[crow]

Hello All,

My 2013 328 has bad rattles with the Harman Kardon(HK) turned on from mid to high volume. The dealer was amazed how bad the car was rattling. The problem is there are not able to fix these horrible rattles. They claim that all f30 models have these rattles. Since the new show room cars has the same rattles they cant fix the issue. The rattles are coming from all over.

I need your help to see if your car has rattles with the songs listed below. The rattles come from the beginning of the song.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Scar Tissue
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Soul To Squeeze
Drake over_my_dead_body


I have opened a case with BMW NA to report the issues. If you hear the rattles let me know if your dealer fixed the issues or report these rattles to BMW NA.

Thanks

[J1n]

I play my music "LOUD" .. no rattles here

[KneeDragr]

Pretty much every BMW I have had the pleasure to drive or ride in had some rattles. If having zero rattles is important to you, take a look at a Honda or Acura, Ive owned one of each and after 5 years they both had zero rattles. Unfortunately they also have zero soul and had zero 'fun to drive' ness. My feeling is BMW is going for very lightweight materials and in order to maintain strength they are rather stiff. Combine that with a stuff suspension and you are going to get rattles where they meet.

If you can find the pieces that are the most troublesome, you can lessen the problem with felt tape. I had a Toyota pickup that was a rattletrap within a few months of buying and I chased all the bad ones down this way.

[shivaswrath]

I'd skip the RHCP's.

[Handozizle]

Is yours rattling on the outside or inside? Even when i turned the lows on the EQ down, the outside panels would still rattle. No rattling on the inside though.

[OCcaraholic]

Originally Posted by Handozizle

Is yours rattling on the outside or inside? Even when i turned the lows on the EQ down, the outside panels would still rattle. No rattling on the inside though.

Same here....Zero rattle inside, but the lower rocker panels vibrate like crazy. Makes my car sound cheap from the outside. Just glad it's not inside.

[roundel335]

Adjust your sound system's bass down a few notches...those subs put out enough low-range to turn your gut to jelly or break up kidney stones.

[crow]

Originally Posted by KneeDragr

My feeling is BMW is going for very lightweight materials and in order to maintain strength they are rather stiff. Combine that with a stuff suspension and you are going to get rattles where they meet.

Agree


The rattles come from the inside. The songs listed have must have a frequency that that rattles the car really bad. I have owned 3 bmws and nothing has ever been this bad. The dealer said it was the worst he has heard in a while. The weird thing is it is not the bass, it is the mids causing the issues.

Also the dealer claims the issues is with all F30s with HK systems.

[reedo302]

I would still demand that they replace it with a new system.

[CBBMW-F30]

Heavy rattle for me..I'm still looking into a fix for my HK system.

[BMWrules7]

Originally Posted by crow

Agree


The rattles come from the inside. The songs listed have must have a frequency that that rattles the car really bad. I have owned 3 bmws and nothing has ever been this bad. The dealer said it was the worst he has heard in a while. The weird thing is it is not the bass, it is the mids causing the issues.

Also the dealer claims the issues is with all F30s with HK systems.

In general, we cut the mids?

Why?

Because the human ear is far more sensitive to the mid range---as this is where the human voice is.

Typically, we boot the low end. Why? Because bass frequencies take a lot more power to move the same notes. Look at the size of a bass driver compared to a high frequency driver...

Finally, at low volumes we boost the highs. Why? Because, when combined with a mid cut and a low boost, a high boost will create the perception of loudness.

Now, the mid buzz can be reduced or eliminated with the EQ. First, flatten out all of the bands and lower one frequency band at a time until the buzz goes away. That's the resonant frequency.

If you need more room to cut, flatten out EQ and then move all faders up an equal amount, say +3. Then start cutting mids until buzz stops.

Next, there may be harmonics that cause a low frequency to generate a mid buzz.

[Tsuvoi]

Originally Posted by BMWrules7

In general, we cut the mids?

Why?

Because the human ear is far more sensitive to the mid range---as this is where the human voice is.

Typically, we boot the low end. Why? Because bass frequencies take a lot more power to move the same notes. Look at the size of a bass driver compared to a high frequency driver...

Finally, at low volumes we boost the highs. Why? Because, when combined with a mid cut and a low boost, a high boost will create the perception of loudness.

Now, the mid buzz can be reduced or eliminated with the EQ. First, flatten out all of the bands and lower one frequency band at a time until the buzz goes away. That's the resonant frequency.

If you need more room to cut, flatten out EQ and then move all faders up an equal amount, say +3. Then start cutting mids until buzz stops.

Next, there may be harmonics that cause a low frequency to generate a mid buzz.

I think a better solution would be to fix the panels correctly since he may not want to alter his listening experience?

[BMWrules7]

Originally Posted by ft1337

I think a better solution would be to fix the panels correctly since he may not want to alter his listening experience?

Anytime the mid-range is rattling the walls, it really tells me that the sound is upside down. The bass should be rattling the walls, not the midrange for goodness sakes.

So, by following my earlier post, it may be possible to prevent the "honking" sound from vibrating and driving him crazy. Plus, the added benefit is that his music will sound better.

