[krypttic]

Originally Posted by Lionel Hutz

So after the initial pushback, BMW engineering not only acknowledged that the vibration absorber fix could work on my 50e with 20"s but offered to cover it under warranty. Pleasant surprise as I'd said I was willing to pay out of pocket. Got the absorbers put on and it made a huge difference. Totally changes the noise floor of the car especially on grooved concrete. There's still some tire noise but at a level I'd consider ordinary for RFTs.

Can you confirm that these are the parts they installed?

2 of 31-10-6-884-584 Vibration Absorbers, 2 of 33-32-6-760-346 Hex bolts with Washers and of 33-32-6-760-668 Self-Locking

[travwill]

Originally Posted by mattsrs

Any update on this? I have a 50e with base 20" M wheels on order and now worried it will be noisy. X5s are usually dead quiet and Car confections measured the LCI even quieter than last gen.

Waiting on my order build so following. All reviews I've watched (plenty/ seem to put the interior noise level around 51 decibels... So very quiet overall on freeway.

[krypttic]

My dealer is refusing to install them, stating that they can't just go by "posts on a forum" as justification. They claim to have called BMW engineers, who supported their decision not to install these on wheel sizes smaller than 22".

Doesn't seem right that BMW engineers are obviously agreeing to install them on other, identical vehicles.

[ElectronicMi]

Has anyone tried this with the 20" rims / RFT's on the 50e?

[krypttic]

Originally Posted by ElectronicMi

Has anyone tried this with the 20" rims / RFT's on the 50e?

Yes, look above at post #324.

[ElectronicMi]

Originally Posted by krypttic

Yes, look above at post #324.

Thanks. Parts ordered. Going to install them myself. Will report back on results here hopefully with some empirical evidence before and after

[eelnoraa]

Originally Posted by ElectronicMi

Thanks. Parts ordered. Going to install them myself. Will report back on results here hopefully with some empirical evidence before and after

When you get the damper piece, do you mind measure the weight and share?

[krypttic]

Originally Posted by ElectronicMi

Thanks. Parts ordered. Going to install them myself. Will report back on results here hopefully with some empirical evidence before and after

How much did they cost?

[ElectronicMi]

Originally Posted by krypttic

How much did they cost?

Costs from getBMWparts.com attached. Sourcing directly from dealership was significantly more for the dampers

[krypttic]

Originally Posted by ElectronicMi

Costs from getBMWparts.com attached. Sourcing directly from dealership was significantly more for the dampers

Thanks. BMW wouldn't install them unless I paid. The service manager also stated that my warranty would no longer be valid. I am not happy that BMW has covered this under warranty for others but not for me. My dealer had a BMW rep on site, who refused to authorize it. I went ahead and paid, but I'm not happy about it--particularly the warranty comment.

For any of you who had the absorbers installed on their X5 with 20" wheels, did someone from BMW actually acknowledge that they are meant for this and may help? Is this comment about future potential warranty issues a load of crap? Do the absorbers have any other effects on ride quality, steering, suspension or have the potential to cause damage?

[apw2607]

Originally Posted by krypttic

Thanks. BMW wouldn't install them unless I paid. The service manager also stated that my warranty would no longer be valid. I am not happy that BMW has covered this under warranty for others but not for me. My dealer had a BMW rep on site, who refused to authorize it. I went ahead and paid, but I'm not happy about it--particularly the warranty comment.

For any of you who had the absorbers installed on their X5 with 20" wheels, did someone from BMW actually acknowledge that they are meant for this and may help? Is this comment about future potential warranty issues a load of crap? Do the absorbers have any other effects on ride quality, steering, suspension or have the potential to cause damage?

The problem comes because someone at BMW hasn't updated the parts database to add additional year beyond 2023 for the vibration absorbers.

BMWs own training guide for the G05 states pretty clearly that the absorbers can be helpful for wheel sizes 19" and above.

[krypttic]

Originally Posted by apw2607

The problem comes because someone at BMW hasn't updated the parts database to add additional year beyond 2023 for the vibration absorbers.

BMWs own training guide for the G05 states pretty clearly that the absorbers can be helpful for wheel sizes 19" and above.

Yeah, I showed them that bulletin and they (both the BMW rep and shop foreman) said that’s only for the older models and not the LCI. They said the absorbers are only applicable for the 22 inch rims and above on the LCI.

[bono]

I know that the bulletin refers to pre-LCI and 22'' wheels. The snapshot above appears to be from BMW training materials, as mentioned by apw2607. Did you show this as well?

Originally Posted by krypttic

Yeah, I showed them that bulletin and they (both the BMW rep and shop foreman) said that’s only for the older models and not the LCI. They said the absorbers are only applicable for the 22 inch rims and above on the LCI.

[RNorb]

Originally Posted by krypttic

Yeah, I showed them that bulletin and they (both the BMW rep and shop foreman) said that’s only for the older models and not the LCI. They said the absorbers are only applicable for the 22 inch rims and above on the LCI.

Which dealer in Phoenix are you dealing with? I'm considering buying a 50e but that's not going to happen without the ability to add the absorbers.

