DIY *Interior Rattle Fix*

[psedog]

I wouldn't use rubbing alcohol. That would dry it out and require replacement. I just use my leather conditioner while I'm doing the rest of the interior.

[RocketBoots]

Originally Posted by psedog

I wouldn't use rubbing alcohol. That would dry it out and require replacement. I just use my leather conditioner while I'm doing the rest of the interior.

I don't think leather conditioner will work; it will just saturate the rubber without cleaning. The alcohol does dry it out a bit, that that's sort of the point. You want to clean it as best as possible, then put some kind of treatment on it. That way, the treatment (coating, sealant, gumi phlem, etc) will be the most effective. At least, that's what I heard, and what I do...

[psedog]

Originally Posted by RocketBoots

I don't think leather conditioner will work; it will just saturate the rubber without cleaning. The alcohol does dry it out a bit, that that's sort of the point. You want to clean it as best as possible, then put some kind of treatment on it. That way, the treatment (coating, sealant, gumi phlem, etc) will be the most effective. At least, that's what I heard, and what I do...

It's a cleaner conditioner. Why take two steps when one will work?

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by parky1215

I noticed that my brand new M3 makes quite bit of noise inside the car.
Coming from e92 335is, this was quite unexpected as my previous car was very quiet inside.

Tools Needed
1mm Felt Tape <- Click link to purchase from Amazon
Gummi Pflege
Scissors


1 - Rear Audio Speaker Area
There was pretty bad plastic rattle noise coming from rear area.
After taking a look at the area, I noticed there are these plastic covers (total of 3 in M3) behind the rear seat where rear speakers are located.


Just tap the surrounding area with your finger while these covers are in closed position.
If you do hear some plastic rattle noise, then this simple fix will resolve your issue.

Just apply 1mm felt tape under the cover so that the plastic cover and bottom piece do not come in contact directly. Do the same thing to other two covers.



2 - Front A/C Trim
Roman@ESS posted great tips on how to fix some noises coming from front A/C area.
I followed his tips and added some twists to fix noise from AC trim.

1. Pull out A/C CF trim
This piece comes out easily without using any pry bar.
Just follow first 25 seconds from this video to take out the trim.
Make sure your car is off before pulling this out as you have to disconnect 2 connectors.

2. Pull out AC vent from CF trim
This piece is actually quite hard to take out.
Contact points that are holding AC vent is somewhat fragile and can break if you apply too much force.
If you are not confident in your skill, you can skip this and go to step 4.

3. Apply felt tape around AC vent area
Once you take AC vent off, it will look like picture* below (sans green tape).
*This picture is borrowed from Roman@ESS.


Apply felt tape around the area that is marked red. This is area where AC vent makes contact with CF trim area.


It is not necessary to show felt strips on the outside area like shown below. If you want, you can cut the tape so that it only covers inner area where AC vent piece meets the CF trim area.


4. Secure two connector housings
I also noticed that two places that connectors go in can move a lot and make some rattle noise.
I applied felt tape around these so that they cannot move.


5. Apply Gummi Pflege to AC vent contact points
Gummi Pflege works great to get rid of creaking noise coming from the trim.
<Updated on Feb 7, 2015>
You can also use synthetic grease from Super Lube or any similar product. I think this product will last longer than gummi.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XBH9HI/



Apply Gummi Pflege to area highlighted in red below.






Wipe excess Gummi Pflege using microfiber.
Put the entire trim back after letting it dry for 10 minutes.
Test both door lock/unlock and emergency signal light buttons.

Tip: When you put the trim back, it may not want to snap in to place.
If you are having this problem, you may have cables stuck between ac vent and duck. Position both cables so that they do not get in the way.
I taped both cables with electrical tape so that it is easier to position them when putting the trim piece back.


3 - Dome Light Unit
There is piece of plastic covering dome light area.
Lightly pull down plastic cover using your fingers (red arrows indicate points where you need to pull down).


Remove entire dome light unit that is held by 2 retaining clips.
Working one side at a time, insert pry bar into the gap and push the clip to the direction of the red arrow.
While holding the pushed clip, use another pry bar to slowly pull down the unit.


