Love my M3 but... (yet another noise, vibration, harshness complaint)

[M BE4ST]

You must be at the wrong RPM

[Spike Spiegel]

Originally Posted by ***M4***

I'm in sport plus all the time and I don't hear or notice any rattles.

I think some people just need to complain about something always

Or maybe OP has a valid complaint. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It's not like OP is trashing the car in its entirety. Some others have said the same thing.

[dzvero]

get coushun under your ass

[IK6SPEED]

is the ride just to firm? or does your car rattle and squeak everywhere? Do you have ZCP?

[mmmmQuattro]

OP - you can get a 3/440 and chip it, which is nearly as fast as a stock M3 is and it's got much more isolation from the road.

It's by design - if you don't like it, get something else.

[Skid123]

To me, it simply sounds like OP bought the wrong car and chose too many options... I am sorry but you should have found this out during test drive. Better sell it now before it depreciates further, get a C63 or M340 instead.

[Fake News 2017]

Originally Posted by Mr. Big

Get an M4. It feels a bit more solid without the extra doors.

I "Love my M3 but..." I should have bought a M4

[sandjam]

That's really a shame the M3's have such rattle issues. I have seen these posts on here over and over. It must be the extra doors, because my M4 (a year old now) has never made a single noise. I agree a car at this price should not rattle like a cheap car. I would keep on the dealer too fix everyone one of those rattles.

[katit]

Mine is perfect. I only wish it was more quiet at speeds over 40-50. I get it, weight savings. But travel becomes PITA, just like after flight in a plane

[prolif1k]

Originally Posted by Alpine Missile

I do agree that my M3 sounds like a bucket of crispy fried chicken bouncing around on less than perfect roads...for $80k they really should put more thought into assembling the dash trim in a manner with which to avoid excessive rattles... it's sad when I can go out and buy a Honda Accord that wouldn't rattle if I jumped over the Grand Canyon and landed in a pile of boulders... lol. Before anyone reminds me that the Honda doesn't rise on 20" low profile tires, it still wouldn't make a difference.

Not to sound rude, but no shit a Honda Accord is going to be quiet compared to an M car. I really don't think a lot of people grasp how rigid the F8X chassis is. From the beginning, it's going to be so much more loud than a regular vehicle.

[rkick08]

Glad to see all the feedback - even the smart guys.

The suspension is fine and I love everything about the car and would buy another one in a heart beat.

To address the replies of "get a regular 3 or a Lexus.." I've had both and don't intend on getting them again. If you guys are ok on dropping all that cash on a product that does not meet its standards then by all mean - do you.


The cabin rattles - I took some test spins and notice the back doors specifically. It's not a huge issue but it didn't do it when I first bought the car so something has to be wrong.. I also need to get the buttons next to the shifter fixed all of them get stuck.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by rkick08

The cabin rattles - I took some test spins and notice the back doors specifically. It's not a huge issue but it didn't do it when I first bought the car so something has to be wrong.. I also need to get the buttons next to the shifter fixed all of them get stuck.

I've been in some M3s with rattles and it does seem to be coming from the rear doors ... interestingly the sound is similar to my vert after i wash it: I blow off the top and then open the roof right away. When I put the roof back up again i can get some squeeks/rattles which easily go away if put some lube on the roof joints.

On another note, and people assure me this isn't and can't be true, but I will continue to insist that ED cars have a higher level of quality and handling than others. It could just be the pristine delivery experience that's swaying me, and maybe I'm making it up, but I have a 100% guess rate on people's cars that were ED vs. not.

Maybe it's just that people who ED take better care of their cars, but after 2 min i can tell you if your car was ED.

[dinonz]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

Maybe it's just that people who ED take better care of their cars, but after 2 min i can tell you if your car was ED.

What sorts of things do you notice?

[MFNATIK]

My early build (8/15) MY2016 F80 rattled and it sounded like it came from the top of the doors. Understand that the chassis is really stiff but it did get a little annoying since it was right next to my ear.

That being said, my MY2017 (early build 10/16) ZCP is stiffer than my 2016 and it doesn't have the same door rattle issue. So maybe they made some assembly line changes to address fit and finish? Or maybe just luck of the draw the day it was put together and the workers weren't drunk off their asses?

[M_Schmidty_3]

If you are talking about the rattling/creaks coming from the doors, a stick of Gummi Pflege takes care of the issue 100%. If you need more details you can shoot me a PM.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by dinonz

What sorts of things do you notice?

It's the overall rattles, creaks, etc. My car feels solid as have the others I've done ED for and over the years after riding or driving someone else's it's either solid or I hear squeaks or whatever and I also ask with a guess and I've always been right. But that's so anecdotal as to be mostly meaningless. Still ...

[Ian1973]

I don't know I have had squeeks and rattles in every single 3 series generation, I'm used to them. Typically they are minimized when the car is clean.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by MFNATIK

My early build (8/15) MY2016 F80 rattled and it sounded like it came from the top of the doors. Understand that the chassis is really stiff but it did get a little annoying since it was right next to my ear.

That being said, my MY2017 (early build 10/16) ZCP is stiffer than my 2016 and it doesn't have the same door rattle issue. So maybe they made some assembly line changes to address fit and finish? Or maybe just luck of the draw the day it was put together and the workers weren't drunk off their asses?

I have a similar time build 2016. No rattles like you described. I do, however, know that the seals on the door don't react well to certain types of car washes. The way the rubber rubs up agains the black shadowline trim can cause A LOT of squeaking, which I witnessed on my 340i after a waterless car wash. A subsequent wash with regular car wash and paying extra special attention to the rubber seals got rid of a lot of it. I think a few more washes would have gotten rid of it completely, but I wouldn't know because I had sold the car by then.

[JibSTir13]

If you are referring to the rubber against plastic noise, there appears to a dealer fix for it.

So far, this is the noise that bothers me most, but not enough to get it taken care of.

[captainaudio]

I am not a fan of harsh riding cars and I do not want a car that drives like a race car as a street car. An overy stiff suspension tends to unsettle the car as the suspension has difficulty keep the tires in contact with the road as they tires bounce over bumps and it also makes for a very unpleasant driving experience.. Cars that are set up as race cars do not make good street cars in part due to the overly stiff suspension. You do not encounter speed bumps, pot holes, etc. on race tracks. Even notoriously bumpy tracks like Sebring are smoother than many roads.


That being said I do not have an issue with the ride quality of my M4 with adaptive M suspension It is far less harsh than my 2007 335i with sport suspension and run flat ties was. That car was borderline undrivable on anything other than pristine roads. I frequently drive my M4 into Manhattan and although the ride is firm it is never harsh on New York City's ravaged roads. The M4 has a firmer ride than my 750Lix or my Porsche Cayenne GTS but I find it to be a pleasant car to drive.

[F83]

Originally Posted by mmmmQuattro

OP - you can get a 3/440 and chip it, which is nearly as fast as a stock M3 is and it's got much more isolation from the road.

It's by design - if you don't like it, get something else.

This. That's not a slam just the facts. A 440 with tune is plenty quick but much more tame. It's not an M on performance but it's also not an M on noise, rough ride. The cars are designed that way.

FWIW I sometimes drive one of our other cars to give it a break for a day or two. But overall I'm willing to pay the price to get performance. YMMV.

[04cobra]

almost 3 years now and I only have a rattle by my window.