something sliding around??

orso · 03-04-2006, 05:47 PM

I have noticed a noise coming from what sounds like under the dash or hood that sounds like a something sliding back and forth as I begin to accelerate in first and shift into second. At first, I thought it was my CDs sliding around in the armrest but they are not moving. Any ideas?

shutterbug · 03-06-2006, 07:30 PM

Check in your glovebox. I have a small flashlight in there that creates the same sliding sound when I accelerate. Took me a while to figure that out!

GoBonesGo · 03-06-2006, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shutterbug

Check in your glovebox. I have a small flashlight in there that creates the same sliding sound when I accelerate. Took me a while to figure that out!

If you're talking about the flashlight that came with the car, it has a very secure holder/charger. It won't move a bit.

AK47 · 03-06-2006, 08:17 PM

Check under your seat, there is a air duct right under your seat. I have a quarter/penny/nickle that was sliding around back and fourth inside the duct, especially accelerating, and stopping. Use a flashlight, and a long chopstick(if you have one) to see if you can find anything under.

Alan

analogue · 03-06-2006, 08:26 PM

Does it also happen during hard braking?

I had a sliding sound in my car and it turns out that some coins fell out of my pocket and made their way into the air duct that supplies AC/heat to the floor in the back seat. Drove me nuts for a week!

The coins would slide in the plastic duct that runs under the floor during hard acceleration or braking. The noise would resonate up into the dash air vents so it was not obvious where it was originating from.

So here's what I did...
Went to the end of my road, accelerated as fast as possible to slide the coins as far back in the duct as possible. Then I coasted into the driveway and used a coat hanger, flashlight and a toilet snake to get them out.

Bad design if you ask me....it is very easy for things to fall into the air duct because it is a bit lower than the carpet.

orso · 03-07-2006, 11:33 PM

Coins under the seat sounds about right...I will explore as suggested. Thanks, guys.

Bob T · 04-23-2006, 08:28 PM

I just went through the same thing. A damn pen fell when I was at the bank and it went between the seats. I couldn't find it, kept probing the seat tracks looking for it with no luck. Today the swishing noise of it moving around in the duct was driving me nuts. Wasn't sure what the noise was, thought it was something wrong with the car until stumbling into this thread.

Thanks.

zzinco79 · 04-26-2006, 12:36 PM

Exactly same happend to me before.

It was pretty scared.

It will goes away soon.

thrill30 · 04-27-2006, 06:14 AM

I've been having the same noise for more than 2 weeks now.

If I accelerate very hard, there is a sliding object that sounds like it's in the driver's door.... Also, if I brake hard, the same noise can be heard.

I have emptied everything that is in the pocket on the driver's door,but that did not help.... the noise is still there.

I even considered booking the car in, and asking them to disassemble the door and get rid of whatever it is that is sliding in there.... the sound really seems like something is sliding inside the driver's door, but there is no way anything can get in there

.

Maybe I also dropped a coin and it is trapped in the air duct under my seat. I will examine the car carefully today.

rascal · 05-01-2006, 10:12 AM

Hi,

I have just experienced the same problem with the E90. I dropped some coins at the side of the passenger seat and its slipped right under the Panel (in between the floor board and the seat). There is this plastic cover with about 6 screws on it. I tried removing the plate, but the screws are just too tight.

"Tickling coins" sound emerged each time I hard brake or take corners.

I noticed some of you mentioned you managed to remove the items by using a chopstick - can you advise me from where we will be able to reach the coins ?

Desperate to get rid of the noise...any help / picture will be great.

Thanks
Rascal

AK47 · 05-10-2006, 09:20 AM

Doesn't have to be chopstick, anything that is long, and skinny enough to go inside the plastic duct under your driver seat to search around with coins. I hope that help. Flashlight will be helpful. The Duct is like pretty flush with the carpet, you will see it when you look under and BEHIND the seat.

rascal · 05-12-2006, 05:56 AM

Hi,

Thanks for the reply and help. But I realised that the coins did not go into the air duct. In fact, it managed to slip into the speaker compartment that is found below the seat.

Has anyone tried to remove the speaker cover without removing the seat ? I am having difficulty using a screwdriver as the screws seems to be with a different + requirement. I am worried of destroying the screw thread at the top, then I will be in big trouble if the screws cannot be turned properly.

I manage to take a picture of the cover from the other forums, please let me know if anyone out there has managed to remove the cover without the seats. If so, what type of screwdriver should I be using.

