Interior Squeak Index Thread

[RichMattB]

Originally Posted by stefan

You are very welcome. I think this thread is necessary given the lower interior build quality of the E92. I found my E46 to be bulletproof.

I totally agree. I also had an e90 335i before my e90 M3 and there was no comparison. The M3 seems to have many more squeaks and rattles than my previous car did.

I wonder sometimes if the engineers did not properly account for the significant increase in stress on the M3's chassis caused by lower profile tires, stiffer suspension, etc.

[OC ///M]

Good post OP.
A thread like this should have been stickied back in '08!

This link may help some: Nav Area Rattling Noise

[stefan]

Thanks, I updated the main post with that info. I think I've got the same rattle now. -40*C brings out the rattles for sure.

I contacted southlight about getting this post stickied, but he probably gets a ton of PMs. Anyone know the appropriate process?

[stefan]

Bump.. anyone have a rattle that sounds almost like it's coming from the top of the steering wheel mount?

[Sejzilla]

Originally Posted by stefan

Bump.. anyone have a rattle that sounds almost like it's coming from the top of the steering wheel mount?

I do... Driving me crazy cause I can't figure it out..

[Roby84m]

Originally Posted by twin turbo

My car has a rattle in the center of the dash. It appears to me to be the plastic frame around the iDrive screen. I am going to try and remove it and see if the rattle goes away. It stops when I apply pressure to the center of the dash itself. Anybody else experience this?

I realized that too. I am going to service car for the break fluid change and put the summers on. I was wondering if i should mention about this problem or not. I am scared they will take the dashboard apart to fix it and i will end up having more rattles around that area after they are done.
Oh by the way my mid speakers rattles(kinda buzzing) when i listen to certain tones with very high volume especially the front passenger. Did anybody have a problem like this? Is it because speakers cannot handle too high and give up start vibrating or loose wiring?

[stefan]

Originally Posted by Roby84m

I realized that too. I am going to service car for the break fluid change and put the summers on. I was wondering if i should mention about this problem or not. I am scared they will take the dashboard apart to fix it and i will end up having more rattles around that area after they are done.
Oh by the way my mid speakers rattles(kinda buzzing) when i listen to certain tones with very high volume especially the front passenger. Did anybody have a problem like this? Is it because speakers cannot handle too high and give up start vibrating or loose wiring?

Try some felt tape along the speaker grille?

[signes]

Originally Posted by stefan

Bump.. anyone have a rattle that sounds almost like it's coming from the top of the steering wheel mount?

I've had this one for a long time now and it is driving me nuts. When driving I can make it go away if I jam my fingers in between the top of the steering wheel column and the bottom of the instrument cluster. I have a feeling something in/around the cluster or column has just com a little loose. I've been meaning to take the wheel off and have a look but haven't had time yet.

[Franken///M]

I finally found the source of the single rattle in my car. It appears to be coming from the single seat of the rear fold down seats. It is evident over poor, uneven road surfaces, mostly washboard pavement. Has anyone experienced this and knows of a fix?

[thekurgan]

Location: Panel between the cup holders
Noise description: Noticeable, ticking/rattling on rough pavement.
Fix method: The panel between the cupholders, although constructed well, uses two aluminum guides that, naturally, rattle in their respective holders. I don't have a picture, but if you use a pry tool and pop the left and right side, you'll see what I mean. In the center, there are two silicone guides, the pins that slide into these guides rest on the panel itself, and they vibrate inside the panel, in the slots where they reside. What I did was use 40 year silicone clear caulk and sort of "glue" them in place. Since it's not permanent, the silicone acts as a resonating absorption mechanism. I used the same caulking for all the guides in the A and B pillars as well as felt the heck out of those metal areas.
Thread link? None


Location: A pillar
Noise description: Noticeable, rattle/echo on bumps, annoying, hard to trace.
Fix method: Remove SRS cover, use T-25 to remove screw, pull A pillar out and up. There is a shitty plastic clip that resides in a groove in the A pillar cover itself. Use 40 year soft silicone caulk to "set" this plastic clip in the groove, it will act as a damper for it's rattling. Cut 1"x1" thin felt strip and place over the hole where the clip will attach to the metal surface. Punch hole in the felt after applied. This is the cause of the echo, the plastic against the metal. Felt any areas you see where plastic may contact. Where the A pillar meets the dash, apply krytox sparingly as this area is known for a "squeak/creak". Re-attach in the reverse.

