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How to stop F20/1 boot 'clicking / ticking / tapping' rattle

57K views 27 replies 22 participants last post by  Mrbarry 
#1 ·
It seems I'm not the only one to suffer a clicking / ticking / tapping noise from the boot in the winter, so I thought I'd share how I fixed mine ( with thanks going to Wibbles / Dan135i / Mr Tracey / et al for their assistance).

1st job, buy some cloth Tesa Tape! Mine is 15mm wide, and came from : . You'll also need a Torx screwdriver (T20 possibly??), a medium Philips screwdriver, some masking tape or similar, and some scissors.

How to....

First, have a tap around. My trim was loosest on the top, and on sides (roughly in line with the strut mounts). Prodding the trim there replicated my ticking noise.

Next, mark out where you want to apply your Tesa tape. I went all the way around the boot trim with my masking-tape, around 2mm away from the edge. Keep it as neat and consistant as possible as this will be your guide later on:

Boot_zpsx9ftlctn.jpg


Once your masking-tape guide is complete, remove the 4 pieces of boot trim. Unscrew 2 x plastic Philips screws (+ their bases) & 4 x Torx screws (all marked in yellow above). Now the boot trim unclips with a few firm tugs. Start with the long section behind the 3rd brake light (4 body clips + plastic catches at each end), then the sides (1 bodyclip each, plus plastic catches), then the main trim (6 body clips).

Once removed, stick a neat line of Tesa up to your masking-tape guide:

Boot2_zpsoewoljvq.jpg


Use the rest of the tape wherever there could be contact, in between the ends of the plastic trim sections, metal seams, plastic protrusions, glass, etc, etc. See yellow lines above for a couple of suggestions. It's also well worth while checking for any loose/knocking cables and pipes around the top of the boot lid, my 3rd brake light cable was definitely loose enough to rattle around over bumps.

Refitting the trim is the opposite of removal.

Final result should be tidy, almost invisible, and noise free:

Boot 3_zpsa425wdkg.JPG


HTH. :)
 
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#4 ·
It's a thin edge, but you could do that instead / too. :) Depends where & how much sticky cloth tape you want on display, etc.

I did a lot edge-taping that on the inside, but it's quite tricky to get it to stick neatly. It's slightly awkward to see exactly where the centre of the Tesa tape is, so it often goes on a bit wonky (not that it matters behind the scenes).
 
#5 ·
......and there was me thinking it was only us old E87 owners that had all the rattles & bangs!!! :rotfl:
 
#9 ·
Thanks to MP for this 'How to'.

Unfortunately after much Tesa taping and removing the hatch lining twice, there is still a noise. Although my Tesa taping did remove other noises caused by the loose fitting hatch liner - so all was not lost!

I think I'll try and adjust the two stoppers that the hatch sits against when closed. That said, there doesn't seem to be any movement when pushing down on the closed hatch. It's not the parcel shelf as I drove around without it in the car.
 
#13 ·
I've been plagued by an intermittent high-pitched rattle from the boot area for a while - on looking at the boot trim last night, I realised it is so loosely attached that it visibly moves against the bodywork when you push it lightly with a finger. Three rolls of Tesa tape ordered; that's now next Saturday's job!
 
#14 ·
Many thanks OP for posting this guide. Followed all the steps and now my rattle has gone. I think one of the main bits was the largest plastic panel touching the glass on one side, so for anyone else looking at doing this fix it could be worth checking that out. Couple of points I'd note:

- It's a T20 torx screwdriver you'll need.
- I also used 15mm tape but going a bit wider would probably make sense to help ensure it sticks securely.
 
#15 ·
i need to do this with mine its driving me insane, i even turn the radio off to listen for it which makes me even worse :lol2:

had it both on my old 1 series and my new one
 
#16 ·
This guide is much appreciated, only 2k miles into ownership & I cringe on bumpy roads.

Went to try this today but the 2 plastic Philips screws at the top do not want to come out. They just turn aimlessly. The metal bolts - no problem.

Anyone else have bother with these? I abandoned the project for fear of breaking anything.
 
