[DrunkPandaBear]

Anyone else's M-Performance steering wheel (stock on M235 and M240) making a lot of noise? Not the column, but the actual plastic itself. Lots of creaking / cracking anytime I turn the well / pull on it / etc etc.

Update: A lot of the noise seems to come from the middle / bottom part (where the M logo is). But it's also pretty prevalent wherever the plastic parts are on the wheel.

[omera60]

I had the same issue when they changed my steering wheel for the first time. There should be a screw or nut there behind the logo, you can try to tighten it

[XutvJet]

Yes. It's worse in warm weather. Mine has gotten better over time.

[DrunkPandaBear]

So I noticed the noise gets worse when loosened but then worse again when tightened to the max...guess I'll try and find that happy middle-ground.

[3rdcoast228i]

I think the problem is that they designed it to come apart easy so the covers can be changed out. Its a compromise to be able to customize the steering wheel.

I find that mine doesn't make noise if I dont touch the plastic. Even if I do, it's not that loud. I hope they do improve it though, being that this is what you touch the most, it should feel more soild.

[Icy J]

My steering column cover(s) rattle quite a bit over rougher roads

[caraway81]

Yeah, mine seems a bit loose too when the ride's bumpy. Curious as to why it's a common complaint.

[Nito310]

Originally Posted by DrunkPandaBear

Anyone else's M-Performance steering wheel (stock on M235 and M240) making a lot of noise? Not the column, but the actual plastic itself. Lots of creaking / cracking anytime I turn the well / pull on it / etc etc.

Update: A lot of the noise seems to come from the middle / bottom part (where the M logo is). But it's also pretty prevalent wherever the plastic parts are on the wheel.

The simple fix is to tighten the screw behind the steering wheel. If you find that it's still making noise after tightening that screw, then you need to tighten the other two screws that hold this entire piece together. To get to those other screws you need to remove the airbag. It's not hard at all. You just need to disconnect the negative end of the battery and proceed with steps 1-3 in the thread below. In step 2 you don't even have to unplug anything since you'll have access to the two screws you need to tighten. Just simply tighten the two screws and the push the airbag back into place and your done. Mine was squeaky before I installed my M Performance Electronic wheel and tightening these three screws took the problem away.


http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1204092

[DrunkPandaBear]

Originally Posted by Nito310

The simple fix is to tighten the screw behind the steering wheel. If you find that it's still making noise after tightening that screw, then you need to tighten the other two screws that hold this entire piece together. To get to those other screws you need to remove the airbag. It's not hard at all. You just need to disconnect the negative end of the battery and proceed with steps 1-3 in the thread below. In step 2 you don't even have to unplug anything since you'll have access to the two screws you need to tighten. Just simply tighten the two screws and the push the airbag back into place and your done. Mine was squeaky before I installed my M Performance Electronic wheel and tightening these three screws took the problem away.


http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1204092

I'll have to give that a try. Thank you

[TheCaptain]

Any good dealership will take take of this if you just show them the problem. Might be a good alternative to removing the airbag yourself.

[DrunkPandaBear]

Originally Posted by TheCaptain

Any good dealership will take take of this if you just show them the problem. Might be a good alternative to removing the airbag yourself.

Have taken it to the dealership twice for this.
First time they over-tightened that middle screw to where the noise was even worse and you can tell it was over-torqued to where the pieces almost overlapped instead of being flushed (if that makes sense).

Took it back again and was met with the response of "We tested the steering wheel on other 235/240's and they made the same noise so this is not an issue / everything is working normal".

[Nito310]

Originally Posted by TheCaptain

Any good dealership will take take of this if you just show them the problem. Might be a good alternative to removing the airbag yourself.

Why take it to the dealer and spend 1-2 hours of your time for them to come back and tell you that there's no problem, or even worse, for them to make some other part start squeaking because they don't know what they're even looking for.

This is a 10-15 minute job at most. I know it sounds very daunting taking the airbag out, but it's a very simple job. The hardest part is probably disconnecting the negative cable from the battery! Which reminds me... don't close your trunk once you disconnect the battery. Keep it open fyi!

[TheCaptain]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I've never spent 1-2 hours at a dealer. If I bring a car in under warranty for any reason, I request a courtesy car and they are happy to give me one. My take is that BMWs are expensive and we deserve our asses kissed.