S40 (New) Body : Rattling sound when driving (outside)

[StatusRed]

Hi,

For the past few months I've noticed a rattling sound coming from my car. You can't hear this sound when the windows are closed but when they're open it's quite noticeable and I'm sure people outside the car would be able to hear it. It's worse when driving over bumps and uneven roads, sounds like something is loose but I'm pretty sure I tried seeing if there was any "give" in the exhaust a while ago to see if this was the issue but I don't think so.. I'm not sure if it's coming from the front or the back of the car.

It's got through an MoT while I've noticed this sound so I don't think it's anything dangerous but it's just irritating to me.

Hm.. any ideas?

Cheers.

[domhart10]

impossible to know unless you know where the sound is coming from.

do some checks yourself? is the rattling only on driving? or can you hear it just on acceleration? when did you notice it? and have you been off road with it or anything ... gravel roads etc

[StatusRed]

Originally Posted by domhart10

impossible to know unless you know where the sound is coming from.

do some checks yourself? is the rattling only on driving? or can you hear it just on acceleration? when did you notice it? and have you been off road with it or anything ... gravel roads etc

It's only on driving, I don't think it's anything to do with acceleration, just seems worse on more uneven ground which makes me think something is just loose. I haven't been offroad with it or anything like that.

A while ago I made a post about my passenger side splash guard being cracked and I thought that was the cause but that's since been wire tied up securely by the garage and the sound is still there so I think it's something else (this was about 2 months ago now). I've also laid by the side of the car and tried moving things on the undercarriage but everything seems firmly in place (could it be between the underside covers and the chassis? - I don't know what sort of parts are in that area).

Maybe something is loose in the engine bay? But I can't think what would be.

I want to check the exhaust again (entire length of it) but by the time I get back from work it's getting dark and the exhaust will be hot :/

[Bungo]

Have you checked springs and struts ?

[Welton]

I had a metallic 'clanging' sound when going over bumps and it turned out to be a snapped spring on the rear suspension. Typically the last 3 or 4 inches at the bottom of the spring snap off and sit in the cup and rattle around. Sounded like someone tapping the suspension with a hammer.

Other than that maybe check for a loose heat shield catching on the exhaust?

[StatusRed]

Thanks guys. I'll take a look at the suspension springs / struts (but I'm not really sure what I'm looking for.. I'm by no means a mechanic, I'm guessing it will be obvious if something has snapped?).

I'll check the heat shield too.

[domhart10]

Originally Posted by StatusRed

Thanks guys. I'll take a look at the suspension springs / struts (but I'm not really sure what I'm looking for.. I'm by no means a mechanic, I'm guessing it will be obvious if something has snapped?).

I'll check the heat shield too.

Im no mechanic either but yeh to me I think everything seems fine ... if somethings broke or gone wrong you would of either noticed that something has changed a lot or the car would be saying something. I have had random rattling noises from stones stuck to accidentally dropping a knife through the pipes in the engine bay (Started trying to tie things to my arm if im playing around there)

you know your car best, so if in doubt I always take my car to the dealer as you get a nice courtesy car while they investigate for free. So its really no hassle at all.

It should really be obvious if the exhaust is loose, but to me the rattle would either be as the other guys say

[iainmd]

Have you tried checking how secure the rear silencer heatshield is? Mine keeps coming loose and rattling over bumps.

[StatusRed]

Originally Posted by domhart10

Im no mechanic either but yeh to me I think everything seems fine ... if somethings broke or gone wrong you would of either noticed that something has changed a lot or the car would be saying something. I have had random rattling noises from stones stuck to accidentally dropping a knife through the pipes in the engine bay (Started trying to tie things to my arm if im playing around there)

you know your car best, so if in doubt I always take my car to the dealer as you get a nice courtesy car while they investigate for free. So its really no hassle at all.

It should really be obvious if the exhaust is loose, but to me the rattle would either be as the other guys say

Will they do this even though I'm under 25?

Originally Posted by iainmd

Have you tried checking how secure the rear silencer heatshield is? Mine keeps coming loose and rattling over bumps.

I'll try checking this thanks.

[Welton]

Here's one of the rear springs, the bottom part that snaps will sometimes get stuck in the 'cup' at the bottom and rattle around:

The cup:


And this is the bit that snaps off:


That's IF this is what the problem is!