#17 ·
Andrewthefirst said:
This guide is much appreciated, only 2k miles into ownership & I cringe on bumpy roads.

Went to try this today but the 2 plastic Philips screws at the top do not want to come out. They just turn aimlessly. The metal bolts - no problem.

Anyone else have bother with these? I abandoned the project for fear of breaking anything.
Tried it on my previous 1 series and the plastic screws we're having none of it. Got it on my current 1 series and asked them to look at it when it went in for the EGR replacement and they said they didn't have time.

Would they still fix this under warranty as my card only a year and a half old?
 
#18 ·
Thank you for doing this guide Marco. :thumbs:

Just did this today. I didn't really have any issues whilst doing it either.
The little plastic screws came out fine with some gentle even pressure on them whilst unscrewing. I did find the Tesa tape to be the least adhesive tape I've ever used though. :lol2:

Only thing I'd add to the guide is that it's worth using alcohol wipes or similar all the way around the boot lid in order to help the Tesa tape adhere properly to the surface.
 
#19 ·
Also a thanks for doing this guide too Marco :D

It has helped my car with a lot of the rattles & ticks, but not quite all but that is because I bottled it a bit and didn't remove all the trim mainly due to the fact that most of my rattles are at the top of the bootlid and the bottom was already pretty solid.

It did all come away as mentioned, but without me actually separating / unclipping the plastic parts away from each other, I still managed to get to all the joining parts and get the tape around the 2/3 rds of the area I have the noises from.

So all in all, yes, this has totally stopped the sound of plastic against plastic for me which is a great result, but I although I think the last noise I am left with is more to do with the concealed wiring around this area now and not the trim.

I did as suggested and where some of the wires were loose I pulled out a little and wrapped the wire and surrounding body areas with the tape, but I think my issue is somewhere further down than you can easily get to.

The only thing is that with my somewhat partial removal, it is pretty tricky to contort the panels back in and keep them all clipped together, not move the tape you have just put in place and also not bend any of the clips that need to go back in - so just something to look out for if you don't get it all out in one piece like I did.

Overall though, for 1hr it has removed 90% of my noises which I am happy with, and I'm not going to risk it not going back together again for me to try and hunt down the loose wire somewhere not easy to get to - so thanks very much for the guide and ridding nearly all the rattles :D
 
#20 ·
Just wanted to add to this thread.

For quite a few months I had an annoying dull tapping / knocking noise coming from the boot when going over rough road / bumps etc.
All was fine with the boot trim, however it appears that one of the rubber bungs on the parcel shelf had gone bye bye, allowing the parcel shelf to jump and contact the shelf housing.

Simple and cheap fix at £5 for a replacement. So is worth bearing in mind if you, like I did, have a tapping / knocking noise coming from your boot area that doesnt appear to be trim related.

Part Number: 51466967605
 
#21 ·
What sort of sound was the noise coming from the boot? I have it where when i go over a bump itll rattle like the boot isnt actually closed properly. Can't for the sake of me get my hear around why it is happening. I have tried a few tips like tape on the latch etc, but it's still there :( Not sure if the fix Marco stated would be for me as it sounds different to how he described it in the OP.
 
#22 ·
chinskee said:
What sort of sound was the noise coming from the boot? I have it where when i go over a bump itll rattle like the boot isnt actually closed properly. Can't for the sake of me get my hear around why it is happening. I have tried a few tips like tape on the latch etc, but it's still there :( Not sure if the fix Marco stated would be for me as it sounds different to how he described it in the OP.
Mine sounds exactly like yours too
 
#24 ·
chinskee said:
What sort of sound was the noise coming from the boot? I have it where when i go over a bump itll rattle like the boot isnt actually closed properly. Can't for the sake of me get my hear around why it is happening. I have tried a few tips like tape on the latch etc, but it's still there :( Not sure if the fix Marco stated would be for me as it sounds different to how he described it in the OP.
I've learnt to live with this. Been to BMW three times and each time they adjusted the boot. Better but still sh#t.
 
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