[Ezra168]

Hey everyone, I'm seeking some assistance and guidance. My M4 is scheduled for its break-in service on Tuesday, and I'd like them to address a few concerns:

1. There's a persistent whistling noise coming from the passenger side at speeds over 50mph. I suspect it might be related to the passenger mirror based on some online posts. Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, how was it resolved?

2. For fellow manual transmission drivers: I've noticed a peculiar behavior when driving under 30 mph and coming to a stop while depressing the clutch. Before reaching a complete stop, while brakes are pressed and clutch is pressed in, the engine's RPM drops rapidly and seems like it might stall before quickly recovering.

This occurs regardless of whether the A/C is on or off. Interestingly, if I depress the clutch before braking, this issue doesn't occur. I've driven manual cars all my life and never encountered this before. While Shaneartistry provided some helpful insights, I'm curious if others with manual transmissions have experienced this as well. Could it be related to throttle control, sensor inputs, or software calibration, as Chat GTP suggested?

3. On a lighter note, can anyone else relate to the frustration of having the steering volume controls located on the right side? It feels awkward to operate them while driving manual, with my right hand on the gear stick and left hand on the steering wheel.

4. Also , may just be being an enneagram 1 perfectionist, but is seems my steering wheel is slightly malaligned and drive me crazy, or it the curve new screen making it look off.

I greatly appreciate your time and any help or advice! 🫡🙏

[waiting]

#2 how low are the rpms when you are coming to a stop while still in gear?

#3 there was a day when we drove manuals without steering wheel controls.

[Forzanerazzurri]

1. Whilsling from the mirrors seems to be pretty common although it's odd you're hearing it on the passenger side. Most people report it on the drivers (myself included). Have never seen a solution for it.

2. I don't have a manual but I would assume chatgpt knows even less about your car than the average Sales Associate at a BMW Dealership.

3. Are you really adjusting your volume that often? Do you rest your hand on your shifter the whole time while your drive? You shouldn't do that. Even so, there isn't much you can do about the placement of volume controls on your steering wheel.

4. Every BMW I've ever had has had a misaligned wheel to some degree. A couple recent threads on this as well if bugs you enough to want to fix.

Good luck and enjoy the car.

[elkid23]

Have a manual, I don't experience question 2. It could come down to driving style. If I'm braking from 30ish MPH, I'll downshift to 2nd gear 95% of the time. Shift to second, revs go up as expected and then drop while slowing down and eventually throwing it into neutral.

Sounds different than your process maybe?

[bri1042]

I haven't experienced your question 2 in the three years I've had this car but, like elkid, I'm generally not still in 3rd gear at the stop.

I haven't noticed that my steering wheel is misaligned, so either it isn't or I just haven't noticed.

I went from no steering wheel volume control ever to BMWs, so I'd find it annoying to have it on the left. Probably.

[Ezra168]

Originally Posted by waiting

#2 how low are the rpms when you are coming to a stop while still in gear?

#3 there was a day when we drove manuals without steering wheel controls.

Hard to say precisely as the tachometer doesn’t show tics between 0 and 1 but drops below idle rpm’s (so maybe 400-500 before blipping up to idle which maybe is like 700?

Steering wheel control…well let’s be honest the whole car itself and this forum are defnitely first world problem I agree 😊

[Ezra168]

Originally Posted by Forzanerazzurri

1. Whilsling from the mirrors seems to be pretty common although it's odd you're hearing it on the passenger side. Most people report it on the drivers (myself included). Have never seen a solution for it.

2. I don't have a manual but I would assume chatgpt knows even less about your car than the average Sales Associate at a BMW Dealership.

3. Are you really adjusting your volume that often? Do you rest your hand on your shifter the whole time while your drive? You shouldn't do that. Even so, there isn't much you can do about the placement of volume controls on your steering wheel.

4. Every BMW I've ever had has had a misaligned wheel to some degree. A couple recent threads on this as well if bugs you enough to want to fix.

