2008 528i Vibration at idle
 

Hi,

I'm new to this forum. I just purchased a certified 2008 528i. When the car is at idle there is a sound vibration in the car. If I press on the accelerator and raise the idle just a bit, the sound vibration goes away and it runs smooth. The sound it makes when it vibrates is similar to the sound when you set the radio with too much bass. It is an annoying boomy sound.

I took it to the dealer, and they said that the put it on the computer and that everything was fine, but it the sound is very irritating to me. I asked them if they could raise the idle and they said that it is all set with the computer and is fine. Has anyone had experience with this? Is it true that the idle cannot be raised?

Thanks in advance.

From time to time, I also experience this - it's intermittent at best. While annoying, I just let it pass. Never brought it up with the dealer.

I have an '08 528 and have never experienced this... it would bug me too. I dunno, I'd still try and get it fixed.

10000 miles 2008 6MT, no issues

528I vibrations
 

I have the same issue. I have purchased a 2008 528I in November of 2007 and got nothing but stonewalling from the dealer and from BMW.
Taking them to court (trial date is November 6th, 2009).
Don't know if I could win because the small claims court rules in Canada are somewhat twisted but I'm doing this to make a point. I plan to publish the testemony of the head mechanic at the dealership since I expect it to be bordering on ludicrous.

Just curious, who are you suing? The selling dealer or BMW?

same problem
 

I also purchased a 2008 528i a month ago with 19,000 miles and it idles very loud. Some days are worse then others. The car runs great and as soon as I touch the gas the noise/vibration sound stops.
It is annoying and I cant get used to it.
I took it back to the dealer and a mechanic sat in the car with me for 15 minutes and told me there is nothing to be done. He said it is the number 1 complaint with 5 series BMWs. It has something to do with the vehicle trying to use minimal gas at idle. The vehicle barely runs at stop to burn minimal gas and as a result a bass like vibratory noise occurs. The seats or steering wheel do not vibrate, it sound like there is a small bass tube in engine. If they could just slightly raise the idle it would be quiet like my lexus. I was told nothing can be done.
If anyone has any ideas let us know..
At times I find myself pushing on the gas which increases the idle a minimal amount which stops the humming noise.

i too noticed a vibration at idle. only two ways to get rid of it:
1 - raise idle as everyone else suggested
2 - put the clutch in - i guess disengaging the tranny reduces the friction the engine is working against to stay slightly higher than idle?

it is annoying..and i noticed that in other 5ers as well. mine is a 2007 with production date of 03/06.

My '06 550i vibrates a bit at idle. Car idles at 450-550 rpm according to the tach. When below 500 it vibrates. Dealer says that this is the normal idle rpm for the car. I didn't ask if the idle could be raised, but I doubt it. In my case, as the car has over 60k on it, I wonder if new plugs, cleaning the MAF, and perhaps injector cleaning would improve things. I don't know what it was like when new as I just recently made the purchase. I suspect you'll just have to get used to it. Perhaps never coming to a stop is the answer. :)

You describe the problem perfectly. My 2000 323i that I just traded in idled perfectly. You could hardly tell the car was on. Let me know if you find a way to get this problem resolved.

My car only has 18K miles on it and it vibrates. I asked the dealer if they could raise the idle, but they said the computer sets it this way.

When you say raise the idle to mean press on the gas pedal or raise the idle mechanically?

My '06 seems to do the same thing during idle and in gear. It doesn't do it unless it's in gear and stopped. Almost like the intermittent groan and it's worse with the AC on. Sometimes it's worse than others. I took it the the dealer a while back to have it checked. They said they couldn't reproduce the groan/vibration, probably because they didn't have it in gear and with the AC on. Other than that, it runs great.

just got my 528i out of shop. BMW raised the idle a hair and the car is perfect now.

Did you take your car to the dealer or just a repair shop? When I take mine to the dealer they just tell me that it is normal for the car. I took it to two different dealers and they told me the same thing.

I took the vehicle to the local BMW dealer where I bought my car. I took it there once and one mechanic said it was normal.
Recently, my breaks were squealing and I wanted them checked. I dropped the car off for the break issue, and also told the guy the problem with the idle noise. He checked the transmission and motor mounts, all were OK. I asked him to increase the idle a hair and he did it and now it is perfect.
I can't understand why they will not increase your idle a hair, especially if this resolves the problem.
The BMW work order states that the vehicle was idling low and an idle adjustment was made which resolved ALL cabin noise and vibration.

