Rattles anyone?

Robert A · 10-01-2005, 12:12 PM

I'm curioius if anyone is having problems with interior rattles, squeaks, buzzes, etc. -- particularly with sport package models. If so, have they been fixable by the dealer? When you drive over a hard bump, do you still hear that sold "thunk" you had when the car was brand new?

onesixeight · 10-01-2005, 02:24 PM

I have a 325 Sport and I have the B-Pillar seat belt rattle from day one. Occasionally, I have this rear deck rattle when going over speed bumps.

Otherwise, this car seems to be put together better than my X5 Sport which had a unacceptable number of rattles.

My gripe is with BMW's warranty policy on rattles, only 1 year. To me, that's a cheat, and they don't tell you about it up front. Even if you read the warranty booklet, it says nothing about it. But every dealership I've been to, won't fix a rattle over the 1st year.

shuzmaker · 10-01-2005, 02:27 PM

YUP.

U can check out my posts.

LEDZEP · 10-01-2005, 03:59 PM

Sounds like you have a bunch of kid's toys in there. Take them out and see if it gets quieter.

But seriously, I don't hear a peep in mine.

billgti · 10-03-2005, 12:47 AM

yeah i have quite a few rattles..search for rattles..i think i've pretty much posted in all of them.

juansego · 10-03-2005, 04:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onesixeight

I have a 325 Sport and I have the B-Pillar seat belt rattle from day one. Occasionally, I have this rear deck rattle when going over speed bumps.

Otherwise, this car seems to be put together better than my X5 Sport which had a unacceptable number of rattles.

My gripe is with BMW's warranty policy on rattles, only 1 year. To me, that's a cheat, and they don't tell you about it up front. Even if you read the warranty booklet, it says nothing about it. But every dealership I've been to, won't fix a rattle over the 1st year.

same here, and another one in the middle of the dashboard, I can't tell exactly where. Annoying to say the least for a car (320i) I bought only three months ago

MCS · 10-03-2005, 09:15 AM

500 miles. Car is 2 and a half weeks old. Had a funny rattle but then realized that an empty water bottle was caught beneath the passenger side seat above the subwoofer.

Once removed - no rattles or squeaks to report of (knock on wood). Suspension gives a satisfying thunk when hitting a manhole cover or bump in the road.

davinet78 · 10-03-2005, 09:51 AM

not yet

Squawks · 10-03-2005, 02:11 PM

People leave all kinds of junk and garbage in the car that may cause rattles.

Water bottles, flashlights, coins, pens, toys, maps, ipods, handsfree sets, phones, more coins, CDs, CD cases, tools, crap in the trunk, license plates that aren't tightly screwed on, licence plate holders that aren't tightly screwed on, dangling seatbelts that are rubbing/vibrating/banging against the pillars or haven't been fully tensioned back into place and sometimes even if they are back in place, the metal clasps may vibrate against the pillars (why do audiophiles clasp IN the seatbelts even when not in use?), more coins, more crap, more crap and again, more crap.

Get rid of the crap, get rid of most of the rattles.

Some cars are just poorly built. They don't bunch together wires with twisties behind the dash and/or gauge clusters, they let them loll all over the place, allowing them to rattle upon vibration. Some plastic covers may not be tight and/or have little gaps allowing vexatious rattles...these are easy fixes - just put some hidden stuffers behind them.

My luculent probity in this issue is apparent from my 5 year old Civic...has no rattles even if I try to make rattles appear with my stentorian 12" subwoofer. My bones inside me may rattle but the car? Not a squeak.

bcaslis · 10-03-2005, 02:17 PM

I have an occasional buzz/rattle from somewhere in the dash. But it appears/disappears depending on road roughness and temperature. It's quiet enough that it hasn't been worth the effort to pursue it yet. Occasional faint noise from the seatbelt tensioners, but again intermittent. Other than those, pretty quiet. Definitely fewer noises/rattles than my old 2003 M3.