Thanks

TML BMW · 06-18-2007, 01:30 PM

Ok guys, I know this is an old thread, but I am having the exact same problem in my new coupe. I looked under the seat but could not find any vent of any kind, but the sound is exactly the same to what you are all describing. The only thing I see is a speaker cover, but i dont think anything could fall into it. I have the noise what souinds like either in the door or under my seat. It is driving me CRAAAZYY.

badfish · 03-23-2008, 01:12 PM

Thanks for this thread. Only a few days into driving my M3, I noticed this noise. It was driving me crazy. Searched for "sliding noise" and this great thread shows up.

Looked under the driver seat with the BMW flashlight and saw 3 coins in my vent. Strange how the only 3 coins under my seat managed to find their way into the vent. Found a long rod I could use and scraped out the coins. Now I'm 16 cents richer and driving happier.

Orangeman5 · 06-03-2008, 10:55 AM

I too experienced this annoying sliding sound. The car was due for a service and I asked my SA to take the kick panel and under-dash cover off convinced that the problem was there. My SA called me and told me that the tech couldn't find anything. (No charge for the tech time since my SA is a real professional).

Anyway, I was left to resolve the problem myself. My first stop . . . this forum. A search for sliding noise proved I was not alone. Thanks to the members of this forum an annoying problem was solved in about 60 seconds. By the way, I am now .37 cents closer to retirement!

Thanks to all on the forum and particularly this thread!

btinl · 08-13-2010, 10:49 AM

Noticed this same sliding noise today, and it was driving me nuts. Found $1.25 in quarters in this damn vent. What a stupid design.

merkus · 06-20-2012, 10:21 PM

Great thread. I have a new to me 328i that I bought on Friday. Sliding noise in the dash began yesterday and has been driving me crazy and had me worried I had bought a problem car. I searched for "sliding noise" and found this, relieving my paranoia, avoiding a trip to the dealer, and enabling me to blame it all on a single penny rattling around in the air duct. Seems that BMW could have designed this a little better. . .

harms · 08-23-2014, 12:30 AM

I know this is an old thread but i came across it while searching for "sliding noise"!

And turns out i had 20 cents in the vent under the drivers seat.

A hint to anyone else with this problem - I used an old windscreen wiper to reach the coin. The rubber bit of the wiper 'grabbed' the coin nicely and dragged it right out!

Orangee94 · 04-25-2017, 10:53 AM

Going to bump this thread as i also found 1 dollar in that and it solved my bloody sliding sound mystery hollyyy SH*T that bugged me to death so much..

hr2pilot · 05-29-2017, 12:06 AM

Man, am I glad I googled 'sliding noise in BMW E92' and found this thread.

That sliding noise was driving me nuts! ...for the life of me, I couldn't find the source!

First I removed the back panel on the drivers seat thinking something was loose inside the seat...then I removed the back seats thinking something under the rear bench...then the trunk liners to look at the upper rear shock mounts...nothing! So discouraged...thinking I'm going to have to go to the dealer and pay mucho bucks for a new rear end.

Then I searched and found this thread. WOOOOHOOO....I used my Milwaukee Inspection tool to look inside of the underseat vent and LOW AND BEHOLD....my long lost spark plug socket that disappeared some time around when the shuffling started!! ...it's been shuffling left and right , forward and back for months! Can you beleive it? It had to have entered those small vents perfectly like a heat seeking missile entering Bin Laden's window to get into there.

Praise be google and forums like this!

nwrightau · 06-05-2018, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hr2pilot

Man, am I glad I googled 'sliding noise in BMW E92' and found this thread.

Praise be google and forums like this!

Spot on, so far I've retrieved $6 in coins and there's more where that came from!

chanzs · 11-03-2018, 01:32 AM

Fantastic post!!! I was going crazy and about to remove my door panel or dash. End up finding a coin each under both front seats!

