[.Slug]

I'm going to document this issue that started happening 3 days ago.

I am getting a metallic "clinging" sound going over uneven surfaces when first starting to drive the car after its been sitting in my garage or parked.

The sound is like a metal "snapping" or "breaking" sound or sharp "cling." Only happens when driving over uneven surfaces like a large dip or driveway transitions. Sound won't recur after going over a few uneven surfaces and she settles.

My neighborhood has lots of these uneven road transitions and dips, so since the 3 weeks I've owned this car, maybe all the dips/transitions have made the problem worse and now I hear it every time I drive out.

The dips/driveway transitions are soo bad in my neighborhood that sometimes the rear right wheel will come off the ground completely then resettle when completing the road transition. The driveway into my garage is also like this and I have to drive in at an extreme angle so I dont scrape.

It basically sounds like something is moving under stress within a bolt hole and settling against metal on metal surfaces under the pressure of the transition (like in the suspension or bracing etc in the rear of the car).

All previous vehicles I've owned at this address, we've not had any issues with suspection/frame bracing in our other cars, so maybe something wasn't torqued down properly on my M2C. But an issue is most def. developing here.

If I can get a clear video of the sound. I will update the thread with the video. Update with video:

[keylime503]

I've experienced the exact same thing going very slow (1st gear) while making a tight turn with some incline or decline (turning into my street which has a driveway-like sloped entrance). I've always chalked it up to the rear diff and haven't given it much thought, but it is a very jolting and concerning sound when you aren't expecting it.

[.Slug]

Originally Posted by keylime503

I've experienced the exact same thing going very slow (1st gear) while making a tight turn with some incline or decline (turning into my street which has a driveway-like sloped entrance). I've always chalked it up to the rear diff and haven't given it much thought, but it is a very jolting and concerning sound when you aren't expecting it.

What you are experiencing seems exactly like what I'm experiencing. You are correct about going very slow as well. I'm going under 1 or 3 miles per hour.

[Moflow]

I assume its the diff engaging. My driveway is narrow, steep and has a 90 degree bend in it that will ocassionally lift the inside rear wheel for a brief moment when i'm pulling in, downhill.

Every time i leave my house, i try to hit it with enough momentum that I don't have to accelerate when the inside rear is super unloaded. But every now and then i get it wrong and i can hear and feel the diff engaging. It sounds like this and is not subtle at all. Feels like an on/off switch at those speeds.

Edit: I listened to the video again with headphones turned up. It does not sound like that in my car.

[.Slug]

Ok, when leaving for work this morning, I've capture the creaking noise happening twice as I was exiting my community.

The noise occurs in the video at the very first dip, then again when exiting the community at the last driveway in the clip.

[keylime503]

Yep, that sounds exactly like what I hear in very similar circumstances (especially exiting the driveway at the end of the clip)

[.Slug]

Originally Posted by keylime503

Yep, that sounds exactly like what I hear in very similar circumstances (especially exiting the driveway at the end of the clip)

Spoke with BMW today and shared the video with them. Appointment set up for next Tuesday to determine root cause and address the problem under warranty.

[keylime503]

Originally Posted by .Slug

Spoke with BMW today and shared the video with them. Appointment set up for next Tuesday to determine root cause and address the problem under warranty.

keep us posted please! I'd be really surprise if they say there is anything actually wrong with this but of course if they do then I'll want to get my car looked at too.

[.Slug]

Originally Posted by keylime503

keep us posted please! I'd be really surprise if they say there is anything actually wrong with this but of course if they do then I'll want to get my car looked at too.

Car gets dropped off today at dealer. Hopefully they figure it out before the weekend because I need the car back by next Monday.

[doughboy]

Doesn't sound great that.

Definitely needs a check round all is tight. Sounds a bit like a loose wheel i once had... And nothing like a diff locking in usual circumstances.

Good luck with BMW dealer incompetence. See what bunk they come up with.

[.Slug]

BMW has eliminated possible suspension components as the culprit. They have been able to reproduce the sound consistently though. The problem is "being escalated" and will require further diagnosis hunting.

3rd day without the car... i'm going through withdrawls and anxious to get a diagnosis and the car back. They've put about 15 miles on the car.

I'll have the car back by the weekend regardless if they fix it or not because I have to take it to the dealer where I purchased it on Monday to do the paint correction for the issue present when I took delivery of the car a month ago.

[Enabled]

Originally Posted by keylime503

I've experienced the exact same thing going very slow (1st gear) while making a tight turn with some incline or decline (turning into my street which has a driveway-like sloped entrance). I've always chalked it up to the rear diff and haven't given it much thought, but it is a very jolting and concerning sound when you aren't expecting it.

Happens to me exactly like in your description. I get an almost grinding noise when turning sharply into my steeper driveway. At first I thought I was scraping the muffler, but it's more like tire/diff noises. I am reassured. Thank you.

