Get someone else to drive your car whilst you sit in the back. Does the noise seem more orientated towards the rear of the car?
Jack up each wheel in turn and spin it. You will then be able to rule out a buckled wheel.
A rumbling noise could be a wheel bearing. This might show itself when you jack up and spin the wheels.
If the noise is quite prevalent, then get the dealer to drive with you and point out the noise.

 

Thanks Spartan1. Sorry for the late reply, my phone has been playing up recently! My car has been to bowker BMW 3 times since. They have checked all the wheels and tyres and found a flat spot on the front near side wheel. They have replaced the wheel and thought they had cured the noise but it hasn't made any difference. I took it back again. Took a technician for a road test and he simply said 'it's a characteristic of the car'.

I'm sorry but a £20+k car should not make any noise like this at any speed. I said I wasn't happy and they checked the car over again but could not find anything wrong with it. They have now come to the conclusion that if I want them to investigate further it may not be covered by the used car warranty and therefore may end up costing me. They have advised I take it back to Sytner where I bought it from so that they can investigate it further at their expense since they sold me the car with the fault.

I have booked the car into a different dealer to get a second opinion (Sytner is 150 miles away unfortunately) but failing this last attempt at a different local dealer I will have to take the car back over to Sytner.

The clunking noise a low speeds also seems to have gotten worse recently. It sounds like something heavy is falling over in the boot although the boot is empty and it does it intermittently when going over bumps. Small speed bumps seem to make it most noticeable or driving onto a slight incline such as a junction uphill. It seems to be when the car flexes slightly.

I'll let you know what the next dealer visit reveals-if anything! It's so frustrating. I just want it to be right!

 

Also the rumbling noise seems to go when the car is coasting- even at higher speeds. But reappears when the engine is under load, making the noise louder when the engine is trying harder at lower revs, eg going up a gradual incline on the motorway makes the noise drone loud but going downhill makes the noise fade. This makes me think it is drive train related, if it was wheel bearings would the noise be happening all the time?

 

In my experience worn or damaged wheel bearings will be noisy all the time, but perhaps marginally worse under load, cornering etc.

The 'clunking' noise certainly sounds like a UJ, or something, in the drive train. If this particular noise is easily reproducable, then I cannot believe a BMW garage would fob you off with 'it's a characteristic of the car'. Have you noticed if the noises are worse with a full complement of passengers and luggage maybe?

 

What's a UJ? Do you think the two noises I am hearing could be linked to one fault? I thought if something is loose-causing the clunking sound at low speeds maybe it could be causing the noise at higher speeds also if it is moving around quicker etc. When I took the car to my dealer last time, typically the clunking noise did not show during the whole road test so the technician could only hear the rumbling noise at 70+mph which he said was normal. ��

It's not very often I have anyone else in the car other than the Mrs but it would be interesting to see if extra passengers make any difference.

Could what I've described be anything to do with the diff?

 

UJ = Universal Joint. I'm guessing you'll have three of those on the propshaft. You'll also probably have universal joints of some sort on both half shafts to each rear wheel. I have no idea what the longevity of these joints are likely to be, but unless the car's had rough treatment, it would be unusual for these couplings to start failing at the mileage you've indicated.

It's possible the noises you're hearing are linked, although a bit difficult for me to judge remotely!

Are you running standard wheels and tyres? I'm told runflats can be noisier and harsher, although I didn't find that on my previous vehicle which used them.

I guess a rumbling noise could be from the diff bearings. If you have the facilities it might be worth jacking up one rear wheel, and with the handbrake off and transmission locked/parked/in gear, turn the wheel back and forth and see if there's any play or 'clonking' noises.

 

Thanks for he reply. I guess it could be a universal joint of some sort then. I will try and get the car jacked up and test he rear wheels for play like you say.

Like you say, it does seem strange for a car that's only 3 years old with average mileage to start having parts failing. That does concern me especially with the car supposed to be of good quality and performance.

The tyres on the car are Goodyear F1 run flats which I think are standard on these cars as my previous 330d had the same.

The car is going into the dealer again tomorrow so fingers crossed I can show them the noise on a road test and get it sorted. I'll let you know what happens.

 

So the car went to the dealer today. I took a technician out and he heard both noises. He thinks the clunking noise at low speed may be something to do with the interior fixings. He said it doesn't sound metallic enough to be a mechanical fault. I personally think it's too loud and harsh to be the interior causing it. He said due to rattles and squeaks not being covered by the approved used car warranty they will have to speak to Sytner to get authorisation to investigate. I've spoken briefly to Sytner and they seem willing to authorise the work.

