X5 at the dealer for the last 2 weeks (and perhaps a week longer) [UPDATE BELOW]

[atl_lex77]

thanks for the pointer. that sounds reasonable b/c the 2nd time i took it in the tech "clearanced the heat shield" which i thought made the sound less noticeable for a short time.

i am supposed to pick it up tomorrow afternoon. i will ask the dealer to put it up on the lift so i can take a look. i want to do this before taking it to an independent shop in town where i have to pay for them to diagnose and fix it.

Originally Posted by X5Boston

Sorry to hear that you are getting the runaround as well. The reason the sound is so familiar is because both my E53s were rear ended and both times the hangers that held the exhaust were broken. I drove them home each time and until I could get it to the body shop, there was the deep sound of metal hitting metal when going over bumps.

The sound on mine comes from the area under the vehicle near the driver's seat and center storage compartment. If you check out the YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN6sCmPb4bE)
around 1:11, the area will be dead center in the video. Its actually funny that mine is also a Space Gray w/ the 19" rims.

Many times the pothole needs to be just right to reproduce the noise. Mine is most pronounced on shallow holes and washboard roads. My brother who used to work in the parts department of a dealer tells me all technicians are the same. They get paid by the job and those that take time to diagnose or are "unprofitable" are simply ignored.

Good luck with your 3.0si.