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Updated: M140i - Gearbox whine/leaks and a roof rattle - Ombudsman rule in my favour!

87K views 740 replies 122 participants last post by  Lambster 
#1 ·
Hello All,

I have a suspect gearbox issue with my M140i. September 2016 Build with approx 4,000 miles - The cars been doing this for a few thousand miles now. Any drive mode, any gearbox mode - Gets worse as the car gets warmer... Is this normal?



This video is shot with an iPhone so the Mic isn't the best at picking the sound up, in the car it sounds like a supercharger (or a cake mixer as my Mrs puts it).

Need your input please!
 
#403 ·
5678 said:
You all have warranty right? Then why worry? Ignore the noise (easy for me to say I admit!) and if it gets ridiculous it goes pop then it gets fixed!
The problem is the noise is just a noise, it doesn't lead onto anything and will never go pop. So the gearbox will be fine but you will just have to live with the terrible noise which BMW say is "normal".

So the warranty is worthless, because they say it's "normal" you just have to get over it.

If the noise was bad, got worse, then lead to gearbox destruction then fine it could be fixed under warranty. But it doesn't and BMW won't fix it.
 
#404 ·
Ummm I dunno, I certainly wouldnt want to wait say 3 years for the gearbox to fail (if ever) and meanwhile keep making an annoying noise ... not in a car for that kind of money. This isnt something other cars like this do, certainly didnt hear it during my test drive which was the same spec.
 
#405 ·
HammyUK said:
Onetwenty- g'box replacement is a few hours for them to do and doesn't take half the car apart either.
Got to watch them do mine and it's impressive to see.
That's good to know. :)

Think I will go up there for a chat in the next week or two.
 
#406 ·
So Sytner have told me, as per all you other guys, that this is a characteristic of the engine. They are claiming the noise is from the engine and is nowhere near the gearbox, it explains why you can still hear it in Neutral or Park. The master tech drove me in their 67 plate demo car which whined, but not as loudly.... but this was a low mileage car at 2800mls, mine is a high miler at 5600mls, so it's acceptable for it to be audible of everything else by 5600mls. Even this guy was commenting m about how terrible they sound.

Personally I think this is going to cost them a fortune in the future, I'm suddenly reminded of the N47 timing chain issue, which was again a "characteristic", and not in anyway shape or form a design flaw. God knows what that noise is if it's internal to the engine, but it cannot be good.

Basically if you buy a x40i B58 engined car, be preprared to pay a lot of money for a car that sounds like it's broken. You will not be able to do anything about it as it's a characteristic. Bad luck if you bought the car before it started making the noise, it's acceptable for a £37k (list price) car to sound broken after 5600mls. Any other manufacturer would just fix this, BMW as per their MO will do anything to avoid paying out.

My exhaust flap is also rattling and BMW are saying they don't have a fix, and won't give a MPE free of charge. So I have rejected the car on the grounds of the exhaust rattle as that is a genuine fault and not a characteristic. Looking forward to getting my deposit back and getting out of the car, lucky escape. To say I'm bitter about this is an understatement. I do not like being treated like an idiot, nor do I like have my purchase experience utterly ruined. I will never, ever buy another BMW ever again. If they don't look after their more "expensive" customers god knows what it must be like in a 114i.

So for Google purposes, if you are looking for problems, whines or common faults for your buyers guide for your BMW 140i, 240i, 340i, 440i then here's the lowdown: your car will sound like it has a nakered differential, or gearbox, and this is normal. I will make it even more simple for you: BUY SOMETHING ELSE.

 
#408 ·
Has anyone else been told it's a characteristic of the engine rather than the ZF gearbox?

AIUI the gearbox whine problem with the ZF has been reported on the N55 engines of the x335i cars before the B58 engines were introduced.

Maybe your fault is a different one?
 
#410 ·
My noise is exactly as per the OP and other YouTube videos of the same issue. If you get the car on a ramp and give it some revs you'll hear it.... I have to agree it comes from further forward than the box. It's almost located at the rear of the engine near the timing chain area, but definitely in front of the 'box.

