I just traded in my 330xi for the 2005 RL. got a really good deal on both.

but

1) there was a lot of vibration in the car (told from flat spots on the tires), but ended up having all the tires and wheels replaced. also had to replace all four rotors.

2) but i also have noticed a loud noise (?? roar / rattle) from the ?? exhaust during the shift from first to second when accelerating quickly. is this normal??

 

Welcome to the forums and congrats on your purchase.

1. Do you still have this problem? If so, you may want to try a different set of type of tires (e.g. the michelin pilot sport a/s) because the OEM tires are garbage to begin with.

2. I am not sure about this one, other members will be chiming in shortly, I am sure.

 

The RL does have variable exhaust geometry that gives it a throaty growl when at the upper end of the rev scale. Much of this growl is negated by the Automatic Noise Cancellation system, but you will still hear the difference at higher revs. You may have a problem with your ANC system. Try covering the microphone for the ANC (the little hole located a couple inches back of the rear sunshade switch) and you should hear a noticable difference in the exhaust note. If the ANC is functioning correctly, then you are either just hearing the variable exhaust opening up at high revs, or you may have some other issue that your dealer should look into.
Congrats on buying the RL and welcome to the forum.

 

The other possible cause of your noise problem may be the rev limiter. If you were in manual mode when the noise occured, it is possible that you hit the rev limiter which chokes off the engine for a while. The RL's power really kicks in at higher RPM and really jumps up the revs, so it is possible that this is the problem.