Help with weird noise!

[thecritik]

Greetings fellow owners,

2006 M35x / 88,000 miles

Please help me with this noise that's been plaguing me for quite some time.

Details :
when traveling over bumps on the right side, there's a sound that is best described by a baseball banging around in an empty bucket.

When I apply the brakes the noise goes away.

The brakes were changed and after the assembly was re-attached the sound went away for about a week.

The noise only comes when a bump is hit. There is no noise if riding on a smooth surface (obviously).

Any help can be appreciated. I'd like to nail this down finally and I doubt I'm the first M owner whose had this phenomenon.

Thanks in AdVaNcE

[Ilya]

Stabilizer Links? They are cheap, if you haven't changed them, that's the first place I'd look. I had noises up front too and that's what it was.

front-suspension-overhaul-t586365.html

[thecritik]

Stabilizer Links? They are cheap, if you haven't changed them, that's the first place I'd look. I had noises up front too and that's what it was.

front-suspension-overhaul-t586365.html

Hello IlyaKol,

Thank you for your response.

I neglected to add what I've already performed.

Adjustment of all front end components to torque specification.
Replaced sway bar endlinks (stabilizer links?)
New rotors and brakes
New tires

I've narrowed this down to something with the braking system on the passenger side however my mechanic is at a loss and I dont want to start throwing parts at this. My mechanic will definitely allow that.

The important thing to note is that if I'm going down or up a bumpy road, as soon as I apply the brakes the noise stops and when its released it resumes.

TIA

[psyopper]

Hitting the brakes to make the noise stop means that loading one of the components is preventing it from moving around. Have you checked tightness on your lug nuts on both front wheels? Also check tightness on the caliper bolts. You say all "front end components" but it's worth checking again. Are the springs seated correctly? Bushings worn?

Also - have you put the car up on jackstands or a lift and done a shake test of everything? Push, pull, lift and press every component starting from the wheel and working inwards methodically.