Oz · 10-03-2005, 02:48 PM

I've been driving the car for almost 2 months now and haven't noticed any rattles. I haven't had a problem with the 03 X5 3.0 either.

Could it because I am not paying too much attention and rather enjoying dirving my bmw?

ssam · 11-01-2005, 08:18 PM

Well first minor thing with my car: I have a clearly audible rattle coming from the trunk.....seems like 2 pieces of metal are touching each other on every bump

I have another small one coming from the front right door but this one is not really disturbing me

I had rattles also in my previous cars...some were fixed other were worse after they worked on them .....so I m really afraid of taking my car to the service dpt

Anyone else?

David328M-Sport · 11-01-2005, 08:32 PM

No issues with my car either.

shuzmaker · 11-01-2005, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David325Australia

No issues with my car either.

This was your #666 post.

Better throw some salt over your sholder or something... your luck is about to change... (Then again, you're in Australia you might be OK.)

sharadrai · 11-01-2005, 08:37 PM

check out my post. I had the rattle, dealer fixed it, most of it was gone and then now its back. will be taking in next week. My SA told me that I should keep bringing it in until I'm satisfied and he said if they can't fix it, I'll be surprised as to what BMW will do to make me happy. So I was like ok ....

cntlaw · 11-01-2005, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssam

I had rattles also in my previous cars...some were fixed other were worse after they worked on them .....so I m really afraid of taking my car to the service dpt

Anyone else?

Poorly built new cars always get rattlings after 2 months. For high quality sports sedan such as E90 and W203, stiffness of sports suspension is the root cause of increased interior rattlings. We have absolutely crappy roads in Hong Kong mainly due to damges by constantly heavy traffic with overloaded trunks and double deck buses. I have owned a sizable number of cars (all bought as brand new ) in last 12 years and here are my mosty recent experience to share.
1. 1995 Prelude VTEC, stock suspension (moderate stiffness) driven for 5.5 years , minimal rattlings.
2. 2001 Mercedes E320, Advangarde (slightly stiff suspension but not really real sporty ones) driven 3 years , not more than 1 location with very tiny clicking sound like a wire hitting side walls. I am very satisfied with the built of E320 W210.
3. 2002 Z3 2.2 Sports Edition (USA made), came with EXTREMELY stiff stock M3 suspension, driven for 3 years, freaking rattlings all over the places that I don't even want to think about fixing it. Now sold.
4. 2003 Thailand made Honda Accord 2.4 , driven 2 years, supposed to be the softest suspensions but the rattlings have been all over the places like small insects or noises of mice something. Sold without doubt and not recommending any cars built in Thailand.
5. 2004 Mercedes C55 AMG W203 with stiffest AMG sports suspensions I ever exeperienced. Despite the strong built of W203, I found pretty serious rattlings in driver side A pillar, driver side door embedding with speakers, front deck rattling the major, and all the seats rattlings. The dealer spent two times to fix the major ones but and then also created a minor one in the door Window.

I think it is normal to get rattlings for sports suspension and you just have to go the dealer more4 often to get them fixed. Sit with the right technical man and listen to the noises together so that you have a mutal agreement with them where the problem is. If you only leave the problem to the dealer, it could take day to find the causes and still did not fix the noises which you have been hearing.
Patience and cooperation is gold.

cnt

Gazman70 · 12-02-2005, 02:36 PM

I have the same seat belt issue though it has been noted by BMW.. http://www.bmwtis.com/tiscode/cgi-bi...sion=239146087 .. but the dealer cannot tell me when the parts are going to be available!! The 'parts' are a spring washer only!!!! Frustrating. Regarding rear deck squeaks - yes I have these too and I keep going into the back of my car and thumping various sections to knock it into place.. any thoughts??

arcrox · 12-02-2005, 02:42 PM

Thankfully I am rattle free, although it doesn't really matter, because I'm utilizing the full capabilities of Logic 7 most of the time.

prolix21 · 12-02-2005, 03:04 PM

i've heard a few, but most turn out to be something i have in the car that isn't secured well. i've had a few from the dash and the usual seatbelt rattled. personally i don't care, turn the radio up and its fine. this car is pretty rattle free compared to previous cars i've had. tsx developed some really annoying rattles that never went away. the ones in my 330i seem to come and go, mostly temperature dependent.

