Real fix for Armrest Rattle / Creek

[SfValley335i]

I like many of you have been plagued with rattles in my 1 series. One of the most annoying rattle was my armrest. I searched and saw people using rubber pads to dampen the armrest.

On my armrest there were two issues, first being whenever I put my arm on the rest it would creek and the other issue was the armrest would creek going over bad or uneven roads.

To resolve the creeks when pressure is placed on the armrest, using rubber pads resolved the issue.

To resolve the creeks when driving over uneven/bad roads, I sprayed silicone spray into the two moving joints of the armrest (See yellow arrow). The spray actually comes out of the can as a foam and turns to liquid... After spraying both inner joints, I lifted the armrest to help circulate the silicone spray inside...

The silicone spray is a little smelly, but after 2 days the smell goes away. My armrest no longer creeks at all!!! Finally the car sounds like a Bmw not a Ford.

I'm pretty confident this will resolve everyone's annoying armrest creek.

[daflamme]

Thanks I'll try this as I've jut bought my 1 and it scared me how the center armrest looks cheap...

[ggcadc]

That's awesome, just got my 128 and noticed the squeak... In coming from an r53 Mini Cooper (rattle box) so I was a little annoyed to have any rattle at all. I'm confident this fix will work. Thanks!!!

[tranism]

I thought industrial grade silicone was bad for plastic and isn't it a bit toxic?

[SfValley335i]

Originally Posted by tranism

I thought industrial grade silicone was bad for plastic and isn't it a bit toxic?

I dont think this is industrial grade... I got it at lowes. Plus the manufacturer of my homes windows suggested using it because my new windows were not sliding smoothly... Window frame is made of plastic...

I havent checked to see if its toxic or not, I do know it fixed my rattles.

[JohnnyG_TO]

Damp a cloth with silicone spray and treat all the rubber seals around the doors, trunk, sunroof. Not only does it stop squeaks in these places too, but also helps the rubber last longer.

[jkoral]

Originally Posted by JohnnyG_TO

Damp a cloth with silicone spray and treat all the rubber seals around the doors, trunk, sunroof. Not only does it stop squeaks in these places too, but also helps the rubber last longer.

Or use the recommended BMW Gummi-Pflege:

[6MT_Addict]

I used a less 'greasy' approach. So far permanent fix... On my car the source of the creaking was primarily from where the plastic on the hinge mechanism contacted the consol tray.

Originally Posted by 1AddictsAnonymous

A while back I mentioned I used 3m double sided Velcro to solve this problem on my 1er. I placed the loop side Velcro as shown below, no creaks since!

I found the biggest difference was when I placed velcro on the round hinge mechanism. The plastic here showed signs of wear from the two panels rubbing and even after I did the door on the console it still creaked, so I tried that and it solved the issue.

From: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...5&postcount=73