I'll start with the handbrake adjustment; if you've got a rattle coming from the back of the car & you can't work out where, try (carefully!) pulling the handbrake on a couple of notches & seeing if that cures it. If it does, get adjusting...
Common places for squeaks & rattles
Moderator: martauto
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Ziggy
- E30 Zone Team Member

- Posts: 11534
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
- Location: floating round my tin can...
Ok, I've got a couple & they're driving me mad! Just thought it'd help us all if we knew of something that commonly rattles & ain't easy to identify...
I'll start with the handbrake adjustment; if you've got a rattle coming from the back of the car & you can't work out where, try (carefully!) pulling the handbrake on a couple of notches & seeing if that cures it. If it does, get adjusting...
I'll start with the handbrake adjustment; if you've got a rattle coming from the back of the car & you can't work out where, try (carefully!) pulling the handbrake on a couple of notches & seeing if that cures it. If it does, get adjusting...
E30 in need of wiring loom smoke since April '11...
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koos
- E30 Zone Regular

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- Location: Crawley, West Sussex
I got a meen one in the dash, driving me bonkers!!!!!!! Sounds like its behind the heater panel, looks i'll live with it, or have the radio really loud!!!!!!!!!!!
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Andy325i
- E30 Zone Addict

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- Location: Avon
Behind the steering wheel every time I turn! I must get some cheese for that mouse!
Andy
Andy

M50B25NonVanos & M52B28Vanos Heads for sale. Pm Me.
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Simon
- E30 Zone Team Member

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All the plastic cowling above the glove box, remove it all and I guarantee there will be loads of clips missing, get the proper clips and put it all back together properly.
Remove door cards and tighten every nut and screw behind the door card.
Seat belt receivers rubbing against side of the seat, great tip I picked up from Shinobi was to get some lizard skins ( mountain bikers will know what they are) and wrap them around the receiver.
Seats can also creak, dismantle them and re-grease and oil them up.
Touring tailgates have a few adjustments, also some sort of lubrication that doesn't eat away rubber could help here.
Suspension creaks and squeaks, well it's a case of elimination, top mounts can cause lots of problems as well as the anti roll bar.
Remove door cards and tighten every nut and screw behind the door card.
Seat belt receivers rubbing against side of the seat, great tip I picked up from Shinobi was to get some lizard skins ( mountain bikers will know what they are) and wrap them around the receiver.
Seats can also creak, dismantle them and re-grease and oil them up.
Touring tailgates have a few adjustments, also some sort of lubrication that doesn't eat away rubber could help here.
Suspension creaks and squeaks, well it's a case of elimination, top mounts can cause lots of problems as well as the anti roll bar.

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JOSEMI
- E30 Zone Camper

- Posts: 1106
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- Location: Eastbourne
A squeak in my steering wheel popped a few days ago and sounds like needs some WD-40... but the worst is a rattle on the top of my door when I am driving fast and sounds shait and there is not f*****g way of finding out where is coming from !! (due to the fact that only appears when I drive) aaarrhhgg
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MONSPORT42
- E30 Zone Regular

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Had an interior overhaul a couple of Sundays ago. Took all the seats out and tightened them all up (2 door recaros) and soaked the leather in cleaner/renovator/polish. Shampooed all the carpet and cleaned in all thos eplaces you can't normally get to. I also dismantled the centre consul, cleaned the parts all up and reassembled them using a spray of silicon on all plastic parts that touched. Couldn't believe the difference in quietness after all that - big difference.

YOUR LEFT FOOT'S FOR BRAKING
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JOSEMI
- E30 Zone Camper

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its easy to say, but these cars have large numbers of screws all over the place, and sometimes you start undoing something which becomes a nightmare to re-do...
It sounds dumb but it took me 4 hours to dismantle and put back together the consoles and the dashboard controls
It sounds dumb but it took me 4 hours to dismantle and put back together the consoles and the dashboard controls
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member

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When refitting the back part of the console, put a bit of "preload" into the rear bracket, so that is pushes hard against the front part.MONSPORT42 wrote:Had an interior overhaul a couple of Sundays ago. Took all the seats out and tightened them all up (2 door recaros) and soaked the leather in cleaner/renovator/polish. Shampooed all the carpet and cleaned in all thos eplaces you can't normally get to. I also dismantled the centre consul, cleaned the parts all up and reassembled them using a spray of silicon on all plastic parts that touched. Couldn't believe the difference in quietness after all that - big difference.
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Hyperion
- E30 Zone Squatter

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- Location: JHB, South Africa
i drive a baur cab, so its full of sqeaks and rattles, so i have gotten used to all the noise
, but its funny how even thou it makes noises i can pick up the slights new hum or squeak and then it starts driving me nuts
. I got a new one, from my Passenger Seat the bloody thing is vibrating!!
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Stevin
- E30 Zone Regular

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- Location: JHB South Africa
I don't really have any squeeks in my... unless I'm so used to them that I don't hear them anymore, one thing that bugs me though it abad vibration on my dash at 140km/h looks like it wants to jump out the car, then when u hit 145km/h it goes away... I thought it might have been wheels, but when I changed them it was still there, checked everything... so I'm guessing there must some broken screws or something... I dunno
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glenbat
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pet city and mothercare world
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dsio
- E30 Zone Newbie

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- Location: Brisbane Australia
The door seams to be the rattler. Took the drivers side apart to replace the handle and every screw was loose. Tightened and greased everything and its good now. Something that works very well is wet suit material. Used a bit of it to stop the windows from rattling when they are down, and unlike foam, it doesnt stick or give friction when its wet, and never wears out.
As for fixing that whistle that the wind makes as it goes through the rust holes...
As for fixing that whistle that the wind makes as it goes through the rust holes...

