I have strange "clunking" noises coming from the front brakes of my 335i sedan, particularly when shifting from reverse to forward and back again. Has anyone experienced this with their E90's? Does anyone have suggestions? I've taken it to the dealer and they have tried several "fixes" but now say it's "normal". During a candid moment one of the techs. shared they had no real fix. Thanks!
Stuck caliper? What fixes did they do? One thing I'd do is after driving a bit carefully feel if one side is warmer than the other.
If your shifting is with the brakes on, what makes sense is that the pads are loose in the carrier. By that, I mean loose enough to move forward and back if there's no brake application (and movable with the brakes on if the car moves from one direction to the other). This can happen if the antirattle springs at the ends of the pads are missing or rusted off or just without tension. It isn't dangerous, only annoying.
Here is a belated thanks for the responses to my brake question. I have since had a conversation with a tech. who explained that I would have to live with it because they know about it and have no fix. His explanation involved lubrication being washed off the brakes by washing the car. I have no confidence in dealer service which is one reason why I end up going back to an old bmw after the warranty ends on my new one. I currently own two e30's and can't part with them.
I know I'm a little late on this, is your car a manual? Does it have the hill start assist? This is where the car holds the brake for two seconds to keep the car from rolling back when you release the brake. The sound you hear could actually be the front calipers releasing. It is supposed to hold for two seconds or until the gas is pressed. Just a thought. doesn't explain any clunk, but all the E9X models I've driven (M/t) have done it.
Typical with our large single piston caliper system. Next time when your brakes are pads are due for replacement. Spary some of the latex sticky anti-squeal on the backing plate so it sticks to the caliper so the pad doesn't wobble and make that clicking noise. I did that on my wife's car while switching over to the low dusting ceramic pads. Hope this helps.