[keylime503]

Originally Posted by .Slug

BMW has eliminated possible suspension components as the culprit. They have been able to reproduce the sound consistently though. The problem is "being escalated" and will require further diagnosis hunting.

3rd day without the car... i'm going through withdrawls and anxious to get a diagnosis and the car back. They've put about 15 miles on the car.

I'll have the car back by the weekend regardless if they fix it or not because I have to take it to the dealer where I purchased it on Monday to do the paint correction for the issue present when I took delivery of the car a month ago.

Yikes, now I'm a bit concerned

[.Slug]

Originally Posted by keylime503

Yikes, now I'm a bit concerned

My worst fear right now is that the car already has sub frame or frame issues. The sound from my video does sound comparable to sheet metal snapping against something, like something has cracked around a bolt/weld etc.

Didn't BMW have subframing issues on previous M cars - e.g. M3?

My mind is speculating wildly now.

[Capt Canuck]

Originally Posted by .Slug

My worst fear right now is that the car already has sub frame or frame issues. The sound from my video does sound comparable to sheet metal snapping against something, like something has cracked around a bolt.

Didn't BMW have subframing issues on previous M cars - e.g. M3?

My mind is speculating wildly now.

Premature speculation is the worst.

[.Slug]

Ok... pretty frustrated now. They took the suspesion apart and put it back together today. They say they still have no idea what's making the noise even though they've heard it and driven the car for more than 20 miles of testing. They are trying to say its some type of differential noise which is BS unless the differential is physically moving itself from middle of the car to driver side rear wheel well (could be a sound resonnating, but I think the probability of that is slim). I'm going to do some gopro camera stuff over the weekend attached to different underside parts of the car to see where I can get the noise the loudest and see if I can't do a better job in hunting it.

We set up another appointment for next Tuesday regardless to do visit number 2 (I will be keeping track of visits and shop time and if the problem cannot resolved by standard lemon law the car will be addressed appropriately). Really not happy. Maybe the dissasembly and reassembly will make a difference, but I'm not anticipating that.

Before I took delivery of this M2C I drove others, none of them made the noise. Hell, even my M2C didn't make the noise for the first two weeks of ownership.

[keylime503]

Originally Posted by .Slug

Ok... pretty frustrated now. They took the suspesion apart and put it back together today. They say they still have no idea what's making the noise even though they've heard it and driven the car for more than 20 miles of testing. They are trying to say its some type of differential noise which is BS unless the differential is physically moving itself from middle of the car to driver side rear wheel well (could be a sound resonnating, but I think the probability of that is slim). I'm going to do some gopro camera stuff over the weekend attached to different underside parts of the car to see where I can get the noise the loudest and see if I can't do a better job in hunting it.

We set up another appointment for next Tuesday regardless to do visit number 2 (I will be keeping track of visits and shop time and if the problem cannot resolved by standard lemon law the car will be addressed appropriately). Really not happy. Maybe the dissasembly and reassembly will make a difference, but I'm not anticipating that.

Before I took delivery of this M2C I drove others, none of them made the noise. Hell, even my M2C didn't make the noise for the first two weeks of ownership.

Yikes! Don't like hearing that....

[Wolf_Zero]

Have they checked to make sure the rear subframe bolts are all torqued down properly? It is bolted directly to the car without any bushings so that could be making noise if it can move around a bit. Likewise, it may also be worth throwing the gopro in the trunk as well to confirm the sound isn't coming from inside the car somewhere back there.

[.Slug]

Originally Posted by Wolf_Zero

Have they checked to make sure the rear subframe bolts are all torqued down properly? It is bolted directly to the car without any bushings so that could be making noise if it can move around a bit. Likewise, it may also be worth throwing the gopro in the trunk as well to confirm the sound isn't coming from inside the car somewhere back there.

They claim they retorqued everything in the rear including inspecting frame and sub frames etc.

I've driven it around tonight and have not had the sound recur yet so this is very promising. Maybe the disassembly and reassembly resolved it. Fingers crossed.

If not, I plan to throw a gopro every which direction this weekend. We'll get to the bottom of this.

If the sound doesnt rear its ugly head again I'll cancel the service appointment for next week and call it fixed and chalk it up to something not installed to spec.

[.Slug]

Noise is back today, except worse. Now on both sides (was only driver side, now both drivers and passengers). Will be doing my own searching if I have time this weekend. Sound has changed a bit more of a springy sound... like an old garage door spring stretching and clanging as it stretches or compresses. Since they worked on the suspension and both sides are making the noise now, my sights are on sticking a camera/mic into the shock towers to see if its coil noise etc or the tower connections themselves.

[NathObeaN]

Weirdly I started experiencing a very similar sound yesterday. I'm putting it down to a stone caught behind the rear disc brake dust shield at the moment. Going to follow this thread just in case

[.Slug]

Unfortunately, this thread will remain unsolved. I sold the car not too long ago.