Squeaky creaky X3.
 

I'm not trying to slam the X3 but I have my third or fourth different X3 loaner and I noticed that every window squeaks and creaks. Every bump or road imperfection I go over induces a whole bunch of noise. It sounds like the windows are all loose even though they are all rolled up. It actually sounds like rattling. The X3 I am in is a 3.0, non-sport, with only 3350 miles on the clock. I haven't heard this noise from any other X3 I have driven. Is this a common problem? :dunno:

Kevin,

This is a common problem. :tsk: The top door seal needs to be cleaned and a special lubricant needs to be applied. There is a TSB for this.

The best remedy for now is to turn up the volume knob. :band:

i had an x3 loaner as well, which i might add was a 3.0... that car is the biggest piece of crap that bmw has ever put out along with the old school ti models. it drives subpar to the 3 series and doesn't have any similar characteristics of the x5. it's cheezy inside with its nasty interior and is basically... waste of time and money for bmw and makes me cringe when i see it.

Yes, as above....TSB for the door seals. The actual structure of the X3 is fine. It kinda of reminds me of the X5s when they first came out and there was all kinds of rattles, squeaks, etc....Even the rear leather seats would squeak, the rear cargo cover rattles, and the rear hatch rattles which is gone during the summer but very prevalent during the fall/winter/spring times depending on the temps (the colder, the more rattles!).

My wife and I own an X5 and an X3, and though, admittedly, the X3 is no X5, we have found it to be a wonderful car. Build quality is superb, fit and finish is first-class, and the ride and engine are wonderful. I agree that if you get the "basic" X3 (which is what they use for most loaners), the inside looks very plain and cheap. If you get the premium package, though, the interior is beautiful, and plush.

Juan

My dealer is strange. They have some very nicely equipped X3's. The one I have this time has the premium package, cold weather package (I live in the desert so this one is extra strange), and the rattling windows package. :rofl: The MSRP on the sticker is just over $40K. Some other X3 loaners they have are equipped with premium, Sirius, xenons, and all kinds of options. Most of them are 3.0's too. I would think that a dealer would use 2.5 strippers as loaners. I ain't complaining though. Now if only the Porsche dealer had 997's as loaners....

Different strokes for different folks I guess. I love the X3, and I could not be happier with the purchase. This is my 3rd BMW, and I am having more fun with this one than any other. The only complaint I have with the interior is that my clothes seem to leave more stuff on the dashboard nubby plastic than what I have picked up.

I did not want the X5, still do not, and I know people who have traded in the X5 for the X3.....

--Larry

As the owner of both the X3 and th e X5 (well, the X3 is the CEO's), I can honestly say that they are both wonderful vehicles. I do prefer the seating position of the X5 a little better. That 3.0L on that X3, though... wow, that car's quick! And it handles like a dream! :thumbup:

Juan

Where can one find the TSB for the internal noise. I am having the same problem with my X3 and I JUST put 12K miles (I bought mine in June of '04).

I've also noticed the squeaky / rattling noise on my 6 weeks old X3 (3000+ KM). I live in City traffic and go in & out of multi-storey / basement car park a lot. The noise is a lot more appearant when doing a slow turn up / down a slop between storeys. Only myself in the car, no cargo, no passenger.

The sound is very annoying... sounds like you are lifting an old and heavy wooden closet. I'm pretty sure it was coming from the plastics / leather on the doors and seats (not from the windows / door seal).

TSB = Technical Services Bulletins? Where can I find the one on this?

Thanks

Actually, your dealer *should* know about it. If not, tell your SA that there is a TSB. He'll look it up. Just take it in.

Juan

Has anyone heard anything about going to your BMW dealer and asking them to read a SIB 51 07 04?

After reading this... a search on this SIB, and found the posts about this noise. It suggests the noise is caused by the door seals. I'll call up the only dealer here tomorrow and see if they are willing to look this up for me.

Thanks

MUCHAS GRACIAS simoncpw!!!!!!!!!!!!

Took the car to the dealer today... the Service rep sat in the car while I drove him around... it only took him very little time to notice the squeaky noise and suggested it was caused by the door seal.... (same as what the TSB indidated). He seemed to have experienced this kind of case before.

However, while he was trying to make the appointment for next week, he noticed there was some parts "need to be ordered" and will let me know once the parts arrives. He sounded like he didn't know anything about this and show me a piece of paper that descibed it. I couldn't get all the details on the paper (they don't like clients knowing or asking too much :mad: ), but it looked like there's another TSB about this... and it did say "For internal use only" on top.

I'll update more once the part arrives.

Good luck. Yeah, some dealers do not like an informed customer. Thankfully, that's not the case with my dealer. Keep us posted.

Juan

Ok... got it done... but surprising, it was NOT anything like the SIB 51 07 04 described.

The dealer actually replaced the "Inner Windows Trims" on all four doors. They are the black plastic trim surrounding the inner side of window frames. NOT THE DOOR SEAL

Drove it for about 30 min from the workshop back home with Radio switched off. The squeaky noise seems to have gone away completely.... Phew...