The ear can acclimate to the crappiest of sounds. So, I would expect that even if lowering a mid frequency sounds a little different, the OP will be more than happy to stop the vibration of the door panels.

The OP is taking a ton of sound energy and pushing it at the mid range. So, I am sure his system will rock by shifting all of that sound energy to the low frequencies where it belongs.

Finally, BMW is known for notching certain frequencies to allow for engine noise to come into the cabin.

That means even your flat EQ is not flat. Thus, the listener's experience is already compromised.

[crow]

Originally Posted by BMWrules7

Anytime the mid-range is rattling the walls, it really tells me that the sound is upside down. The bass should be rattling the walls, not the midrange for goodness sakes.

So, by following my earlier post, it may be possible to prevent the "honking" sound from vibrating and driving him crazy. Plus, the added benefit is that his music will sound better.

The ear can acclimate to the crappiest of sounds. So, I would expect that even if lowering a mid frequency sounds a little different, the OP will be more than happy to stop the vibration of the door panels.

The OP is taking a ton of sound energy and pushing it at the mid range. So, I am sure his system will rock by shifting all of that sound energy to the low frequencies where it belongs.

Finally, BMW is known for notching certain frequencies to allow for engine noise to come into the cabin.

That means even your flat EQ is not flat. Thus, the listener's experience is already compromised.

Thanks for the reply but all I know is the mids in the door are causing really bad rattles that I can hear and it is annoying. My old e90 with the HK system did not do this.

[crow]

Originally Posted by ft1337

I think a better solution would be to fix the panels correctly since he may not want to alter his listening experience?

Agree, that would be ideal.

[Tsuvoi]

Originally Posted by crow

Agree, that would be ideal.

At this point all you can do is troubleshoot. Take out inside panel and play the music, see if it still rattles. No rattles -> the problem is the panel you just took out. Rattles -> the problem is in the door. Observe and see where it's coming from. Retighten screws as needed and add felt tape. That's what I would do if I had to do it myself. If you're under warranty the dealer should be doing this I believe? If he refused go see another dealer. He they all refuse complain to BMW... You can also seek help in aftermarket car audio forums, should be a rather common issue for them.

[BMWrules7]

[quote=crow]

Originally Posted by ft1337

I think a better solution would be to fix the panels correctly since he may not want to alter his listening experience?

Lol! Yeah, sure, I see.

You wanna take the car apart and possibly scratch, nick, or bang something up instead of just turning a few knobs here and there on the EQ.

Okay. You go right on taking apart your new car. Rofl.

[dd1981]

[quote=BMWrules7;13410278]

Originally Posted by crow

Lol! Yeah, sure, I see.

You wanna take the car apart and possibly scratch, nick, or bang something up instead of just turning a few knobs here and there on the EQ.

Okay. You go right on taking apart your new car. Rofl.

THe thing of it is, taking it to the dealer, will fare you no better. They scratch and gouge and break clips without you ever knowing....dont ask how I know this. If you catch it great make them get you a new panel if you can prove it. Thats what you see on the outside never mind the damage Ive seen they cause not seen by your eye.

Yes they are there to repair your car and there are plenty of good mechanics that care, but there are twice as many bad mechanics that dont.

Plenty of people on here with knowledge that know how to take the car apart. Especially when its your own you care. Dealers dont give a damn about you...

Search around the forum there is plenty of tips and tricks how to quiet your car down.

If its your door panel rattling its the white clips moving around and vibrating. You have to wedge foam in there so theyre thighter. Its extensive its a pain in the butt, take it in to the dealer if you really dont wanna work on your car, but 90% of the time they wont find or fix the rattle. THey just tell you youre hearing things or if its really bad they put that gunk crap on there, that drips and leaks all over the place.

Either way good luck with it.

[David328M-Sport]

Originally Posted by crow

My 2013 328 has bad rattles with the Harman Kardon(HK) turned on from mid to high volume. The dealer was amazed how bad the car was rattling. They claim that all f30 models have these rattles.

I have the 600W hk system in my F30. Guess what? NOT A SINGLE RATTLE when I play all types of music softly, loudly and anywhere in between.

Tell your dealer to stop making generalised comments as they have not seen every F30. They haven't seen mine.

It's called cause & effect. Something is causing the rattling. Being so evident, it should be a fairly straightforward fix. Insist they hire an audio professional to check it out if they cannot. OR take your car to another dealer (if convenient) & have someone else check it out.

[crow]

Originally Posted by David328M-Sport

I have the 600W hk system in my F30. Guess what? NOT A SINGLE RATTLE when I play all types of music softly, loudly and anywhere in between.

Tell your dealer to stop making generalised comments as they have not seen every F30. They haven't seen mine.

It's called cause & effect. Something is causing the rattling. Being so evident, it should be a fairly straightforward fix. Insist they hire an audio professional to check it out if they cannot. OR take your car to another dealer (if convenient) & have someone else check it out.

Thanks for the post. Good to know you listen to different music because it really depends on the music. Have you trade any of the songs above? Those seem to really expose the issue.

[CHCCubs]

While I don't have any experience with the specific songs you mentioned, I also listen to a wide variety of music (from classic rock, 80s, r&b, rap, dance, etc ) often at loud volume and haven't noticed any rattles at all.