X5 Interior Creaks During Cornering

[U235]

I've seen this commented throughout, but I've not seen a thread on it.

My X5 is very quiet on the highway, etc, but when making turns, especially 90 degree turns, it seems the flex of the chassis makes all of the plastic pieces in the interior creak and make plastic on plastic noise. Is there any DIY stuff to fix this?

Also, I've noticed some components really make noise. My elbow on the center console armrest often makes platicy noises, the back of the front headrests are the cheapest feeling material I've ever felt. The car is great, but a couple of these components are uncharacteristic of a car this value. I have an E90 328i loaner right now and it has considerably higher quality interior components than the X5. My 2011 Audi S4 is a vault compared to the x5.

I did fix the dreaded tailgate rattle, so now the car is actually pretty solid, and the remaining noises really only come under cornering at moderate speed, sort of like the interior components can't handle the stress of the body flex.

I've also developed a slight rattle somewhere around the driver side A-arm or in the roof somewhere. The rumble of the diesel engine at low RPM can make a little rattle; drives me nuts.

Has anyone found any fixes? I tried putting felt tape on the underside of the center console armrest and that didn't help.

I really love this truck, but these little gotchas are a bit of a buzz kill.

[NRG]

I had my rubber insulation made similar noise. Had the dealer to perform a carbo-flow treatment, needs to be done every 6months.

[U235]

Never heard of that before.

[NRG]

Originally Posted by U235

Never heard of that before.

Mentioned it to your dealer. They know.

[stussy109]

Silicon spray on rubber gaskets usually solves any rattles or squeaks

[X5er]

I agree. The plastic stuff under the seats squeek on my turns and it is driving me nuts! Is it reasonable to ask the dealer to fix this?

[Jlam86]

I have been tackling these stupid rattles and squeaks since the day I bought this car. I am quite disappointed with the quality of the x5. I spoke to my bmw service advisor and they finally admitted that there is nothing more that they can do and that the E70s are just notorious for noise.

This past week, I took all the panels out of the rear seat to the back of the car. I felt tapped most of the surfaces that contact each other and added foam to where ever i thought would rattle. Long story short, car is much better but far from great. the tail gate does still squeak when the body flexes but not as badly.

[Homer603]

My 2005 X5 4.8is has a weird squeak when turning. Like it is rubbing against something along the steering wheel. Other than that, it is very quiet.

[GKyri]

For tailgate noise, try some grease on the closer and the striker. That was the last thing I did on my anti creak quest (luggage compartment has been my only issue) and I am totally rattle/creak free.

I can only conclude that the body does not actually flex although I can understand why people would think so. Its amazing what a little creak/rattle can do to the whole feel of the car.

Homer603, maybe some grease on the steering components will help as well.

Moving components need some lubrication every now and then.

[SkipSauls]

For the seats I've found that a liberal amount of leather/vinyl protectant between the leather and plastic parts helps, and has lasted for at least a year. I soak one corner of a microfiber towel, push it as far as it will go between the plastic and leather, and then move it along the edge. I do the same for any of the places where leather meets leather.

Similarly, in the cargo area there are some "vents" and other plastic that run along the rear windows. Mine were not creaky all the time, mainly over surfaces where the body would flex a bit (entering driveways off-center, etc.), but it was annoying. I used a plastic protectant (Mother's or Meguiar's, I'm not sure which) and basically "dribbled" some into the gaps where the plastic met, wiping off the excess. I also removed the covers for the amp, storage, etc. and reached up behind things to try to lubricate any edges. The last time I did this was sometime in Summer 2011, same as the seats, and it has been quiet ever since.