[Sassy45]

Hello All, I am just about ready to junk my 2008 BMWxi, because every time I turn around it’s something wrong, with little explanation or resolution until something completely fails. What’s also annoying is it does not happen when others are in my car and when I tell my brother about the issues, he thinks I’m overreacting over it’s something insignificant or normal, which is then reinforced when I tell him the repair shop found nothing. It has 182,000+, miles, so I know some of the stuff is normal wear and tear, which I have no problem addressing, but cannot if no one seems to know what the heck is wrong. I bought the car new in Munich in 2008 and I’ve put no less than $20k into this car over the past 3yrs for repairs and regular maintenance since the warranty expired. Here’s what’s going on now.


1. Tuesday I was pulling out of a parking space, turning wheels hard left, and felt this rumbling, going over rocks like feeling. When I started to pull forward for a brief second I heard a scraping/grinding noise from the right tire area I believe. Then it was gone. Drove home with no problems. Next morning it happened again when pulling out of the driveway, immediately put the car in park, got my brother and let him finish pulling out the driveway. He felt it, drove forward and it was stopped. He tried to replicate by doing donuts in the cul-de-sac, still nothing. I drive it all this week, but it hasn’t happened again.

2. For about a month, there’s been an intermittent scraping (sometimes crunching) noise from what seems like the left tire area. I often hear it out of the blue for a few seconds, minutes or sometimes a few miles then I may not hear it again until days later. FINALLY happened yesterday as I was pulling up to my parent’s house, my dad was on the porch and heard me coming 2 houses down. He described it as scrapping, clicking noise. He told me to drive around the block so he could hear it again as I pulled up, but when as I pulled off the noise was gone and did not return when I went around the block. Planned to take it my regular BMW mechanic today, but....

3. While leaving my parent’s house yesterday (after scrapping incident) the car ran like normal until about 10 miles out. I was at a stop light and the car started hesitating and acting like it wanted to shut off when I accelerated and a much louder scrapping noise began. My car has never hesitated or stalled. This time the noise continued until I could pull into a park a block away. The AC also started making a loud noise, so I turned it off. ( I need a new fan blower, so I’ve had a little noise from the AC, but this noise was different, like a loud roar). The scrapping noise stopped when I turned the AC off and when I pulled off the car was driving just fine. When I turned the AC back on, the AC roaring and scrapping noise started again and the car acted like it wanted to hesitate again. Turned off the AC and drove to the nearest repair shop, Firestone (4 miles away). The car drove fine all the way there. During all of this, the service engine light never came on.

4. ABS/DSC/4X4 error comes and goes.

Told Firestone everything and left the car with them because I didn’t feel comfortable driving and my regular BMW mechanic is an hour away. They just just called me and said the only thing noted during the diagnostic and inspection is that my AC blower motor is failing and ABS sensors are bad, but no explanation for everything else, no replication of anything when driven and no codes stored. Frustrated is an understatement.

Does anyone have any idea of what any of this could be, whether the symptoms are related or not? Thank you so much in advance.

[Chappers 71]

If you have an ABS fault then I suspect that the grinding noise will be the ABS cutting in, could be caused by a bad wheel speed sensor.

[Efthreeoh]

Sounds like the AC pump is going bad.

[ppointer]

If you haven’t serviced the front axles, they may need to be replaced. Got to get it to your trusted mechanic.

[marvinstockman]

Check that the brake backing plates are not rubbing on the rotors.