03-04-2006, 05:47 PM	#1
orso New Member 4 Rep 25 Posts Drives: 330i TiAg, 6 sp, ZSP, Prem etc Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: norcal iTrader: (0)	something sliding around?? I have noticed a noise coming from what sounds like under the dash or hood that sounds like a something sliding back and forth as I begin to accelerate in first and shift into second. At first, I thought it was my CDs sliding around in the armrest but they are not moving. Any ideas?
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03-06-2006, 07:30 PM	#2
shutterbug Private 18 Rep 61 Posts Drives: 330xi Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NJ iTrader: (1)	Check in your glovebox. I have a small flashlight in there that creates the same sliding sound when I accelerate. Took me a while to figure that out! __________________ E90 330xi 6 MT/ SG / Black Leather / Aluminum / Sport / Cold Weather / CA / PDC / Blacklines / Aluminum Pedals / Alarm / Hardwired Passport 8500 / Momo Shift Knob / LUX 2.0
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03-06-2006, 08:17 PM	#4
AK47 Enlisted Member 4 Rep 45 Posts Drives: 2006 JET BLACK 330 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Parsippany, NJ iTrader: (0)	Check under your seat, there is a air duct right under your seat. I have a quarter/penny/nickle that was sliding around back and fourth inside the duct, especially accelerating, and stopping. Use a flashlight, and a long chopstick(if you have one) to see if you can find anything under. Alan
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03-06-2006, 08:26 PM	#5
analogue Second Lieutenant 245 Rep 298 Posts Drives: 1M, iX Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: WI iTrader: (1)	Does it also happen during hard braking? I had a sliding sound in my car and it turns out that some coins fell out of my pocket and made their way into the air duct that supplies AC/heat to the floor in the back seat. Drove me nuts for a week! The coins would slide in the plastic duct that runs under the floor during hard acceleration or braking. The noise would resonate up into the dash air vents so it was not obvious where it was originating from. So here's what I did... Went to the end of my road, accelerated as fast as possible to slide the coins as far back in the duct as possible. Then I coasted into the driveway and used a coat hanger, flashlight and a toilet snake to get them out. Bad design if you ask me....it is very easy for things to fall into the air duct because it is a bit lower than the carpet.
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03-07-2006, 11:33 PM	#6
orso New Member 4 Rep 25 Posts Drives: 330i TiAg, 6 sp, ZSP, Prem etc Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: norcal iTrader: (0)	Thanks Coins under the seat sounds about right...I will explore as suggested. Thanks, guys.
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04-23-2006, 08:28 PM	#7
Bob T Private 3 Rep 92 Posts Drives: 330i, Jet Black, BMW Motos Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Michigan iTrader: (0)	I just went through the same thing. A damn pen fell when I was at the bank and it went between the seats. I couldn't find it, kept probing the seat tracks looking for it with no luck. Today the swishing noise of it moving around in the duct was driving me nuts. Wasn't sure what the noise was, thought it was something wrong with the car until stumbling into this thread. Thanks.
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04-26-2006, 12:36 PM	#8
zzinco79 Major 124 Rep 1,411 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 325i Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Rochester, NY iTrader: (8)	Exactly same happend to me before. It was pretty scared. It will goes away soon.
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04-27-2006, 06:14 AM	#9
thrill30 Lieutenant 16 Rep 523 Posts Drives: 2010 E90 330i 6MT Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pretoria, South Africa iTrader: (0) Garage List 2005 (MY 2006) 330i [0.00]	I've been having the same noise for more than 2 weeks now. If I accelerate very hard, there is a sliding object that sounds like it's in the driver's door.... Also, if I brake hard, the same noise can be heard. I have emptied everything that is in the pocket on the driver's door,but that did not help.... the noise is still there. I even considered booking the car in, and asking them to disassemble the door and get rid of whatever it is that is sliding in there.... the sound really seems like something is sliding inside the driver's door, but there is no way anything can get in there. Maybe I also dropped a coin and it is trapped in the air duct under my seat. I will examine the car carefully today. __________________ E90 330i 6MT\|Space Grey\|Red Brown\|Alumin\|Sunroof\|Voice Control\|Logic 7\|Xenon\|Prof-Navigation\|Storage Pack\|Luggage Pack\|Extended Lights\|Anti-dazzle Folding Mirrors\|Climate Comf. w/screen\|M-Sport Pack\|Exclusive Pack\|Innovations Pack\|Alumin Pedals\|CF Splitters\|Delivered:19 March 2010
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05-01-2006, 10:12 AM	#10
rascal Registered 0 Rep 2 Posts Drives: E90 BMW Join Date: May 2006 Location: Singapore iTrader: (0)	Coins under the Seat Hi, I have just experienced the same problem with the E90. I dropped some coins at the side of the passenger seat and its slipped right under the Panel (in between the floor board and the seat). There is this plastic cover with about 6 screws on it. I tried removing the plate, but the screws are just too tight. "Tickling coins" sound emerged each time I hard brake or take corners. I noticed some of you mentioned you managed to remove the items by using a chopstick - can you advise me from where we will be able to reach the coins ? Desperate to get rid of the noise...any help / picture will be great. Thanks Rascal
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05-10-2006, 09:20 AM	#11
