Is this the end of my turbos ?

marklim · 01-29-2010, 07:57 AM

Hey guys,

I'm not sure if i'm being paranoid. These few weeks i've been hearing alot of the "police siren" during cold start. When the engine warms up, the sound is still there but not as loud.

Also, during downshifts, when the revs are dropping, i can hear a faint "howling" sound. Not sure what that is.

Anyone experiencing the same ?

Is it time to have my turbos replaced ?

*Please turn up the volume (even better, use a earpiece)*
http://gallery.me.com/xiaozzhu#10001...&bgcolor=black
http://gallery.me.com/xiaozzhu#10001...&bgcolor=black
http://gallery.me.com/xiaozzhu#10001...&bgcolor=black

Cheers,
Mark

zenmaster · 01-29-2010, 08:49 AM

My guess is the sound is due to wear on your turbo bearings. Probably heat related. Your turbos will probably last many thousands of miles more, but sound will gradually get worse and become obnoxious. Dealer *may* replace when this noise becomes loud enough, but they also need an OK from BMW.

cn555ic · 01-29-2010, 09:27 AM

I honestly think your tripping out...There is a slight siren noise but nothing to worry about IMO...Its normal turbo whine and IMO not the dreaded police siren...

Jeff@TopGearSolutions · 01-29-2010, 09:31 AM

I understand people like their cars quiet. But turbo's make noise. You would expect loud noises out of big turbo's such as big rigs right?

Why wouldnt you expect small faint noises from small turbo's on a BMW.

Its spinning at 10's of thousands of RPM's, generating a lot heat... its got to do SOMETHING!

Anyway, you can go to dealer if you want to have the incident documentated, that way later down the road, when they go (if they do), you can be like well I came in X amount of days ago, and documented it.

Maybe Turbo's from day one, may car had 1.3 miles on it, made noise on a cold start. Just saying...

Ilma · 01-29-2010, 09:34 AM

I had the exact same symptoms and had the turbos replaced a few months ago.

Unfortunately, the new ones are making exactly the same sound now......a couple weeks after installation there was a slight "howling" and now it has become the outright police siren.

Not loud enough to be obnoxious, but it's there if you listen for it.....especially on low throttle low rpm spool - before the engine noise gets too loud to drown it out.

There is no definitive conclusion about this other than as the post above suggests.....at this point it does not seem to affect performance. The turbos are still working and they all do make that same sound to greater or lesser degrees. I have heard the same cold engine siren noise on my friends 135i and he is completely stock. It's much more muted, but it's exactly the same frequency and pattern.

You will just have to wait and see if it gets louder with time or stays the same.

When it gets to be a problem with the turbos, it will likely become screeching loud and you will probably start to throw boost codes.

In the meantime, you can always take it to the dealer and ask them to diagnose the noise.

Sometimes they replace them.....sometimes they don't.

Mine did.

onefastman · 01-29-2010, 10:10 AM

So is it a problem if it goes away after it warms up?

ClarkGriswold · 01-29-2010, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coldasicex5

Eh.. I'm not liking the way that sounds.

+1

marklim · 01-29-2010, 11:36 AM

Hmm, I'm confused. Haha.

I'm actually contemplating on 2 different solutions.

1) Get my downpipes fixed and *cross my fingers* till something happens.
2) Try bringing it to the dealer and fix the problems before installing downpipes.

The problem with option 2 is, even if i bring it to the dealer, as what they always do best, they would come up with excuses saying that its normal.. blah blah blah. Also, the sound is not obvious when engine is warmed up. Therefore, I'm thinking if the engine would to throw a code, it would be much better as the mechanics have no choice but to do smth. If it doenst throw any codes, they can deny my complaint (i suppose thats what BMW always does?)

marklim · 01-29-2010, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coldasicex5

i have a faint supercharger like sound, but thats at full throttle in high revs.. but this hearing it at low revs without too much gas being pressed.. something needs to be checked asap

any videos ?? i think i might have another sound that is similar to yours.

E90RWC · 01-29-2010, 10:16 PM

I had the whine big time, I had my dealer replace ONE of my turbos. It fixed the noise for the most part. It is definately much quieter. There is still slight whine in the early mornings and as it warms up because they didn't replace the other turbo. I guess they thought it was within spec. My dealer had to open a PUMA case, have engineers check out the car and keep the car for 14 days.

They took care of me though and made the process very easy, I also had a 2009 E93 335 for that time.