There is white plastic plastic piece that goes across left/right side of the hole. It is attached to metal frame by 2 plastic screws.
I noticed that there were some gap in the middle section (between 2 plastic screws) causing it to rattle against metal frame. You can test it by lightly tapping that section upward.

Good fix would be to take those plastic screws off then apply some felt tapes between metal frame and plastic. However, I couldn't figure out how to take those screws off.

Instead, I just insert felt tape (marked in red in picture) to eliminate the noise. I had to stack 4x 1mm felt tape to fill the gap between these 2 parts.



Install everything back.


4 - Door Seal
I was also getting some noise from door/roof area.
After searching for this issue on Google, I found out that similar problem appeared on previous generations of BMWs.

When you open the door, you will find 2 door seals.


Apply Gummi Pflege on the door seal 1.
There is no need to apply Gummi on door seal 2.
Do the same things to passenger door seal(s).

Let it dry for approximately 10-15 minutes before closing the door.
Re-apply Gummi Pflege to same area whenever the noise comes back.


5 - Rear Center Console Trim
Pull rear center console trim using pry bar.
It comes out fairly easily.

There is cable connected to this trim.
You do not have to disconnect the cable.
Just pull the trim out slight and leave it there.


There are 3 plastic pieces that sticks out (one at top and two at bottom).
These pieces will hit and rattle against the plastic pieces on the other side.
Wrap felt tape to these plastic pieces that stick out.


Do the same thing to right side.
Install rear trim back by pushing it in.


Door panel rattle fix tip from Oakleyguy



Additional tips from dd1981




Enjoy significantly quieter interior

HOLY HELL! Well done. Most useful thread ever (...although the only rattle I'm getting is from the dash area).

[WWFit]

I took delivery of my 2016 F80 M3 a little over a month ago and just recently I noticed the rear becoming very noisy when I drive, especially when taking turns.... I noticed it comes from the rear door panels the most, it it drives me crazy! How do I get rid of this squeaky loud noise while driving? I feel like I'm driving a 10 year old car when hearing it.
Instagram: whiteknightm3

[Cajun1]

There's been a few posts on this subject and your fix might be as easy as coating the door seals with gummi pflege and or preventing the tie down covers in the rear seat area from vibrating. That'll get ya started.

[WWFit]

Originally Posted by Cajun1

There's been a few posts on this subject and your fix might be as easy as coating the door seals with gummi pflege and or preventing the tie down covers in the rear seat area from vibrating. That'll get ya started.

Thanks for the reply

[Vigilant]

Originally Posted by WWFit

I took delivery of my 2016 F80 M3 a little over a month ago and just recently I noticed the rear becoming very noisy when I drive, especially when taking turns.... I noticed it comes from the rear door panels the most, it it drives me crazy! How do I get rid of this squeaky loud noise while driving? I feel like I'm driving a 10 year old car when hearing it.
Instagram: whiteknightm3

Use some aerospace 303 protectant on the double rubber seals. Wipe away any excess as the material does not evaporate.

That should reduce the "creaking noise".

Be mindful that the carbon fiber roof may also be the culprit.

Another fix is to turn your music louder...

[WWFit]

Originally Posted by Vigilant

Use some aerospace 303 protectant on the two door rubber seals. Wipe away any excess as the material does not evaporate.

That should reduce the "creaking noise".

Be mindful that the carbon fiber roof may also be the culprit.

Another fix is to turn your music louder...

Thanks bro, I feel it's the rear door panels on the inside. I did a light push on the and they seemed to shift down slightly it make the noise a little less but still there...

[mikex25]

Lubricate your door seals, make sure it's the solid rubber part because most people tend to only coat the hollow rubber

[Rik84]

Originally Posted by Vigilant

Use some aerospace 303 protectant on the double rubber seals. Wipe away any excess as the material does not evaporate.

That should reduce the "creaking noise".

Be mindful that the carbon fiber roof may also be the culprit.

Another fix is to turn your music louder...

I have been working with the music fix but it is finally starting to annoy me as well. Was about to post up on this exact same subject.

Thanks all for the lubricant suggestions.

