Is this noise NORMAL? BMW m3 E92 (Video)

[froz3ngray]

So guys, I bought my m3 used (2011) with around 18k miles on it.

After driving it I would always notice this clicking sound which at first I thought was a bearing...

After taking it to the dealer they told me there is no way its a bearing and they said it is normal.

I also took it to one of my friends who knows M3's very well and said it was normal.

I then took it to other friends who know M3's said it was pretty unusual and not normal.

I also drove another E92 M3 (with only 3k miles) and here is the thing: It ALMOST did not have that sound at all, I say almost because we could hear it slightly but with the windows down and BARELY hear it (unless you put your utmost focus) with the windows closed. However, the soudn was there, only THREE times less loud than on my car. It is basically amplified 3-4 times on my car...



The best way to describe the sound is a "flickering" sound or a "flicking" sound.

It is DIRECTLY proportional to RPM's, as they increase, that sound increases (not the speed, the RPM's)

Could it be a bearing? I already drove the car 700 miles now since I bought it with this sound, and was flooring it a LOT too..

Here is a video of the sound...

Note: you cant hear the sound after 5k rpms anymore due to the engine screaming so loud it covers up the sound....

[Tfk]

PM sent

[CrucialScott]

Couldn't hear anything that sounded wrong in those videos, however i know the sound you are talking about.

It seems pot-luck. Some brand new M3's have it really loud and owners have been known to change the car because of it (there was a thread not long ago where a brand new M3 had the engine apart by BMW something like 3-4 times, where they replaced the bottom end bearings, with no fix. Eventually they changed the whole engine to correct it)

some cars develop the noise as they get older, the noise can be constant or might even get louder as time goes on.

Some cars just never suffer from this

A lot of people put it down to the bottom end bearings, as this is what the noise would normally signal to most mechanics.

I can say that my car is an '10 with 45K and i cannot hear any of these "ticking/clicking" noises. However i have a cat-less straight through exhaust so not much it heard above that and my BMC filter...

My friends car does have this sound ever so slightly, we don't think its cause for concern at the moment.

Good luck

[Stainless 45]

Hard to tell anything from the videos, but if it's the intermittent "clicking" or ticking, I have yet to hear of anyone finding an actual cause though many of us have experienced it.

[froz3ngray]

Originally Posted by Stainless 45

Hard to tell anything from the videos, but if it's the intermittent "clicking" or ticking, I have yet to hear of anyone finding an actual cause though many of us have experienced it.

It is not intermittent.

It is ALWAYS there 24/7

[froz3ngray]

Originally Posted by Purple Derple

Could be your air filter fluttering. Could be an exhaust leak.

Thats exactly what I thought would be a logical explanation. I told that exaclty to the dealer, they did a full inspection on the exhaust manifolds, and air intake manifolds for any leaks. They said it was all good. I can hear it coming directly from the engine is what scares me...

[AlpineE92M3]

I hear that sometimes to on my '13. I wouldn't worry about it. It only seems to happen when a load is put on the engine at low speeds but in a higher gear. Example: Doing 40mph in 5th and going half-full throttle, you hear it..........If you are doing 40mph and in 2nd and floor it, never hear it.

[Race_Doc11]

Exactly! I have this sound from the 1st month I got the car (I have 30k miles now). Only in low speed on a high gear, once I shift down to the appropriate gear it disappears. My car is a DCT and it happens when the car is on automatic mode. This kind of sound might be heard in any stick car with inexperienced driver it is a completely normal. I'm not sure if it is the same sound in the video though...

Originally Posted by AlpineE92M3

I hear that sometimes to on my '13. I wouldn't worry about it. It only seems to happen when a load is put on the engine at low speeds but in a higher gear. Example: Doing 40mph in 5th and going half-full throttle, you hear it..........If you are doing 40mph and in 2nd and floor it, never hear it.

[sterile stork]

It really does sound like an exhaust leak :/

[cposk]

I think I have this. Mine sounds like the gasket from the headers to xpipe is leaking on the passenger side. I can really notice it when I am driving next to a wall or high curb.

Been told this is NORMAL and as long as there is no intermittent clicking/banging, nothing to worry about.

[Lorde]

Sounds like more of a musical chime to me.

[exmowner]

My 08 DCT had it at cold start and or high load scenarios.

My current 09 6sp doesn't tick at all (fingers crossed)

[froz3ngray]

Originally Posted by AlpineE92M3

I hear that sometimes to on my '13. I wouldn't worry about it. It only seems to happen when a load is put on the engine at low speeds but in a higher gear. Example: Doing 40mph in 5th and going half-full throttle, you hear it..........If you are doing 40mph and in 2nd and floor it, never hear it.

Not really in my case. I can still hear the sound almost at the same level from 1st gear. It does get slightly louder on 7th gear with higher "load" as you mentioned, but nevertheless still very audible on 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc..

[0-60Motorsports]

I drove the car and the ticking wasnt that bad but then again I have heard it on other E9X M3s since last week but not as loud.

hopefully this is normal and nothing to worry about as many other members here have a similar sound on their M3s.

[sylonien]

Um.. mine does that I think. Isn't that just the V8 growl / induction type noise from the engine??
I get that too when flooring it.

You can hear it quite clearly on mine , 4th or 5th gear flooring it from 30mph or so.
Always assumed its the engine noise of the V8.

[Roundown]

Yikes

[Titanium Silver]

Originally Posted by froz3ngray

So guys, I bought my m3 used (2011) with around 18k miles on it.

After driving it I would always notice this clicking sound which at first I thought was a bearing...

Put on your seatbelt

[M3PO]

That doesn't sound normal to me.

[froz3ngray]

Originally Posted by M3PO

That doesn't sound normal to me.

After personally driving my friends 2011 E92 M3, which had 7,000 miles MORE than my car, I know for SURE that this sound is NOT normal.

His car had no flicking/clicking noise whatsoever. Just the engine noise as it should be. No additional flickering/ ticking noise.

NOTE: the noise can be heard much louder and much worse in person.

[Bartledoo]

I have to bring this one back from the dead...anyone ever solved this issue? I have the same sound (not quite as loud) which I've had since I bought the car and it annoys me!

Edit: listened with headphones and the sound I hear is much quieter but very similar and this is the only clip I have found of a similar sound. I can only hear it at low speeds under 3k with high load low rpm and windows down (more so with an adjacent curb/wall). Also when I free rev the engine, as soon as I shut the throttles I hear a brief flickering/fluttering on decel.

[Munichm3]

Quoted from the "m3 weird noises thread"

After engine warmed up sounds like exhaust manifold leak at low rpm, especially with heavier throttle. This is just the way a high revving v8 with awesome factory headers sounds down low. You'll learn to love it after you realize there's nothing wrong with the car.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by Munichm3

Quoted from the "m3 weird noises thread"

After engine warmed up sounds like exhaust manifold leak at low rpm, especially with heavier throttle. This is just the way a high revving v8 with awesome factory headers sounds down low. You'll learn to love it after you realize there's nothing wrong with the car.

The situation was in the year 2013...