[Hoonigan]

So my X3M has been to the dealer several times in the past 2 months chasing an annoying (and sometimes very loud) rattle coming from the exhaust/rear of the car at idle and around 1,800-2,000 RPM.

- Visit 1 - 1 Day: Car was in for the annual oil change, and I mentioned the rattle. First they tell me all M cars "are supposed to be loud". After explaining that this is a very atypical sound and only recently started they took another look. Somehow they deemed the sunroof needed to be adjusted as the fix.

- Visit 2 - 4 Days: On the drive home from visit 1 I realize the sound is still there. I come back 30 min later and leave the car again. This time I also bring a video to showcase the noise. They decide to change the full muffler section of the exhaust.

- Visit 3 - 21 Days (On-Going): After 2 weeks of periodically hearing the noise, it came back full force. Back to the dealer it went, with another video. They first said they need to compare it to another X3M they had, which they confirmed that yes something was off. They then said the exhaust they put on at visit 2 must've been defective, so they ordered one from Germany which took some time to get here.

After installing that, the rattle must've persisted because they then told me they also ordered a new driveshaft which also needs to come from Germany. The driveshaft is scheduled to be here by the end of the week (assuming that fixes it).



1. Has anyone else experienced this?

2. Is there any ground to get BMW FS to reimburse some of the lease payment? I'm paying for an $80k car while I've been driving a base model, last generation 3 series for the past month.



Here is a video of the rattle:

[sittingmongoose]

Call bmw of America and they will help you out with the payments.

[Hoonigan]

Originally Posted by sittingmongoose

Call bmw of America and they will help you out with the payments.

I assume the best time to do this would be after I bring it home once and for all?

[M3coco]

They should reimburse you. Happened a few years ago on my z4 when the top broke, and had to replace wiring harness, dealership had the car for 5 weeks. They took care of a month or two of payments.

[sittingmongoose]

Originally Posted by Hoonigan

I assume the best time to do this would be after I bring it home once and for all?

Start the conversation now.

[evo-mike]

You need to use the search function. I know it sucks but all the of this has been talked about numerous times. None of this is news. Exhaust rattles, I've had mine changed and it was good for about 1k miles then came back although not nearly as bad. Paint on these cars is atrocious, most people have had bumper and spoiler repainted. There's a long list of stuff i won't get into it all, but you're not the first.

[cfm56d7b]

These "let's throw parts at the symptoms" exercises can be frustrating. The real concern is whether the dealer is on the right path to find the root cause.

The good / mixed news: during Visit 3 and 21 days later the dealer decided to compare your X3M with another X3M and confirmed differences. Why wait 21 days ...

Find some time to speak with the service manager and document the meeting with an email and phone call to BMW NA.

There is no substitute for paper work in these situations.

[Hoonigan]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

These "let's throw parts at the symptoms" exercises can be frustrating. The real concern is whether the dealer is on the right path to find the root cause.

The good / mixed news: during Visit 3 and 21 days later the dealer decided to compare your X3M with another X3M and confirmed differences. Why wait 21 days ...

Find some time to speak with the service manager and document the meeting with an email and phone call to BMW NA.

There is no substitute for paper work in these situations.

Originally Posted by evo-mike

You need to use the search function. I know it sucks but all the of this has been talked about numerous times. None of this is news. Exhaust rattles, I've had mine changed and it was good for about 1k miles then came back although not nearly as bad. Paint on these cars is atrocious, most people have had bumper and spoiler repainted. There's a long list of stuff i won't get into it all, but you're not the first.

Trust me, I've searched. Found several threads and videos, but no rattle like what I posted.

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

These "let's throw parts at the symptoms" exercises can be frustrating. The real concern is whether the dealer is on the right path to find the root cause.

The good / mixed news: during Visit 3 and 21 days later the dealer decided to compare your X3M with another X3M and confirmed differences. Why wait 21 days ...

Find some time to speak with the service manager and document the meeting with an email and phone call to BMW NA.

There is no substitute for paper work in these situations.

One good thing is that the dealer text me updates weekly, and some times as frequently as daily. Almost all our communication has been via text. So I've got a time stamped log all the way back to day 1

[spucktacular]

Ouch, but how is this problem more than a day to diagnose? I don't get it?

See where the sound is coming from, identify part number, order and replace?!?

If its not a loose component in the exhaust or the rubber exhaust mounting dampers... then work backwards towards the engine, cats, down pipes, turbos, exhaust manifold, the engine itself?

I'm sure it's not easy, seeing you are touching the trunk to "feel" the vibration... its a legit issue... not the usual little inconvenience. Anything causing a noticeable vibration is either loose or broken, or and I really hope this isn't the case... a problem with the power unit and the exhaust pressure released. I just don't get how the hell its taking any mechanic doing their job, 30 days to figure this out...

hang in there

[freshxdough]

Definitely sounds like a defective weld inside the resonator. I've seen this with other mufflers as well, usually M Performance ones though.

[Hoonigan]

For anyone curious, the culprit turned out to be the driveshaft. They replaced it and now the noise is gone

[95wildtt]

Congrats!!
Glad they found it.

[DCC]

Glad the car is fixed

But how does it sound like that while stationary and then have the defect part be the driveshaft?

[Hoonigan]

Originally Posted by DCC

Glad the car is fixed

But how does it sound like that while stationary and then have the defect part be the driveshaft?

I was perplexed too, they swapped the mufflers twice…no fix. Then the driveshaft and it's been 3 weeks noise.

Based on the notes they disassembled everything you can imagine, but to no avail until they decided it was the driveshaft.

I'm just happy to have the car back and not driving a base 330

[gfisher99]

Originally Posted by DCC

Glad the car is fixed

But how does it sound like that while stationary and then have the defect part be the driveshaft?

I was thinking the same. Makes you think all the disassembly and reassembly was the real fix.