[Vigilant]

Originally Posted by WWFit

Thanks bro, I feel it's the rear door panels on the inside. I did a light push on the and they seemed to shift down slightly it make the noise a little less but still there...

You are correct that you can replicate the sound by pressing in the black trim from the outside. Weight savings unfortunately results in issues like this. It used to bother the hell out of me, but like most situations, you build a tolerance and tune it out.

Happy motoring!

[Gumby_F80]

I have the same issue and recently discovered it as I always have music on. Once I got exhaust and turned the music down, I discovered it. I'm going to try the above mentioned fixes and hope it helps!

[DavidLeSCC]

Originally Posted by Gumby_F80

I have the same issue and recently discovered it as I always have music on. Once I got exhaust and turned the music down, I discovered it. I'm going to try the above mentioned fixes and hope it helps!

I am experiencing the same exact thing. Hopefully this fixes my issue as well. The only solution I have found is to keep my music turned up, haha

[tcw9999]

Bookmarked!! Thanks for sharing....

[KevinGS]

Such a helpful thread. But proof that I can only lease BMWs, but I can own Lexuses.

300,000+ miles on my Lexus, lowered, heavily modded, barely a single creak or rattle. Poor German engineers, all the testing is done on the suspension and motor.

[Brady1984]

I have been having the door lock rattle issue for the last little while and I never saw a fix on here. I looked up the door lock button surround on realoem to see how to get it out: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/part...&q=51417316859 and I ended up using a shoestring to wrap around the part and compress the clips. After that (I did both passenger and driver side) both sides pulled out no problem. After removing it I used a tiny file to enlarge the opening just a bit and placed a small piece of felt in the gap. The felt does not interfere at all with the lock mechanism and it's quiet as a mouse now. If you break the trim cover it's 15 bucks, so not the end of the world https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...859/ES2578268/ I thought about trying felt on the lock button but the gap is way too narrow and it would peel off the button in no time. Not sure if this is the best way but it worked great for me.

[FAM3]

Can't fix my door rattle by the LED light strip on driver and passenger side if my life depended on it.

[Stryder]

Originally Posted by parky1215

4 - Door Seal
I was also getting some noise from door/roof area.
After searching for this issue on Google, I found out that similar problem appeared on previous generations of BMWs.

When you open the door, you will find 2 door seals.


Apply Gummi Pflege on the door seal 1.
There is no need to apply Gummi on door seal 2.
Do the same things to passenger door seal(s).

Let it dry for approximately 10-15 minutes before closing the door.
Re-apply Gummi Pflege to same area whenever the noise comes back.

Has anyone been successfully able to get rid of this squeak for good? I tried using gummi but the fix lasts for 2 weeks tops before the squeak comes back again. It's annoying as hell and makes the car sound like some kind of cheap knockoff product.

[FAM3]

I hate every rattle in my car. The LED strips/panel on both driver and passenger side are going insane. Impossible for them not to rattle. Anyone have a fix for those yet aside from gumi pledge? It just does not work for me.

Now I have a new rattle by the rear window. Up top where the black piece connects to the window, I think the antenna stuff may be stored in there?

[aboulfad]

Originally Posted by FAM3

I hate every rattle in my car. The LED strips/panel on both driver and passenger side are going insane. Impossible for them not to rattle. Anyone have a fix for those yet aside from gumi pledge? It just does not work for me.

Now I have a new rattle by the rear window. Up top where the black piece connects to the window, I think the antenna stuff may be stored in there?

Mine too in my M4. Check my 5s temporary DIY here and read the replies after:
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...&postcount=121

[FAM3]

Originally Posted by aboulfad

Mine too in my M4. Check my 5s temporary DIY here and read the replies after:
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...&postcount=121

Alright, so. Your final solution was sticking a piece of the 5 Gum wrapper in there and just cutting it/leaving it in there so it was not visible correct?

I can also pry my LED strip out now since I have messed with it so much BUT there really is no room to put any felt tape. I applied Gummy pledge all around it and that still did not help. It definitely needs something to hold it in place so this 5 gum idea could work. Did you exacto knife it off to keep it clean/didn't have to take the LED strip out at all?