M4 niggles

[cringle]

Thought I'd start a thread for any problems owners have had. I'll kick off:

Loud rattle from glovebox - the pins apparently weren't very secure and dealer tightened everything up which resolved it
Generally quite rattly, the area above the cupholders and both doorcards tend to rattle over poor surfaces
Had the stones jammed behind the brakes which caused a loud grating noise - bent the shield back as per youtube videos
My USB port intermittently loses connection with my iphone when hit larger potholes - booked in with dealer to investigate
My rear speakers (HK) crackle when have certain audio frequencies playing - usually talksport or voice calls - dealer said likely to need replacing - again booked in for this
I have the rearview camera but at night its pretty crap - if I switch the lights off it seems to go into infrared mode? Can see everything much more clearly - wonder if a software update is required
Mine is very gently driven mostly around town, have noticed a degree of clutch slip occasionally when in S1 (DCT), at low loads around slow second gear corners, car only done 9000 miles which is a bit worrying
Fitted the genuine M performance lower front lip - instructions were crap and certain components didn't fit very well so had to use other nuts and bolts to secure it

Generally a bit disappointed with build quality. Would be interesting to hear other owners' experiences

[bigtime]

Get yourself onto the M4 section on M3 cutters. Quite a few on there with similar issues. Especially all the rattles.

[Burwood]

Rattles and squeaks dative me mad. Is the issue typical though.

[wnd]

Had an M4 convertible on test last weekend with 100 miles on it. It rattled to high heaven... HK speakers, LCD display, middle console.. I hope the LCI M3 I've ordered has fixed a few of those issues... coming from a 6 which is generally well screwed together this is a big worry

[cringle]

bigtime said:

Get yourself onto the M4 section on M3 cutters. Quite a few on there with similar issues. Especially all the rattles.

Just spent 30 mins on cutters. The rattles seem very common indeed. Ppl are taking their interiors apart, insulating them with various materials and reassembling them.

I also forgot to mention that I find the seats uncomfortable, over a yr tinkering various positions and my lower back just isn't supported well enough. Also have the brakes seizing on for a second when parked on an incline for more than a few hours.

I'm sure my E46 cabby wasnt as rattly as this

[robbiekhan]

cringle said:

I'm sure my E46 cabby wasnt as rattly as this

That's because it isn't

Truth be told, modern 1-4 series just aren't as well put together as the E46/E39 era.

Back then an E46 was a smaller E39 in almost every way. Today, an F80/2 is not up to scratch with an F10. It's one of the reasons why I have no burning desire to own anything made after the E46. Even the 6 series in the showroom has scratchy plastics that creak when pressed :/

[Schermerhorn]

My E63 M6 used to have squeaky rear headrests. I just folded up two plastic bags and wedged them between the headrests and the rear parcelshelf.

Job done!

Dont think such a simple cure exists anymore on any modern BMW.

[cringle]

I had a 640d before the M4. Same glovebox issue, drivers seat subframe had to be replaced, AC condensor failed, and the comfort seats werent great. Beginning to feel like experimenting with other marques. Over on M3 cutters, people were saying porsche/merc/audi arent much better though

[W8PMC]

cringle said:

I had a 640d before the M4. Same glovebox issue, drivers seat subframe had to be replaced, AC condensor failed, and the comfort seats werent great. Beginning to feel like experimenting with other marques. Over on M3 cutters, people were saying porsche/merc/audi arent much better though

The joys of mass production.

Back in the day Audi only had one current RS model on the production line, now they have 5 & was 6 when the TT-RS was in production. BMW are exactly the same as only ever had 2, that being the M3 & M5, then we saw the M6 & now we have the M4 & a smattering of M*** models so i guess the build quality was always going to suffer.

Although my 1st F10 M5 was rejected, it's replacement has been a complete peach with NO problems whatsoever in 15mths/16k miles (fingers crossed it stays that way).

[Jazzer]

I spent time in one and was shocked at the low build quality.....the M5 is a massive step up in every sense.

Shame....I really wanted to like these things!

[Jazzer]

I spent time in one and was shocked at the low build quality.....the M5 is a massive step up in every sense.

Shame....I really wanted to like these things!

