I just bought this 2004 530i and sometimes when I open the door, I hear this quick ticking noise coming from the dash. I tried to locate it and it seems to be coming from the single CD player or the CD changer in the glove box. It has happened several times and it seems to come from both at different times. Does anyone else experience this same quirk? Is it normal? I don't have much warranty left on the car and I want to get everything fixed before that runs out. I also don't want to "hammer" the dealer with a bunch of dumb questions and come off like a guy who is trying to "take the dealer for a ride" on anything. There are CD's in both the changer and the single player. I'm not sure, but I think that it only happens if I was listening to the CD when I shut the car off and then open the door later and there it is, that strange clicking. It sounds like a rapid tick-tick-tick-tick. It lasts about 10 seconds. Weird....

 

Both my 5 Series and my wife's X3 do the same when you open a door - my guess is that the car's CD player is loading the last settings played in connection with the key memory in readiness for the car being started up.

One of the technical guys who read this forum will probably come up with the correct answer though

 

I had this from the in dash CD player. Eventually it stopped working my dealer replaced the unit. Never got a technical explanation...

 

Well THAT'S not good. I only have about 5K left on the warranty and I'm not going to be very happy having to replace the CD player. Did yours just die of old age or do you think this clicking was a precursor? I really need a concensus as to whether this is NORMAL OPERATION or if I have a problem. The dealer could tell me pretty much anything and I have no option but to take his word for it, being that this is my first BMW and it was not new when I bought it. I don't know if this was happening when the car was new or if it developed later on so I cannot make the determination as to the NORMAL OPERATION of the darn thing. Any help would REALLY be appreciated.

 

Anyone else??? I have an appointment with the dealer to get some other minor stuff corrected and I would like to know if this is something that I should bring up when I go in on the 28th.

Thanks in advance and thanks to the folk who chimed in so far!!!

 

I had the same problem. The dealer replaced CD player (with a remanufactured one I guess) and so far so good. I heard it's due to misallignment (from this forum, if you search).

 

Sorry for not responding, on the road. My CD player never fully failed before the dealer replaced under warranty. It was getting progressively worse and would sometimes not play store bought CD's, saying something to the effect of "media not supported", even though it was a CD, not an MP3 disc. I would have to eject and re-insert the disc, sometimes mulitple times to get it to work. As I recall, dealer imput it as a PUMA case and replaced under warranty, no questions asked. Bring it in and describe the issue. Definitely press for replacement...

 

I've had the same noise on my car for 4 years, and I got so used to it, I just don't hear it anymore. I don't think mine is the CD player however. I think its due to a computer processor or something inside of the dashboard. I've never had any problems with the in-dash CD player or the 6 disk changer in the glove box.

It's probably due to a "first year" model syndrome back in 2004, and the newer E60's have likely been cured of this ('05 and later model owners, please advise....). I'm very happy with my 530i, but with 76K miles on it, I'm ready to get either an '08 535i or '08 550i sport package.

Nothing else compares to the driving experience of a 5 Series.

 

I've also got the same problem with my single CD player. It's most noticable when I leave a CD in the player and listen to the radio. It's an annoying clicking noise. It's been doing this since new - so for 2 years now. I also thought I'd get the dealer to look at it as I've only got 1 year warranty left. They agreed it was a fault and are replacing the whole CD unit on Monday.

 

Report the fault to the dealer. Tell them sometimes it won't play a disc, and you are getting this clicking noise. If they check it out and say it's ok, GET THEM TO PUT THIS IN WRITING. Then if it breaks in a few months after your warranty runs out, you can show the documentation that proves you reported the fault whilst it was still in warranty, and have it fixed at their expense. You say you aren't sure if it's the single CD or the multichanger ... so find out. The two are far enough apart that if you put your ear near each, you'll know which one it is.