shipping; $17 total, but interestingly it didn't lock the steering wheel. The procedure warns of allowing the steering wheel to rotate when disconnected from the steering shaft, because it can damage the clock spring and cause problems with the airbag system.

With the Hummer, the procedure requires the steering column be removed from the dashboard to remove the upper shaft (it bolts to the fire wall on the inside (cabin side). Small amount of pucker factor removing the steering column with the steering wheel flopping around. Not sure why the pin didn't work...

[Efthreeoh]

getBMWparts has the shaft for $72 less than FCP Euro if you decide to go OE

[928]

Thanks everyone for chiming in with your thoughts and advice (great tip about the cables; didn't know that and also wasn't aware of getBMWparts). I tightened the bolt on the top side at the firewall but it didn't solve the issue (I had already tightened the bottom bolt). For about a the last 8,000kms I've noticed when sitting still at a red light if I move the steering wheel slightly there will be a sensation that is hard to describe...Actually I can't find the words to describe it. It's very subtle such that I doubt my wife would ever notice it. It's not a vibration or a click. Anyway, when investigating I shimmied the steering wheel back and forth with the car off and I could hear a clunk. I don't think there's much play in the universal joint but there is enough to cause the clunking noise. I'm still trying to decide between the dorman and the OEM shaft. I'll report back whether the new shaft fixes the problem once I've done the repair.

[e90yyc]

These are notorious for failing on xDrive cars. Mine had developed play that was most noticeable on center at low speeds but also during highway driving.

Like Runnin'Rich, the ball joint that sits between the two u-joints had become contaminated (ripped rubber boot…) and obviously was failing. I greased it which seemed to help for a while, but ultimately I replaced it which solved my play and the noise.

Yeah it’s expensive but unless I was able to see the Dorman part next to the BMW one and feel good about the quality, I’d go OE. You could make the argument that failure of the OE part is a matter of when and not if, and so perhaps you’d have better luck with another brand, but I’d still probably go OE. Bought mine from FCP so won’t need to buy it again.

[928]

With the advice here I’m leaning heavily toward going OE. For those who have replaced the steering shaft, did you do it all from the engine bay or did you remove the trim under the dash and disconnect the shaft from the column from inside the cabin?

[Runnin'Rich]

Everything is done inside engine bay. I think I had to remove the cowl/cabin filters to get to the upper joint.

[lookalikehuuh]

Originally Posted by Brian86

Dorman parts are usually fine.

Sorry but I have to strongly disagree with this statement. Dorman parts are bottom of the barrel trash and half the time don't work when they are brand new out of the box and/or do not even fit properly.

[dt325ic]

Originally Posted by lookalikehuuh

Sorry but I have to strongly disagree with this statement. Dorman parts are bottom of the barrel trash and half the time don't work when they are brand new out of the box and/or do not even fit properly.

This has been my experience as well.

I did use the Dorman rear window regulator on my E90, and it's been fine so far. Not a steering part though, and I don't think I would risk it.

[lookalikehuuh]

Originally Posted by dt325ic

This has been my experience as well.

I did use the Dorman rear window regulator on my E90, and it's been fine so far. Not a steering part though, and I don't think I would risk it.

I have gone thru about 11 Dorman window regulators since one of my regulators broke the day before we were expected to have some rain. Stealership didn't have any in stock so I had to go to Oreillys and got the Dorman.

I've gotten to the point where I literally have a spare set sitting in my garage at all times now because its not a matter of "if" they will break but more of how quickly they will break.

Also of note, if I ever roll the window down all the way it will get stuck there and I have to try to roll it up like 20x before it will release itself and actually roll up. Its been the same on every single replacement from Dorman.

Anyway that is just 1 example. But I have buddies that work in the automotive industry and they avoid Dorman parts at all costs when they can... sometimes they just can't and they almost alway bet more than half of those cars will come back very quickly.

[928]

Thanks again to everyone for your input/advice. I ended up ordering the steering shaft from the dealer. I'm surprised by how light it is. I've just installed the part and can confirm that it solved the problem. Thanks to Runnin'Rich for confirming that the job can be done from the engine bay (i.e., no need to do anything from inside the cabin). I put my seat belt around the steering wheel to prevent the wheel from moving and damaging the switch cluster. I then removed the cowl plastics, lifted the car, and removed the left front wheel. The original was really on there. I had watched a youtube video (I believe it was on a Mercedes) where the guy put a nut inside the universal joint and used an air hammer with a chisel bit to essentially make a press against the nut. That was what worked for me to get the universal joint about 2/3 of the way off and then I used a pry bar and dead blow to pop it off the rest of the way. On the top side I needed to use a ratcheting E12 wrench because the brake lines from the brake booster were in the way from the top side. Due to that, I wasn't able to torque the top bolt to the correct 15.5 ft-lb but I got it nice and snug with the wrench. The bottom bolt was easy to access and torque with an extension. The new shaft slid on the splines surprisingly easily and was a breeze to line up with the reliefs for the bolts. Having seen how nicely the OEM part installed, in addition to how light weight it is, I can now see the value in spending the money for the OEM part. Hopefully this post/thread will help anyone in the future who has the same questions I did.