Need Help Solving A Mysterious Sound!

[MarkJM]

Hey guys!!! I have a challenge that I am hoping someone has experienced before... I've posted about this twice and nobody has replied, but I cannot be the only Member that has (or in my case... IS) experienced this challenge???

Recently my 2013 M3 has started making a loud Popping or Snapping sound that appears to be coming from above the drivers head. This sound generally happens within 1 - 5 minutes of starting up for the first time.

For example... this morning, approximately 1 minute into my drive in to work, a loud SNAP occurred above my head... sounded like something metallic dropped on the roof (it clearly didn't). It happened once... then nothing more. Drove 45 minutes into work... nothing. Started it up and drove to lunch... nothing. Started it up and drove home... nothing. Likely, it won't happen again until tomorrow morning, when I start up for the first time???

What makes this even more interesting is this... I have been experiencing this noise (every so often) for probably 2 years. In the beginning, it happened after driving for long perods of time. At first I thought it was coming from my radio... but quickly realized, it was not. The loud Popping/Snapping/Clicking sound was very persistent... lasting for many minutes. Several times, it continued even with the car parked and turned off???

I have spoken with my local dealer and they have tried to investigate... challenge is, the sound is so infrequent... of course it doesn't make it while at the shop! My plan was to bring it in while it was making the noise. Problem is, it only makes it once in the morning! Gone are the long periods of Popping/Snapping/Clicking while driving (which is great...).

I have seen no performance issue and frankly, since it happens only once... and not EVERY day.... I'm not overly concerned... just frustrated that nobody seems to know what the hell is going on!

Perhaps I have a unique situation that only my M3 is experiencing? Guess that makes me lucky!!!!

Side note.... my second vehicle is a 2023 Mercedes SUV... 1 week into ownership and the back door handle fell off in my wifes hand! Dealer told us, after investigating, they found this problem in 1 other car in the world. Fixed it and the next day it fell off again!

Point is... looks like I have two very unique vehicles!!!! Just my luck!!!!
Not the lotto I wanted to win!!!!

[DrFerry]

IF your car has a carbon fiber roof the noise 'might' be coming from it. By this I mean the roof is bonded (glued) to the car body roof side rails, the front windshield top spar and the rear glass upper spar. If the adhesive has come unstuck (very rare) then body flexing, or thermal expansion might cause a pop , click or bang sound IMO. Moreover, IF the carbon fiber has a crack the same thing could happen. Has your car ever been in accident? Has the windshield been replaced recently? All of this is just food for thought. If your car doesn't have a carbon fiber roof then I'm at a loss to think what might be causing such a loud noise "from above your head [the roof]"..
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https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=41_1601
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[Redd]

Originally Posted by MarkJM

Several times, it continued even with the car parked and turned off???

This is a major clue. It might be your amp. Disconnect the amp for a few days and see if the sound goes away. You will lose ALL sounds from the car, including warning chimes and blinker clicks, but if the mystery noise goes away with it then you know the cause is the amp.

I've had something similar happen to me. It would trigger if the suspension hit something hard (like a pothole) but not all the time. The noise would sound like sudden super loud static or like something hard impacting the car. But it would happen far away enough from the trigger event that I know it's not caused by the pothole. The sound only happened 1-2x a year but I figured out that it came from the sound system even though it sounded like it came from the front windscreen/roof/a-pillar area. I guess there was a loose solder in the amp somewhere and hitting a pothole would shake it enough for it to cause loud static.

I recently changed my amp and am still monitoring if the noise comes back. Yours should be easier to troubleshoot since you get it regularly.

[MarkJM]

Thank you all.... I'll disconnect the amp and see if that resolves it! No carbon fiber roof damage, so I assume this is the culprit (not a roof issue).

[Redd]

Do update us if it works. If it is the amp, it's a sign the amp is getting heat damaged. I drilled some holes in the amp compartment cover to let the heat out.

[MarkJM]

Update on my challenge... the amp has been disconnected for a few weeks and the sound is gone. I have actually been enjoying the drive with no music... Got a quote from one local service station and it was much higher then anticipated ($2800).... This wasn't even the dealer!!! Does this seem correct for a new amp???

[Redd]

Yeah a brand new amp is crazy expensive. I went with a used one. You can look on eBay. Just make sure you get the correct amp for your sound system and preferably from the same chassis as your car as the speaker configuration may differ from chassis to chassis.

Also you might look into amp repair services near you.