Ok so bringing this back up again.
I had a well regarded guy from a BMW Indy check the car over as a side-job a few months back for play in the steering rack and also a creaking noise at the front going over speed bumps. He had the car up on a ramp, was inspecting with a light, was prodding and poking with a crowbar and grabbing the wheels and looking for movement, etc...
He said there was no play and could not really find a creaking noise but he could replicate some noise around the tension struts (
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...15&hg=31&fg=05) and said they should be replaced.
So I was getting some quotes to have the work done along with a service when I seen the thread on here about the
creaky suspension which I think ties in with what I was hearing.
So having got a good quote from another BMW Indy, instead of just replacing the tension struts asked him to do a quick inspection and see if it was the bushes/dampers that was my issue.
So had the car in with him yesterday and he put the car up on the ramp and then he called me out to the workshop after a few minutes of inspecting. He said he could hear a knocking noise when he was aggressively shaking the front wheel but needed to remove the undertray to look further so he did.
Upon further inspection with the engine tray off, he told me he thinks its the steering rack
. The noise sounds pretty much like this when he shakes the wheel up on the ramp (I cannot produce it the same as in the video)
So looks like a new steering rack is needed?
Car has 71,500 miles on it at the moment and a fair bit of BMW service history.
Anyone know if there is a known issue with the steering rack? Might try and see about goodwill from BMW?
Not sure buying 2nd hand is really an option here?
Advice / help welcome.