The car use to idle at about 5000-6000 , and now it idles at about 7000 which resolved all noise and cabin vibration. It is worth noting that it was not the same mechanic who first told me the vibration is normal and the #1 complaint that fixed my vehicle. It was a younger mechanic. The BMW mechanic with 20 years experience told me it was normal. I actually typed up a description of the idle noise/vibration and described it in detail to show how serious I was about this issue. The vibration was driving me crazy at all stops.

I even emailed the guy who sold me the car and told him that I cant drive the vehicle with this vibration/noise. I was starting to make a stink about it with the dealership. I didnt like the idea that I traded in a quiet mercedes with 90,000 miles for a loud vibrating BMW with only 19000 miles.

Happens on our CPO 2006 325i and has been a major pet peeve from day one, at least for me. Dealer says they can't raise the idle, so I'm stuck with my right foot on the throttle to keep the revs up.

The vibration is irritating. It's fine for the first 5 seconds when you stop, then the revs drop to 648-650rpm and the whole car vibrations. Seats, headrest, steering wheel........annoying for a BMW. I figured it was the design to save fuel combined with perhaps something just being a bit out of the normal tolerance levels.

Dealer fixed the idle vibration
 

Ok, I was able to get the dreaded low idle vibration fixed on my 2008 528i. I did some research and found out that there is a bmw service bulletin that describes this problem. The service bulletin number is 18 02 08. (see the description of the bulletin below)


After 2 previous attempts at getting this problem fixed at two different dealerships, the 3rd time was a charm. As usual they initially tried to blow me off and tell me that the booming idle was normal. Then I insisted that they look at the car with the service bulletin that I handed them. The end result was that my idle is now nice and smooth. The problem is not that the idle is too low, but that the problem has to do with the exhaust system vibration. The following is the actual text of the service bulletin:



"Service Bulletin 18 02 08

Customer may complain of a slight vibration and/or droning noise when the vehicle is idling in park, neutral, drive and reverse when engine is at operating temperature.


CAUSE
Insufficient vibration dampening of the exhaust system.


PROCEDURE
1.Verify the complaint. Vibration/droning is most prevalent when engine is at operating temperature.

2.Remove the lower bracket for the exhaust system. If droning/vibration is gone, proceed to step three. If vibration/droning still exists with the lower bracket removed; continue troubleshooting exhaust/driveline for other causes or conditions

3.Remove complete bracket assembly and replace it with the bracket (1) PN 18 20 7 521 346 using two new ASA bolts (PN 07 12 9 905 417. Tighten to 21Nm.
Install front pipe bracket (1) PN 18 20 7 521 347 with four rubber bushings (2) (PN 18 20 7 546 579) to the new 346 bracket with two ASA bolts (PN 07 12 9 904 559) and two nuts (PN 07 12 9 904 580). Tighten down to 21Nm

After performing this procedure the vehicle will exhibit the same amount of normal driveline vibration as a comparably equipped E60 with a M54 or N52 engine."




Now what follows is the exact wording from the invoice of what the dealer did to repair my car:

“Insufficient vibration dampening of the exhaust system. As per service bulletin 18 02 08, verified vibration, removed lower bracket from exhaust system, vibration no longer present, removed and replaced complete exhaust bracket assembly and replaced exhaust vibration dampener, test drove vehicle OK. Defect Code: 18 11 00 39 00 Labor op: 18 99 000”

I hope this helps. This was a real pain, but I am very happy with the result. Let us know if it works for you.

I suppose removing the air cleaner and turning the idle screw on the carburetor probably doesn't work anymore.

eric
how did you find the BMW bulletin with the info?

I will keep this in mind just in case the vibration returns

thanks

I went to a site called JustAnswer.com. I spoke to a BMW expert mechanic. He mentioned the bulletin so I asked him if he could get me the actual wording. He was able to get it and sent it to me. Otherwise, I was unable to find any of the service bulletins on line.

I have the same thing with my 550i. Annoying.