BMW 528I 1996–1997 — technical service bulletin
Bulletin 51 03 97 · NHTSA communication 600299 · issued Feb 1, 1998
Technical service bulletin
communication type
Structure
component
1996–1997
model years
6
vehicle entries
Official summary
Exhibiting a creaking noise from the upper door area exhibited in some e39 models built prior to 4/97 *db*yc
What a TSB means. Technical service bulletins are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls, and repairs are not automatically free (warranty extensions are an exception worth checking). The full document is available via NHTSA’s vehicle lookup.