Rattling rear brake pads.

[Simon H]

Hi Chaps,
My latest OCD conquest, is to find the cause of a metallic rattle i have over rougher, bumpy roads. I wonder if anyone could have a listen to their cars next time out ?. It happens over rougher ground, and can deffo be heard as a definite rattle, which immediately stops, if i apply the slightest of pressure to the brake pedal, whilst keeping power on with my right foot. I can go over ground where i can hear the rattle, then go over the same ground with the brakes slightly applied, and no rattle whatsoever. My GT-R used to have this problem, which was quite an easy fix. Also,i can grasp the rear pads gently, and rock them up and down in the calipers, and i feel it is the same noise im hearing out on the road. Any help appreciated, thankyou, Simon.

[JustChris]

It could be the dreaded/common stone chips in the brake covers. Quite a few F80 threads on this. Maybe not though if its only present when you brake? Maybe a trip to the dealers.

[Simon H]

Originally Posted by M Car Chris

It could be the dreaded/common stone chips in the brake covers. Quite a few F80 threads on this. Maybe not though if its only present when you brake? Maybe a trip to the dealers.

Hi Chris,
When i brake, the rattling stops immediately, and the rattle is only present on roughish road surfaces. I dont listen to the radio much, as im always listening to the engine etc, so im wondering if nobody else has noticed this, if they are listening to music etc. It is the same rattle as my old GT-R had trouble with, and im sure these are Brembo brakes, as were the GT-Rs. I will sort it, and get back with the answer. But hell, im still in awe of the car, i cant believe its mine when i walk into the garage, we are truly blessed.

[Dwellot]

I've the same rattle on my F80 LCI. It also stops when I slightly brake. During rainy weather it's not noticeable either.

[Dwellot]

I've booked an appointment with the dealer to check the rear brakes.

[CT123]

I have the same issue. The rattling is clearly the loose rear pads which can be moved around in the calliper. I don't get why only a few cars over the entire build period seem to have this problem? Mine is a 15. You would think it would be all or none, or least some of a certain build date?

The car has been back to the dealer twice but they have not fixed it. First time they said they greased the brakes (I assume the pins and back of the pads) which stopped the noise for a while but of course the grease soon washed out. I have asked why there is not a better anti-rattle spring available but I am told there is not, so this time they say they replaced the pins and said it was fixed but within a mile of picking the car up again (they kept it for 10 days) it was clear the issue is still there. NOT impressed! To be fair to the dealer it seems BMW UK are being pretty useless and are not coming up with a fix. It was suggested that it might just be 'the way it is' to which I replied forcefully that was not an acceptable answer in a £10k car, let alone a flagship M car.

The dealer has referred back to BMW again for a fix as I said I was raising a complaint. Hopefully someone will come up with a solution as the rattling drives me

[Dwellot]

Had the same issue on my 16 M3 with my dealer in Switzerland, they seem to be unable to fix it. Very frustrating. I've wrote a complain letter to the customer service in Germany. First reply after 2 days was, that they forwarded it to the respective department.

[Dwellot]

BMW told me that the rattle of the rear brake pads is considered normal as due to more heat during heavy usage, there has to be some space between the pads and the calipers.

[CT123]

If your rattling is anything like as annoying as mine I would not accept that answer. Yes i understand there has to be some space but the whole pad assembly seems to be too loose. The front brakes which take more load don't suffer the same looseness and rattling so not sure their argument really stacks up. My car is going back to the dealer again next week. I've made it clear that I want a solution. Fingers crossed.

[dopper99]

Hmmmm this is interesting as I noticed a slight dull rattle/knocking noise coming from what I think is the rears left of the car. Noticed it the day I picked it up although it's very slight and only occasionally.

I thought is was a trim issue, until I read this thread, now thats got me wondering.....

How would you describe the rattle/noise?

But I cant try out mine again till I get it back from the dealers after the diff fix.

[CT123]

It is a metallic clanking sound on my car. Kind of what you'd expect two thick metal plates just knocking against each other to sound like. Tends to happen over rutted surfaces, which given the state of our roads is pretty much all the time. If you left foot brake slightly to engage the pads on the discs the sound stops.

[Simon H]

When i first noticed this problem, i removed the rear pads, and bent the anti rattle clips downwards, and this stopped the noise for a while, i could have also bent the section of the clip that the pins sit in upwards, but never did, so that may help also. What also doesnt help here, is that the round pad pins, go through a square hole in the pads.

The Nissan GT-R suffered from the same problem, and Nissan produced a new anti rattle spring.