[300hp]

I was able to isolate the source of the rattles when playing music. The audio sounds fine from the interior, no complaints there. When you go outside to lock the car and close the door, that's when you are welcomed by these terrible rattles. It makes the car audio system sound terribly cheap, only from the outside.

I have experienced this with both the base and HK systems. Both 2013 and 2014 models and both South Africa and German built cars. I have even heard it when I pulled up to a guy in a 4 series playing his music loud (as you should )

The rattles are coming from the rocker panels. If you touch them you can even feel them vibrate.

I am interested in knowing how many of us have this issue. Anyone have any idea how it can be cured?

[OC40]

Originally Posted by 300hp

I was able to isolate the source of the rattles when playing music. The audio sounds fine from the interior, no complaints there. When you go outside to lock the car and close the door, that's when you are welcomed by these terrible rattles. It makes the car audio system sound terribly cheap, only from the outside.

I have experienced this with both the base and HK systems. Both 2013 and 2014 models and both South Africa and German built cars. I have even heard it when I pulled up to a guy in a 4 series playing his music loud (as you should )

The rattles are coming from the rocker panels. If you touch them you can even feel them vibrate.

I am interested in knowing how many of us have this issue. Anyone have any idea how it can be cured?

I had a musicarNW package installed which included a corner sub. My wife and I checked for exterior rattles by BLASTING both electronic and hip hop. My license plate didn't even rattle.

I have heard others mention this with the HK. Maybe it is something with the additional HK speakers?

[300hp]

Originally Posted by OC40

I had a musicarNW package installed which included a corner sub. My wife and I checked for exterior rattles by BLASTING both electronic and hip hop. My license plate didn't even rattle.

I have heard others mention this with the HK. Maybe it is something with the additional HK speakers?

Thanks for the feedback and the votes.

The rattles occur with both the base and HK systems. Probably worse with the HK system since it's more powerful.

I think when they installed your system they must have added additional padding to make sure there are no exterior rattles.

It seems BMW figured since the interior is fine then no need to worry about the exterior. Logical but not exactly what I would expect at this price range.

[ft1330]

It's actually a known issue that was discussed here before. I did experience it once but interestingly I don't think it's happened again. I will give it a try. Not sure what the fix may be other than installing foam tape in strategic places.

[300hp]

Originally Posted by ft1330

It's actually a known issue that was discussed here before. I did experience it once but interestingly I don't think it's happened again. I will give it a try. Not sure what the fix may be other than installing foam tape in strategic places.

Where should the foam tape be placed?

[OC40]

Originally Posted by 300hp

Thanks for the feedback and the votes.

The rattles occur with both the base and HK systems. Probably worse with the HK system since it's more powerful.

I think when they installed your system they must have added additional padding to make sure there are no exterior rattles.

It seems BMW figured since the interior is fine then no need to worry about the exterior. Logical but not exactly what I would expect at this price range.

I didn't have rattles with the base system. Also, my installer did not add additional padding. We discussed if but opted against it.

Good luck with finding the source!

[ft1330]

Originally Posted by 300hp

Where should the foam tape be placed?

Haven't done it nor have I heard it being done but it's the standard fix for rattles. It needs to be placed wherever the rocker panel contacts the car body. This may or may not be possible depending on how it's contacting the car. You may want to check if the dealer has a fix first, but, most likely they won't. They'll just try to reinstall them and if that doesn't work, tell you that it's normal and you shouldn't be into electronic music. Then you will try the foam fix...

[300hp]

Originally Posted by ft1330

Haven't done it nor have I heard it being done but it's the standard fix for rattles. It needs to be placed wherever the rocker panel contacts the car body. This may or may not be possible depending on how it's contacting the car. You may want to check if the dealer has a fix first, but, most likely they won't. They'll just try to reinstall them and if that doesn't work, tell you that it's normal and you shouldn't be into electronic music. Then you will try the foam fix...

Lol, I think you could be right. The dealership is not going to do anything about this and I can see the scenario you pointed out playing out exactly like that. We may be on our own here.

[DrivenByE30]

If someone has a fix for this, i would very much be interested doing that to my car...

On top of depreciation, this rattle is the other thing that make my car loses value...

