I have a 2013 535i M Sport with 8K miles and have a wind noise or wind rush in the area of the driver's side door. I keep listening trying to determine if it's from the run flats, inadequate weather strip seal around the door or glass, or even from the OS rear view mirror. Anyone have a similar experience. Any information is appreciated. BTW - I'm comparing it to an E39 I had that my son has now. Thanks,
Folding the mirrors changes the wind noise/rush but I still hear some in the B pillar area that is different from the mirror. I can hear outside noises louder than should be on such a car, at least in my opinion. My wife drove the car for the first time this week and mentioned she was hearing excessive wind noise. She's not a big car person so I think it validates that its there and I'm not overly critical of the car. This noise is the only complaint. Any other suggestions are welcomed. - thanks,
try masking parts of the door off with painters tape to help locate where the wind noise is then. You can look for damaged seals or doors that need to be adjusted.
I'll try it this week end. Some posts on other sites mention reduced wind noise/rush by replacing O/S mirrors with M5 mirrors. What do you think? The dealer I'm working with is very accommodating and willing to try anything within reason. Thanks,
By changing the mirrors it will change the wind noise but it will not reduce it. Mirror wind noise is going to happen either way but make sure the mirror is fitting to the vehicle flush or can cause wind noise to.
Had my wife tape the door gaps and around door glass, while I was in the car. She must think I've lost my mind. Anyway, it may have made a slight difference, but minor at most. I'm not sure where to turn at this point. Do you find newer BMWs have generally more road noise than Mercedes or other comparable cars, over and above the noisy RFTs? Thanks for your input - it's helpful.
I have not driven enough new other cars to be able to say if BMW is noisier or not. Is the noise the same if you sit in the passenger side or the driver side?
Without having any idea if it would work.... perhaps try to "aerodynamicize" the mirrors with some cardboard and a whole bunch of painters tape & go for a test run? I'm picturing taping a piece of cardboard, or perhaps a box edge and lid into a pointed wedge (theoretically aerodynamic, yah?) and taping it over the mirror and the a-pillar and lower windshield - considering the forces it would be subjected to at highway speeds, and that duct tape, being quite sticky, would be prone to leave adhesive residue or damage paint upon removal, I'd guess it would take a lot of taping with the less-sticky painters tape to secure some-such Goldberg-ian attempt so it hopefully doesn't blow off while at speed (particularly into anybody else!). I'd think thick cardboard would be preferable as opposed to, oh, a shoebox, for instance. Anyway, point being would be to completely change how the air is moving over your mirrors while at speed. It seems fairly common for the stock runflat tires to get noisier as they age, but I don't know if that's something that might come up @ 8k miles or not.
1. Carlson89 - It is noisier on the driver's side than the passenger side. So, something is different. 2. MGarrison - I have used painter's tape on the door openings and the mirror, but haven't tried affixing something over the mirror, but I'll give it a try. We went out tonight and my wife drove the car again. She is not a car person but described it as a wind tunnel on the driver's side. Wow!
Another easier idea - if there's some egregious problem with the door seals, I wonder if blowing a hair dryer (on air only, not hot) around the mirror & all door seams with somebody sitting inside might localize the problem area. Don't forget to look at the driver's side rear door. Of course there's leaf blowers or something similar, although I wouldn't hold a high-power blower nozzle super close to the paint, but they do make a fast, concentrated air stream. You could try that with & without the door taped. If you identify anything specific around a door seam, see if pressing on the door makes any difference. Doors _look_ like beefy pieces of steel and what not, but they can be bent more easily than thought - much older chassis and completely different car, but apparently somebody in the past prior to my ownership pried on the back edge of the driver's door of my E34 and pulled it out a bit, not sure if somebody tried to break in or just got locked out - I was able to bend it back some to eliminate some lack of sealing (I wouldn't recommend bending or trying to bend your door, the E34 was so old it didn't make sense to try to resolve otherwise) - just pointing out the possibility that, though unlikely, doors can still be functional but outta whack. Mine was visibly out, though.
Really big pain and would be very hard to seal all the holes for the mirror makes. Have you taken this to the dealer since it is under warranty?
I've been to the dealer 3x with this issue and they are arranging for the BMW zone person to come and drive it. I'll try to be optimistic on the outcome. However, a friend of mine that is a retired BMW and Porsche tech suggested turning on recirc on the HVAC. It actually helps. I was hearing three noises (O/S mirror, RFTs, and the really annoying one). The most annoying one which sounded like the window was not fully closed is much less now. But, there still seems to be too much wind rush noise and we'll see what the BMW rep says. Thanks to everyone that has given input. It helps to know there are others that are as particular as me.
UPDATE - I received a call from the GM at the BMW dealer that the regional rep would be there and would review my car. So, I took a day off from work since it's 80 miles to the dealer. I told the service advisor that I would like one minute to speak with the rep to describe what I'm hearing. As you know, I can hear the mirror rush and the RFTs but this is a different issue. Well, I'm reasonably sure the SA told him I wanted to speak with him but he was so arrogant as to not acknowledge my request or meet with me, AND there's nothing wrong with the car. So, that's the update.
