[Tug_Driver]

Hi,
First post on my new car. I have upgraded from a 2000 jetta tdi commuter to a 2012 328i xDrive wagon. The car is what I would say typical for a New England car with over 100,000 miles on it. It has some scratches and spider cracks / stone chips on the bumper and typical snow removal road rash on the body panels.

The car was quiet the first 200 miles on the way home then I got into some very heavy rain and it started this oscillating harmonic from the front passenger kick panel / door panel. My neighbor who is very familiar with these cars suspected a tire balance or tire / spray interaction as the car has all season run flats with a snow rating.

When everything dried out the noise went away and has been fine until I got the car back from the dealer today (it had a lazy eye headlight when I bought it they swapped) and it’s making the same noise accept under dry conditions. I spoke with the local mechanics who will be working on the car today and they are going to do a health check / maintenance advisory inspection for me in the next few weeks so I can plan any long term maintenance or address any issues I missed.

I have a video of the noise, is there a way to post it? To me it sounds like a loose speaker or metal access cover to the window regulator. The mechanics said it could be a wheel bearing as these things are hard to diagnose over the phone. I am going to swap the right side tires and see if the noise moves.

Is it hard to get into the door panels without doing damage? I don’t see any screws like VW cars have.

[Tug_Driver]

https://youtube.com/shorts/XJTq0ciz5l0?feature=share

Video link posted. Stumped on this one if anyone has any places to start looking. I jacked the car up and couldn’t feel any slop in the wheel bearing. I was going to rotate that tire to a different location on the car but some @$$ hat put the impact on stun and the wheel was slipping on the concrete with a breaker bar, my impact wouldn’t touch it

[ValveslapAdjustment]

To me it kind of sounds like something plastic and loose vibrating against a plastic part that's properly installed, like the USB adapter that I keep in my passenger door when I'm stopped at a traffic light.

[Bimmer_Bro]

Originally Posted by Tug_Driver

https://youtube.com/shorts/XJTq0ciz5l0?feature=share

Video link posted. Stumped on this one if anyone has any places to start looking. I jacked the car up and couldn’t feel any slop in the wheel bearing. I was going to rotate that tire to a different location on the car but some @$$ hat put the impact on stun and the wheel was slipping on the concrete with a breaker bar, my impact wouldn’t touch it

Yikes that's not good. Wheels should only be tq to 88lbs ish.

Sounds like something interior vibrating for sure. Have you checked your cup holders? When this is happening, press on either cup holder to see if it stops. They make an annoying rattle with age but it's an easy fix.

Good call on trying to rotate to see if the vibration moves. If it does then it could be a out of balance or even a bent rim.

To be honest, run flat tires suck! They are too hard / noisy and terrible on snow.

Get yourself some plastic interior tools off Amazon. They are cheap but make your life so easy for taking off interior parts without damaging. As for removing the door panel, YouTube is your best friend. There will be hidden bolts under the trim piece I believe.