Want to test it? Put the car in park or neutral and rev it to about 5/6k, it'll whine on the overrun, I will put money on it. The warmer the engine the louder the whine.

Let's be honest the B58 and the x40i range hasn't exactly sold in big numbers so these issues may only just start to be appearing. The number of x40i manuals around must be at tops 5% of total sales? So I'm guessing the number of whiners in that population may be significantly smaller, purely because he population is smaller.

There are now at least three people on this forum alone being told that this whine is completely acceptable for their flagship models of car (excluding proper Ms). Others are now starting to notice it. It also appears common that people start to notice it because it gets louder at about 5k+ miles.

End of the day, it may be a slightly different pitch/severity of noise on each car, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is that this is not going to be fixed,o r have the cause of the noise explained in a public forum and proves that BMW just don't give a flying **** about their customers. Sytner cannot tell me what the noise is, and BMW apparently just immediately told them to tell
me it was a "characteristic". So Sytner don't agree it's pleasant sounding, nor do they agree it sounds right, but the manufacturer will not pay them to tear it down to find out as it's "acceptable noise". I'd love to see the MD of BMW UK accept this noise on his personal car for 30k miles.

As a result of the above, i will do anything in my power to make sure people I know avoid buying a x40i B58 engined car. Guy at work heard my "acceptable characteristic" and cancelled his order for a 440i with BMW UK (Alphabet drive (owned by BMW UK)). Told them that his idea of acceptable and BMWs idea of acceptable seem to be quite far apart. I would suggest anyone on this forum who is considering one avoids it like the plague.

Do NOT buy a B58 engined car until this is resolved, you WILL regret it.
 
#411 ·
sspdw said:
Well i dont think its an engine sound, no manuals reported whining. I would most definitly buy auto IF this whine issue didnt exist. I had whine on my 335i e91 before the gearbox reached operating temp, really hated that sound.
Manuals do make the noise as well, have a look at the video I posted a few pages back. It's a YouTube vid of a 240 in Leeds somewhere. It was only after I posted the vid that I realised it was a manual and I went back and edited the post.

So maybe it's is engine rather than gb. :eek2:
 
#412 ·
This is the video, go to 4:30 ish.

 
#413 ·
I'm telling you it's the engine.... :censored2:
It's like the vanos cogs aren't lubricated enough or potentially worse. As I say, personal thoughts are that these engines are ticking time bombs. Just look at what happened with the N47 as it started to "mature".
 
#414 ·
Vanos was my first thought also.
 
#416 ·
Best place to hear it is from inside passenger footwell near the bulkhead. I'm going to hit up the technical diagrams later today to see what is rotational and in that area.
Even if your car doesn't sound like it now, it would appear to me it's only a matter of time before it gets that loud.

All I can suggest is that if you have an exhaust flap fault, and don't want a MPE because it's not the car you bought I.e. Louder and droney then you also have grounds to reject the vehicle. BMW simply don't have a fix for that issue beyond giving people a MPE. If you don't want that because it's not the car you bought, they are left with little choice.
 
#417 ·
135aiiii said:
Best place to hear it is from inside passenger footwell near the bulkhead. I'm going to hit up the technical diagrams later today to see what is rotational and in that area.
Even if your car doesn't sound like it now, it would appear to me it's only a matter of time before it gets that loud.

All I can suggest is that if you have an exhaust flap fault, and don't want a MPE because it's not the car you bought I.e. Louder and droney then you also have grounds to reject the vehicle. BMW simply don't have a fix for that issue beyond giving people a MPE. If you don't want that because it's not the car you bought, they are left with little choice.
My problem is I already have the MPE as I bought it along with the car :(

In our country, we cant reject the car easily based on 1 fault. We have to give them 30 days to fix it or have the same part broken 3 times.
These 2 occurrences are grounds for rejection.

A powerful 6 cylinder engine in a premium car isnt supposed to sound like a mixer, the engine was one of the primary reasons I went to m140 from Cupra!
I certainly wouldnt make it easy for the local BMW to give me this "characteristic" bullcrap. It isnt something dealer advertised and I certailny didnt notice on a test drive. Its also not something you can sport right away as you arent supposed to rev it for 2500km...
 
