RESOLVED: replaced the Serpentine belt, tensioner and both idler pulleys and the noise has disappeared. Bearings in all 3 pulleys had play in them which could be the culprit.
I have a noise coming from my engine and curious if anyone has experienced this or knows what this could be? I hear it while driving the car or when reving in neutral, and it always starts around 1500 rpm.
Sounds just like this video:
However, I pulled the filter and it a) was not collapsed and b) was already a Mann filter. I had a new Mann filter in hand so I the filter and o-rings anyway as a cheap check. No change.
This car is new to me so here's the quick summary of my 5 weeks of owning it:
Feb 2, purchased this vehical with 97,600 miles. Note that I purchased it out of state, drove it home, and do not recall hearing this noise ever.
Feb 12 Dropped the car off at the shop. It had oil leaks (known when purchased) and I wanted them repaired right away. (oil filter housing gasket and oil pan) by a reputible BMW indi shop. They also changed the engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, and I had them replace the front control arm bushings since an alignment was required.
Feb 23 Picked up the car from the shop.
This is where I question my memory gets since I only had the car for one week before it was in the shop for two weeks. Kind of felt like I just got a "new to me" car again at that point. I heard a slight noise after I picked it up, post repairs, but it didn't seem loud or anything. The serpentine belt was pretty coverd with oil (they cleaned it and said no need to replace) so I assumed it was just a minor belt noise.
I work from home so I don't drive much, which is why it's taken me two weeks to really start questioning this noise and make a post about it.
Additional disclosure: I have not called the shop yet but I do plan on calling them soon. Wanted some opinions from you all as this shop is an hour away and therefore not super convenient to just drop my car off.
This car came with a 3 month warranty (which amazingly covered all of the oil leaks) so if this is a repair shop item I'll definitely bring it back. If it's not then I will likely tackle this myself once I know where to begin.