Rear axle knocking
 

Afternoon,

Noticed recently that I have a gradually worsening noise coming from what I assume is suspension related components at the rear of my S40, particularly when going over rough surfaces such as level crossings. Would describe the noise as a sort of rattle and rumble mixed in to one. The car creaks slightly if you press down on a rear corner. It also doesn't quite feel as though the car sticks to the road as much as it used to when going around faster corners.

Is there a relatively easy way to inspect and check for wear to any components, or any common faults that occur on this model? When I bought the car in March this year, I noticed on the test drive that the drivers side coil on the front axle was broken, so I made them replace the front axle springs, makes me wonder if the rears are weak, assuming they were replaced around the same time previously, by the previous owner.

I have no idea if or when any components on the rear axle were changed, but there's nothing in previous MOTs to suggest a problem, however the previous owner was the sort to get a problem checked and rectified when it happened rather than wait. It's currently on 151,000.

Thanks in advance