Bimmerista · 12-02-2005, 03:42 PM

No rattles so far and I have the ZSP AND drive on the worst roads in North America - Quebec.

Of course over time I will have some rattles, which are attributable to the fact that the car is not made out of a single block of uranium.

But as for initial build quality - I am very happy so far.

youngtechman · 12-02-2005, 03:43 PM

I have cracking/ticking sound from the back.
Haven't take the car back to dealer yet (I only have it for 3 weeks).
Will wait a little longer before I bring it back.

Gazman70 · 12-02-2005, 03:50 PM

Having to turn up the radio to disguise noises in the car isn't what I would expect from this sort of car. I had a call from the bmw marketing group asking how my service experience was and I was honest... they were not that enthusiastic about rushing to fix the problem... said the spring washer for the seat belt would take an indeterminate amount time to find. My radio is turned low half the time so I can listen to the sweet purr of the 6 pistons firing under the bonnet..... woohoo!!!

10-01-2005, 12:12 PM	#1
Robert A New Member 1 Rep 25 Posts Drives: Join Date: Mar 2005 iTrader: (0)	Rattles anyone? I'm curioius if anyone is having problems with interior rattles, squeaks, buzzes, etc. -- particularly with sport package models. If so, have they been fixable by the dealer? When you drive over a hard bump, do you still hear that sold "thunk" you had when the car was brand new?
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

