Squeak/rattle from driver-side window? Seatbelt mechanism?

[Riskbreaker]

Hi all,

Proud owner of a new 2015 M3 in mineral gray on sakhir orange with a carbon fiber roof. Having previously owned a 2002 E46 M3 (bought when 5 years old, and owned for 6 years beyond that), this car is fantastic. Best I've ever owned.

Rattles and squeaks drive me crazy. As long as I can justify their existence (lot of rough road in LA), I can get past them. But issues that are constant bother me. They bother me more in light of the cost of the car.

I've had Pacific BMW here in Glendale look at this issue twice. They've made adjustments and put tape in the seals to try to address it, but to no avail.

It's very slight and intermittent. I can't figure out the source or where it's coming from. I hear it in my left ear, making me think that it's coming from the window mechanism. However, I've now begun to wonder whether it's coming from the seatbelt pulley system.

Has anyone had and dealt with this successfully? Any suggestions?

Thanks -

RB

[Pittspilot]

I've got this too. However, I notice that if i pull the seatbelt away from the top of the seat it goes away. Doesn't solve the problem, of course, but I wonder if you have the same this that I do.

[mrduder]

it's most likely just the seatbelt rubbing on the seat. mine does this. if you look closely to where the seatbelt lays while it's on, it has already polished the leather. so it squeaks whenever it moves even just a little bit

[Riskbreaker]

Originally Posted by darge82

It may possibly be the door seal. Are the windows tinted or were they once tinted? We have seen this a bunch of times due to the tint spray hitting the door seals and causing it to create a rattle/squeak type noise. Or if people apply a chemical to the seals like a synthetic based chemical it can cause it to.

Easy way to tell if this is your issue. Take a clean microfiber and spray it with glass cleaner. Rub down the door seal on the door and on the body side as well. The glass cleaner is OK for it, do not using anything else. Test drive, see if it helped....

Interesting - I did tint the windows upon delivery. So roll the window down, rub the glass cleaner on the door seal and see if the squeak stops?

If it does, do I take it in to the dealer and tell them the issue? Or does fix the problem by 'cleaning' the tint overspray if I repeat the process?

Thanks!

PS: I don't think the seatbelt is touching the seat. I'm taller than that. Doesn't rule out the mechanism being the issue, but it's not seatbelt-on-leather.

[tonyzale]

Quite common. I have the same thing from time to time. Get some paraffin wax and rub it along the edge of the DOOR seal (thin strip at the top when door is open). The seal is the felt-like type. All 4 of my doors were doing it. Especially when the body is torqued (driveway, speed bumps). I doubt the window clean suggestion will work as it comes from the area being squeaky clean. Curious if it was tried and worked.

[Ian1973]

I have a vibration or rattle from the door also, personally if I hold the door lock, it stops. But of course I only hear it on certain road surfaces, namely concrete slab highways being where it shows.

I think mine is something to do with the lock linkage.

[Riskbreaker]

Originally Posted by Ian1973

I have a vibration or rattle from the door also, personally if I hold the door lock, it stops. But of course I only hear it on certain road surfaces, namely concrete slab highways being where it shows.

I think mine is something to do with the lock linkage.

The lock dongle (thingy) is a known rattle issue. My SA told me about that one, but that's not what I have. However, if you bring it in, they should have a fix for it.

I'm going to try the carnuba wax on my door seals, see how that goes. I will report back.

Thank you for all the advice. This site is a great resource.

[MFNATIK]

Funny, I have this minor annoyance too. Its right next to my left ear and I too just got it tinted the day after I pickup the car last week. Will try the glass cleaner trick first and report back.

[Riskbreaker]

Originally Posted by darge82

NO NO NO NO! No Carnuba wax. Do not apply this to the seals. Try glass cleaner. Do not use any type of wax product especially Carnuba wax.

Use the glass cleaner, if this is your issue, it works.

The ONLY other product you should be using on rubber door seals is "Gummi Pflage" Its hard to find and usually takes time to get. Glass cleaner will do the trick in the meantime. PLease do not apply carnuba wax.

http://www.detailing.com/store/1z-gu...klExoCzVXw_wcB

Haha, OK. Will do. And report back.

[MFNATIK]

The rattle is definitely coming from the seatbelt area. Possible window seal but I did clean it with windex as suggested. Anyone going to take it in to the dealer? The car has more rattles than I expected for an M car. Maybe too much use of plastics in the interior to save weight?

[Gsv77]

Originally Posted by MFNATIK

The rattle is definitely coming from the seatbelt area. Possible window seal but I did clean it with windex as suggested. Anyone going to take it in to the dealer? The car has more rattles than I expected for an M car. Maybe too much use of plastics in the interior to save weight?

