Scratching / Rumbling sound in tight low speed turns

[tjf]

Hi,

I've been having an issue with my 09 e93 M3 for a while now and was wondering if anybody else experienced the same:

When I do tight low speed turns in e.g a parking garage (especially turning onto a down/up ramp) I hear a scratching / rumbling sound (kind of like pushing a chair on a tile floor) and also feel a light vibration in the steering wheel.
It sounds to me like it's coming from the rear-left of the car, though I have a really hard time to pinpoint it.

I've taken the car to the dealership twice for this issue.
The first time, I went on a drive with the tech and of course wasn't able to replicate it ... so we suspected that it might only appear if the car is fairly cool. I left the car overnight and the tech tried again in the morning but still wasn't able to replicate. He said power steering fluid was a little low and filled that but couldn't find anything out of the ordinary besides that.

To my surprise, the following week the noise was really gone until the week after, when it started to reappear.
Brought the car back to the dealership, again unable to replicate until the morning after and the tech said he was actually able to replicate but couldn't pinpoint it. He assumed that it could be the rear differential and changed the fluid. They checked for metal shavings when draining the old fluid but couldn't find any trace of that.

After that it was good for about 3 weeks, where it only appeared every now and then and not as strong.
However, now it's back and it just doesn't right...

Any ideas what it could be?

Thanks,

tjf

[dvpouldar26]

This is a common problem. It is probably that your dealer forgot to change your diff fluid from the break-in fluid. The break-in fluid lacks a booster in it which causes the noise. Most dealers forget to change the fluid after the break in period. Request the correct diff fluid with the booster in it and if that is the problem, it should go away. Its a common problem which many experience on tight low speed turns. I'm 99% sure that is the problem.

[herosfc]

I was having similar vibration and noise issues. Turns out I was rubbing whenever I turned the wheel to the right (it always happened in the garage at work when I was making sharp turns). Turns out I damaged the fender liner (probably from a pothole) and the tire was rubbing against the liner during turns.

It was exacerbated by the fact that I'm running wider wheels and tires than stock.

[tjf]

correction from my previous post: They changed the rear differential fluid, not the transmission fluid

@dvpouldar26
That was my thought too and I double checked and asked if they really put the correct fluid in and he assured me that it was the correct one for the M3.
The issue started happening when I had about 7000 miles on the car I believe, it was fine for almost a year after the initial break in service

@herosfc
For me the issue is apparent no matter if I turn left or right, also it seems to make a difference if car is hot or cold.

[MaxL]

I have exactly the same issue, and I'm on stock wheels & tires now (19"). It seems it's coming from the front wheels. I thought it was power steering, but it only happens when the car is moving, so it looks like rubbing (but on stock tires???). My service records show that the diff fluid was changed...

[MNm3]

Same exact thing happened to me. There is a service bulliten out for it from BMW. Its the diff fluid.

[MNm3]

Just to clarify, the service was performed about a month ago and I think that BMW finally got this fixed for good this time. Same deal, mine was fine for the first like 7000 miles or so and then started making the noise.

Since the service. Everything is all good. Stock wheels and tires.

[MaxL]

Oh snap... I'll have to take it to the dealer... Do you have a service bulletin number (or better a link to a PDF) by any chance?

[MaxL]

Just did a search, and everything is explained well in this thread: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...ght=diff+noise

The only thing I did not get is should I get rid of the noise by taking the car to the dealer or not... The noise itself does not bother me at all, but the change of fluid is going to reduce wear, it's something worth getting done.

[Nuge Design]

With my 08 e92, the diff fluid change took care of that noise whilst performing slow, tight, right hand turns — like into a parking space...

[NYCMCBM3]

im having the same exact problem , i read all the above post but i still dont understand what exactly to do to fix this problem? what should i tell the dealer to do?

[gasterus]

My dealer tried changing the differential fluid, but it is still making the noise. Finally, they decided to replace my differential under warranty.

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by NycE93M3

im having the same exact problem , i read all the above post but i still dont understand what exactly to do to fix this problem? what should i tell the dealer to do?

There're TWO different fluids. The one that eliminates the noise is a lot more expensive, and dealers usually don't stock it. But it's a lot cheaper than a new differential . Do a search for the part number.

The consensus is nothing happens if you hear the chatter at full lock, but it's not nice to hear. My car is starting to do it, but not too loud yet. I'll change it myself along with the tranny and engine oil when I hit 2 years in May.

[TRY...M3]

Rear differential fluid?