howling sound from drivebelts, help! dealer says...

GrumpyBimmerFan · 08-17-2011, 09:18 PM

I recently got my used e90, and i hear this howling sound coming from the beltline/pulleys w/e... I mostly hear it in idle. It's a bit louder when cold. I took it to the dealer, and they told me that it's the alternator that's making the sound. They swapped it, but i guess the one they swapped it for does the same thing, so they ordered another one... I'm brining the car back to them again tomorrow. It doesn't sound right, how can two alternators be bad? Plus he is telling me that the alternators are completly fine, it's just that they are making this whining sound... I know the sound is louder than it should be....

any suggestions?

1sikbmr · 08-17-2011, 10:06 PM

how many miles on the car? is it possible to capture in video? Maybe it's time to change the belts

WillC310 · 08-18-2011, 10:50 AM

Just let the dealer handle it. They aren't going to start replacing parts based off what people say here, they just have to go through their (monkey) process before they actually do any real troubleshooting. Case and point: I had an oil leak in my E46M3. I had to take it back 4x before they finally got off the standard BS process of replacing commonly failed parts and used some UV dye to track down where the leak was coming from. Once they did that it never leaked again.

GrumpyBimmerFan · 08-18-2011, 01:46 PM

car has 36k miles. Problem is, i don't have much time, i'm shipping the car overseas on monday, i need to fix whatever need fixing now! in germany warranty is only 2 years.

KGB7 · 08-18-2011, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kotik

car has 36k miles. Problem is, i don't have much time, i'm shipping the car overseas on monday, i need to fix whatever need fixing now! in germany warranty is only 2 years.

If you bought the car here, in US as a US resident, then you still have your full warranty in Germany. You'll have to contact BMWNA once the 2 years are up so you can have all the work done in Germany.

The way it used to be, is that you would pay for the repairs, and BMWNA would send you a check. But this was 10 years ago. So contact BMWNA and ask them how they would cover the cost of work on your car in Germany.

08-17-2011, 09:18 PM	#1
GrumpyBimmerFan Captain 290 Rep 845 Posts Drives: M2CS 6spd Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Miami iTrader: (0)	howling sound from drivebelts, help! dealer says... I recently got my used e90, and i hear this howling sound coming from the beltline/pulleys w/e... I mostly hear it in idle. It's a bit louder when cold. I took it to the dealer, and they told me that it's the alternator that's making the sound. They swapped it, but i guess the one they swapped it for does the same thing, so they ordered another one... I'm brining the car back to them again tomorrow. It doesn't sound right, how can two alternators be bad? Plus he is telling me that the alternators are completly fine, it's just that they are making this whining sound... I know the sound is louder than it should be.... any suggestions?
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08-17-2011, 10:06 PM	#2
1sikbmr Brigadier General 145 Rep 3,329 Posts Drives: F80 M3 6MT Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: New York iTrader: (16)	how many miles on the car? is it possible to capture in video? Maybe it's time to change the belts __________________ F80 ///M3 6MT Avus Blue ZCP
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08-18-2011, 10:50 AM	#3
WillC310 Lieutenant 44 Rep 506 Posts Drives: A car Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Planet Earth iTrader: (0)	Just let the dealer handle it. They aren't going to start replacing parts based off what people say here, they just have to go through their (monkey) process before they actually do any real troubleshooting. Case and point: I had an oil leak in my E46M3. I had to take it back 4x before they finally got off the standard BS process of replacing commonly failed parts and used some UV dye to track down where the leak was coming from. Once they did that it never leaked again.
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08-18-2011, 01:46 PM	#4
GrumpyBimmerFan Captain 290 Rep 845 Posts Drives: M2CS 6spd Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Miami iTrader: (0)	car has 36k miles. Problem is, i don't have much time, i'm shipping the car overseas on monday, i need to fix whatever need fixing now! in germany warranty is only 2 years.
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