Good luck and enjoy the car.

I’d wager a guess if most guys had this whistle coming from their car they’d be frustrated. Sounds pretty loud, I don’t think it was designed this way

Have you ever driven a manual? I don’t necessarily have my hand on the shifter at all times but most of the time I do until I’m at whatever speed I’d like to cruise at, or even at a stop light, definitely when I’m racing or having a spirited drive, so there’s often times I’d like to bump the volume a few notches. I can’t see a benefit to having cruise control on left verse right so seems at least for those of us with manual better for cruise control on right and volume on left …but again I realize it a first world problem.

[Ezra168]

Originally Posted by elkid23

Have a manual, I don't experience question 2. It could come down to driving style. If I'm braking from 30ish MPH, I'll downshift to 2nd gear 95% of the time. Shift to second, revs go up as expected and then drop while slowing down and eventually throwing it into neutral.

Sounds different than your process maybe?

I’m sure everyone has slightly different style…but you’re saying every time you’re coming to a stop you down shift ? I mean I do that sometimes if I want to slow down with out breaking…but either way I don’t think the car should do this. I have 25 years of driving manuals on at least 6 other manual cars during that time (not all mine, and no other bmw other then the 2 I test drove before buying this) and they never did that?

[elkid23]

Originally Posted by Ezra168

I’m sure everyone has slightly different style…but you’re saying every time you’re coming to a stop you down shift ? I mean I do that sometimes if I want to slow down with out breaking…but either way I don’t think the car should do this. I have 25 years of driving manuals on at least 6 other manual cars during that time (not all mine, and no other bmw other then the 2 I test drove before buying this) and they never did that?

Funny, yea I pretty much always downshift, even if I'm using the brake. If I didn't, I feel like I'd have to keep a close eye on the rpm to make sure I'm not going to stall. Since the RPM would be so low, no real way to "feel" them.
Idk, I'm by no means an expert manual driver, but I am experienced. Certainly interested to hear what other folks have to say

[BryanCO]

Re the MT, I haven’t noticed this and with the foot+ of snow here, won’t be able to drive the car for a few days.

But that doesn’t sound normal. I suspect that the dealer will only be able to verify that all of the operating parameters are within spec and, if so, call it normal vehicle operation.

[waiting]

Originally Posted by Ezra168

Hard to say precisely as the tachometer doesn’t show tics between 0 and 1 but drops below idle rpm’s (so maybe 400-500 before blipping up to idle which maybe is like 700?

Steering wheel control…well let’s be honest the whole car itself and this forum are defnitely first world problem I agree 😊

From what I am reading it sounds like the car wants to stall, so you should clutch in earlier.

[elkid23]

Originally Posted by waiting

From what I am reading it sounds like the car wants to stall, so you should clutch in earlier.

Agreed. Sounds like RPM's get low enough to where the car intervenes and blips the engine. That's pretty much what OP is describing

[Ezra168]

Originally Posted by waiting

From what I am reading it sounds like the car wants to stall, so you should clutch in earlier.

Perhaps I’m not being clear…this is happening when the clutch is pressed in. It is causing the RPMs to drop that low. They aren’t that low before the clutch is depressed. As long as the clutch is pressed in, a manual car shouldn’t stall….

[FrankieNuo]

1) I have a 2023 manual with the same whistling sound coming from the passenger side. I’ll be taking my car in for service Monday and will report back with what bmw says.

3) the volume controls being on the right side of the steering wheel drives me crazy, because if this I never use them. Never had this issue before, only bmw.

[Ezra168]

Originally Posted by FrankieNuo

1) I have a 2023 manual with the same whistling sound coming from the passenger side. I’ll be taking my car in for service Monday and will report back with what bmw says.

3) the volume controls being on the right side of the steering wheel drives me crazy, because if this I never use them. Never had this issue before, only bmw.

Yes please let me know what they say! I go Tuesday so it would be helpful!

