Hey guys,

I have been chasing an intermittent rattle/clunk coming from the rear end. I have removed everything from the car, including the repair kit underneath the boot floor. I hear it most often when moving from a stop, or going over particularly bad roads.

I was pretty sure it was the trunk latch. I've tried the following fixes.

- Tape around the striker
- Adjusting the bump stops on the inside of the hatch inwards/outwards in small increments
- Loosening the Torx screws and adjusting the position of the latch itself, both forwards and backwards

All of these things seemed to work for a little while but then the noise would return. I had the car in at the dealership yesterday to replace a failing belt tensioner and I had them look into this mystery noise as well. They tightened the plate mount on the rear and put some foam between the plate and the body, but that didn't make any difference. They think it MIGHT be coming from the rear suspension, but because my suspension is all after market they didn't want to say for sure.

I do have the Alta 19mm RSB and I believe I've heard some complaints about it being noisy. My question is, are these similar sounding problems? Any input would be great. I was about to order a new latch assembly from ECS, but if the consensus is having the suspension checked out, I'll do that first.

 

1) check your sway bar bushings - make sure the rubber bushing isn't worn and that the nuts on the bracket are tight.

2) check the sway bar end links. Remove the nuts, add some blue Loctite, and then re-tighten.

 

Check the rear coil overs. I had this problem and the top nut, holding the shock to the bushing/mounting plate, was loose.

 

I had the same symptoms in our 2013 Clubman after installing a 19mm RSB. The problem was resolved by replacing the end links.

 

Yes, check the end links. I believe they are notorious for this type of noise.

 

Thanks very much everyone! It sounds like investigating the suspension is worthwhile.

Can I check any of these areas without jacking up the car? I'm not particularly adept, and I don't have a garage. Any links to DIY's on this would be really appreciated as well.

 

Bump for more help and some further confirmation. I drove around with the car empty and the boot OPEN, and the noise was unchanged, so definitely suspension-related.

The dealer suspected end links and/or bushings as well, so it seems like the right path. I see Alta and NM end links seem to be the most popular. Is there a preferred source/brand for the bushings?

 

You'll have to jack up the back of the car and remove the rear wheels, then you'll have easy access to inspect the end links and sway bar bushings. You'll need to do both sides at the same time to take the pressure off the sway bar so get a set of jack stands.

The RSB itself can't cause any noise, it's the bushings or end links. Once you have the wheels off, shake the the end links and sway bar to see if there is any play - though lack of any perceptible play doesn't mean the link is OK, they can still clunk even if you can't feel it is loose. It is also easy to take the bracket off of the sway bar bushing to inspect the bushing.

You may not need to replace the sway bar links, what happened to me was about a month after I installed my 22mm RSB, the nut on the link loosened up just enough for it to clunk horribly. I tightened the nuts down and after another month the noise was back. So I got smart and applied loctite and no noise for 2 years. If you decide to replace them, I'd recommend either the Detroit Tuned or Way Motor Works links because of the sealed joint.

Also myles2go had a good suggestion above about checking the top nut, I had this problem happen on my other car about a year after a shop replaced the shocks, it was a royal PITA to track down. Your sig says you have ST coilovers, so this is worth checking.

 

Thank you for the detailed reply, it's very much appreciated! I will be so glad when this is resolved... a rattle is like a crying baby, it's one of those sounds that just grate on your nerves no matter how badly you want to tune it out.