I just got my 530i and there are a ton of rattles. I've had in the shop 3 times now with no success. Anyone else having this problem. It is my first BMW and it's really making me sick. Spent 50K on a car that rattles more then the American pickup I traded in for the BMW. I love everything else about the car just not the rattles. The dealer said that they have to replace the entire rear deck. Sorry guys just venting, but this really bugs me.
Rattles
- Thread starter jcma81
- Start date
There are a bunch of threads on this. Fix the doorseals with Carbaflo lubricant. For the back seat rattles, the dealer needs to remove the seat and install some padding where it squeaks. I would suggest taking a ride with the service technician with you in the back seat to identify where the rattles are coming from.
Jcma,
Did you buy a new 530i or an older one? If you bought a new one, I don't really know what to tell other than what I've suspected has been going at BMW over the last couple of years, which is that build quality has gone down. If it's an older one, it might be that person just drove it too hard (like a lot careless drivers) and the car took a beating and now its catching up.
Additionally, where is IL do you normally drive? Are you from around Chicagoland? If so, those roads (potholes) can be brutal on cars. I bought my 3er a year old from a guy in Barrington who pampered it; it didn't squeek or rattle a bit, even over some of the rougher roads like on the Edens and Bishop Ford. But now as I'm nearing 80K (76 to be exact), I think the shitty Chicago roads are catching up to it and am noticing more subtle rattles and creaks in the dash and in the rear over rough roads...but it's still pretty solid for the most part.
Similarly, a good friend of mine has a 2001 X5 that he bought brand new and is experiencing similar problems, though with much greater intensity than in my car. I know he's a little pissed, especially after hopping back and forth between his X5 and his dad's 2000 LX470, which is near silent. My sister's 93 Camry with 130K is also pretty quiet.
Another thing that sucks is that IDOT oversalts the roads and after every winter there are a shitload of deep potholes (or more like pot streaks/lanes in some cases) in the area. But it seems to me that Japanese cars are a little more resitant to rattling/squeeking that German/American cars.
Just my 2 cents...
Did you buy a new 530i or an older one? If you bought a new one, I don't really know what to tell other than what I've suspected has been going at BMW over the last couple of years, which is that build quality has gone down. If it's an older one, it might be that person just drove it too hard (like a lot careless drivers) and the car took a beating and now its catching up.
Additionally, where is IL do you normally drive? Are you from around Chicagoland? If so, those roads (potholes) can be brutal on cars. I bought my 3er a year old from a guy in Barrington who pampered it; it didn't squeek or rattle a bit, even over some of the rougher roads like on the Edens and Bishop Ford. But now as I'm nearing 80K (76 to be exact), I think the shitty Chicago roads are catching up to it and am noticing more subtle rattles and creaks in the dash and in the rear over rough roads...but it's still pretty solid for the most part.
Similarly, a good friend of mine has a 2001 X5 that he bought brand new and is experiencing similar problems, though with much greater intensity than in my car. I know he's a little pissed, especially after hopping back and forth between his X5 and his dad's 2000 LX470, which is near silent. My sister's 93 Camry with 130K is also pretty quiet.
Another thing that sucks is that IDOT oversalts the roads and after every winter there are a shitload of deep potholes (or more like pot streaks/lanes in some cases) in the area. But it seems to me that Japanese cars are a little more resitant to rattling/squeeking that German/American cars.
Just my 2 cents...
Thanks for the reply. I'm acctually driving it St. Louis now and it is a new 530i. I'm kind of disappointed, I have always heard good things about BMW and now that I own one, I'm beginning to hear a lot about the deminished quality of car being produced. Also I'm under the understanding that the more the dealer plays with finding the rattles the more rattles I will have down the road. Hope this isn't true but I guess it makes sense. Just really disappointed as this was my first BMW and was hopeing to be as happy as my friends were with thier BMWs.
X3 Rattles
Hello Guys, I have been reading on all the rattles and squeaks for the 530i, I purchase last month an X3 the the rattles on the front doors were so annoying![[bigcry]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_bigcry.gif "Big Cry [bigcry]")
and a sound on the engine that the Dealer could never find that they decided to return my entire money paid for the X3 ![[mad]](/images/smilies/mad.png "Mad [mad]")
. I lived in Queretaro Mexico and the roads are no too good however I did trade my 2001 330ia for this X3 the 330ia never squeaked or rattle it was a good car, however be careful witht the X3 they have a Hard Plastic on the front doors and I belive this was a bad design from BMW because on abrupt roads they will produce very umpleasant noises.
I agreed with you guys BMW has gone down on quality.
Hello Guys, I have been reading on all the rattles and squeaks for the 530i, I purchase last month an X3 the the rattles on the front doors were so annoying
and a sound on the engine that the Dealer could never find that they decided to return my entire money paid for the X3 . I lived in Queretaro Mexico and the roads are no too good however I did trade my 2001 330ia for this X3 the 330ia never squeaked or rattle it was a good car, however be careful witht the X3 they have a Hard Plastic on the front doors and I belive this was a bad design from BMW because on abrupt roads they will produce very umpleasant noises.I agreed with you guys BMW has gone down on quality.
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I have a simiar problem with a 2007 M5. I had some luck using the glycerine lubricants on the leather but I think it is in the door latches. I had the pillar panels removed between both doors and found nothing there that would rattle.
My latest trick was to increase the tire pressure from 35 to 40 lbs in the rear tires. This seemed to change the excitation frequency of the rattle and it occurs less often. The last thing I did (at the same time I did the latches )was to loosen the door latches on the door sides and open and shut the doors to self center the latches. Then tighten things back up. Hope this helps
My latest trick was to increase the tire pressure from 35 to 40 lbs in the rear tires. This seemed to change the excitation frequency of the rattle and it occurs less often. The last thing I did (at the same time I did the latches )was to loosen the door latches on the door sides and open and shut the doors to self center the latches. Then tighten things back up. Hope this helps