Need Help, Low Frequency Vibration?

[DZLBurner]

Hi all,
I'm new to the board, and a proud owner of my first, and new 6spd E46, 330xi. I've had it about two weeks and since delivery I discovered a low frequency hum/vibration at speeds above 65 under light acceleration. This occurs in 4th, 5th, and 6th gears, (I haven't pushed the motor to see if it would happen in 3rd gear, but suspect it would. No vibration is felt when coasting through 65-70 mph, with the clutch depressed.

The vibration is felt, more than heard, and is steady at speeds above 65, it also increases and decreases in intensity at a steady rythem, about 1-2 seconds at 65, and less as I accelerate. There is no vibration from the gear shift. It is significant enough to vibrate and shake the mirror to blur the reflection.

Been to the dealer twice, first time they claimed normal road noise. I took out a tech, and demonstrated, and now dealer ship wants to change out the transmission. There's only 1500 miles on the car.

There is no vibration from the gear shift. When I question why is it the gear box, and not another component of the drivetrain, there is no clear answer.

Any help, suggestions, or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. There is always a wealth of knowledge at these user forums, and I really need it.

 

[MrElussive]

That's bad luck, sir. Why don't you try it in 3rd gear and see what happens?? At 1,500 miles your car is broken in.

 

[mscoins]

Let the dealer replace the transmission. Hopefully that will remedy the problem so you can enjoy the ride.

 

[Kirby]

Low frequency & no tranny shake - just a hunch, but it implies that it's a lower speed component. And the fact that it is cyclical at 1-2 seconds and is not dependent on what gear you are in seems to support that it is in the final drive train, i.e. drive shaft, rear, axle, wheels.

The fact that you can feel it implies that it is something of mass, not a small component in the tranny. It seems as though you are questioning the tranny replacement and I would be also.

If you can, check the following:
1. Nothing unusual about the drive shaft (missing balance weights, road debris, etc.)
2. I am not familiar with the drive shaft design. If it has a 2 piece drive shaft for the rear, check the center support bearing assembly.
2. Tires/wheels - flat spot, out of round, out of balance, lug nuts tight, wheel flat aganst hub, or uneven pressure between tires.

Good luck!

 

[DZLBurner]

Thanks Kirby, I hadn't considered the driveshaft balance weights. It's definitely time to get underneath it.

Oddly enough, I found an article here at the site describing a union strike at the plant that manufactures the ZF gearbox, .
The car was manufactured immediately after the union went back to work, and transmissions were back in the supply chain. I suspect BMW may be aware of issues surrounding the startup of production for the gearbox, and that's why they are swapping it out.

The tranny is due in towards the end of next week, in the meantime, it's in my garage getting dusty. Sure wish I could drive it, and not worry about shaking the bejusus out of the car.

Chris

 

[Gary]

I recently bought a 2002 325XI 5 speed with a similar vibration. I actually tried a brand new one and found the same low vibratrion at 70 to 80mph. So it may be inherant to the BMW all wheel drive train.
When you push in the clutch, it goes away. It feels like universal joints on the drive shaft to me. I have found that on a full tank the vibration mostly goes away. By the time I'm at a 1/4 tank of gas, it's pretty pronounced. Fill it up again and it goes away. So it seems to increase as the angle of the driveshft to the rear end increases. I'm going in for the 30k service shortly and will have them look at it.
We'll see what they say!

 

[chsu74]

I recently bought a 2002 325XI 5 speed with a similar vibration. I actually tried a brand new one and found the same low vibratrion at 70 to 80mph. So it may be inherant to the BMW all wheel drive train.
When you push in the clutch, it goes away. It feels like universal joints on the drive shaft to me. I have found that on a full tank the vibration mostly goes away. By the time I'm at a 1/4 tank of gas, it's pretty pronounced. Fill it up again and it goes away. So it seems to increase as the angle of the driveshft to the rear end increases. I'm going in for the 30k service shortly and will have them look at it.
We'll see what they say!

I have a 2001 325XI. Although I have not encountered the vibration noise, I have been hearing a shaking soda can full of gravel sound when I depress and engage the clutch when the car is cold. It started around 15K and I have 37K now. It has not gotten louder but just more pronounced. Anyone out there with this issue?

 

[///M SPEED]

I have a 2001 325XI. Although I have not encountered the vibration noise, I have been hearing a shaking soda can full of gravel sound when I depress and engage the clutch when the car is cold. It started around 15K and I have 37K now. It has not gotten louder but just more pronounced. Anyone out there with this issue?

WOW, you waited over 15k miles to have it checked out. That's what a warranty is for. Exercise the warranty early in case it is a habitual problem. Having 37k mile on it now I doubt you still have a warranty unless you bought an extended warranty. A soda can full of gravel would make me take it in ASAP. However, you have gone over 15k miles and from the sounds of it seems to be running fine still, so maybe there is nothing to worry about.

 

[Black325xi]

Had a similar problem with my 03 325xi, vibration started at 70 mph and got worse as the speed increased. Dealer/BMW Engineer had it 2 days and returned it stating they needed to order parts from Germany. Told me it was a special drive shaft. After 3 weeks the parts came in, they replaced the rear differential. Appears the problem is solved.