Take your X3 to the dealer now if you are experiencing any squeaky noise!!!

(Edited: the noise came back, please continue to read below)

I took my X3 to have this issue taken care of. When I got the X3 back the dealership definitely got rid of the noise. Now, after 2 weeks, the noises have returned.

My question is this something that I’ll be needing to resolve every now and then or is there a way for someone to resolve this issue on their own rather then taking the X3 to the dealership every time?

Here are some squeaky window posts from
that other Bored...

http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e83/6928133-1.html

And, "Carbaflo" SIB treatment, though Carbaflo may be discontinued.
Or,
http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e83/6569308-1.html

GL,md

It sounds like this is a re-occurring issue.

Do you know what exactly was done by the dealer? Replaced parts or cleaning only?

I've been traveling and have not got any chance to bring the car in for the fix. Will probably get it done within a week or two. Will update the result once done.

They did tell me that a part needed to be replaced but they didn't tell me. I have the receipt report at home. I'm going to check it out and see what exactly was done.

Ok.... took the car to the dealer (again) earlier in the week. This time they replaced the "Roof Frame Seal" for all doors.

Been driving it for 2 days now. So far, I have not noticed the noise. But since the noise came back only a few days after the last fix, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for a few more days before confirming that this is fixed!

The noises have come back on my X3 and they have not disappeared. I'm taking my X3 into the dealership again to have it fixed.

I'll let my fellow X3ers know what happens after the fix!

After reading lots about the dreaded creaking of the door seals in the X3, our new X3 finally started to exhibit the phenomenon. I went around and diagnosed the doors by pushing lightly on the top of the exterior door frame, and it was easy to duplicate the creak that you hear from the inside.

I happened to be detailing the interior two weekend's ago, and was using Meguiar's NXT Tech Protect on the body mounted door seals. I decided to wipe it on the door mounted seals as well, and as an afterthought applied it to the flocked area of the door seal that seems to be the root of the problem.

I closed the door and VOILA, the creaking was completely gone. Nine days later, still no creaking. I think in the future, a simple wipe of protectant every so often on the flocked seal is the solution to the noise problem. The NXT Tech Protect worked for me (it has a more viscous consistency than others), but other products might work as well.

BigO1120, do you have any update on yours?

I noticed the noise is still there, but not as loud as before. I have a feeling it will get worse again.

Also, I found a newer SIB, which suggested to replace the "Window Guide Seal".

http://www.alldata.com/tsb/BMW/11228...5/5128051.html

I also checked the Repire Order again, it says the "Roof Frame Seal" were replaced. Not sure if it's the same as the "Window Guide Seal".

I took my X3 to the dealership but when I got it back the noises were still there! The only good thing out of this was that I got to drive a 5 series loaner.

I LOVE my X3 but I am getting tired of the noise. I remember someone in some forum mentioning that he used some kind of applicant and it took the noise away but I'm not sure where it is.

Read two posts above yours.

Damn, I need to stop lighting up while on these forums. :thumbup:

I called the dealer again to find out the actual part number of the replacement parts, they are indeed the same as those stated on the SIB. So "Roof Frame Seal" stated on the repair order is the same as the "Windows Guide Seal" stated on the SIB

I guess I've done everything that BMW recommended so far. Although the noise is not as loud as before, it's still noticable. But I think I'm going to leave it for now and live with it!

I think that's all we can do for now.

Have you tried the NXT product on the seal yet. I wiped some on one of my other door seals that started making noise over the weekend (I hadn't previously treated it) and the noise disappeared like magic. It's been close to month since I treated the front passenger door and it's still quiet.

Nah, haven't tried it yet. The weather has been horrible here in the East Coast (NJ) and I've come down with a bad cold. Once the weather improves I'm going to get Meguiar's NXT Tech Protect and rub the door seals with them.

From what you're telling me it looks as if this stuff really works. I'll definitely keep you posted as to what happens.

BMW Gummi Pflege
 

I had this in my E46 like many others. I hope the new 2006 X3 has been fixed... This is what I did on my E46. My dealer changed the door seals after new ones were released by BMW. They also adjusted the doors but since the squeek seems to come as a result of seal design on top of the door frame and material used that really did not do anything. Also weather conditions have something to do with it. If the windows are opened 1 mm then the squeek will go away...

I got mine resolved for many many months (and still quiet) by applying BMW Gummi Pflege on or actually 'between' front door seals where there is rubber against rubber. I don't know how to explain this... If you open the door and look at the top of the door, there is one seal (the round one) that sqeezes when door is closed and then there is the one that goes on top of the window frame. Where those meet you can actually try to pull them lightly apart and push your finger in between and see that they touch each other and sqeeze against each other when door is closed. :confused: That's where I put the stuff. I did not treat the round seal on the body of the car.