AK47 Enlisted Member 4 Rep 45 Posts Drives: 2006 JET BLACK 330 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Parsippany, NJ iTrader: (0)	Doesn't have to be chopstick, anything that is long, and skinny enough to go inside the plastic duct under your driver seat to search around with coins. I hope that help. Flashlight will be helpful. The Duct is like pretty flush with the carpet, you will see it when you look under and BEHIND the seat.
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06-18-2007, 01:30 PM	#13
TML BMW Enlisted Member 1 Rep 46 Posts Drives: Ford Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: US iTrader: (0)	Ok guys, I know this is an old thread, but I am having the exact same problem in my new coupe. I looked under the seat but could not find any vent of any kind, but the sound is exactly the same to what you are all describing. The only thing I see is a speaker cover, but i dont think anything could fall into it. I have the noise what souinds like either in the door or under my seat. It is driving me CRAAAZYY.
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03-23-2008, 01:12 PM	#14
badfish Major 100 Rep 1,035 Posts Drives: E92 AW M3 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 M3 [0.00]	Thanks for this thread. Only a few days into driving my M3, I noticed this noise. It was driving me crazy. Searched for "sliding noise" and this great thread shows up. Looked under the driver seat with the BMW flashlight and saw 3 coins in my vent. Strange how the only 3 coins under my seat managed to find their way into the vent. Found a long rod I could use and scraped out the coins. Now I'm 16 cents richer and driving happier.
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06-03-2008, 10:55 AM	#15
Orangeman5 Enlisted Member 3 Rep 48 Posts Drives: 2006 330i j. black Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Maryland iTrader: (0)	This forum saves the day again! I too experienced this annoying sliding sound. The car was due for a service and I asked my SA to take the kick panel and under-dash cover off convinced that the problem was there. My SA called me and told me that the tech couldn't find anything. (No charge for the tech time since my SA is a real professional). Anyway, I was left to resolve the problem myself. My first stop . . . this forum. A search for sliding noise proved I was not alone. Thanks to the members of this forum an annoying problem was solved in about 60 seconds. By the way, I am now .37 cents closer to retirement! Thanks to all on the forum and particularly this thread! __________________ 330i MT/Jet Black/Black Leather/Walnut Burl Trim./PP/SP/PDC/CA/Sirius/Heated Seats "Drive fast, take chances."
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08-13-2010, 10:49 AM	#16
btinl First Lieutenant 11 Rep 382 Posts Drives: '15 F32, '14 F25 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bay Area, CA iTrader: (2)	Noticed this same sliding noise today, and it was driving me nuts. Found $1.25 in quarters in this damn vent. What a stupid design.
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06-20-2012, 10:21 PM	#17
merkus Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: 2011 328i Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Birmingham, AL iTrader: (0)	Great thread. I have a new to me 328i that I bought on Friday. Sliding noise in the dash began yesterday and has been driving me crazy and had me worried I had bought a problem car. I searched for "sliding noise" and found this, relieving my paranoia, avoiding a trip to the dealer, and enabling me to blame it all on a single penny rattling around in the air duct. Seems that BMW could have designed this a little better. . .
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08-23-2014, 12:30 AM	#18
harms Captain 75 Rep 605 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Australia iTrader: (0)	I know this is an old thread but i came across it while searching for "sliding noise"! And turns out i had 20 cents in the vent under the drivers seat. A hint to anyone else with this problem - I used an old windscreen wiper to reach the coin. The rubber bit of the wiper 'grabbed' the coin nicely and dragged it right out!
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04-25-2017, 10:53 AM	#19
Orangee94 Second Lieutenant 40 Rep 224 Posts Drives: 135i n55 DCT 2013 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: australia, sydney iTrader: (0)	Going to bump this thread as i also found 1 dollar in that and it solved my bloody sliding sound mystery hollyyy SH*T that bugged me to death so much.. __________________ e84 x1 2012 Sdrive2.0d sold was a fun car in stick
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05-29-2017, 12:06 AM	#20
hr2pilot New Member 2 Rep 13 Posts Drives: 2008 M3 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Vancouver, BC iTrader: (0)	Man, am I glad I googled 'sliding noise in BMW E92' and found this thread. That sliding noise was driving me nuts! ...for the life of me, I couldn't find the source! First I removed the back panel on the drivers seat thinking something was loose inside the seat...then I removed the back seats thinking something under the rear bench...then the trunk liners to look at the upper rear shock mounts...nothing! So discouraged...thinking I'm going to have to go to the dealer and pay mucho bucks for a new rear end. Then I searched and found this thread. WOOOOHOOO....I used my Milwaukee Inspection tool to look inside of the underseat vent and LOW AND BEHOLD....my long lost spark plug socket that disappeared some time around when the shuffling started!! ...it's been shuffling left and right , forward and back for months! Can you beleive it? It had to have entered those small vents perfectly like a heat seeking missile entering Bin Laden's window to get into there. Praise be google and forums like this!
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11-03-2018, 01:32 AM	#22
chanzs Private 11 Rep 55 Posts Drives: 2006 Z4 M Coupe Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: HK iTrader: (0)	Fantastic post!!! I was going crazy and about to remove my door panel or dash. End up finding a coin each under both front seats!
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