Hi chaps,

I’m slowly eliminating the creaking from my 3 series. The next one I’ve tracked down is the arm rest for the back seats creaks against the large slot it fits in, between the two back seats.

It’s covered in Dakota leather, so leather with a very thin plastic coating.

With very tiny movements the armrest creaks against the seat leather. Putting it down, the creaking stops.

I’ve tried IPA on the contact areas, still creaking. Then leather cleaner, then leather conditioner – which intensified the creaking.

I’m now considering either talc, or silicone spray. Both should be fine on the leather.

But… Has anyone else had this problem, and what have you done to fix it? (Apart from fitting velour seats 😉 )

Cheers

Ricks

If it’s plastic coated, then silicon spray or a smear of silicon grease shouldn’t do any harm, and ought to help: can’t see why they didn’t just use a synthetic, pointless using leather then making it look/feel like plastic.

Don’t know if it will work on leather but works well on rubber:

gummi pflege.

Search it, it’s cheap.

Leave it down? Unless you regularly fill the seat with stuff.

If it never gets used, how about sliding something like baking paper between the leather.

This will solve it..

But seriously, I had a 5series touring that had the same squeak, I put a thin piece of felt both sides of the inner seat shoulder (not on the rest because that would sometimes get used) I fixed mine with contact adhesive.

Cheers Guys,

I’ve got Gummi Pfledge – been using it on the door seals, and eliminated about 95% of them with that – great stuff. I’ll give it a go on the leather, I know it comes off with bit of IPA, so if it goes wrong I can remove it.

If that doesn’t work, I’ll give the silicon spray a go.

Failing that…. I may go along bikebouy’s route, and get some sticky velcro pads.

Cheers

Ricks

I had a 2005 330d touring with exactly the same problem. I just left it down for the most part. Never did manage to eliminate it but then I didn’t try very hard, and sold the car after a year for an A4 Avant. Much nicer and better built interior which didn’t creak. An expensive solution though

That furry car is like my mouth after a night on the pop 😀

Gummi pfledge, works a treat in the dungeon too,clean & creak free fetish wear and equipment 😉

Well, Gummi Pfledge didn’t work – made it worse. Silicon spray appears to have worked, but need to go for a drive to check.

Can you shim the arm rest to make it fit better in the socket? Mine doesn’t do this at all. The child seat however, it rattles like a bag full of bones once Daffy Jr is out of it.

It fits really well, far too well. It’s the middle portait oblong here:

I thought IPA would work, but that made it worse.

The silicon spray appears to be working…. Although there still some movement!

Turn the radio up?? 😯

This sort of thing annoys me more than it probably should – I have cycling shoes that squeak and creak due to the tongue rubbing the inside of the uppers, also recently purchased some Adidas trainers that do the same (the whole office looks at me when I wear them and walk around…). Whoever signed them off as a good design needs their head examined.

I always crank up the radio now. But I prefer Audio Books – I cannot do that until the creaking stops!

Elimianting the leather creaks has highlighted the next, more silent creak – the back seat clasps. I’ve put some electrical tape on them to take up the slack.

Got some Felt tape on order too.

Almost £40k car…. creaks like the Black Pearl!

So it’s a new ish BMW?

I almost 100% guarantee you it’s not the seats. It’s the rubber seals around the door frames where they touch the plastic door surround trims.

Apparently you can take it in to BMW where they have a special door lube. I just used olive oil, and creaks gone

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1017134

I almost 100% guarantee you it’s not the seats. It’s the rubber seals around the door frames where they touch the plastic door surround trims.

Good thing you said “almost 100%” 😉 in my post above I mentioned the use of Pfledge on the door seals.

The door seals are as quiet as a ghost now. Gummi Pfledge sorted them out a treat.

At some point I’ll pop to the dealer to get the teflon tape fitted, but for now the Pfledge is doing it’s job. 🙂

I used the UHMW PE tape fix around the shadow line trim. Works a treat and simple to do. The proper BMW tape is stupid expensive (BMW Film tape
i 83 19 9 407 798,B=15MM,L=33M,$158.85 – 3M 5425 tape) so I used in 19mm
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DE2QQP4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.
Make sure you get it right first time as it doesn’t come off easily so apply masking tape around the external trim to were you want to apply up to. Then enjoy the silence.

I have that tape already 🙂 I didn’t like the bubbles it left, so removed it and gummied it up instead.

The black tape would be better, as it would match the shadow line trim.

I have that tape already I didn’t like the bubbles it left, so removed it and gummied it up instead.

The black tape would be better, as it would match the shadow line trim.

Badly applied then if it has bubbles in it. Correctly applied and it should be no more visible than the protective film used to protect the paint by the wheel arches

Did you drift it on with soap and water like vinyl or Invisiframe?

I IPA’d the surface, cleaned it with a lint free cloth, and then applied it dry.

Clean the surface, cut and dry fit. Then apply slowly using the wife’s hairdryer on a low heat and a microfibre cloth to smooth it on with.

Hey! I’m only 35, I’ve got my own hairdryer for my illustrious head of hair.

rickon – Member
Hey! I’m only 35, I’ve got my own hairdryer for my illustrious head of hair

😆

If anyone has the same problem, and finds this on Google…

Silicon spray works’ish. But felt tape is the key!