I could have written this paragraph...experiencing the same thing...have tried window cleaner on the seals to no avail. Live in Austin...think it may be due to the relatively cold Fall we are having. Squeaks are almost as funky as James Brown on a bad night. :

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by Gsv77

I could have written this paragraph...experiencing the same thing...have tried window cleaner on the seals to no avail. Live in Austin...think it may be due to the relatively cold Fall we are having. Squeaks are almost as funky as James Brown on a bad night. :

Should have gotten the coupe

[aboulfad]

Originally Posted by MFNATIK

The rattle is definitely coming from the seatbelt area. Possible window seal but I did clean it with windex as suggested. Anyone going to take it in to the dealer? The car has more rattles than I expected for an M car. Maybe too much use of plastics in the interior to save weight?

Yeah, me too even in my coupe... I thinks it's coming from an area behind my head that I hear from my left ear. I did clean the area where the seatbelt makes contact with the top of the seat and i think it helped, but there is still another noise from behind... As far as rattles goes, my experience with my dealer was : many trips with barely any results. In the end, either you DIY yourself or learn to live with them, and they keep on coming!

[CSanto]

Originally Posted by tonyzale

Quite common. I have the same thing from time to time. Get some paraffin wax and rub it along the edge of the DOOR seal (thin strip at the top when door is open). The seal is the felt-like type. All 4 of my doors were doing it. Especially when the body is torqued (driveway, speed bumps). I doubt the window clean suggestion will work as it comes from the area being squeaky clean. Curious if it was tried and worked.

Did the paraffin wax fix this issue for you?

[MFNATIK]

I think the chassis and suspension is just too stiff for all the plastics they used. If the car was covered in another material like Alcantara or leather then I bet it would be less noisy. Are most of you who are experiencing lots of rattle get the standard (not full leather) interior without the leather dash? Just curious to see if those guys are not experiencing as much noise due to the materials used.

[sunnyboy]

On a similar, but different squeak problem, my driver seat squeaks a lot especially when I turn or go over bumps. The squeak is coming from the right side of the driver seat, so not where the door or seat belt is. Brought it in and they were able to fix it. My problem was that the seats are too tight against the center console. So, as it rubs, it squeaks. They applied a few stripes of felt there and the noise went away. However, it did come back, I guess as the felt got worn down. Instead of wasting more time with the dealers, I decided to take a small face towel (similar to the square face towels you can *borrow* from hotel rooms) and put it between the seat and center console. Squeak, gone!

Wasn't sure if anyone else had the same issue (or if there was another thread about this squeak), just wanted to share how I fixed it to help others.

[woosolow]

Originally Posted by MFNATIK

I think the chassis and suspension is just too stiff for all the plastics they used. If the car was covered in another material like Alcantara or leather then I bet it would be less noisy. Are most of you who are experiencing lots of rattle get the standard (not full leather) interior without the leather dash? Just curious to see if those guys are not experiencing as much noise due to the materials used.

i got standard dash (not full leather).

tons of rattles... especially on the CF trim, i need to put pressure on it in order to stop the rattles (i have stuffed felt tape behind the trim, still cannot totally get rid of the noises)

i have rattles on the windows trim also, will try the windows cleaner...

'Gummi Pflege Stift' Rubber Care Stick, 3.4 Oz. (100 ML)
it is available on amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

[theroadrunner]

I have the same driver's side window squeak, which gummi pflege on the door seal takes care of. There's also a driver's side door rattle that's driving me crazy, might be the locking mechanism.

[MFNATIK]

I know on my E60 M5 that the dealer put teflon tape on the inside of the door jamb where the top of the door seals contact the body to help reduce those squeaks and rattles. That would be a long term solution but I'll give Gummi Pledge a try. BTW, the price on that stuff has shot up! I still have a tube I got from the dealer like 10 years ago and I do not recall it being $17 lol

[FAM3]

Originally Posted by MFNATIK

I know on my E60 M5 that the dealer put teflon tape on the inside of the door jamb where the top of the door seals contact the body to help reduce those squeaks and rattles. That would be a long term solution but I'll give Gummi Pledge a try. BTW, the price on that stuff has shot up! I still have a tube I got from the dealer like 10 years ago and I do not recall it being $17 lol

Get it from detailers domain, much cheaper - https://www.detailersdomain.com/prod...ber-care-stick

[Gsv77]

Originally Posted by Gsv77

I could have written this paragraph...experiencing the same thing...have tried window cleaner on the seals to no avail. Live in Austin...think it may be due to the relatively cold Fall we are having. Squeaks are almost as funky as James Brown on a bad night. :

I took my car to BMW for squeaks and rattles...particularly passenger front door. They removed door panel and installed insulated felt tape. Ticket says they also installed Teflon film on all 4 doors. No more squeaks or rattles

[Brady1984]

The lock dongle (thingy) is a known rattle issue. My SA told me about that one, but that's not what I have. However, if you bring it in, they should have a fix for it.

I have this issue with the door lock dongle. On certain surfaces it rattles against the outer plastic ring it sits in. I would like to fix this myself but putting a piece of felt or tape there is not a good solution; any ideas? Oddly if I drive with the doors unlocked no sound, it's only when the dongle is down inside the ring that it makes a sound. Annoying.