Thread link? None
Location: B pillar
Noise description: Noticeable, rattle/echo on bumps, annoying, easy to trace.
Fix method: This is sort of a pain in the ass, as yo have to remove the plastic door entry strip first (front) and just remove partially the passenger/rear entry strip. You can then pull the B pillar from the bottom outward and down. There are two shitty plastic clips that are similar to the A pillar, they need to be silicone caulked to lock them in place and cease their rattling. You need to felt EVERY piece of metal you see. Especially over the holes where these clips reside. Punch holes in the felt over the holes. On the underside of the B pillar cover, top, you'll see a plastic groove that meets the upper section. This rattles against this upper section. Apply felt to the upper section where this piece will meet. Re-attach in the reverse, BUT, apply krytox to the underside of the entry plastic strips as these tent to creak like a bitch.
Thread link? Many, with no real solution.


Hope these help some folks out. I am completely shocked that both the 335 and the M3 have so little insulation in the pillar areas. They are a major source of acoustics in the cabin and cheap to throw some on there during build time, and weigh NOTHING! Good luck. None of the felt applied here is visible, and the cabin is worlds quieter.

[thekurgan]

Location: Creak, driver's door located within the window/lock button assembly.
Noise description: Creak when opening/closing the door, using the interior door handle.
Fix method: Remove door panel, pop window/lock button assembly out. Disassemble to remove the top cover portion and apply krytox to the locking areas/pins. Reassemble. While you've got the door apart, there are several areas that can be improved. The door pins themselves slide into plastic slots. Using non-permanent latex sealer, "glue" the pins to the slots (note this is not permanent, but acts as a resonation eliminator). Apply felt to areas under/over wires that rattle against each other. Lubricate the bowden cable. Examine the vapor guard, fix as necessary. Apply krytox to the area of the painted door where the door panel will come into contact and creak. Apply krytox to the upper clips (nearest the window) to eliminate those creaking areas. Upon final assembly of the decorative piece, apply krytox on the side where this piece rubs on the door itself, thereby eliminating that creaking possibility.
Thread link? None

[dreamspeed]

My car recently developed a rattle from the front nav area and a squeak from the rear corner window area on the driver side.

At first i thought the rattle was from the dome light so i pulled the assembly down and drove around with the assembly hanging down to see if the noise went away, it didn't.

Then i thought the noise was from the Nav screen so i unscrewed the screen housing and pulled the screen out and drove around, the noise was still there

Finally i started prying the center speaker with a credit card and the noise went away, WIN.


There was this intermittent squeaking sound from the rear window and I could tell it was the sound of hard plastic. I sat in the back and had my wife drive around so i could pinpoint the noise. I found the source pretty easily and wedged a small microfiber towel into the corner of the rear window and the noise went away.

The GD rattles are annoying as hell but the only thing you can do is systematically locate and fix the problems

[MMM PWR]

Originally Posted by Franken///M

I finally found the source of the single rattle in my car. It appears to be coming from the single seat of the rear fold down seats. It is evident over poor, uneven road surfaces, mostly washboard pavement. Has anyone experienced this and knows of a fix?

...I have this one. What is the fix?

[modkrazy]

I figured I'd resurrect this thread, since I've just dealt with a number of rattles, and as new people jump into our now old-timey rattle-traps, I'm sure this topic will come up.

A few people in this thread mentioned a rattle in the center dash area that they can't trace to the vents, or iDrive or any particular part. Well, I had the same rattle, and it seems it's the whole middle of the car flexes. On a whim, I jammed my fingers into the space where the center console and the dash meet (so right above the ashtray), and noticed that as the car moved over bumps, etc. that area would flex and compress my fingers. I also noticed that the creaking stopped! My solution has been to take a length of rubber tubing in 1/2" diameter, and jam it into that space. It goes pretty deep, so it won't be noticeable, and the rubber tubing absorbs the flexing and prevents the noise.

The rear seat-frame creak, unfortunately, requires replacing the whole damn seat-frame.

[M3ANMACHINE]

Fantastic thread! I've been dying to fix a rattle in my dash, so hopefully this can help me find it!

[beats]

Great work putting this all together!

[thekurgan]

Originally Posted by modkrazy

I figured I'd resurrect this thread, since I've just dealt with a number of rattles, and as new people jump into our now old-timey rattle-traps, I'm sure this topic will come up.

A few people in this thread mentioned a rattle in the center dash area that they can't trace to the vents, or iDrive or any particular part. Well, I had the same rattle, and it seems it's the whole middle of the car flexes. On a whim, I jammed my fingers into the space where the center console and the dash meet (so right above the ashtray), and noticed that as the car moved over bumps, etc. that area would flex and compress my fingers. I also noticed that the creaking stopped! My solution has been to take a length of rubber tubing in 1/2" diameter, and jam it into that space. It goes pretty deep, so it won't be noticeable, and the rubber tubing absorbs the flexing and prevents the noise.

