[dape90]

Hi All,

Some help please.

My E90 is booked to go into the dealers on Wednesday but I am not sure they are going to find anything wrong with it.

Main problems are;

1. Something is leaking behind the drivers side front wheel. I can see it clearly on my drive way. However, first initial inspection by the dealer said it was water! Because we all know that water stains a driveway and creeps along the ground like oil does!

2. The handbrake is acting up. Soemtime you can pull it up to its normal possition no problems and other times I can move it just a few CM. The rear pads have over 3000 miles left on them.

3. The door rubber creak like crazy

4. There is a rattle somewhere under the driver’s seat towards the drive shaft tunnel.

5. It keep crunching into second gear on cold mornings. I have told the dealer about this before, there response was "this is normal"!

I have no faith that the dealer will sort it out one bit. And to be honest I am getting a little sick of the car now. It is putting me off the brand a bit and I am so under impressed with the dealer that if they don't sort it out properly I might get BMW UK involved.

Any thoughts on this, I would really appreciate the help.

Thank you

Daniel

[nicktyler]

Hi

Sorry to hear your troubles with the car. I know it can be frustrating and once you fall out of love it is hard to get it back.

On the leak behind the wheel. I had exactly the same thing on an RX8 and I'm not sure you'll want to hear it but it was water. Very dirty oily water from the nasty winter roads. I took it to the dealer twice and they found nothing. Then the weather got better and it has never showed signs of leaking again. For 2 years! Having said that the drivers side wheel is where the oil cooler is I think.

The way to test for a leak is to get the car dry and warm then put it on a ramp and leave it running for 15 mins and see if anything drips out. Maybe suggest this to the dealer?

[Billyray911]

More info needed...
Is this car an AUC vehicle-who is it from?
Are different dealerships all saying that there is nothing wrong?
If you have only been to one dealership,(I'm presuming the one that you bought the car from),you need to get an independent report on the issues noted.
This will give a bit more weight if and when you do approach BMW UK.
Don't lose faith in your car yet,it may just be that you're being fobbed off by one poor dealership...

[briers]

Both my cars are leaving pools on the drive way which could be mistaken for oil. It's just water, the drains are either side of the bonnet so they will drain down by the wheel. It takes a lot of sludge with it, especially if you don't clean the drains and the mesh type covers.

As for gear crunching, i had that on one of the manual cars I've owned, it didn't traditionally crunch but was hard to engage, gearbox went on strong and only happened on cold mornings. Something to do with the fine tolerances on the synchromesh. Annoying though.

[m1bjr]

Originally Posted by dape90

to be honest I am getting a little sick of the car now.

It is putting me off the brand a bit

Any thoughts on this, I would really appreciate the help.

Daniel

BMW are not the most reliable of wagons it must be said, but like other brands owners tolerate them for the good days when the drive makes one forget the niggles

Anyhow to help if I can:

1. Something is leaking behind the drivers side front wheel. I can see it clearly on my drive way.
However, first initial inspection by the dealer said it was water!
Because we all know that water stains a driveway and creeps along the ground like oil does!

It does when its full of screenwash and it's containing lurid colours.
Mine has a small leak in the screenwash filler neck where it joins the main bottle.
This is hidden behind the OSF wing, behind the wheel arch liner.
The overfill drains right out onto the floor near the jacking point and where the sill meets the wing.
Grab a big pale of water and fill the screenwash to the top - now keep going slowly.
See what runs out under the drivers door - you may have the same issue

2. The handbrake is acting up.
Soemtime you can pull it up to its normal possition no problems and other times I can move it just a few CM.
The rear pads have over 3000 miles left on them.

The rear pads have nothing to do with the handbrake.
There are old style 'brake shoes' inside the 'drum' of the rear discs.
They can be manually adjusted, or replaced as required, but you cant see them without removing a wheel bolt and shining a torch inside.

3. The door rubber creak like crazy
Wipe them down with IPA (isoproply alcohol) to remove any polish.
Keep polish OFF the seals. Recoat with a water based lube like KY jelly or a commercial seal lube andnothing else (especilly nothing with silicone in it)

4. There is a rattle somewhere under the driver’s seat towards the drive shaft tunnel.

You have I-Drive? The knobs can buzz and rattle and sound like its from somewhere else.
Also see if you dropped a coin down there!

5. It keep crunching into second gear on cold mornings. I have told the dealer about before, there response was "this is normal"!

Not normal. Maybe wear in the internals.
If you do it really slowly is it okay?

[gIzzE]

Tell them the care judders when releasing the clutch.
They will put in a newly designed clutch and flywheel, massive difference.

[chris330D]

For 3, the creaky doors, this is a known problem and caused by getting silicone on the rubber. Do not let polish etc near them. The dealer can fix it by putting ptfe tape in the door frame. My dealer did this and it has been silent ever since.

[dape90]

Hi All,

Thank you for the responses, I will be on the phone shortly to the dealer about the clutch issues.

I have discovered this morning that if I double d clutch it does not crunch. I have tested this now over a number of morning and its stops the crunching. Could this be a syncro not liking cold morning?

Also, I had a very odd problem with the radio this morning. I could not receive anything on FM. AM was fine but FM was like being stuck in a tunnel. I found that turning the engine off and then back on sorted the problem.
Could this be a suppressor issue? I have the standard proff head unit.

Daniel

[m1bjr]

Originally Posted by dape90

Hi All,

Thank you for the responses, I will be on the phone shortly to the dealer about the clutch issues.

I have discovered this morning that if I double d clutch it does not crunch. I have tested this now over a number of morning and its stops the crunching. Could this be a syncro not liking cold morning?

Also, I had a very odd problem with the radio this morning. I could not receive anything on FM. AM was fine but FM was like being stuck in a tunnel. I found that turning the engine off and then back on sorted the problem.
Could this be a suppressor issue? I have the standard proff head unit.

Daniel

Sounds indeed like a dog/collar/syncro issue.

Radio issue is probably just software glitch.
I 'ocassionally' find my volume dial wont work until the system is booted fully, or once it did not respond at all until a restart.
However, the FM aerial is on the rear screen and so has an interface and signal amp, not required for MW/SW reception.
It may be playing up.