Dashboard Rattle on 2011 535i

I'm interested to find out if anyone else has had a problem with a dashboard rattle on the new F10 535i and how they remedied it.

Soon after I picked up my 535i last November I noticed a rattle coming from the dashboard area near the passenger side A pillar. The rattle sounds like a the noise that would emanate from the friction of two materials rubbing together as opposed to a loose mechanical part. It's noticeable when the car is riding over road bumps that cause it to resonate. It doesn't occur all of the time - tends be more prevalent when the car is cool.

I've had this in to the dealer on four occasions. On the last two visits they've kept it for 3 to 5 days in order to drive it after each presumed repair. They've removed the dash and looked for any loose parts. They've also added insulation to areas interior to the dash and the passenger door. On each visit the noise has gone away after their repairs temporarily, only to re-appear a day or two later.

I'm hoping that someone else has found the secret to fixing this. I suspect that this is a material fit problem with the new F10 model that isn't unique to my vehicle.

Ideas?

horrible...
ask them to change the dashboard completely with a whole new dashboard compartment.
My guess is every time they remove it, noise goes away and once the board sets noise starts again....

you said when its cool so obviously the material is contracting and now rubbing where it used to be tight. If you park the car in the sun does the noise disappear? I have not heard any noises in my car yet, how many miles do you have?

My car has about 11,000 miles logged. The noise started soon after it was delivered though. The noise does tend to go away on warmer days after sitting in the sun.

Could it be passenger seatbelt buckle hitting the B pillar? Mine occasionally rattles after a passenger exits and I drive off. Repositioning the buckle down so it rests on the seat back silences it. Bugged the hell out of me until I realized the cause.

I'm sure it isn't the seat belt. The noise occurs even when someone is riding in the passenger seat belted in.

Originally Posted by 06Black550i

Could it be passenger seatbelt buckle hitting the B pillar? Mine occasionally rattles after a passenger exits and I drive off. Repositioning the buckle down so it rests on the seat back silences it. Bugged the hell out of me until I realized the cause.

Same thing happened to me - bugged the heck outta me until I figured it out. Now I routinely move that belt around to the seat when the wife is not with me. Does not sound like the problem our friend is having though..

I had a similar annoying sound after taking delivery of my F10 but found that it disappeared when I opened the sunroof/sunshade cover slightly. Try moving the cover back and see whether this has any effect on the sound.

My BMW dealer finally resolved the issue

They determined that it was a broken weld in the dash assembly near the defrost vent. The resolution required them to order an entirely new dash from the Germany plant. After a couple of weeks waiting for the dash to be shipped from the motherland, the installation is complete. The rattle noise is finally gone!!

Thanks for the folow-up, glad they worked to resolve the issue for you.

I have a rattle coming from around the dash speaker area and occasionally from the area around the passenger windshield pillar area. The dealer made it go away once but now it is back with a vengeance and acts up both when the car is hot or cold and especially over rough pavement. Any ideas?

Originally Posted by soulunderdog

Same thing happened to me - bugged the heck outta me until I figured it out. Now I routinely move that belt around to the seat when the wife is not with me. Does not sound like the problem our friend is having though..

Can you guys describe how you guys "move the seatbelt around the seat"? I find it odd that in a car with such a well thought out and ultra refined interior, the seatbelt buckle is so wildly left loose to bounce around the hard plastic pillar. What I found is that bringing up the little plastic "grabber" on the belt itself as high as you can, thus pushing the steel buckle up so it holds tighter and can now instead bounce against the nice padded Anthracite headliner material, works as well.

Originally Posted by K-A

Can you guys describe how you guys "move the seatbelt around the seat"? I find it odd that in a car with such a well thought out and ultra refined interior, the seatbelt buckle is so wildly left loose to bounce around the hard plastic pillar. What I found is that bringing up the little plastic "grabber" on the belt itself as high as you can, thus pushing the steel buckle up so it holds tighter and can now instead bounce against the nice padded Anthracite headliner material, works as well.

Not so much "around the seat". We mean, pull the belt forward just enough to rest over the side bolster. My seats are usually far enough forward that the bolster will hold the belt in place. I suppose if your passenger seat is very far back, this may not work. I always move the passenger belt back into this position after someone gets out of the car.

See attached image for example. Actually, the driver side is more like how I usually do it. In this pic, my passenger seat must have been further back, but the belt is still over the bolster.

Ah, got it, thanks.

I just got a 2013 328xi loaner vehicle from a US dealership. I left the car out in an uncovered parking in the cold and heard the same loud rattling sound when I drove it later on. The dealership said it was 'normal'! I am shocked.

I have the same problem. f02 2013

Turns out my dash rattle that seemed to come from underneath the dash speaker grill was actually the back side of the rear view mirror. Once the backside was clipped back together, the car is nosie free. Many thanks to the great service folks at BMW of Palm Springs.

Originally Posted by charbs

I'm interested to find out if anyone else has had a problem with a dashboard rattle on the new F10 535i and how they remedied it.

Soon after I picked up my 535i last November I noticed a rattle coming from the dashboard area near the passenger side A pillar. The rattle sounds like a the noise that would emanate from the friction of two materials rubbing together as opposed to a loose mechanical part. It's noticeable when the car is riding over road bumps that cause it to resonate. It doesn't occur all of the time - tends be more prevalent when the car is cool.

I've had this in to the dealer on four occasions. On the last two visits they've kept it for 3 to 5 days in order to drive it after each presumed repair. They've removed the dash and looked for any loose parts. They've also added insulation to areas interior to the dash and the passenger door. On each visit the noise has gone away after their repairs temporarily, only to re-appear a day or two later.

I'm hoping that someone else has found the secret to fixing this. I suspect that this is a material fit problem with the new F10 model that isn't unique to my vehicle.

Ideas?

Is the dashboard rattle like this?