[vieri_c]

Originally Posted by F30AM

Without question there are definite problems with tyre roar and wind noise. I just cannot understand BMW's attitude or that of their dealers. There is huge variability between cars. Some of them seem badly built with ill fitting panels and huge panel gaps.

I do not think you are oversensitive to the problems of wind noise and tyre roar. It would drive me insane. I had my passenger front door properly aligned and I very carefully checked that all doors closed properly and aligned to perfection. I have little or no wind noise, which I did before I had these checks and adjustments. My particular car seems very well built, but our other car less so. BMW QC could definitely be better IMO.

I had a major problem with very baggy leather seats and it was a nightmare to get BMW to admit there was a problem. Then the passenger front seat base leather covering had to be changed as it suffered with a bald patch even though it was used only half a dozen times!

BMW's arrogant attitude is beyond belief. Their cars are good, but there are definite QC problems with the F30. No owner should be going through what you are being subjected to at the present by having to sort out this noise problem by yourself and without any decent support form BMW or their incompetent and unhelpful dealer.

Yes it has been slightly frustrating with regards to the response I had from my local dealership, having only paid lip-service to the road/wind noise issue.
I should have taken the car on a longer test drive prior to purchase, but I was too smitten with the rest of the car, I doubt I would have changed my mind.

As much as I love getting a 330D next, I am going to wait for the new c class and see if it lives up to the initial reviews regarding its supreme refinement.

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by vieri_c

Yes it has been slightly frustrating with regards to the response I had from my local dealership, having only paid lip-service to the road/wind noise issue.
I should have taken the car on a longer test drive prior to purchase, but I was too smitten with the rest of the car, I doubt I would have changed my mind.

As much as I love getting a 330D next, I am going to wait for the new c class and see if it lives up to the initial reviews regarding its supreme refinement.

The new C Class will probably be the most refined car in its class. It has a very low drag coefficient, does not ride on RFT, has the option of air suspension etc., etc. Now all they need to do is improve their engines. BUT, I still feel the F30 is a better looking car but only in M Sport guise.

[vieri_c]

Originally Posted by F30AM

The new C Class will probably be the most refined car in its class. It has a very low drag coefficient, does not ride on RFT, has the option of air suspension etc., etc. Now all they need to do is improve their engines. BUT, I still feel the F30 is a better looking car but only in M Sport guise.

Looks wise you are right, M sport really is the best looking, i still regret not getting it!.

The engine choices on the new c class is shocking, no 6 cyclinder option, and still soldering on with the 7 speed autobox when they have the 9 speed.

Tyre wise, the 19in will ride on RFT though. Seems more and more manufacturers are trying RFTs like Infiniti

[lordlen21]

Originally Posted by TonyS

That's great - I've been waiting for someone else to confirm what I found.

I've done a trip from West Sussex to Bristol and back today (first decent trip since discovering this), and the car really is quite a bit quieter. In particular, road surfaces like the concrete parts of the M25 are noticeably less noisy.

If you open the bonnet and look from the back of the front wings, through the vertical gap in front of the doors, you can actually see right through and out of the hole at the front, so it's got to be contributing to noise levels in the cabin from both the engine and front tyres. My next test is to fill the vertical gap with some backing rod which I'll get this week, and see if that helps any further.

I've been plagued by road roar and keen to try your mods; mine's a F31 320i so also missing the door foam. What did end up using in the wing holes? I've stuffed an old T-shirt in one side and a rolled up rag in the other to see if it makes a difference but I'm interested to find out if you deployed a more permanent solution or just let the rags in place?

[lordlen21]

Originally Posted by Mungogrubb

TonyS, you're a genius!

Whilst sceptical i gave it a go yesterday, all the same and i have to say there is a noticeable reduction in engine and road noise.

Even ran a decible check using an iPhone app, ran at the same speed on the same road twice, one with 'rags' one without. Not scientific, i know, but wanted to see if i just wanted it to be quieter.

The results were interesting-mid point of results with rags= 74Db
without 83Db!

Hi,
I'm interested in your permanent solution or did you just leave the rags in place? I too have been struggling with high tyre noise on a 320i - which doesn't have the foam in the door likes the diesels - and interested in how you solved it permanently?

[TonyS]

Originally Posted by lordlen21

Hi,
I'm interested in your permanent solution or did you just leave the rags in place? I too have been struggling with high tyre noise on a 320i - which doesn't have the foam in the door likes the diesels - and interested in how you solved it permanently?

I've left mine with the rags stuffed tightly in place (I check every so often that they haven't come loose) and with the foam stuffed in the vertical gap in front of the doors. It's been like this for a long time now and the engine/tyre noise is acceptable now. I just wish I could say the same about the wind noise from the passenger's side window area. Interestingly the wind noise from the window is markedly reduced after it's rained, due I'm guessing to water filling the gaps and forming a temporary seal.

[lordlen21]

Originally Posted by TonyS

I've left mine with the rags stuffed tightly in place (I check every so often that they haven't come loose) and with the foam stuffed in the vertical gap in front of the doors. It's been like this for a long time now and the engine/tyre noise is acceptable now. I just wish I could say the same about the wind noise from the passenger's side window area. Interestingly the wind noise from the window is markedly reduced after it's rained, due I'm guessing to water filling the gaps and forming a temporary seal.

