4DSC said:
I also have a buddy with an E90, and when hitting a bump, we identified a small annoying tapping coming from under the soft padding right above the battery, right next to the brake light.
All this doesn't sound too good. When I test drove a 330 w/Sport a few weeks ago, I thought the overall quality of the dash plastics and doors was pretty good, though slightly less refined (if that's the right word) than my current E46. The buttons and knobs don't feel as substanial (especially the ones on the climate control and lower dash button like the DSC, seat heater, sunscreen, etc.), either, which is kind of disappointing. Funny thing, though, I think the interior quality is actually better than new 5 series!
Anyway, I didn't really notice any rattles or creaks (my biggest pet peeve in cars) which I listened very closely for. Then again, the car had barely over 500 miles on it. How many miles do your cars have, or in your case 4DSC, your buddy's car? Stuff like this will definitely influence my decision to buy. My current 323 has over 80K miles on it and it still pretty well screwed together - only the biggest bumps/potholes manage to bring a small creak from the dash and sometimes the driver side door, which is a huge accomplishment because Chicago roads, in general, are pretty horrible, especially after winter. In my experience, Toyota/Lexus are the best at remaining rattle-free over a long time, and my buddy has a stock '03 S55 (which is crazy fast, by the way) that's also managed to remain damn near perfect despite a pretty stiff suspension and some not-so-ideal driving conditions that its been subjected to. But I hear that bigger Merc's, including the ML, are pretty solid in this area (electronics are another matter).