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      05-18-2021, 12:01 AM   #1
1erE88
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Unexplainable clunking!

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.
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      05-20-2021, 02:18 PM   #2
asbrr
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Wow it's pretty pronounced in the interior video, I can faintly hear it in the passenger side video when you turn right a bit and hit that bump.

I don't have much to add given you've replaced much of the suspension. Could be something related to worn motor or transmission mounts, I had a horrible clunk after swapping out my factory transmission mounts for Rogue Engineering rubber mounts.

The sizing was different enough that it shifted the driveline enough to cause two parts to touch (not sure what they were, just going by mechanic's description). They adjusted the spacing using washers somehow and created enough separation.

That sounded similar....good luck.
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      05-20-2021, 02:56 PM   #3
1erE88
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Quote:
Originally Posted by asbrr View Post
Wow it's pretty pronounced in the interior video, I can faintly hear it in the passenger side video when you turn right a bit and hit that bump.

I don't have much to add given you've replaced much of the suspension. Could be something related to worn motor or transmission mounts, I had a horrible clunk after swapping out my factory transmission mounts for Rogue Engineering rubber mounts.

The sizing was different enough that it shifted the driveline enough to cause two parts to touch (not sure what they were, just going by mechanic's description). They adjusted the spacing using washers somehow and created enough separation.

That sounded similar....good luck.
Thanks! That was an area of concern for me to. I have to check the mounts. There isn’t much play in the engine or tranny from what I can see in the video but like you mentioned, it may be two metals colliding with one another and I just can’t see it. I’ll have to lift the car up and carefully look at all points of intersection/ mounting bolts.
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      05-21-2021, 03:37 PM   #4
r0nd3L
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That's super odd. Have you checked sub-frame, steering rack, and steering shaft bolts are all tight?
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      06-03-2021, 07:32 PM   #5
DanielGr
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Is the sound only coming from the front? From that onboard video, almost sounds like a worn CV joint.
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      11-29-2021, 11:19 AM   #6
Dgc4571
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The hardest to chase down clunking noises ive encountered in my shop sounded similar to that over bumps. now i havent seen it with fixed calipers like our cars have, but it might be worth checking how much play your brake pads have within the caliper. Ive only seen it twice in 8 years of being a mechanic, but both times it was a head scratcher to chase down. If im right, i have no idea what causes it, but the only fix is to replace the pads.

Last edited by Dgc4571; 11-29-2021 at 11:19 AM.. Reason: spelling
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      11-29-2021, 11:39 PM   #7
ferocity02
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Is the tire catching on the fender or fender liner?
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      11-30-2021, 12:19 PM   #8
drwillb
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I chased a clunk for a couple of years after doing a full front end M3 suspension. I wound up replacing front struts and got rid of Vorschlag mounts needlessly. In the end it was the steering rack that needed to be tightened down. This despite the fact that I torque everything to spec.

I found similar cases by google search that led me back to 1addicts and e90post. These guys had the same thing: chase the problem with no improvements then tighten (tighter that you would think) the rack and everything goes away.

I recommend you start there. It's free and easy to do.
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2012 135i Mods: air scoops, CP, K&N filter, PS1, ADE FMIC, BMW PE, JB4, 1M front body, full M3 suspension front and rear, M3 brakes front and rear, M3 rear subframe and LSD
Owned so far: 88 M3 x 2, 95 325is, 95 M3 x 2, 06 Mini Cooper S, 08 335 xi, 09 Z4 35i, 01 M3, 12 135i
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