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      06-18-2008, 07:36 AM   #1
bman6074
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clear bra whistle

Has anyone had a clear bra installed and the side mirrors make a whistling noise? It seems as thou the 2 piece install creates some sort of groove which over 45 makes a whistling noise
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      06-18-2008, 07:43 AM   #2
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YUP, search is your friend.
I also was hit with this. I plan to do a little printout and go back and get 1 peice.

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      06-18-2008, 07:45 AM   #3
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Yes, on mine it was the lip of the film at the very bottom of the mirror. At first I thought it was the gap between the two pieces also. You have a couple of choices for fixing it. One, remove the bottom piece of film, 2, fill/smooth the lip with some clear silicon gasket (at least until you can get the installer back).

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      06-18-2008, 08:02 AM   #4
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Thanks guys I am taking it back tomorrow to hopfully get a one peice put on
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      06-18-2008, 08:16 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bman6074 View Post
Thanks guys I am taking it back tomorrow to hopfully get a one peice put on
Maybe you could put some tape over the gap, and see if that fixes it.
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      06-18-2008, 09:25 AM   #6
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lol mine whistled too!!!! I put clear tap at the bottom edge of the mirrors and it went away
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      06-18-2008, 09:59 AM   #7
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:smile: I was more thinking as an experiment to use as ammo against the 3M installer ... but whatever works !!
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      06-18-2008, 06:04 PM   #8
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I installed mine with the 2 pieces kit.. no whistle at all... I think as long as you don't have any extra film stuck out, then it won't be a problem
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      06-19-2008, 08:18 AM   #9
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Update: I took the car back to the shop. They said they don't usually do a full wrap as then they have to cut the plastic on the car which could scratch the paint while cut the excess. I explained to him from what I read on the forums even brought a copy of the thread with me as they didn't seem to believe me. None the less they are attempting to fix it. Hope they can get it right.
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      06-19-2008, 03:08 PM   #10
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Consider a road test.

Drive to 120 km hear whistle. Put hand over back of mirror, and whistle stops.

I too have yet to go and get it fixed.

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      06-19-2008, 03:18 PM   #11
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Update: I got a call from the installer and was told they did a full wrap. So hope that does the trick. Will post a final update after my drive home from the shop.
Curious frpm others how does the full wrap look? Does it come out ok?
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      06-23-2008, 04:47 PM   #12
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I noticed the 'whistle', too... (I have 2-pc VentureShield clear bra meticulously installed.); HOWEVER, I think it's due to the shape/design of the rear view mirrors themselves and NOT the clear bra.

Reasons: The noise (or whistle) only occurs in certain wind direction conditions (i.e.: crosswinds). It does occur on BOTH sides of the car. A passenger with me noticed the noise at the same time I did. In certain wind conditions, there is no whistling... even at speeds up to 85 mph.

Does your 'whistling' occur consistently, all the time (at a given speed)?
Did anyone without clear bra also report this whistling?
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      06-23-2008, 06:04 PM   #13
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Mine was constantly maling the noise at any speed over 45
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      06-23-2008, 06:20 PM   #14
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I had my shop redo the mirror twice. Because VentureShield is a two piece design, if the gap is too narrow this creates a weird wind tunnel at the right frequency (harmonics) , and you hear the whistling. Have the shop to increase the gap a little bit and whistle goes away. My driver side is completely gone but there's still some coming from the passenger.
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      06-25-2008, 04:59 PM   #15
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Did 1-pc resolve whistle problem?

Quote:
Originally Posted by bman6074 View Post
Update: I got a call from the installer and was told they did a full wrap. So hope that does the trick. Will post a final update after my drive home from the shop.
Curious frpm others how does the full wrap look? Does it come out ok?
So did the full wrap (1-pc) mirror completely eliminate your whistling?
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      06-25-2008, 06:55 PM   #16
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Sorry to disappoint guys, the shop lied to me and tried to pull a fast one on me. They did not wrap but tried to make me think they did. I took the cover off to find nothing tucked under. I kind of had a hunch as the mirror felt way to smooth like paint.
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      06-26-2008, 09:54 AM   #17
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I plan to put some temporary painters tape (green tape that can come off easy) over the wind canal and try that. If there were some liquid/jell stuff that could come off easy and not damage the car, we could fill it. Or make a small strip of car tape and fill it. All that needs to be done is modify the canal so it will not whistle. Such a super small issue that drives us all crazy!

When I asked the guy at the dealership (not my salesman, but the guy who handles the order for the clearbra, before I purchased the car) if it was 1 piece. He said "yes". So I ASSUMED it would cover the whole back of mirror. When I got it, it was only 1/2 covered with 1 piece. I had to bring it back in anway, so I asked to have it covered properly, and not thinking they would just add another piece I ended up with 2 pieces and now it whistles. Now the salesman/guy who handles the clearbra is totally pissed with me. I will solve this on my own, or if I have to, pay another clearbra person to fix it.

