Turbo rattle...

[mrod81]

So my x5 has was making a slight rattle and about a month since I heard it, it is now making a very noticeable wastegate rattle...i thought that they took care of that in the N55? I'm out of warranty but I remember reading that turbos and exhaust related parts are covered longer by law in CA. Can anyone confirm this? Has anyone else had wastegate rattle?
My indie shop quoted my $3500 if it is that they said they wouldn't fix it just replace the turbos in general...

[HJ]

Funny that you mention this because I just got my car back from the dealer with the same issue on my 35i. I had a clicking/ticking wastegate noise oddly at only around 2kish rpm while accelerating or reved at 2k while parked. They had the car for almost two weeks opened up a puma case and had the upper tier engineers come check out the car, they did everything from a engine compression to oil and filter testing and so on but supposedly everything came back normal. Nothing was replaced/fixed as the corporate engineer had the last say who then gave me an explantion of it having to do with "some flap" from the wastegate and that it was normal. I don't see how getting the rattle all of a sudden at only 2k rpm was normal but guess I have to live with it for now. I'd be careful jumping the gun on replacing the turbo out of your own pocket as this might not be the cause..

[mrod81]

Originally Posted by HJ

Funny that you mention this because I just got my car back from the dealer with the same issue on my 35i. I had a clicking/ticking wastegate noise oddly at only around 2kish rpm while accelerating or reved at 2k while parked. They had the car for almost two weeks opened up a puma case and had the upper tier engineers come check out the car, they did everything from a engine compression to oil and filter testing and so on but supposedly everything came back normal. Nothing was replaced/fixed as the corporate engineer had the last say who then gave me an explantion of it having to do with "some flap" from the wastegate and that it was normal. I don't see how getting the rattle all of a sudden at only 2k rpm was normal but guess I have to live with it for now. I'd be careful jumping the gun on replacing the turbo out of your own pocket as this might not be the cause..

I'm going to take it to my shop to see what they say these guys have always worked on my previous German cars and have always tried to save me money over the dealerships. Im taking it in on Tuesday to have them take a real look at things. That rattle is NOT normal it was so bad in the N54 that they had to extend the warranty out on them... https://www.bmwblog.com/2012/08/16/n...stegates-only/

If it is the wastegate or turbo I plan on going to the dealership first I know there was an article somewhere that in CA those parts are covered by some emissions law.

Either way its definitely not normal you should go back or go to another dealership for a second opinion if you're still under warranty.

[HJ]

Originally Posted by mrod81

I'm going to take it to my shop to see what they say these guys have always worked on my previous German cars and have always tried to save me money over the dealerships. Im taking it in on Tuesday to have them take a real look at things. That rattle is NOT normal it was so bad in the N54 that they had to extend the warranty out on them... https://www.bmwblog.com/2012/08/16/n...stegates-only/

If it is the wastegate or turbo I plan on going to the dealership first I know there was an article somewhere that in CA those parts are covered by some emissions law.

Either way its definitely not normal you should go back or go to another dealership for a second opinion if you're still under warranty.

Yeah still under factory warranty till june then my extended warranty kicks in. Was actually thinking about going to another dealer but figured since there was a puma case I'd just get the same it's normal nonsense

[mrod81]

Originally Posted by HJ

Yeah still under factory warranty till june then my extended warranty kicks in. Was actually thinking about going to another dealer but figured since there was a puma case I'd just get the same it's normal nonsense

Bring it up. The wastegate shouldn't be loose and an expensive ass car like this should not sound like that. Bring up the issue from the N54 I bet that will get them moving...
After doing some research they don't fix much on the entire turbo assembly they just replace the whole thing...lowest I found was 2500 for a new one.
If it ends up being the wastegate and the dealer turns me down Im going to have it replaced by my indie shop. It's progressively getting worse, at first I just heard it when I was driving next to a car or a wall now you can hear it all the time during shift changes at low RPM...It's very annoying.
I'm REALLY hoping it's something else or maybe my shop can "fix" it instead of replacing but we shall see...

[fnunez164]

I'm having the same issue and will be taking mine into the dealership in a week. I noticed it driving with the windows down in my buildings garage and driving by dividers, onto ramps, or parked cars. Seems more pronounced in closed areas and it sounds metallic. Definitely seems turbo related.

[alphaod]

I think the turbos are covered until 7 years / 72,000 miles.

Anyways are you sure it's the turbos?

[mrod81]

Originally Posted by alphaod

I think the turbos are covered until 7 years / 72,000 miles.

Anyways are you sure it's the turbos?

I'm fairly sure it's the wastegate. It's at the shop now I'll know later today.

[originalgoods13]

There are ways to minimize the noise from the rattle by adjusting the wastegate rod or putting spacers where the wastegate assembly is mounted. Temporary fix but beats spending on a whole new kit that may rattle again.

Here's some pictures of the N55 setup on an E90 up close.

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=424535

[mrod81]

So it's 100% wastegate rattle...they are trying to see if adjusting the rod will help but they said it doesn't show any signs of play that it must be the actual wastegate valve not the arm or the actuator...

He said he wouldn't recommend replacing it because it's not detrimental to the engine or to the turbo, just annoying. Recommends I wait till it's not bearable and then replace everything because the wastegate is not replaceable. 3800 to replace the entire turbo...

Fingers crossed that some adjustments will get rid of the rattle otherwise I'm going to be driving with the windows up for a while...

[hambone1983]

Stupid question - where is the waste gate located??

[TOPEC]

inside the hot side of the turbo, right beside the turbine.

generic pic off google for reference. the silver round flap is the wastegate flap/door, the gold part in the 2nd pic is the wastegate actuator itself