Rattles & Creaks

[gohornedfrogs]

Just bought a 2004 530i with 20K miles on it. It has a few rattles / creaks that are either door related or seat related on the passenger side.

It only does this at low speeds when the car is more likely to "twist" a little -- like when turning into a driveway.

This is my third BMW, and I've never had a rattle in any of them. I love this car -- but I want these rattles / creaks to go away.

I've taken it to the dealer for routine service and asked them to check into it. I don't have high expectations from them, though.

Anybody have any suggestions?

 

[deutsch100]

Congrats on the purchase. The 5er is a great car. If you do a search, I think this has been brought up before. There is something either with the door mounted speaker, or possibly the seat belt mechansim. BMW is aware of this issue, and it has supposedly been fixed for 2006/2007. If you suspect it is coming from the seat, ask them also to check the seat track inside of the seat cushion. When they develop a hairline crack, they can drive one mad (my 1998 E320 cracked 3 times, and it was so annoying to hear, but BMW is prone to this also....deutsche Technologie . Good Luck

 

[gohornedfrogs]

Thanks, deutsch. The dealer did its due diligence and checked out the noises. There's nothing structural or mechanical to them -- in their opinion. They seem to think they are the result of the leather on the seats and door panels doing some rubbing as the car flexes.

I'm going to try using some Lexol in some places where leather is meeting leather - or leather is meeting vinyl - and see if that helps.

Part of this could just be that the car's engine is just so darn quiet and doesn't mask some of these noises. I haven't been in many cars with less cabin noise than this one. Quite a joy to drive.