10-01-2005, 02:24 PM	#2
onesixeight Captain 102 Rep 614 Posts Drives: F82 M4/i8 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Seattle, WA iTrader: (3)	I have a 325 Sport and I have the B-Pillar seat belt rattle from day one. Occasionally, I have this rear deck rattle when going over speed bumps. Otherwise, this car seems to be put together better than my X5 Sport which had a unacceptable number of rattles. My gripe is with BMW's warranty policy on rattles, only 1 year. To me, that's a cheat, and they don't tell you about it up front. Even if you read the warranty booklet, it says nothing about it. But every dealership I've been to, won't fix a rattle over the 1st year.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-01-2005, 02:27 PM	#3
shuzmaker First Lieutenant 27 Rep 303 Posts Drives: e90 325iAS Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Garden State iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 325i [0.00]	YUP. U can check out my posts.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-01-2005, 03:59 PM	#4
LEDZEP Lieutenant General 418 Rep 12,276 Posts Drives: 2009 E70 & 2011 F25 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Area 51 iTrader: (0) Garage List 2011 X3 35i M Sport [7.62] 2009 X5 M Sport [0.00] 2007 328xi E90 [0.00] 2006 325xiT E91 [0.00]	Sounds like you have a bunch of kid's toys in there. Take them out and see if it gets quieter. But seriously, I don't hear a peep in mine. __________________ I think it is bad luck to be superstitious
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-03-2005, 12:47 AM	#5
billgti Lieutenant 26 Rep 506 Posts Drives: 06 BMW 330i Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Los Angeles, CA iTrader: (0)	yeah i have quite a few rattles..search for rattles..i think i've pretty much posted in all of them.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-03-2005, 09:15 AM	#7
MCS e90 newbie 35 Rep 448 Posts Drives: 2012 M3 E93 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Northern NJ iTrader: (2) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	500 miles. Car is 2 and a half weeks old. Had a funny rattle but then realized that an empty water bottle was caught beneath the passenger side seat above the subwoofer. Once removed - no rattles or squeaks to report of (knock on wood). Suspension gives a satisfying thunk when hitting a manhole cover or bump in the road. __________________ E93 IL Blue M3 ZPP, ZCW
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-03-2005, 09:51 AM	#8
davinet78 Lieutenant Colonel 28 Rep 1,832 Posts Drives: bmw e90 320d Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: gibraltar(europe) iTrader: (0) Garage List 2005 bmw 320d E90 [0.00]	not yet __________________ e90 320d,arktis,lumber support, hifi speaker, alarm, dakota beige, 162 18", xenon with washer spray,window chrome trimmings, professional radio, 6 cd changer wood trimmings 6 speed manual.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-03-2005, 02:11 PM	#9
Squawks One of my two dachshunds: 53 Rep 663 Posts Drives: B6 A4 3.0 Quattro Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Ithaca, NY iTrader: (0)	People leave all kinds of junk and garbage in the car that may cause rattles. Water bottles, flashlights, coins, pens, toys, maps, ipods, handsfree sets, phones, more coins, CDs, CD cases, tools, crap in the trunk, license plates that aren't tightly screwed on, licence plate holders that aren't tightly screwed on, dangling seatbelts that are rubbing/vibrating/banging against the pillars or haven't been fully tensioned back into place and sometimes even if they are back in place, the metal clasps may vibrate against the pillars (why do audiophiles clasp IN the seatbelts even when not in use?), more coins, more crap, more crap and again, more crap. Get rid of the crap, get rid of most of the rattles. Some cars are just poorly built. They don't bunch together wires with twisties behind the dash and/or gauge clusters, they let them loll all over the place, allowing them to rattle upon vibration. Some plastic covers may not be tight and/or have little gaps allowing vexatious rattles...these are easy fixes - just put some hidden stuffers behind them. My luculent probity in this issue is apparent from my 5 year old Civic...has no rattles even if I try to make rattles appear with my stentorian 12" subwoofer. My bones inside me may rattle but the car? Not a squeak.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-03-2005, 02:17 PM	#10
bcaslis Private First Class 1 Rep 124 Posts Drives: BMW 2006 330i Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Oregon, USA iTrader: (0)	I have an occasional buzz/rattle from somewhere in the dash. But it appears/disappears depending on road roughness and temperature. It's quiet enough that it hasn't been worth the effort to pursue it yet. Occasional faint noise from the seatbelt tensioners, but again intermittent. Other than those, pretty quiet. Definitely fewer noises/rattles than my old 2003 M3. __________________ 330i, Sapphire Black/Terra, 6MT, Sport, Premium, Cold Weather, Sat. Prep, Aluminum Trim Pictures at http://caslis.com/photos/bmwe90/
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-03-2005, 02:48 PM	#11