[amoeba]

I read somewhere the bass from HK vents into the side skirts. And it's the side skirts that's rattling.

[300hp]

Originally Posted by amoeba

I read somewhere the bass from HK vents into the side skirts. And it's the side skirts that's rattling.

Side skirts, I think that's a better description of where this is coming from. Thanks

I did experience the rattles in the base system too though. I guess both vent out into the same place

[Coolhydro]

It is coming somewhere from the door panels.

[300hp]

I was at the NY Auto Show yesterday and we won't be alone with these rattles, the M3 and M4 have the same issue. The E9x has the same issue too

[pflau]

Mine doesn't have a rattle issue. I played a song with heavy bass, turned up way high to what I considering to be rather excessive volume level, got out of the car, close the door, and found that the sound heard from the outside is actually quite muted.

But than perhaps I don't have the HK sound.

Or perhaps the piece I played did not have enough low register bass. We should have a standard test song.

[Steven1077]

On my old car just about everything vibrated inside and out including the licence plate, does it really matter if it's on the outside?

[Halsifer]

I really want to get this fixed as well. It sounds god awful when people around the vehicle hear the rattles, it completely takes away the appeal of the vehicle. A buddy of mine couldn't believe BMW was serious by letting this kind of obnoxious rattling noise hit the roads to show off to the world. It sounds cheap, even though it's not.

I was considering taking it to the dealer, but after this post: http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=973825, I'm a little worried my result will turn out terrible as well.

[300hp]

I did a test today and realized that the car sounds fine from inside, outside from the front and outside from the back. The car sounds turrible (think Charles Barley) from outside on both sides. Doesn't matter if volume is low or high. It just sounds turrible.

My other car was scheduled to go in for service for another issue which got fixed at another dealership this week. Since I have an open spot to get the car in this week I will just bring my f30 and tell them to fix this. They should be able to do something about it.

I will keep you guys posted

[retiredmarine]

yeah this has been discussed, and mine has the same issue. sounds like a ghetto big box chevy when you hear it rattling from the outside. its the rocker panels, and i have the m sport.

[DanielBimmer]

I had the biggest problem with this on my msport rocker panels, such a long story but I ended up getting new panels and they still rattle.

[300hp]

Is this a problem that's isolated to msports?

[joz]

If you play your speakers loud enough in any car things will start to rattle. Everything on your car has a resonance frequency. When you excite a piece at the resonant frequency you get amplification or a slow decay (i.e. rattle). Car manufacturers design cars to avoid resonance from things like highway cruising RPM (so your steering wheel doesn't rattle etc.).

Music has quite a range of frequencies and inherently you will hit a note that will excite a specific component or even the car (chassis). The source of excitation may not always be high enough in amplitude to cause a rattle, but if you crank your sound system there will be enough energy. There are ways to minimize it via isolation and i'm sure BMW put a lot of effort into isolating the cabin. To be honest the last thing BMW wants to do is invest previous time into keeping the pedestrian beside you free from a couple rattles.

If your driving comfort isn't compromised then its probably not worth worrying about or designing for.

[300hp]

Originally Posted by joz

If you play your speakers loud enough in any car things will start to rattle. Everything on your car has a resonance frequency. When you excite a piece at the resonant frequency you get amplification or a slow decay (i.e. rattle). Car manufacturers design cars to avoid resonance from things like highway cruising RPM (so your steering wheel doesn't rattle etc.).

Music has quite a range of frequencies and inherently you will hit a note that will excite a specific component or even the car (chassis). The source of excitation may not always be high enough in amplitude to cause a rattle, but if you crank your sound system there will be enough energy. There are ways to minimize it via isolation and i'm sure BMW put a lot of effort into isolating the cabin. To be honest the last thing BMW wants to do is invest previous time into keeping the pedestrian beside you free from a couple rattles.

If your driving comfort isn't compromised then its probably not worth worrying about or designing for.

I have never owned a car with rocker panels that vibrate. Granted BMW adds woofers in the floor of the front seats and no one else does this but my X5 which has a LOUDER audio system than the F30 NEVER rattles.

I think some people would be willing to leave with this but I paid a lot of money for this car and simply won't accept that every time I lock the car from the outside I hear these rattles. The volume does not even need to be at the 1/4 mark for those panels to rattle