Solution to rattle noise coming from iDrive screen when closed

[Asbjorn]

Please note: This is not a solution for the noise the display makes when opening and closing.

Intro

After three years of ownership I believe I have finally found a solution to the dreaded rattle noise which many of us experience when driving with the iDrive screen closed. Sometimes it is even noticeable when driving with the roof down, and it has been annoying me for quite a long time.

It has been known for years that pressing down on the display with a gentle finger eliminates the rattle noise, but only for as long as you keep the finger on top of the gear there. Physically attacking the display for 30 seconds as well as verbal abusing it outside a Hotel somewhere in North Yorkshire does not help either. So here is a new solution which seems to keep the noise away until the next heating/cooling cycle of the interior.

1) First close the display.

2) Then apply firm pressure with several fingers across the area above the vents marked in the following picture. Apply pressure only to the plastic section containing the vents, and NOT the screen itself. I repeat, do not touch the moving part that actually opens and closes at this stage. Continue until the plastic no longer makes any cracking noises when applying firm pressure.



3) Now the constant rattle noise should have vanished. If not, press down very gently on top of the display. Do not add force. It may cause the area to make a few extra cracking noises, and afterwards everything should be silent.

4) If the rattle noise is still there after trying this, try selling the car and buying a new BMW Z4.

Bonus tip: Do the same thing to other potentially "noisy" plastic parts, especially the roll bar covers, to "free" the areas of noises before setting off.

Please let me know if this solution works on your car as well!

[CedarZ4]

Doesn't this technique imply the rattling is coming from the ventilation vent, not the navigation screen itself? And vibration of the iDrive screen (due to the road) transfers that motion into the vent that is actually causing the noise?

I know that within the year after I had bought the car, I brought it into the dealer for iDrive screen noise. They duplicated the sound and actually replaced the iDrive screen, and the noise disappeared. Maybe there are 2 sources of iDrive screen noise?

And yes, the noise did come back a few months after. Decided to accept it and save up money to trade up to a new Z4 instead.

[Asbjorn]

Originally Posted by CedarZ4

Doesn't this technique imply the rattling is coming from the ventilation vent, not the navigation screen itself? And vibration of the iDrive screen (due to the road) transfers that motion into the vent that is actually causing the noise?

Spot on. You can actually reproduce the rattling sound by opening the screen and squeezing the top of the vent structure with two fingers. It is a very loud sound in my car. Somehow pushing the part a little eliminates the rattle noise for a period of time. I guess cleaning behind the top of the vent (where the top of the screen rests when closed) could turn out to be a more permanent solution.