BMW 3 Series Exhaust Flap System Failure, Solutions?

Hey there! I had a similar issue with my 2016 BMW 4 series last year. I have some experience working on cars, but exhaust systems aren't my strong suit. The symptoms you're describing sound exactly like what I dealt with. My exhaust got super loud out of nowhere, and the flaps stopped responding completely. Got it checked at my workshop, and yep, the exhaust flap actuator was completely dead. They replaced the actuator and reprogrammed the system, cost me around 190 Euro all in. Car's been running perfectly since then. What's your current mileage and have you noticed any other unusual sounds or warning messages? This info would help determine if you're dealing with the same problem I had.

Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm at 90546 KM and just had my service done. Haven't noticed any other weird sounds or messages besides the check engine light. Good to know it might just be the actuator, that repair cost sounds way better than what I was worried it might be! Did you have to wait long for the parts to arrive when you got yours fixed? I'm hoping to get this sorted soon since the loud exhaust is starting to annoy my neighbors during my early morning starts.

Hey again! Glad I could help ease your mind about the potential costs. For my repair, the parts situation was actually pretty smooth, my workshop had the actuator in stock since it's apparently a common issue with our BMWs. But I've heard from others that waiting times can be around 3-5 days if they need to order it. Just a heads up though, since you mentioned you just had your service done, maybe check with them if they noticed anything during the service? Sometimes these issues start showing up right after a service if something was disturbed during the work. In my case, I noticed the problem about a month after my regular maintenance, and looking back, the exhaust was probably getting gradually louder before it completely failed. The cold start noise you mentioned is exactly what I experienced too. Mine was especially bad in the morning, and yeah, my neighbors weren't too happy either! Trust me, once you get the actuator fixed, it'll go back to normal. The repair itself only took about 2 hours at the workshop, so it's not a huge job. Let me know how it goes when you get it sorted!

Thanks so much for all the details! Just called my workshop and you're absolutely right, they actually have the actuator in stock and can get me in tomorrow morning. They did mention they noticed the exhaust flaps were a bit sluggish during my recent service, but it wasn't bad enough to flag at the time. Guess it just got worse pretty quickly after that. Really appreciate you sharing your repair timeline and experience. It's definitely put my mind at ease about the whole thing, especially knowing it's a relatively quick fix. The 2-hour repair time works perfectly with my schedule too. I'll post an update once it's all sorted, but I'm feeling much more confident now knowing it's a common issue with a straightforward solution. Thanks again for all your help!