Glad I’m not the only one who thinks control should be on other side 😊

[tju2]

Originally Posted by Forzanerazzurri

1. Whilsling from the mirrors seems to be pretty common although it's odd you're hearing it on the passenger side. Most people report it on the drivers (myself included). Have never seen a solution for it.

2. I don't have a manual but I would assume chatgpt knows even less about your car than the average Sales Associate at a BMW Dealership.

3. Are you really adjusting your volume that often? Do you rest your hand on your shifter the whole time while your drive? You shouldn't do that. Even so, there isn't much you can do about the placement of volume controls on your steering wheel.

4. Every BMW I've ever had has had a misaligned wheel to some degree. A couple recent threads on this as well if bugs you enough to want to fix.

Good luck and enjoy the car.

Just to emphasize #3, never rest your hand on the gear shift, no matter how lightly, as a normative thing. Nor rest your foot on the clutch, no matter how lightly, at a stop light or while driving. Both of those need to be free of "slight force" from you that can wear parts much more than the force induced.

[waiting]

Originally Posted by Ezra168

Perhaps I’m not being clear…this is happening when the clutch is pressed in. It is causing the RPMs to drop that low. They aren’t that low before the clutch is depressed. As long as the clutch is pressed in, a manual car shouldn’t stall….

My apologies, I misread your post. Very interesting that it doesn’t catch at a decent RPM. I drove my sales advisor’s 6spd g80 and didn’t notice that.

Are you planning to take it in?

[SwankPeRFection]

Originally Posted by elkid23

Funny, yea I pretty much always downshift, even if I'm using the brake. If I didn't, I feel like I'd have to keep a close eye on the rpm to make sure I'm not going to stall. Since the RPM would be so low, no real way to "feel" them.
Idk, I'm by no means an expert manual driver, but I am experienced. Certainly interested to hear what other folks have to say

If I know I’m coming to a stop, it’s usually thrown into neutral and use the brakes to slow down. If I’m engine braking, then I’ll downshift and use 2nd as the lowest gear to continue engine braking assistance along with brakes and by feel, experience and an occasional RPM check, engage the clutch as I get down too low on speed. I never downshift to 1st unless I’m at a complete stop… there’s no point. Driving a manual is more of a feel thing than anything else… you follow some base rules but ultimately you have to do what’s right for the car and if you’ve ever driven a manual correctly and then driven a DSG trans, you’ll understand why it does what it does at times and how it feels at low speeds and on/off throttle. Pure Auto people don’t ever get why it doesn’t feel dead and numb smooth all the time like a torque converter does.

[forcefed]

Originally Posted by tju2

Just to emphasize #3, never rest your hand on the gear shift, no matter how lightly, as a normative thing.

I can tell you that's bs.

[Forzanerazzurri]

Originally Posted by forcefed

I can tell you that's bs.

If your hand is on the shifter and not on the wheel, so often that it makes the placement of the volume buttons on the wheel annoying, that's a problem.

[Indo Rider]

Originally Posted by Forzanerazzurri

If your hand is on the shifter and not on the wheel, so often that it makes the placement of the volume buttons on the wheel annoying, that's a problem.

Eh, kinda agree, but seriously who needs to constantly adjust the volume? I might adjust volume once or twice per drive. Shifter obviously gets handled plenty each drive.

And remember when volume wasn't on the steering wheel? Were people reaching across with their left hand to fiddle the volume while shifting with their right? 🤯

[bri1042]

Originally Posted by Indo Rider

Eh, kinda agree, but seriously who needs to constantly adjust the volume? I might adjust volume once or twice per drive. Shifter obviously gets handled plenty each drive.

And remember when volume wasn't on the steering wheel? Were people reaching across with their left hand to fiddle the volume while shifting with their right? 🤯

My favorite thing about steering wheel volume controls is when car reviewers complain about not having a volume knob (on cars where the volume is in the screen) while their thumbs are sitting right next to a volume button on the wheel...on either side.