X3 dash noise

[subman]

X3 3.0 manual - I have a tapping in dash only when it is raining out?? has any one had a similiar noise. Please email uvi@telus.net.

 

[ref]

Tapping noise

I have that noise to. It is hard to tell where it is coming from. When driving it sounds like it comes from the right hand side of the car, but from the passenger seat it sounds like it comes from the middle. And it is when it is raining outside. It sounds like I was running over the light reflectors on the lines on the road.

 

[SFCA-325i]

Draintubes?

I would suspect that what you are hearing is "draintube gurgling" syndrome.

The draintubes from the moonroof collect water. When driven at higher speeds, air enters the bottom of the draintubes and causes the collected water to "gurgle" creating the tapping sound that you hear.

I first noticed it when I drove on the highway immediately after washing my X3. I narrowed the sound down to the roof mounted center console.

There is a service bulletin that calls for the installation of check valves. The check valves allow water to drain out but are supposed to keep air from entering from the bottom of the tubes.

When I had the service bulletin work performed by my dealer, the service advisor cautioned that this is not a proven fix for the problem. So, there MAY BE a fix, but YMMV.

Good luck.

 

[Average Jae]

ah the price you pay for having the nice panoramic roof. my loaner x3 had it, and after looking at that, i'm beginning to hate my dinky moonroof

 

[subman]

I would suspect that what you are hearing is "draintube gurgling" syndrome.

The draintubes from the moonroof collect water. When driven at higher speeds, air enters the bottom of the draintubes and causes the collected water to "gurgle" creating the tapping sound that you hear.

I first noticed it when I drove on the highway immediately after washing my X3. I narrowed the sound down to the roof mounted center console.

There is a service bulletin that calls for the installation of check valves. The check valves allow water to drain out but are supposed to keep air from entering from the bottom of the tubes.

When I had the service bulletin work performed by my dealer, the service advisor cautioned that this is not a proven fix for the problem. So, there MAY BE a fix, but YMMV.

Good luck.

Dear SFCA -325i,

Thanks for the suggestion. You may very well be correct but the tapping noise which occurs during heavy rainfall occurs mostly at low city speeds. I will forward your suggestion to the dealer since they can't figure the problem out. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.