[rss]

Was cleaning the car on Saturday and thought I'd pop open the bonnet to have a look.

When I opened it I noticed that the air intake from the fan to the engine has a small section (about 8 inches long) which is kind of like a wire box frame with some rubberised material around it joining the two sections together.

On the top and down one side, it has all frayed away leaving the wire frame exposed with lots of strands loose. The car is only a week old so it seems very strange that this has happened since its PDI check. I've got no idea what could've caused it - there is a very strong vibration on the engine but it is very smooth and quiet from inside the car.

I'm going to take it into the dealer later this week but would you say it was safe to drive between then? I guess the air filter is in front of the 'hole' so there could be debris and stuff being sucked in ?

[E90Fleet]

This is what it is supposed to look like ( ignore the red circle )

Is yours different ?

[E90Fleet]

Here is a 318d

Yours should look almost identical

[E90Fleet]

The airfilter sits behind it ( closer to rear of car )

[rss]

thanks for the photos, very helpful!

Yes, mine is the same. If you look at the first photo and the opposite side to your 'circle', next to the strut, basically the rubber/fabric has come away almost completely on the side nearest the engine and 3/4 along the top.

[E90Fleet]

If a piece has come off they need to replace the "tube"

It should all be in perfect condition like in the pictures

[rss]

cheers. Will send them a copy of your photo if that is ok so they can order the correct part.

[stressdoc]

Any chance mice have been at work here? What does it look like might have done the damage? Hard to imagine normal vibration could do it unless a tool or something was rubbing against the tube.

[rss]

Dunno about mice, maybe gremlins!

If it was, our 3 cats aren't doing their jobs properly

There doesn't appear to be anything that has caused it. Maybe it was just faulty from the start. It's being checked over on Saturday so i'll see what the dealer says.

[Broken1]

The first photo is of my car YAY :-)

It should be fixed - I wonder what could cause it to rub/burn away?

[Tierfreund]

Maybe martens (rodents) a popular problem in the south of germany. They just love a warm engine compartment and chew away at anything soft and rubbery.

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by Broken1

The first photo is of my car YAY :-)

Yes, thanks for the pic

[- Paul -]

but have the roundels under the bonnet always been black and white?? I mean on all past BM's?

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by 1stnewcar

but have the roundels under the bonnet always been black and white?? I mean on all past BM's?

On the smaller engines where the badge is part of the plastic and not removable, yes

On the larger engines he bade is generally removable and colred

[- Paul -]

Cheers Fleet!

[voltron1011]

Originally Posted by Tierfreund

Maybe martens (rodents) a popular problem in the south of germany. They just love a warm engine compartment and chew away at anything soft and rubbery.

Yeah, those are called Ferrets. They love munching on everything under the hood.

[Lost Rider]

I just found a nest right on top of my intake last week.
The nest was made of mostly insulation, but there was some pieces of plastic in it.
Couldn't find where any of the material came from.
Good thing this is on my e46 that's getting traded in 2 weeks.
I've added mouse/rat traps to my garage , and am waiting to see what they catch.