Hi,
i'm new to this excellent forum and wondered if anyone could help me with a persistent driver's door rattle on my Jan 2000 318 se touring. my local dealer has looked at it a couple of times to no avail even changing rubber seals around glass but it seems to be coming from inside the body of the door - the glass is not loose or rattling itself...more likely acting as a sounding board!...any ides how to get the door panel off so that i can have a look myself?
one more request..can anyone recommend a good specialist servicing centre in west london area?
thanks for you help Andy
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My guess would be it is part of the lock operating mechanism (i.e. the actuating rods) rattling about against the door casing.
Some judiciously placed pieces of foam may help stop it.
These things can be difficult to track down. I have a tiny 'clunk' from inside the driver's door on my Nissan QX. I hear it about once every 20 minutes, usually if a brake 'firmly'. It comes from the back end of the door - but seems to be impossible to re-create when stationary. Its barely audible but very annoying because 'I know its there'.
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Might be a screw dropped inside the door during assembly?
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I once purchased a second hand car that had previously had the driver's window broken.
I found out when I removed the door liner to investigate a rattle, and found one large piece of broken glass, and lots of fragments.
Just a thought.
In any case, it looks like the inner door panel has got to come off, which is normally easy. A few screws on door handles and the like, and a few studs. All should then become apparent. Note though that some cars have simple 'poppers' for studs which come apart when you pull the skin from the frame, whereas others (such as my Volvo) have studs that you actually press IN to release.
Note also that any plastic liner should be removed carefully, and replaced before putting the inner panel back on. This is obviously mainly for wet weather protection.
On a scale of 1 to 10, this job is normally a 2 in my way of thinking, and the only reason it is not a 1 is the need for care with the plastic (normally polythene) liner.
Go for it! :-)
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Hi, Goto Unofficialbmw.com, slect your model and there are the instructions. Enjoy. Regards PEter
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thanks to all for your kind advice...i'll take the panel off and have a look...nothing to lose.
brgds andy
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Best idea would be to remove the inner trim panel and plastic sheet then drive down the road a bit. You'll maybe find that judiciously poking a finger into various bits will identify the rattle. Just take great care while driving - be sure to do it on a straight empty road! Either that or get a long armed assistant to do this for you from the back seat.
Good luck.
Graeme
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Dont forget under braking and on rough roads the body of the car is flexing all the time. The doors are therefore moving within the frames and seals sometimes causing squeaks and groans. Lubricate the seals with silicone grease, check all hinges and latches are tight. Also check the door mechanism is not broken and that the door catch is not rubbing on the latch.
Fullchat
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andy have owned a number of bm's over ther years however remember few years ago having the same problem. took the door panel inside the vehicle off was on a 316 and found the problem to be a loose piece door sound deadening that was flapping around. was very simple to cure cut the piece off and the noise went that simple.
hope this helps
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thanks scotsman...i'll give it a go soonas i have some spare time in dry weather
rgds andy
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