My fellow 1er fam, I'm in need of some guidance. I have a 2013, 135i vert with just under 48k miles on it. Car's been babied by both me and the former owner.
A few months ago, the car began to develop a clunking sound, primarily when turning right onto a driveway/ parking garage. I suspected it to be bad sway Bar Links but decided to take it into BMW for a second opinion. After keeping my car for over 2 weeks, they determined it was the front tension strut bushings. Rather than spending over $1500 on parts and labor, I picked up the car and purchased the M3/1M Control Arm Upgrade Kit from FCP Euro.
Since then I've replaced all the following and
STILL there's clunking!
- Control Arms (both sides)
- Front tension struts (both sides)
- Front sway bar links (both sides)
- Front strut assembly- Both sides (new shock, strut mount, top hat, rubbers and boot)
- Sway bar bushings
- Wheel alignment
After each reassembly, I made sure to torque all bolts to factory spec. I also should note steering is firm, no play when turning right/ left/ right/ left… does not clunk.
I've exhausted my search on trying to figure out the root of the problem but before I completely throw in the towel and take it to a BMW specialist, I wanted to put it out there and see if anyone else has had a similar situation?
This is the sound from inside the cabin (sorry for the crappy camera placement- for sound purposes only).
https://youtube.com/shorts/v081iosfs-4?feature=share
I also tried recording from underneath (unfortunately the engine sound drowns out the clunking, but you can faintly hear it from the passenger side).
I really appreciate and welcome any feedback.