Hi all,
Like some of you, my M3 has been noisy since the get-go. I've brought it to the service center numerous times in an attempt to work through the different squeaks, clunks, and rattles. I have most of them taken care of except for a few that are infrequent and not very noticeable during normal driving conditions. However, there's been one rattle in an ambiguous location that has been a thorn in my ass since the day I took delivery and has only gotten worse. The rattle sounds like plastic-on-plastic or perhaps a loose wiring harness or bolt. It's a sharp, irregular ticking sound that seems to come from the passenger side near the wheel well, but I'm not entirely sure. As a matter of fact, I've found a YouTube video with the sound I'm talking about https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7zs0aFdMA0. What I find odd is that it only occurs at highway speeds. It doesn't matter what temperature it is, what the driving surface is like, or if it's raining or snowing. It always occurs above 50 MPH and is the same intensity no matter what. Bearing all of this in mind I'm pretty convinced it has to do with high speed air buffeting/vibrating something; either there is something in the HVAC system bouncing around (like a tree seed or pebble), or there's a piece of plastic bouncing off of some metal piece.
What I've done so far:
Like some of you, my M3 has been noisy since the get-go. I've brought it to the service center numerous times in an attempt to work through the different squeaks, clunks, and rattles. I have most of them taken care of except for a few that are infrequent and not very noticeable during normal driving conditions. However, there's been one rattle in an ambiguous location that has been a thorn in my ass since the day I took delivery and has only gotten worse. The rattle sounds like plastic-on-plastic or perhaps a loose wiring harness or bolt. It's a sharp, irregular ticking sound that seems to come from the passenger side near the wheel well, but I'm not entirely sure. As a matter of fact, I've found a YouTube video with the sound I'm talking about https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7zs0aFdMA0. What I find odd is that it only occurs at highway speeds. It doesn't matter what temperature it is, what the driving surface is like, or if it's raining or snowing. It always occurs above 50 MPH and is the same intensity no matter what. Bearing all of this in mind I'm pretty convinced it has to do with high speed air buffeting/vibrating something; either there is something in the HVAC system bouncing around (like a tree seed or pebble), or there's a piece of plastic bouncing off of some metal piece.
What I've done so far:
- I removed every item from the glovebox and center consoles.
- I've inspected the fender liner on the passenger side, which wasn't properly installed (snapped the tab back under the opposite side). I notice that it does seem to make a rattle noise if I tap it or move it around a little bit. However, I'm not sure how to remove the liner to add some foam underneath so it doesn't contact the metal so much.
- I took off the maintenance cover of the cabin air intake and cleaned it out (no debris). I inspected the clips and everything appeared to be in order.
- I inspected the frunk clips (not very much play I doubt this is what's making the noise), and made sure everything was tight and firmly in place. I've also removed every loose item from the frunk and placed it in my trunk or in my home.