#418 ·
135aiiii said:
My noise is exactly as per the OP and other YouTube videos of the same issue. If you get the car on a ramp and give it some revs you'll hear it.... I have to agree it comes from further forward than the box. It's almost located at the rear of the engine near the timing chain area, but definitely in front of the 'box.

Want to test it? Put the car in park or neutral and rev it to about 5/6k, it'll whine on the overrun, I will put money on it. The warmer the engine the louder the whine.

Let's be honest the B58 and the x40i range hasn't exactly sold in big numbers so these issues may only just start to be appearing. The number of x40i manuals around must be at tops 5% of total sales? So I'm guessing the number of whiners in that population may be significantly smaller, purely because he population is smaller.

There are now at least three people on this forum alone being told that this whine is completely acceptable for their flagship models of car (excluding proper Ms). Others are now starting to notice it. It also appears common that people start to notice it because it gets louder at about 5k+ miles.

End of the day, it may be a slightly different pitch/severity of noise on each car, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is that this is not going to be fixed,o r have the cause of the noise explained in a public forum and proves that BMW just don't give a flying **** about their customers. Sytner cannot tell me what the noise is, and BMW apparently just immediately told them to tell
me it was a "characteristic". So Sytner don't agree it's pleasant sounding, nor do they agree it sounds right, but the manufacturer will not pay them to tear it down to find out as it's "acceptable noise". I'd love to see the MD of BMW UK accept this noise on his personal car for 30k miles.

As a result of the above, i will do anything in my power to make sure people I know avoid buying a x40i B58 engined car. Guy at work heard my "acceptable characteristic" and cancelled his order for a 440i with BMW UK (Alphabet drive (owned by BMW UK)). Told them that his idea of acceptable and BMWs idea of acceptable seem to be quite far apart. I would suggest anyone on this forum who is considering one avoids it like the plague.

Do NOT buy a B58 engined car until this is resolved, you WILL regret it.
Hmm.... Got one coming in a few weeks[emoji54]
Interesting thread. Clearly it isnt affecting all models however. Reminds me with my rs3 the forum is flooded with issues with the car for which I have experienced none in my 3 years of ownership. Thanks for sharing though and really hope the sort the issue.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
 
#420 ·
I have a may 2016 production 8at 340xi with this whine also, only noticable to me clearly 1000-2000rpm, worst 1800-2000 rpm on acceleration or deceleration, reminds me of very minor bearing noise in an accessory or even ground noise with a poorly installed aftermarket radio/amp.

I haven't brought it in and it's done it to some degree since new maybe louder now. It's quite annoying, it's not quite subaru sti 6spd gearbox whine loud but very noticeable.

Most ppl I ask that ride with me don't notice it or think it's acceptable, 8200 miles currently.

No leak from my turbo vband clamp as others have been finding but coolant was about 16oz low at 8k miles as others have also found.

Questionable longevity me thinks, glad I leased.

For what it's worth we also own a 2017 ford escape titanium 4wd (ford kuga?) With 2.0 litre twin scroll turbo engine and 6spd automatic... I find that powertrain much quieter and also less road noise than the 3 series *scratches head*
 
#421 ·
Enthusiastowned. I have just read much if this thread from top to bottom. What a horrible situation and how deeply disappointing but seems like they fobbed off the wrong guy! I commend your resiliance and the way you have cleaverly docunented the whole affair. We all no doubt wish you the best of luck it getting this resolved and I feel you will reach your goal. I take my hat off, thanks for sharing such a horrible exoerience that you ate clearly still going through but light is at the end of the tunnel.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
 
#423 ·
May aswell add my tuppence worth. My M140 is on just over 7.5k miles. In the last few hundred miles I've noticed a whine once up to operating temp. Definitely seems to be getting worse.

Will broach this - armed with an expectation to be fobbed off - with my dealer when it goes in for its MPE tomorrow in place of the rattling standard backbox...

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
 
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