2013 BMW 328i xdrive pothole disaster

Corkshow · 06-19-2018, 05:08 PM

First post here on the forums! I was going 50km/hr the other day and hit a pothole I didn't see. Immediately after there was some clunking and it sounded like I was dragging a piece of metal lodged under the car somewhere. I took it down a side road and took a look underneath but there was nothing there so I made my way into a parking lot and slowly drove around trying to figure out where the sound was coming from.

After having someone stand outside the car while I was driving they said it was coming from the rear driver side wheel. I took a peek and there was nothing rubbing on the rotor and I couldn't find any loose parts. I threw the vehicle in reverse and no sound! It actually made the sound stop and now the sound is back but not as loud but it only happens when I go over any size of bump on the road.

I have narrowed it down to having something to do with the e brake as the clunking and clicking can be felt in the e-brake handle... it can also be stopped by playing the e-brake handle. Now whenever I go over a bump and hear that piece of metal rattling somewhere back there I pull on the e-brake handle a little bit and it doesn't cause the clunking and grinding. When pulling on the handle it doesn't cause the vehicle to slow which is odd to me.

Has anyone else run into this kind of issue before or does anyone know what it could be? I have been searching all over the place for information on this but no luck. The mechanic here in town that deals with BMW can't get me in until next Wednesday so I'm thinking I may just take the wheel off myself and have a look around.

Mr Podman · 06-19-2018, 06:32 PM

I've had similar experiences with e-brake issues on that rear wheel, but with Honda's, not BMW's.

With one of my Honda's the e-Brake cable came loose and was rattling around.
If I kicked the tire it would rattle. You might want to try that.

On a second Honda the rattling came because the adjuster inside the drum was too loose.

Hitting your pothole may have done one of those things.

You're probably fine driving it until you can get it serviced.

podman

rphz · 06-19-2018, 06:38 PM

My guess is that one of the pads for the e-brake is loose or broke free and is bouncing around inside of the drum. If you remove the wheel and then the rotor (which is easy with a M6 or 6mm allen socket) you will expose the e-brake system and pads. I'm basing all of this on the e-brake which my f32 has, so not sure if yours is any different but guessing it's similar.

Corkshow · 06-19-2018, 08:02 PM

I started looking at loose e brake shoe videos and threads on forums. That's definitely the issue, I'm going to take a look tomorrow at school!

06-19-2018, 05:08 PM	#1
Corkshow Registered 2 Rep 3 Posts Drives: F30 328i xdrive Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Peterborough iTrader: (0)	2013 BMW 328i xdrive pothole disaster First post here on the forums! I was going 50km/hr the other day and hit a pothole I didn't see. Immediately after there was some clunking and it sounded like I was dragging a piece of metal lodged under the car somewhere. I took it down a side road and took a look underneath but there was nothing there so I made my way into a parking lot and slowly drove around trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. After having someone stand outside the car while I was driving they said it was coming from the rear driver side wheel. I took a peek and there was nothing rubbing on the rotor and I couldn't find any loose parts. I threw the vehicle in reverse and no sound! It actually made the sound stop and now the sound is back but not as loud but it only happens when I go over any size of bump on the road. I have narrowed it down to having something to do with the e brake as the clunking and clicking can be felt in the e-brake handle... it can also be stopped by playing the e-brake handle. Now whenever I go over a bump and hear that piece of metal rattling somewhere back there I pull on the e-brake handle a little bit and it doesn't cause the clunking and grinding. When pulling on the handle it doesn't cause the vehicle to slow which is odd to me. Has anyone else run into this kind of issue before or does anyone know what it could be? I have been searching all over the place for information on this but no luck. The mechanic here in town that deals with BMW can't get me in until next Wednesday so I'm thinking I may just take the wheel off myself and have a look around.
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06-19-2018, 06:32 PM	#2
Mr Podman Banned 221 Rep 529 Posts Drives: 3 Series GT Stage 0.5 Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: North America iTrader: (0)	I've had similar experiences with e-brake issues on that rear wheel, but with Honda's, not BMW's. With one of my Honda's the e-Brake cable came loose and was rattling around. If I kicked the tire it would rattle. You might want to try that. On a second Honda the rattling came because the adjuster inside the drum was too loose. Hitting your pothole may have done one of those things. You're probably fine driving it until you can get it serviced. podman
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06-19-2018, 06:38 PM	#3
rphz Second Lieutenant 70 Rep 206 Posts Drives: 2014 F32 435xi Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Colorado iTrader: (0)	My guess is that one of the pads for the e-brake is loose or broke free and is bouncing around inside of the drum. If you remove the wheel and then the rotor (which is easy with a M6 or 6mm allen socket) you will expose the e-brake system and pads. I'm basing all of this on the e-brake which my f32 has, so not sure if yours is any different but guessing it's similar.
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06-19-2018, 08:02 PM	#4
Corkshow Registered 2 Rep 3 Posts Drives: F30 328i xdrive Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Peterborough iTrader: (0)	I started looking at loose e brake shoe videos and threads on forums. That's definitely the issue, I'm going to take a look tomorrow at school!
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