That Gummi Pflege cleans the rubber and leaves some kind of a surface on the rubber. It comes as spray and grease. I can't remember where I got part number 82 149 407 015 for this stuff but now that I look for the grease in ETK I only find parts 82 149 400 195 and 83 120 301 480. It lasts a lot longer than teflon based products and I would recommend not to use silicon based sprays.

Anyone else has experience with this treatment?

- p

I've never heard of this Gummi Pflege...I'm going to try Meguiar's NXT Tech Protect first to see what happens and, for whatever reason, if that doesn't work then I'll try the Gummi Pflege.

I'm getting married in less then a month so I really don't have that much time to do all the things I want with my X3 so bare with me...

I hope to get my noise fix soon.. its getting to me..

Neither My of mine (both with sport) creaks. My E46 sedans did though... My E36 M3's both had creaking back seat rests. My E39 528i had creaking door seals...

Guess I am just lucky with the x3's!

White05X3's X3 must be a 3.0i manual.......hence the taller gearing. 130mph @ only 5100rpm is pretty tall (for an X3)! I know it says so in the sig.........just never seen it

It is indeed a 3.0 manual...I will say this though... just because it CAN do 132 does not necessarily mean it SHOULD do 132. Most BMWs feel pretty stable up to our US only speed limiters. The X3 on the other hand was fine until about 120 or so and then started feeling light and a bit wanderish. Now admittedly that speed was obtained during ED with 2 adults, 2 kids and 3 weeks worth of luggage so there was a distinct rear weight bias (it was a LOT of luggage :rofl: ). I would just have preferred it if the car would have felt more planted. Obviously it was fine since we are all here...I think that knowing what I know now about the X3 (having spent a decent amount of time racing it) I would have had more confidence in the car.

The only time I took my X real fast was on a straight two-lane (one each direction) backroad where there were few cars. However, just cuz it was straight doesnt mean it was flat. At over 105mph (I went up to 115) the X3 was overall well-planted, but any significant change in elevation or bump in the road would shake driver confidence due to the suspension that doesn't really soak up the bumps as much as it should. It didnt feel too light (not at my speed), but the minor bumps would shake some of that typical BMW driver confidence.

Same thing occurs on mountain interstates when you're going down a grade at 80+mph and there's a pavement change or significant bump......really gotta grab onto that steering wheel.

I bought my X3 from germany, and it was quiet there. But when I got back to Finland, the weather did something. It was very quiet at the start, but got noisier all the time.

I took it to service, and they told me that this is normal thing with bmw:s. They put some blue tape between different noisy places. So that rubber does not contact rubber there where is can move. After this, its been quiet almost a year now.

knock on wood - i haven't had any squeaking or other noise problems with my X3. now at 8,000 miles (i've been driving it a lot since i got it in april - i need to tone that down) the only problem has been the anti-trap mechanism on one of the rear windows...

Couple of comments and maybe even some useful tips :thumbup:

My car is certified pre-owned X3 (06/2004) and it was located in hot Arizona area before I bought it. So, basically it had this well-known creaking problem, moonroof noise problem etc.

The main problem in my car was the window frames, not only the door seals. After all door seals were lubricated the noise was still available. In my case, the noise was gone if you just opened a window/s, so I thought it has to be related to window structure, not so much to door seals.

So here it comes, my eliminating procedure for my creaking and other noise problems of X3:

1. Cleaning of all the door seals => Carbaflo treatment (*)
2. Cleaning window frames and seals => Carbaflo treatment, for frames only!!!
3. Dealer installed new and modified door seals to X3
4. Cleaning of all the moonroof seals => Carbaflo treatment
(5. If some noises are still coming, try some taping (see Mane's comment))

(*) You can find this stuff from your local BMWNA dealer. BMWNA uses this lubricant officially to lubricate BMW car seals. However, the price is pretty high, the tiny (50g) tube will cost almost 45 USD but I would say it is a good stuff. My car has been silent for 7 months, and I have done only one treatment. If you kindly ask it, you may get it even free (like I did). The BMW part number is 83 23 0 309 627.

Some background info from Carbaflo products:

http://www.carbaflo.com/fs.htm

And some additional tips:

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=53790

Good Luck!

Br,

Jukka

ps. Do not put Carbaflo to window seals, if you do not want to get your windows "dirty". I made this treatment for frames only!

woohoo.. the dealer fix my creaky noise by replacing the molding and window motor. but everything is better now.. even in the 100+ Houston Heat..

New design seals installed all around this week under waranty and so far quiet as a BMW should be. :thumbup:

Cheers

Wow... looks like this is stILL one of the most annoying problem on the X3.

I thought I'd post my lastest update on this episode here... but just noticed it's on other thread instead.

Anyway... here (post #4) the latest fix I did... it's been 3 months and so far so good.

Hope this helps.

A piece of Crap..I don't think so. And how you can compare an X3 to a Ti series 3er is beyond me. I almost bought an X5 until my wife made a very good point. The money I would save by buying an X3 could be used to buy me a new Harely Davidson. The choice was simple at that point.