vibrations Vehicle Characteristic Vibrations

[Blu-Glo]

Just bought a 2016 Lincoln MKX with all the bells and whistles and noticed some vibrations in the 25-30 mph range, as well as 40-60+ mph ranges.  The vibrations felt like a tire out of balance, so I took it back to the dealer who found a bent rim and replaced it.  When I picked up the car, the same vibrations were still present and took it back to the dealer.  After exhaustive rebalancing and comparison rides in other MKX's, the dealer tells me that this is a characteristic of the vehicle and they have exhausted their ability to correct the problem.  They offered that my vehicle had the least amount of vibrations of any other that they drove today.    I find it difficult to accept that this is a characteristic of the vehicle (a Luxury Lincoln Vehicle) and am looking for some input from other MKX owners who may have experienced the same problem.   

[akirby]

Absolutely not normal. You may need to find a new dealer.

[enigma-2]

I drove a 2016 Lincoln MKX loaner, a week or two ago. Glass smooth at all speeds.

 

Whatever you did to cause the bent rim, may have also done some other damage. Is it possible that you may have damaged the other rim(s) during the same incident as well? Or possibly lost a wheel weight on one of the other tires?

 

One other possibility, OEM tires are tested (without weights) by each OEM tire manufacturer during production. The best ones go to Ford, second best to aftermarket. (Reason is, less amount of lead needed to balance, saves $$$ over the years).

 

If the are having trouble keeping up, all of the OEM tire mfgrs will sneak a few, less-than-perfect tires through to meet production demands. (Easier to pay a extra lean fine than to shut down the auto line).

 

Some tires a really hard to balance, get them to run good at 65 and they can be off at 40, that sort of thing. Anyway, it could be just a bad tire.

 

I would pay to have it rebalanced at a tire store, just to be certain. Maybe all four, just to be certain. (Any tire that's bouncing will wear out faster).

Edited June 10, 2016 by enigma-2

[enigma-2]

Btw, is your new MKX an AWD? Got to thinking that an out-of-balance drive shaft could cause vibrations and make you think it was a tire.

 

Do you feel it in the steering wheel or just throughout the car?

[akirby]

I'd get the suspension and driveline inspected on the wheel that was bent - may have done other damage.

 

If it was an out of balance wheel it should be constant and get worse with more speed.  If it comes and goes at different speeds I'd suspect driveshaft or axle or suspension.

[BluGlo]

To answer Enmigma-2's question - it is an AWD and I will pursue the drive shaft issue.  Since my last post, I took the car to a tire dealer with whom I have had a good relation for the past several years and have earned my trust.  They found that incorrect weights were used (clip on in addition to the recommended magnetic) and all four wheels were out of balance.  After they balanced them, there were still vibrations and they re-balanced them for me.  This time they paid attention to the overall wheel response and found that all four wheels had a hop and side to side variance that could be causing vibrations at the higher speeds.  After all that, vibrations remain at the slower speeds (30-45 mph) and again at the 60-65 mph range and I can feel it throughout the car with very little in the steering wheel.  That used to indicate a problem with the rear wheels, but they moved one wheel from the front to the back and the source of vibrations didn't move.  As akirby mentioned, if it comes and goes at different speeds, it may not be he tires/wheels at all.  Will let you know after I get the drive shaft balanced.