Dan

 

[///M SPEED]

Whoa, a whole new differential. That's a pretty major repair. How many miles since the change out? I had a rear diff. go out on me in my 72 240Z. Mine started with a loud whine and then started to grind. I replace it before it broke. That’s would be a very costly repair without warranty on a BMW. You were lucky it happened sooner rather that later.

 

[chsu74]

WOW, you waited over 15k miles to have it checked out. That's what a warranty is for. Exercise the warranty early in case it is a habitual problem. Having 37k mile on it now I doubt you still have a warranty unless you bought an extended warranty. A soda can full of gravel would make me take it in ASAP. However, you have gone over 15k miles and from the sounds of it seems to be running fine still, so maybe there is nothing to worry about.

Hi ///M SPEED,

The car runs fine. I just put 400 miles on it over the weekend. I have warranty until 50K miles because it is a 2001 model. I did take it in when the problem started. They checked it out for a day, but they could not reproduce the sound. However, my complaint is logged in their system. They end up breaking my muffler during the checking and poking process. I am not as eager to have them look at it now.

I also understand that BMW's all wheel drive system is not as advanced as the audi quattro, it may take a few generations to work the kinks out... It only does that when it is cold and I have not had a problem with it after the car is running for a while. I'll make sure to bringing it in before my 50K warranty is up.

 

[///M SPEED]

Hi chsu74,

It's good to hear the car is running fine. It's a good thing you do have it logged into their system. That way if the warranty does run out and sometime down the road the thing breaks relating to the problem BMW, will hopefully (more that likely deny it has anything to do with it so as not to have to fix the problem from their pockets) honor up and fix it. The one thing that bothers me the most from BMW (which is far from what I would have expected) is the bad customer service and the I-don't-give-a-sh!t attitude most (from my point of view and experience) dealers give a would-be owner and established owners. BMW should really look into a new mandatory Customer Service Training Courses for ALL BMW DEALERS and make it hurt (in the pockets of the sale mngr and GM) when the requirements are not met, because the one they have now just don't cut it!

 

[chsu74]

Hi chsu74,

It's good to hear the car is running fine. It's a good thing you do have it logged into their system. That way if the warranty does run out and sometime down the road the thing breaks relating to the problem BMW, will hopefully (more that likely deny it has anything to do with it so as not to have to fix the problem from their pockets) honor up and fix it. The one thing that bothers me the most from BMW (which is far from what I would have expected) is the bad customer service and the I-don't-give-a-sh!t attitude most (from my point of view and experience) dealers give a would-be owner and established owners. BMW should really look into a new mandatory Customer Service Training Courses for ALL BMW DEALERS and make it hurt (in the pockets of the sale mngr and GM) when the requirements are not met, because the one they have now just don't cut it!

Hi ///M SPEED,

I agree with you. If I am a owner of a high end auto dealer, I would make sure that customer service is the best in my shop. It is the only thing that can separate you from competition. You are selling the same thing everywhere.

I compare car dealerships to bars because people go to bars for the atmosphere not drinks. You are buying the same product at basically the same price, it is how you feel when you part with your money that makes the difference. That being said; you would also expect a different type of service between buying a YSL suit as opposed to a t-shirt from Old Navy.

I am having a different experience with my car though. I guess BMW dealers are in abundance here in the NY/NJ/CT area that the only thing to distinguish themselves from others is service.

I have an awesome experience with my dealer under warranty. I don't know if it will continue to stay after my warranty runs out. Again, my dealer has been voted #1 in customer service for the past several years. Perhaps they are the best around.

By the way, My 325XI kinda runs on a high RPM when cruising in 5th gear. Its about 3K doing 70MPH. Its a 2001 and I have heard that they put in a new tranny on the 2002s so the RPM is lower when cruising. Can anyone confirm this with me? Also anyone know if a constant 3 to 4K long rides put a strain on the engine? One good thing is that the engine takes up to 8 quarts of oil so there is plenty of oil to burn. Perhaps it is a high rev setup to sompensate for the extra weight on the all wheel drive.

Thanks in advance.

 

[DZLBurner]

DZLBurner here... Just thought I'd post an update. Vibration continued to increase, now anywhere from 50 - 80. Dealer ordered a remanufactured 6 spd to try and expedite the repair. I refused it, and it took a couple calls on the dealers part to pull a 6 spd off the assembly line in Germany. The tranny should be flown in next week, in the mean time, the bimmer parked in the garage. Bummer.

Dealer, (read that as Service Director) also has BMW engineering coming in shortly after tranny arrives, to either continue the troubleshooting process if tranny swap doesn't fix it. We'll see who's right.... the engineers, or my butt which vibrates every mile I drove it. I still say that small tranny gears turning fast don't make low frequency vibrations, and the problem is in the rear drive train, but these guys are the experts.

Service has been good and the dealership has been honest, and that goes along way with me.

 

[Gary]

Here's an update on my 325 XI vibration problem: dealer had the BMW engineer in and they have decided to replace my differential with one hand made (vs robot made) from Germany. The engineer had 5 cars out of 13 dealerships with this probelm. There was a 330 XI with 1500 miles at my dealer with it. Apparently, the robots put these together and occasionally there will be a number of components at the outside edges of the standard tolerances allowed. Put together in one differential, this causes the vibration. Supposedly it's not widespread enough for a recall or an advisory. I'll let you know if it actually works. 6-8 weeks to get the new differential.