The rear seat-frame creak, unfortunately, requires replacing the whole damn seat-frame.

Strangely, in my E90M3, this doesn't seem an issue, but on my 335i, I shoved a black business card ( from some bar), in that area and solved it, but I like your rubber tubing solution better.

[cdickgo]

I have a creaking noise where the front and rear windows meet at top of the non existent B pillar on my e93 vert (drivers side) whenever I roll over a crease in the road. I have already gummy pfledged the hell out of all of the rubber seals and the noise is still there. I have tried putting foam weather stripping and even a rubber hose within the rubber channel to press it out against the window and the noise is still there. It's driving me mad. Any other suggestions? Windows down its gone. Windows cracked, its still there. I've been looking everywhere on the web to find someone who has fixed this.

[Mvy]

DIY Dash Rattle Fix
Difficulty: Easy!
Cost: Cheap! $12 bucks

I finally got sick of that annoying rattle in the dash that developed as my 2008 E93 M3 aged. For the longest time I could not figure out where the sound was coming from, and did some tests to figure it out. I found that the instrument cluster at play was the source of the noise, and that when the dash heated up due to the engine or sun it went away. But that drive up the hill in the cold morning always was so rattle filed that I just turned up the radio. Then I got a tune and exhaust, and the sound of my pipes became my most favorite morning music.
The rattle had to go.



Step 1: Move your steering wheel fully forward and down
There is a short lever on the left side in case you didnt know!
Pull it down and the wheel will move freely. Lock it in the furthest down and out position you can.

Step 2: Get some felt tape and some blue painters tape
I could not find felt tape by the roll at my local Home Depot, Autozone, or Lowes. I spent more in gas driving trying to find than the $4.50 cents I spent once I figured out they had felt sticker letters at Michaels craft store. My wife was there getting some frames done and I happened to stumble upon them and was like holy crap, thats going to work! The Os, Is, Ds and 8ts were perfect for what was to come next.

Protect your fragile plexi glass instrument panel from scratches by covering with blue painter tape. It will make it so you wont accidentally leave scratches if the torx screwdriver touches it for some reason. Be careful! You will notice any scratches you make.


Step 3: Get the right star key to remove the screws that hold the instrument cluster in place

I had a torx kit but the mounting screws that are located right above the cluster are small as hell. I didnt have the right size and went to pick that up from Lowes. The size you need is T9. You dont have much room to work so make sure to get something short to work with. Take out the screws and you will be able to gently pry the panel out from the top overhang the screws plug into rocking it downwards towards the steering wheel.

Step 4: Apply the felt stickers
There are a few spots you want to put the stickers so that the cluster sits snug in her spot. I applied them along the top rear, front top left and right sides and bottom front. You will notice some felt pads on the bottom of the cluster already. Those worn out old girls are the reason we get the sound. Make sure to get one on each side and one in the middle of the existing felt stickers. I didn't stack them on top but to the side and that seemed to work good.


Step 5: Put the cluster back in and screw it down

There are some tabs on the bottom of the cluster so you cant just push the cluster back in straight. You have to rock it back in reverse of the way you took it out. It can be a bit tricky at first, but take it slow and don't force anything. It may feel like the wheel is in the way and that just means you dont have the right angle on it trying to get back into the dash. The back rear should be skyward and the crystal you taped facing the stem of the steering column. It should rock back in easy as butter if you have it in the right angle. If it doesn't just try again to put the top edge at a sharper downward angle so the tabs are not hitting the soft lower dash piece.

Put in the two torx screws and you are done!

Hope this helps and thanks to all who help solve problems on the M3 Post.

[beats]

Awesome post MVY! I need to do this, mine is getting annoying in this colder weather...

[stefan]

Woah blast from the past. Let me know if you guys think the main post needs any updating.

[Redd]

Great post!

Location: E92 rear center console
Noise: Creaking over bumps and uneven roads
Fix: Use dry lubricant spray (PTFE) liberally on the seam between the front and rear sections, and also along the seams to the air vent section. Let dry, then wipe off residue. Fixed 90% of the noise.

Location: CIC iDrive controller knob
Noise: Rattle over rough roads, or from exhaust resonance
Fix: Slide a silicon rubber band (the thin black ones girls use for trying their hair) in between the gap between the black spinning ring and the top cover. Then spray dry lubricant (PTFE) between the top cover gap, and also the 4-way stalk gap. Let dry and wipe off residue. Together these 2 fixes removed 80% of the rattle noise.

Location: Rear speaker shelf
Noise: Loud creak when going over bumps, especially when both rear wheels don't go over at the same time
Fix: Aside from the usual rear shelf fixes, also spray liberal amounts of white lithium grease onto the rear seat latching mechanisms.