01-29-2010, 07:57 AM	#1
marklim Private First Class 21 Rep 147 Posts Drives: E92 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Singapore iTrader: (1)	Is this the end of my turbos ? Hey guys, I'm not sure if i'm being paranoid. These few weeks i've been hearing alot of the "police siren" during cold start. When the engine warms up, the sound is still there but not as loud. Also, during downshifts, when the revs are dropping, i can hear a faint "howling" sound. Not sure what that is. Anyone experiencing the same ? Is it time to have my turbos replaced ? Please turn up the volume (even better, use a earpiece) http://gallery.me.com/xiaozzhu#10001...&bgcolor=black http://gallery.me.com/xiaozzhu#10001...&bgcolor=black http://gallery.me.com/xiaozzhu#10001...&bgcolor=black Cheers, Mark
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01-29-2010, 08:49 AM	#2
zenmaster Brigadier General 1577 Rep 3,888 Posts Drives: '17 M2 Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Atlanta iTrader: (1)	My guess is the sound is due to wear on your turbo bearings. Probably heat related. Your turbos will probably last many thousands of miles more, but sound will gradually get worse and become obnoxious. Dealer may replace when this noise becomes loud enough, but they also need an OK from BMW.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-29-2010, 09:27 AM	#3
cn555ic 441 Rep 18,331 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: US iTrader: (6)	I honestly think your tripping out...There is a slight siren noise but nothing to worry about IMO...Its normal turbo whine and IMO not the dreaded police siren...
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-29-2010, 09:31 AM	#4
Jeff@TopGearSolutions 3441 Rep 79,211 Posts Drives: C6 Z06, 09 335i, 10 335xi Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: www.TopGearSolutions.com iTrader: (37)	I understand people like their cars quiet. But turbo's make noise. You would expect loud noises out of big turbo's such as big rigs right? Why wouldnt you expect small faint noises from small turbo's on a BMW. Its spinning at 10's of thousands of RPM's, generating a lot heat... its got to do SOMETHING! Anyway, you can go to dealer if you want to have the incident documentated, that way later down the road, when they go (if they do), you can be like well I came in X amount of days ago, and documented it. Maybe Turbo's from day one, may car had 1.3 miles on it, made noise on a cold start. Just saying...
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-29-2010, 09:34 AM	#5
Ilma Colonel 184 Rep 2,841 Posts Drives: 2008 135i Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Mississauga iTrader: (0)	I had the exact same symptoms and had the turbos replaced a few months ago. Unfortunately, the new ones are making exactly the same sound now......a couple weeks after installation there was a slight "howling" and now it has become the outright police siren. Not loud enough to be obnoxious, but it's there if you listen for it.....especially on low throttle low rpm spool - before the engine noise gets too loud to drown it out. There is no definitive conclusion about this other than as the post above suggests.....at this point it does not seem to affect performance. The turbos are still working and they all do make that same sound to greater or lesser degrees. I have heard the same cold engine siren noise on my friends 135i and he is completely stock. It's much more muted, but it's exactly the same frequency and pattern. You will just have to wait and see if it gets louder with time or stays the same. When it gets to be a problem with the turbos, it will likely become screeching loud and you will probably start to throw boost codes. In the meantime, you can always take it to the dealer and ask them to diagnose the noise. Sometimes they replace them.....sometimes they don't. Mine did.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-29-2010, 10:10 AM	#6
onefastman Major General 159 Rep 5,689 Posts Drives: 2009 135i 2011 e92m dct Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Earth iTrader: (15)	So is it a problem if it goes away after it warms up? __________________ Legal Disclaimer: Anything I or anyone else says about my vehicle on this website(1addicts.com or any affiliated or nonaffiliated sites), pertaining to modifications, is only to gain acceptance from my/our peers, and does not actually represent anything actually existing on my car, and thus, cannot be held against me in any issues, i.e. warranty claims, that may arise.
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01-29-2010, 11:36 AM	#8
marklim Private First Class 21 Rep 147 Posts Drives: E92 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Singapore iTrader: (1)	Hmm, I'm confused. Haha. I'm actually contemplating on 2 different solutions. 1) Get my downpipes fixed and cross my fingers till something happens. 2) Try bringing it to the dealer and fix the problems before installing downpipes. The problem with option 2 is, even if i bring it to the dealer, as what they always do best, they would come up with excuses saying that its normal.. blah blah blah. Also, the sound is not obvious when engine is warmed up. Therefore, I'm thinking if the engine would to throw a code, it would be much better as the mechanics have no choice but to do smth. If it doenst throw any codes, they can deny my complaint (i suppose thats what BMW always does?)
	Appreciate 0 Quote

01-29-2010, 10:16 PM	#10
E90RWC What you know about the twins? 20 Rep 989 Posts Drives: bmw Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: CA iTrader: (1)	I had the whine big time, I had my dealer replace ONE of my turbos. It fixed the noise for the most part. It is definately much quieter. There is still slight whine in the early mornings and as it warms up because they didn't replace the other turbo. I guess they thought it was within spec. My dealer had to open a PUMA case, have engineers check out the car and keep the car for 14 days. They took care of me though and made the process very easy, I also had a 2009 E93 335 for that time.
	Appreciate 0 Quote