Oz Lieutenant Colonel 33 Rep 1,770 Posts Drives: 2006 330i, 2004 X5 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Wayne, NJ iTrader: (1) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	I've been driving the car for almost 2 months now and haven't noticed any rattles. I haven't had a problem with the 03 X5 3.0 either. Could it because I am not paying too much attention and rather enjoying dirving my bmw? __________________ 2006 330i Steptronic/Alpine White/Black Leather/Burl Walnut Trim/Premium Package/iDrive/Heated Seats/Winter: STYLE 159 Blizzak LM-22 RFT/Summer: TBD 2004 X5 Steptronic/Alpine White/Grey Leather/Poplar Trim/Premium Package/Heated Seats/iPod Adapter
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-01-2005, 08:18 PM	#12
ssam Second Lieutenant 12 Rep 269 Posts Drives: carefully Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Montreal, Canada iTrader: (0)	Well first minor thing with my car: I have a clearly audible rattle coming from the trunk.....seems like 2 pieces of metal are touching each other on every bump I have another small one coming from the front right door but this one is not really disturbing me I had rattles also in my previous cars...some were fixed other were worse after they worked on them .....so I m really afraid of taking my car to the service dpt Anyone else?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-01-2005, 08:32 PM	#13
David328M-Sport Brigadier General 101 Rep 3,566 Posts Drives: F30 M-Sport 328i Estoril Blue Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Melbourne Australia iTrader: (0)	No issues with my car either. __________________ 328i M-Sport, Estoril Blue, Carbon XP 35 Tint, front heated seats, black Dakota, Sports Suspension, Anthracite Headliner, HUD, Pro Nav, Sunroof, hk 600w, Bi-Xenon, 19" 403M wheels, Reversing Camera, DAB+, Xenon, BT Ext Connect, MST turbo intake pipe, MST Cold Air Intake, JB4 on Map 2 with Catless DP produces awesome performance in Sport.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-01-2005, 08:37 PM	#15
sharadrai Private 10 Rep 92 Posts Drives: 2006 325 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: boston iTrader: (0)	check out my post. I had the rattle, dealer fixed it, most of it was gone and then now its back. will be taking in next week. My SA told me that I should keep bringing it in until I'm satisfied and he said if they can't fix it, I'll be surprised as to what BMW will do to make me happy. So I was like ok ....
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-02-2005, 02:36 PM	#17
Gazman70 Registered 0 Rep 4 Posts Drives: Black w/Tan Leather 325i Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (0)	E90 rattles and squeaks I have the same seat belt issue though it has been noted by BMW.. http://www.bmwtis.com/tiscode/cgi-bi...sion=239146087 .. but the dealer cannot tell me when the parts are going to be available!! The 'parts' are a spring washer only!!!! Frustrating. Regarding rear deck squeaks - yes I have these too and I keep going into the back of my car and thumping various sections to knock it into place.. any thoughts??
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-02-2005, 02:42 PM	#18
arcrox E90post addict 17 Rep 489 Posts Drives: 2024 G20 M340i Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Scottsdale, AZ iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 325i [0.00]	Thankfully I am rattle free, although it doesn't really matter, because I'm utilizing the full capabilities of Logic 7 most of the time.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-02-2005, 03:04 PM	#19
prolix21 Second Lieutenant 30 Rep 233 Posts Drives: 2020 BMW X3 xDrive30i Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Fort Collins iTrader: (1) Garage List 2006 330i zsp (sold) [0.00] 2020 X3 xDrive30i [0.00]	i've heard a few, but most turn out to be something i have in the car that isn't secured well. i've had a few from the dash and the usual seatbelt rattled. personally i don't care, turn the radio up and its fine. this car is pretty rattle free compared to previous cars i've had. tsx developed some really annoying rattles that never went away. the ones in my 330i seem to come and go, mostly temperature dependent.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-02-2005, 03:42 PM	#20
Bimmerista Major General 82 Rep 5,732 Posts Drives: superstock Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada iTrader: (0)	No rattles so far and I have the ZSP AND drive on the worst roads in North America - Quebec. Of course over time I will have some rattles, which are attributable to the fact that the car is not made out of a single block of uranium. But as for initial build quality - I am very happy so far.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-02-2005, 03:43 PM	#21
youngtechman Private First Class 18 Rep 122 Posts Drives: 330i -> X3 M40i Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	I have cracking/ticking sound from the back. Haven't take the car back to dealer yet (I only have it for 3 weeks). Will wait a little longer before I bring it back. __________________ E90 - 330i Arctic Metallic -> X3 M40i (Soon)
	Appreciate 0 Quote

12-02-2005, 03:50 PM	#22
Gazman70 Registered 0 Rep 4 Posts Drives: Black w/Tan Leather 325i Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (0)	Don't settle Mr.Prolix Having to turn up the radio to disguise noises in the car isn't what I would expect from this sort of car. I had a call from the bmw marketing group asking how my service experience was and I was honest... they were not that enthusiastic about rushing to fix the problem... said the spring washer for the seat belt would take an indeterminate amount time to find. My radio is turned low half the time so I can listen to the sweet purr of the 6 pistons firing under the bonnet..... woohoo!!!
	Appreciate 0 Quote