[Burwood]

W8PMC said:

cringle said:

I had a 640d before the M4. Same glovebox issue, drivers seat subframe had to be replaced, AC condensor failed, and the comfort seats werent great. Beginning to feel like experimenting with other marques. Over on M3 cutters, people were saying porsche/merc/audi arent much better though

The joys of mass production.

Back in the day Audi only had one current RS model on the production line, now they have 5 & was 6 when the TT-RS was in production. BMW are exactly the same as only ever had 2, that being the M3 & M5, then we saw the M6 & now we have the M4 & a smattering of M*** models so i guess the build quality was always going to suffer.

Although my 1st F10 M5 was rejected, it's replacement has been a complete peach with NO problems whatsoever in 15mths/16k miles (fingers crossed it stays that way).

I've hada mixed bag of BMW's too. I rejected a 7 series with 10k miles on the clock-absolute dog of a car-in 18 months the warranty work print out was 18 pages long, i st you not. The E46 M3 was a peach

[HannsG]

Are they really this poor? Disappointing as I am considering an E92 4 door M3 or an M4?

I currently drive an E46 M3 Coupe and it has ZERO rattles despite being a 10 year old car. The only thing that rattles is the child seat in the back.

Can anyone confirm the build quality on the E92 M3?

[rassi]

HannsG said:

Are they really this poor? Disappointing as I am considering an E92 4 door M3 or an M4?

I currently drive an E46 M3 Coupe and it has ZERO rattles despite being a 10 year old car. The only thing that rattles is the child seat in the back.

Can anyone confirm the build quality on the E92 M3?

Sorry for the non M4 OT, but I can only speak to mine, which is absolutely rock-solid, no rattles and very happy with the build quality. Better than the F25 X3 I had before, and on par with the E60 M5. Of course it has the usual BMW orange peel paint, though maybe less so than on some of the newer F models as mine is an individual colour (?).

[bigtime]

HannsG said:

Are they really this poor? Disappointing as I am considering an E92 4 door M3 or an M4?

I currently drive an E46 M3 Coupe and it has ZERO rattles despite being a 10 year old car. The only thing that rattles is the child seat in the back.

Can anyone confirm the build quality on the E92 M3?

my E92 is completely rattle free. The issues are with the F series.

[RS Grant]

HannsG said:

Are they really this poor? Disappointing as I am considering an E92 4 door M3 or an M4?

I currently drive an E46 M3 Coupe and it has ZERO rattles despite being a 10 year old car. The only thing that rattles is the child seat in the back.

Can anyone confirm the build quality on the E92 M3?

I went from a 2003 Facelift E46 M3 Coupe to a 2011 LCI E91 335i Touring and it was definitely a marked step back in quality... poor paint (courtesy of both BMW and Birds Garage), engine problems, driveshaft failure, squeaks and rattles. I actually ended up stuffing two old socks between the back of the dashboard and windscreen to stop the dashboard rattling because it was slowly sending me insane; not really what you expect to have to do on a car you've just dropped the best part of £30k on.

I'm of the opinion that I wouldn't have an E9x series car ever again, but time is a great healer... and I'd certainly not be buying without taking a car on a very long/varied test drive as well as having it comprehensively checked over pre-purchase.


Cheers,
Grant

[bigtime]

Grant - if that's the case maybe the new M4/3 isn't for you. Not many complaints about rattles on the E90 M3's but the forums are full of this issue with the new F series.

[skeeterm5]

The E92 M3 I ran was absolutely rattle free in the time I owned it.

S

[cringle]

Mate, I certainly would not recommend the F series M3/M4. When spending this kinda money, build quality shouldn't be a lucky dip.

[RS Grant]

bigtime said:

Grant - if that's the case maybe the new M4/3 isn't for you. Not many complaints about rattles on the E90 M3's but the forums are full of this issue with the new F series.

I hear you and finding out little things like this is part of the reason behind needing an extended 48hr test drive before an order is placed.

Taking a new car on a quick 20 minute spin round the block is lovely, but getting a central fleet car that's likely to have been used a little harder and a little longer is something which is going to hopefully reveal a little more about what the car will be like after the honeymoon period. So if it doesn't feel like it justifies it's price tag, then it'll not be getting purchased.


Cheers,
Grant