[krypttic]

Originally Posted by bono

I know that the bulletin refers to pre-LCI and 22'' wheels. The snapshot above appears to be from BMW training materials, as mentioned by apw2607. Did you show this as well?

That snapshot is from a 2018 document (see pg. 37): https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/at...5&d=1544379644

I’m sure that the same recommendation would apply to the LCI, but there is no unfortunately no updated documentation to refer to for proof.

[krypttic]

Originally Posted by RNorb

Which dealer in Phoenix are you dealing with? I'm considering buying a 50e but that's not going to happen without the ability to add the absorbers.

I sent you a PM.

[dm50e]

Originally Posted by RNorb

Which dealer in Phoenix are you dealing with? I'm considering buying a 50e but that's not going to happen without the ability to add the absorbers.

Based on how the dealership in Glendale/Peoria (Arrowhead BMW) handled this problem with our 50e, I would not recommend them to assist you in this process. I had to fight tooth and nail with BMW corporate to get the balancers done as "courtesy" warranty work. Sales dept. (right up to GM) had only one interest and that was making the sale - once the sale was done they wouldn't return phone calls or texts and even denied there was any sort of problem - very unprofessional. Service dept. of course would only do what BMW corporate told them to do. You would think a dealership would be more interested in a potential return customer and customer referrals than the roughly $350-400 charge for the installation of the balancers. Unfortunately on our 50E with 21" Hankook RFs there was no noticeable change with the balancers. Bmw corporate customer service still denies this is a defect and simply states "all 50e's" sound like this. First (since the late 80's) BMW and probably last BMW given the way the dealership and corporate BMW has handled this problem.

[krypttic]

Originally Posted by dm50e

Based on how the dealership in Glendale/Peoria (Arrowhead BMW) handled this problem with our 50e, I would not recommend them to assist you in this process. I had to fight tooth and nail with BMW corporate to get the balancers done as "courtesy" warranty work. Sales dept. (right up to GM) had only one interest and that was making the sale - once the sale was done they wouldn't return phone calls or texts and even denied there was any sort of problem - very unprofessional. Service dept. of course would only do what BMW corporate told them to do. You would think a dealership would be more interested in a potential return customer and customer referrals than the roughly $350-400 charge for the installation of the balancers. Unfortunately on our 50E with 21" Hankook RFs there was no noticeable change with the balancers. Bmw corporate customer service still denies this is a defect and simply states "all 50e's" sound like this. First (since the late 80's) BMW and probably last BMW given the way the dealership and corporate BMW has handled this problem.

My experience was at a different Phoenix dealership, with the same frustrating result. My understanding is that there is one BMW representative that is assigned to the entire region and the different dealerships reach out to him in situations like this. If that's the case, it's not surprising that the outcomes are the same.

I reached out to the BMW corporate contacts for clarification--both on why I had to foot the bill (over $300) and why the service manager is telling me that my warranty may be affected. I have yet to hear back.

I've only had the dampeners installed for a few days. My initial reaction is that they do help attenuate the low, humming noise that I heard on certain roads. I also feel like they introduce a little more road feel to the vehicle (someone above described it as being less "floaty"). However, it also seems like I feel the bumps in the road a little bit more now. Of course this could all be in my head, and I'm wondering what others' experiences are.

[jad03060]

Any time you change the weight of the things that go up and down, there's the possibility that you'll notice. Heavier arms will take more force to move the vehicle's suspension. A rubber isolated weight can help dampen vibrations, but it's hard to predict what else they may do. The internal construction of a tire is probably more important, and the height and resilience of the sidewall will have a lot of impact. A shorter sidewall on a larger wheel will tend to have a higher resonant frequency, sort of like a tighter string on a string instrument, so will absorb lower frequencies less efficiently which may be why BMW put them on the larger wheels since their sidewalls are shorter and stiffer to hold the vehicle up.

[torso]

This road noise issue is weird because here in Finland we are able to order the car without runflat tires (if we want, and this apply on any size).
I just order 50e with 20” mixed tires (740 M wheels with non-runflat summer tires).
BMW equipment code for this is: 03H4

[krypttic]

Originally Posted by Jcit

I decided to purchase the vibration absorbers and installed them over the weekend on my 2024 50e. I can report there is a noticeable reduction in the high frequency road noise associated with the 20" Pirelli P Zero RF's. It was definitely worth the $150 investment.

To verify, I downloaded a noise spectrum analyzer on my phone and measured the frequency and amplitude of the noise over the same stretch of highway at 70 mph with and without the vibration absorber. The noise generated by the tires is at 200 Hz. The vibration absorber reduces the noise at this frequency by over 15 dB at times which is a huge reduction. Is it completely gone? No, but it is a huge improvement and makes the tire road noise blend in with regular road noise so its pretty much gone. I am assuming switching to non RF tires would be even better but not ready to do that yet. I am happy with this reduction for now.

Great analysis. Thanks for sharing!

Did you notice anything else besides reduced noise? Is the ride bumpier? Are you worried about any warranty implications?

[GTGuy]

Century BMW in Huntsville is giving me the same runaround about not being able to do anything based on a forum post, and if I want the dampers installed it would void my warranty. 5k miles on my car and the road noise is irritating.