The other noise-rumbling at 75mph the technician said sounded like a drive train issue. Possibly the prop shaft not being balanced correctly? Apparently the shaft is balanced with weights similar to how they balance wheels.

They have booked me in again for next week so they can have the car for a few days to sort the issues out and whilst they wait for a confirmation from Sytner. They seemed pretty switched on to be fair and assured me they would get it sorted so fingers crossed for next week. I feel a lot more confident worth this dealer than bowker-they said it's definitely not 'characteristic of the car'.

 

Yes, prop shaft needs to be balanced for sure. It could also be 'out of balance' due to a UJ being worn.
Worth making sure there's nothing loose rolling around in the boot, footwells, door pockets, etc. Things like that can be easily missed!
Glad you seem to be getting them to take you seriously now. One needs to be persistent but polite.
Good luck with it...

 

Diff bearing issues possibly .....You pay top dollar for a approved used car and some cretin of a mechanic tries to tell ou they all do that sir ...tossers

 

Thanks for your help, it is appreciated. I had some people in the back of the car over the weekend and noticed the knocking/clunking noise didn't happen the whole time hey were in there. As soon as they got out it started again. So I'm thinking it's probably suspension related that noise rather than the interior like the technician said. It's going tin tomorrow anyway so hopefully they'll get it sorted.

 

My car is a late 2013 F30 auto, with a smaller engines but it's quiet no creaks bangs or rattles, just a clonk when going over speed bumps.
No rumbling on acceleration.
Characteristics of the car, they just fobbing you off.

 

Thanks for the post, yes I did feel fobbed off and expected better from Bowker to be honest. I'll see what happens tomorrow when it goes to Haliwell Jones. They seem a lot more switched on and seem keen to get the issues sorted so fingers crossed it'll get fixed this time. I've had a F30 330D before this car. It was a 62 reg and that made no such noise so I know something's not right.

I'll put an update on when I pick the car up on Friday just incase anyone else is having the same problem.

 

Just an update regarding this issue. The car has now had a new prop shaft (covered by warranty) but the noise appears to still be there at high speed. The other noise (clunking over bumps at low speed) has been fixed and turned out to be a seat bracket on the rear folding seats.

The rumbling noise the garage are saying has been fixed by the prop shaft but Incan definitely still hear it. They are adamant the prop shaft was faulty as they say it was distorted and was rubbing on the rear brake cables etc. They showed me the mark on the old one.

I asked to drive another 330d to compare and they gave me a 15 plate 330d with 12k miles to take for a drive which made no such noise. This car also felt a lot more responsive and not as 'restricted' as mine does. Mine seems to struggle up through the revs more than the other car which was a lot more effortless. I noticed this even more in eco mode. For this reason could the issue be engine related? Or maybe gearbox?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you

 

Hi there Chaz. I have a 2003 E46 330d auto sport with 127k miles on it. I bought it just over a week ago and taking it for it's first motorway trip yesterday I noticed it too had the same issue with rumbling/juddering when gently accelerating at 60+, even with cruise control on, feels just like driving over rumple strips. Anyway, as my car is warranted (bought it from a used car sales garage up the road) I am keen to get all the niggles sorted out, so far there have been many and I am on the verge of just handing the keys back and demanding a refund.

After doing a lot of research, I believe the issue could be something to do with the direct drive slipping in the auto gearbox? As the car gets into top gear the direct drive thingy locks into place, it's a kind of clutch system and is prone to burning up although your car seems too new and too low mileage, however you just do not know if the previous owner had the car remapped, and it might still be remapped? My car had a new gearbox fitted a few thousand miles ago, but the previous owner has had the car remapped from the original 184bhp and I have heard that is not a good idea as the gearbox is already stressed, thus my car is already on it's second gearbox that I know of.

Anyhow, I will let you know what I find, if anything.

 

Hey.

i am having this same problem with my car did you manage to get it sorted?

thanks

 

5 and a half years ago

 

Sounds like a differential noise especially as the pinion and crown wheel under load are put under more stress and consequently more prone to making noise.
I have had this problem on a few occasions with different vehicles,only solution change Differential.
My guess is the main agents will try and wriggle as much as possible if this is the cause of your noise because this is an expensive component.
Just noticed this is yet another old post resurected without the resolution being posted,so annoying to all those who offer help .

50+ years an engineer.

 

my e90 330d before i got it had diff and pinion kit fitted,,,guess its a week point

 

Well the thread is raised from the dead lol.

 

ChazB you gave great updates, and then right at the end before the final reveal you disappeared. Just like ripping out the last page of a book We would love to know what happend in the end????? Please come back and tell us 8 years later we know but Damn people still suffering from same issues....