Rear whooshing noise....................

[FreddyG]

Hi Guys (and Gals)!

We bought a 2007 CPO'ed 4.8i and it's making a whooshing noise that sounds like it's coming from the driver's rear. I took it into the dealer and they took the tire off and cleaned the parking brake and then switched the tire to the other side (I know that they are directional), but they just wanted to see if the sound would switch sides and they said that it did. I didn't witness this, so I'm not sure whether to believe them or not......Yes, I'm a skeptic

They said that the tire had a broken cord/belt and that the rim was bent. Of course they tried to sell me one of their Overinflated (pun intended) priced tires, but I'm 99% positive that it's not the problem. Just because the dealer says that's the problem, doesn't mean it's right!

I took the wheel/tire to a tire shop to get it balanced and also check to see if the rim was bent. It wasn't bent, but was out of balance by almost 3 ounces/grams/?, which they said was quite a bit. It rides a bit better but still makes the noise.

I asked the dealer if they checked brake rotor run out to see if the disk was warped or bent. They looked at me like I had three heads. I'm not sure what to do now, other than take the hit and buy a rotor and some pads.

Can you Guys Please give me any suggestions or ideas? I'd Appreciate it!

Thanks in advance!

By the way, Sorry for the short novel!

[XXX555]

Originally Posted by FreddyG

Hi Guys (and Gals)!

We bought a 2007 CPO'ed 4.8i and it's making a whooshing noise that sounds like it's coming from the driver's rear. I took it into the dealer and they took the tire off and cleaned the parking brake and then switched the tire to the other side (I know that they are directional), but they just wanted to see if the sound would switch sides and they said that it did. I didn't witness this, so I'm not sure whether to believe them or not......Yes, I'm a skeptic

They said that the tire had a broken cord/belt and that the rim was bent. Of course they tried to sell me one of their Overinflated (pun intended) priced tires, but I'm 99% positive that it's not the problem. Just because the dealer says that's the problem, doesn't mean it's right!

I took the wheel/tire to a tire shop to get it balanced and also check to see if the rim was bent. It wasn't bent, but was out of balance by almost 3 ounces/grams/?, which they said was quite a bit. It rides a bit better but still makes the noise.

I asked the dealer if they checked brake rotor run out to see if the disk was warped or bent. They looked at me like I had three heads. I'm not sure what to do now, other than take the hit and buy a rotor and some pads.

Can you Guys Please give me any suggestions or ideas? I'd Appreciate it!

Thanks in advance!

By the way, Sorry for the short novel!

Is there another BMW dealer in your area for a second opinion?

[FreddyG]

Originally Posted by XXX555

Is there another BMW dealer in your area for a second opinion?

Thanks! I never thought of that!

I might even try to find a good indy (independent mechanic) that has no stake in it too!

Thanks again for the Great suggestion!

[gtiownr]

Does the sound increase with speed? Does it go away when you unload that wheel in a turn? Are there any vibrations?

Yes, Yes and No ... might be a wheel bearing.

My wife and I had this on our XC90 before ... food for thought.

[nynd]

Is it possible that there is something inside the tire (like water) or some other foreign items (like repair sealant that someone may have sprayed in)?

You should first narrow it down to whether it is infact the tire. That will save you a headache in guessing all other possibilities. If it was able to be balanced, you wouldn't think it would have something inside (ruling out my theory).

Other item to look at is if you have 3rd row seats, you may have the self leveling air suspension, which may have a leak - something else to think about whether it applies or not.

[Denalio]

What type of tires do you have on the vehicle? Are you running 19's or 20's? Runflats are pretty famous for wearing out quickly and they do make noise when they wear. I replaced mine because of the noise. Before I replaced mine it did sound like a belt shift when in fact there was nothing wrong with them just wear. If it were the rotors warped you would have most certainly felt a vibration or shudder while braking.

[ALPHA]

Hey Denalio, How long did it take them to wear out? how many k??? I am running on Bridgestone Dueler Hp sport runflat 20" and I now have 25000km....

[FreddyG]

Originally Posted by gtiownr

Does the sound increase with speed? Does it go away when you unload that wheel in a turn? Are there any vibrations?

Yes, Yes and No ... might be a wheel bearing.

My wife and I had this on our XC90 before ... food for thought.

I never thought of that! I Appreciate the reply because I'll take any food that you are willing to offer! At this point, I've got a Huge appetite!

It does increase with speed! I haven't noticed if it goes away when turning, but I'll check that today! Surprisingly enough, there are no vibrations at all.

Originally Posted by nynd

Is it possible that there is something inside the tire (like water) or some other foreign items (like repair sealant that someone may have sprayed in)?

You should first narrow it down to whether it is infact the tire. That will save you a headache in guessing all other possibilities. If it was able to be balanced, you wouldn't think it would have something inside (ruling out my theory).

Other item to look at is if you have 3rd row seats, you may have the self leveling air suspension, which may have a leak - something else to think about whether it applies or not.

I didn't have them broken down, but you're right in that they balanced out fine, except that they need quite a bit of weight to do it.

We do have third row seating, but I think that I can rule out an air leak because it's not a constant sound and it's speed dependent.

Originally Posted by Denalio

What type of tires do you have on the vehicle? Are you running 19's or 20's? Runflats are pretty famous for wearing out quickly and they do make noise when they wear. I replaced mine because of the noise. Before I replaced mine it did sound like a belt shift when in fact there was nothing wrong with them just wear. If it were the rotors warped you would have most certainly felt a vibration or shudder while braking.

We've got 20" Dunlop run flats that seem to have quite a bit of tread left (average of 6/32's"). Did yours make a sound all of the time or just a certain part of the rotation?

I do agree to a point about the rotors making a vibration if they were warped, but so would a tire/wheel balance that was out 3 ounces and it didn't vibrate. It makes the noise in one section of rotation that sounds like a brake dragging.

I think that I'm going to take the wheel off and then mask off the truck and spray the brake surface with some paint, put the wheel back on and then take it for a slow drive to see if any of the paint stays on or off. This should show high or low spots in theory. I understand that the paint will probably come off when I brake, but this sound is driving me crazy and I've got try something to diagnose it. Then I'll take it in with some proof so that they can fix it! If they don't, then I'll buy a new rotor myself and "Get er Done"!

Thanks a Bunch for the replies and the suggestions Guys! I Really Appreciate them! They gave me other things to think about!

[Denalio]

Originally Posted by ALPHA

Hey Denalio, How long did it take them to wear out? how many k??? I am running on Bridgestone Dueler Hp sport runflat 20" and I now have 25000km....

I had Dunlops changed them the first time at 23,000KM, 2nd set at 50,000K now I went to non-run flats. Love them.