Electrical buzzing from Wheels
04-30-2008, 11:23 AM
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My Ride: BMW 520i, March 2004, Silver Grey, 68000 Miles, PDC, DIY iPod Setup with remote control, GLOVE BOX TORCH- YES!
It might only be a 520i, but you've got to start somewhere! It's my first decent ride, and I'm still only 22. And unlike some this ain't Daddy's - it's all mine!
I've been in the house for about an hour and a half now since I was last out in the car, and my dad just came around to look at my new wheels. We went out and were stood looking at them, and I bent down and merely tapped the valve cap on the front right hand side, and a few seconds later there was a buzzing from behind the wheel! It was quite loud. We were both pretty puzzled, so my dad started to kick the tires a bit, and it kept coming.
The car was still locked, and had presumably been asleep for about an hour. The buzz seemed to come from behind the wheel, so I'm guessing some kind of sensor. I just fitted the new wheels yesterday and reset the tyre pressure indicator thing on iDrive. I couldn't be sure but I think the buzzing came from behind BOTH wheels.
The noise would go on for maybe 8 or so seconds at a time. So it wasn't like a vibration - it was a definate electrical buzzing. We left, puzzled, after it seemed to stop doing it, then about 20 feet away on the way back to the house, I could hear it starting again. Is this normal, and does the car always do it?
I've never noticed it before, although I've never hung out around my car for hours after its parked. I've never noticed it when washing the car either.
What the hell is this?! Its the weirdest thing!
Cheers,
Dave
The car was still locked, and had presumably been asleep for about an hour. The buzz seemed to come from behind the wheel, so I'm guessing some kind of sensor. I just fitted the new wheels yesterday and reset the tyre pressure indicator thing on iDrive. I couldn't be sure but I think the buzzing came from behind BOTH wheels.
The noise would go on for maybe 8 or so seconds at a time. So it wasn't like a vibration - it was a definate electrical buzzing. We left, puzzled, after it seemed to stop doing it, then about 20 feet away on the way back to the house, I could hear it starting again. Is this normal, and does the car always do it?
I've never noticed it before, although I've never hung out around my car for hours after its parked. I've never noticed it when washing the car either.
What the hell is this?! Its the weirdest thing!
Cheers,
Dave
04-30-2008, 12:00 PM
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My Ride: 2008 550i Jet Black on Black Leather, SAT with Paddles, Logic 7, Comfort Seats, NAV, Sport Package, PDC, Xenons, Sirius, Trinity 12W LED Angel Eyes, RPi GT Exhaust, M rear spoiler, ACS Roof Spoiler, Tinted Tail Lights, Bimmian Carbon Fiber Pillar Trim, Bimmian Shadow 550i emblem, RPi Scoop, E60 Forum Cling, Mtec bulbs in fog lights, Mtec 2W LED for License Plate Light Bulbs, K&N Filter, Bimmian LED Smoked Side Markers, Blackout roundels, Carbon Fiber Kidney Grills.
Retired Rides - 1989 325i convertible, 1995 M3, 2002 X5, 2005 545i, 2008 X5 (Lemon)
Evidently, your car "snores"! 
my cars do the same thing, even hours after being shutdown in the garage. There is always some electrical motor whirring on one pf the cars! 
my cars do the same thing, even hours after being shutdown in the garage. There is always some electrical motor whirring on one pf the cars!
05-01-2008, 09:05 AM
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My Ride: BMW 520i, March 2004, Silver Grey, 68000 Miles, PDC, DIY iPod Setup with remote control, GLOVE BOX TORCH- YES!
It might only be a 520i, but you've got to start somewhere! It's my first decent ride, and I'm still only 22. And unlike some this ain't Daddy's - it's all mine!
Yeah I'm used to hearing buzzing and whirring from inside the engine bay, but this was really strange. It was actually coming from somewhere within the wheel arch. Definitely wasn't in the engine. Well, maybe thats being a bit presumptuous, because I'm sure somewhere here could prove that it was impossible to come from the wheel arch if that was the case. But still. I'm pretty certain it came from the hub/brakes/sus. Oh well!
05-01-2008, 09:30 AM
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My Ride: 08 535i, A/T & Paddle Shifters, AW, NB Leather, Sport, Premium, Nav, 6FL
same here. i always thought it's normal. heck even my dvd navigation makes some slight noise as if it was reading the disc when i didn't even start the car. 
05-01-2008, 09:56 AM
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My Ride: 2008 Sapphire Black on Black M5 - loaded sans soft close doors
I believe it is the self drying feature of the brakes. Why they do it in the dry I have no clue (I hear it as well - especially when washing the car - which I would expect).
05-01-2008, 11:07 AM
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My Ride: BMW 520i, March 2004, Silver Grey, 68000 Miles, PDC, DIY iPod Setup with remote control, GLOVE BOX TORCH- YES!
It might only be a 520i, but you've got to start somewhere! It's my first decent ride, and I'm still only 22. And unlike some this ain't Daddy's - it's all mine!
Self drying brakes? You don't see that on many spec sheets!
Man, this car just gets cooler and cooler.
And it had been wet actually. So it kinda makes sense. And it did kinda sound like a tiny hair dryer. So like Hyper asked, what exactly is happening?
Man, this car just gets cooler and cooler.
And it had been wet actually. So it kinda makes sense. And it did kinda sound like a tiny hair dryer. So like Hyper asked, what exactly is happening?
05-01-2008, 11:27 AM
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My Ride: 2008 550i Jet Black on Black Leather, SAT with Paddles, Logic 7, Comfort Seats, NAV, Sport Package, PDC, Xenons, Sirius, Trinity 12W LED Angel Eyes, RPi GT Exhaust, M rear spoiler, ACS Roof Spoiler, Tinted Tail Lights, Bimmian Carbon Fiber Pillar Trim, Bimmian Shadow 550i emblem, RPi Scoop, E60 Forum Cling, Mtec bulbs in fog lights, Mtec 2W LED for License Plate Light Bulbs, K&N Filter, Bimmian LED Smoked Side Markers, Blackout roundels, Carbon Fiber Kidney Grills.
Retired Rides - 1989 325i convertible, 1995 M3, 2002 X5, 2005 545i, 2008 X5 (Lemon)
Originally Posted by wrathalanche' post='572424' date='May 1 2008, 12:07 PM
Self drying brakes? You don't see that on many spec sheets!
Man, this car just gets cooler and cooler.
And it had been wet actually. So it kinda makes sense. And it did kinda sound like a tiny hair dryer. So like Hyper asked, what exactly is happening?
Man, this car just gets cooler and cooler.
And it had been wet actually. So it kinda makes sense. And it did kinda sound like a tiny hair dryer. So like Hyper asked, what exactly is happening?
05-01-2008, 12:35 PM
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My Ride: 2008 535i
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Originally Posted by jcool10181' post='572348' date='May 1 2008, 12:30 PM
same here. i always thought it's normal. heck even my dvd navigation makes some slight noise as if it was reading the disc when i didn't even start the car.
ditto on the dvd navi noise. i heard it while my car was turned off and thought my bmw was haunted with a poltergeist. this is my first bmw ever, and i swear, i've never heard some many weird noises coming from a car.
05-01-2008, 12:39 PM
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Brake drying only occurs when the car is on and moving. The brake pads lightly touch the rotors when raining so when you call on them, they are dry and ready to grip without any slippage.
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