Thanks for getting back to me and good to hear the rags have made a difference. I tried some in mine today and think it seemed quieter, did you ever explore trying to get hold of the foam inserts fitted to the diesels?

[teaston]

Originally Posted by lordlen21

I've been plagued by road roar and keen to try your mods; mine's a F31 320i so also missing the door foam. What did end up using in the wing holes? I've stuffed an old T-shirt in one side and a rolled up rag in the other to see if it makes a difference but I'm interested to find out if you deployed a more permanent solution or just let the rags in place?

Best way to solve road roar is ditching the RFT's! Michelin PSS are rated as quite a loud tyre, but compared to RFT's even they are much quieter.

[lordlen21]

Originally Posted by teaston

Best way to solve road roar is ditching the RFT's! Michelin PSS are rated as quite a loud tyre, but compared to RFT's even they are much quieter.

I did think about it but didn't want the inconvenience and think the ride quality is good on the Sport. Made a massive difference on my old E91 330i SE though.

[TonyS]

Originally Posted by teaston

Best way to solve road roar is ditching the RFT's! Michelin PSS are rated as quite a loud tyre, but compared to RFT's even they are much quieter.

Replacing the runflats is on my list, but I don't do mega miles so they are lasting annoyingly well. Maybe I need to drive faster, or do a track day

[TonyS]

Originally Posted by lordlen21

Thanks for getting back to me and good to hear the rags have made a difference. I tried some in mine today and think it seemed quieter, did you ever explore trying to get hold of the foam inserts fitted to the diesels?

I looked at it briefly, but it looks like the inserts are put in during assembly, and would a right b*st*rd to fit with the limited access there is.

[....,,,,..,,..]

I use the M54 a fair bit, so no matter the tyres, it's bloody annoyingly noisy.

It's been like that since it opened.

[dangerous_al]

I came across this post and decided to have a look at my LCI 330i. The holes mentioned in the original post in the engine bay are blocked off with some foam type bungs with a plasticised coating presumably to keep it waterproof. I also looked at the gaps in front of the doors between the wings and the body, and again these are filled with foam. So it looks like BMW have been looking at the road noise issue themselves and made some changes.

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by dangerous_al

I came across this post and decided to have a look at my LCI 330i. The holes mentioned in the original post in the engine bay are blocked off with some foam type bungs with a plasticised coating presumably tpo keep it waterproof. I also looked at the gaps in front of the doors between the wings and the body, and again these are filled with foam. So it looks like BMW have been looking at the road noise issue themselves and made some changes.

I think the BMW engineers just come on here, read how to solve the issues and go implement them.

[dicky.hillary]

That's about right. The road noise in my old F31 was just not funny.

[Watsey]

Originally Posted by dicky.hillary

I would be eternally grateful if anyone comes up with methods of quietening the F31 down... my previous E92 had significantly less diesel clatter!

I find that premium diesel helps- Shell V Power Nitro or equivalent.

[exocet]

Any chance of finding the part number on these? thanks.

Originally Posted by dangerous_al

I came across this post and decided to have a look at my LCI 330i. The holes mentioned in the original post in the engine bay are blocked off with some foam type bungs with a plasticised coating presumably tpo keep it waterproof. I also looked at the gaps in front of the doors between the wings and the body, and again these are filled with foam. So it looks like BMW have been looking at the road noise issue themselves and made some changes.

[taranfx]

Originally Posted by TonyS

Just as an update to this thread, as well as packing the large hole in the front wings I've now also packed the huge vertical gaps at the back of the front wings (in front of the doors), and immediately noticed yet another improvement in low speed engine/tyre/road noise. Driving around the local roads, the car now sounds more like I would expect a £40k car to be.

At higher speeds the objectionable wind noise is also decreased, although the buffeting sound is still there.

Why BMW only fit a seal into that gap on diesel cars is beyond me. I also don't really understand the whole design of the doors, where the door seals are well inboard of the door edges, so that there is a large expanse of the door that is completely open to the airflow and dirt being thrown up - just look at how dirty the front sills get. I'm convinced that the doors not being sealed at their edges (plus the huge panel gaps) is also where a substantial part of the wind noise comes from, not helped by the front wings that channel air, venturi-like, onto the doors - hence my mods making such a difference.

You're a genius! This worked.
I used wool insulation (used in wooden walls for insulating thermally).
What material do you recommend?

[Tom1s]

Hello

I found parts nr. 29 and 33 missing from my 328i. These parts are on diesel models only i think. Can anybody take a picture from these so I could look if could make or should I buy those.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=51_8669

[Big_CG]

So, does anyone have any other fixes to try that have been confirmed to reduce road noise? I plan on undercoating the plastic fender line on both sides and applying dynamat. Its baffling why BMW just had it sitting there exposed to the engine. Even base model VW's have the carpeted fender liner as its the most important source of road noise

[Im1]

Originally Posted by Big_CG

So, does anyone have any other fixes to try that have been confirmed to reduce road noise? I plan on undercoating the plastic fender line on both sides and applying dynamat. Its baffling why BMW just had it sitting there exposed to the engine. Even base model VW's have the carpeted fender liner as its the most important source of road noise

There is not much hope in my opinion . I had this issue with my F30 so switched to F10 . Looking under the bonnet the sound proofing in the 5 /extra materials explain why it's so much quieter . I thought the 3 was a small 5 and made the mistake of not test driving it on the motorway where the road noise levels are irritatingly high