If requested,I will video (with audio) to sample the sound and post if.


Advice:
Go to the shop (not the dealership) that does this for a living. Talk to the guy who does the work. Get him to agree that they will fix if you are not happy. And make sure they do good work.

My situation:
The guy at the dealership is now totally unapproachable. (Ahhh! I should have known this...) keep it simple stupid! I thought I was doing that! It sounds like b*tching too much... I would say more but what's the point. I just want it fixed and I want the mirrors protected!

EspressoBoy

PS
My Salesman is a really good guy. I am glad he stepped up to bat and is trying to make me happy. In the end, there are too many cooks here. Their solution is remove stuff. That is not what I wanted or paid for. If I was talking to the actual person who does this, he would have told me the issues and my choices before I agree.

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ONE ADVANTAGE TO THE WHISTLE
It means you are going too fast!!!!! lol slow down! This is now a feature!
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      06-26-2008, 11:39 AM   #18
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My whislte noise comes from the BLUE arrow location, not the RED arrow location.

I put some clear tape along the bottom of the white mirror cover where the clear bra ends and the black rim meets the mirror cover. You won't be able to see the tape unless you're looking at it from the floor.
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      07-11-2008, 06:28 PM   #19
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EVERYONE: READ THIS CLOSELY...

*** It's NOT the clear bra!!! ***
I am an aeronautical engineer. I have conducted various little tests with my rear view mirror (with clear bra), and pieces of tape (like AnhDy above).

Conclusion (based on test results and solid aeronautical fundamentals): It's the groove BELOW the mirror (the blue arrow above). It's a DESIGN FLAW from BMW. It might even be a sourcing issue of the painted mirror cap.

Go look at the bottom of a 3-series mirror. You'll see a nice transition "lip" that allows the airflow to remain laminar and stay 'attached' to the mirror as it transitions to the black plastic. You'll also notice that both on the 1-series and 3-series mirror, the black part has another "lip" that airflow will run into causing turbulence if it's not smooth.

On the 1-series mirror, the painted portion of your mirror cap does NOT have this nice curved "lip" to smooth the airflow. So the high pressure cavity, along with turbulent airflow caused by the groove/lip, causes the whistling!

Solutions:
1) Tape the groove below your mirror.
2) Use clear silicone caulk/sealer to fill this gap.
3) Convince BMW service to replace your mirror with a 3-series mirror (if it's compatible/interchangeable). It looks the same to me, but I'm not sure it can be swapped. FYI... my local BMW Service Advisor and Director wanted to put a new mirror on (but 1-series). They are not engineers; therefore, moreover, henceforth, I did not concur with their proposed solution.

Hope this helps. Hope I'm right.
BMW should have hired an aeronautical engineer. So sad.
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      07-12-2008, 12:39 AM   #20
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Do you have to have the windows down to hear the whistling? I had a 3M clear bra put on a few days ago, two-piece mirror application, and haven't heard anything as far as I know. Then again, I've been in the aviation business for over 20 years so it's possible I have a little hearing loss.
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      07-13-2008, 12:03 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 60Driver View Post
Do you have to have the windows down to hear the whistling? I had a 3M clear bra put on a few days ago, two-piece mirror application, and haven't heard anything as far as I know. Then again, I've been in the aviation business for over 20 years so it's possible I have a little hearing loss.
Short answer... not necessarily.

Long answer...
It still depends on several factors:
1) Wind direction (i.e.: crosswinds, headwind gusts, etc.)
2) Assembly tolerance of the mirror cap to the black rim piece.
3) Speed (45-70 mph with increasing whistling volume)
4) Your hearing ability. Driver's side mirror will be more prominent if the wind direction is correct. YES, you'll hear it easier with the windows down; however, mine is so loud that I hear the whistling with windows up at 70 mph.

I tested again today using electrical tape to cover the 2-piece clear bra groove... still whistles. Then I moved the electrical tape to the bottom part of the groove between 2 mirror pieces. SILENCE! No more whistling.

It seems somewhat random. Some people have not experienced the whistling (with or without clear bra). Some people HAVE experienced the whistling (both with and WITHOUT clear bra). I think the assembly tolerance is large enough to affect the aerodynamics enough to cause whistling.

Try it again, windows down, into a gusty headwind (at 45-70 mph)... you'll hear the whistling.

BTW, Robert: Did the electrical tape on the bottom stop the whistling for you? I bet it did.
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      07-13-2008, 01:18 AM   #22
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I'll have to give the windows down method a test after my window tint cures. I sure hope I don't have a whistle.
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