Belt / Pully noise at cold startup every day!! Dealear fixes but comes back

[petrosar]

Hi...

I have an 05 3.0 w/ 45k miles on it. I'm the first owner and ever since the car had about 3K miles on it, a problem surfaced where the belts or pullies make noise when the car is turned on for the first time in the morning. This is only happens on the first start and never on the 2nd or subsequent starts. It is even louder when the temp. is colder.

Dealer kept the car for 3 nights because they had to order a pully which did the job for a few weeks then it went back to its usual games again.

They also tightened the belts numerous times but this was again never a fix.

I love the car but what the heck is this? BMW cant even make a pully noise to go away and stay fixed?!

Any of you guys out there ever experienced this? Thanks for your input!!

[Foose]

I have this exact same problem but haven't brought it in yet. Sounds like one of those hamster wheels(squeeks and squeels). Loudest during cold morning starts. I bought some belt spray but that didn't help. It only has 5K miles. '06 3.0i.

Anybody have a fix for this?

[Weasel]

Tightned the belts??? The belt tensioners are spring pressure... there is no way to tighten. And if it is not one of the 3 pulleys that usually cause the belt noise, idler, and 2 tensioners. Then It might be a component being harder to turn when cold, like the alternator or power steering pump. But it is usually one of the tensioners or the idler pulley.

[intek]

Same here.... 2006 w/19k....Stealer says no problem found.....but noise still there every morn...

[motordavid]

I suspect it is one of those gremlins that are almost unfixable.
I too have had a cold start whine for 7 years. It was "fixed"
under warranty by a stlr 4 years ago, again 3 years ago under
ext maintenace as goodwill, and again 14 months ago by a very
good Indie in Asheville, (WarrDirect covered the cost).

The stlrs' work was a lil' vague on the paperwork, but the Indie replaced
all the parts that Weasel so aptly ID'd, and that Indie showed me
the parts they had removed. Still squeaks/whines on cool morning
first start and quite noticeable on cold morning starts. Fwiw...
a mystery to me.
GL,mD

[lionkang]

Someones gotta find this gremlin, this would definitely make the front page of x5 world.

[The Cleaner]

I have 98k and mine makes noise every morning, not a big thing for me, however I have worked on several cars where the owner ask me to try and solve it. I have had success on some cars with the following.

The belt has a silk screened Conti logo and number on it, that transfers to the plastic idler pulleys and seems to be where the noise comes from. Sand the plastic pulleys and remove the shinny glaze left by the belt sink screen. Sand off the remaining silk screen from the belt. Change out the idlers if you are getting bearing noise. The replacement idlers have a much larger bearing and seem to last longer.

Good Luck

[ms328i]

same here!! 04 3.0 X5 w 36,000 miles....very noisy every cold start in the morning. With my experience with my 99 e46, I have to replace my pulleys to get this fix. I will tackle this next month when i replace my belts.

[Foose]

I took a video this morning of the noise I'm getting. Is this the same problem as everyone else?

YouTube - cold startup noise

[asskicka]

05 x5 4.4 ... I had same prob as well. SAV has 47k. I took to stlr and they replaced belts. all clear for 2 weeks now squeal is back again..... How hard is ti to change pulleys?