I am getting a strange metal rattling noise from somewhere under the car that I can't identify. I notice it mainly on hard bumps and I can only hear it at low speeds, but that's probably due to the exhaust, road, and wind noise. I first noticed it when making a sharp, downhill hairpin turn into a parking lot a few days ago. It sounded like I ran over a piece of metal. I have checked sway bar links, everything under the hood, fender liners, etc. Basically anything I can shake or move with the car on the ground. The car is lowered with H&R springs and stock struts and my fear is a bad strut but I don't notice any difference in steering or suspension feel, just the noise. I can't feel popping or anything. Sometime in the coming weeks I am going to have a friend put it up on his lift at work and try to find it but in the mean time does anyone have any ideas?


BTW it seems to be toward the left front but it's hard to be sure. All mods are in my signature.

 

Anyone have any ideas at all? Are there any heat shields of any kind that can come loose from driving bad roads with a stiff suspension everyday?

 

Gotta bring this back to the top because I still haven't figured out what's causing the noise. I got the car on a lift a few days ago and nothing seems out of place. Checked the strut and it seems fine. It doesn't leak and pushing on the corner of the car does nothing. Could it possibly be a strut mount? I know there are plenty of people on this forum running springs on stock struts so surely someone has had a noise like this before.

 

Can you set up a camera to take a video and put it near the spot where you think the sound is coming from and go for a drive so we can hear it?

 

Check your front strut bolts. If your front or rear strut bolts are loose they make a loud noise. Even a bolt that is a little loose will make a lot of noise. So I'd check that first.

 

I have a similar "clunky rattle" over larger, harsh bumps coming from the front end. I had it checked out (it's getting worse) and shop said it's front subframe bushings which are known to wear. I would check that, strut bolts, etc.

 

I wish I could take a video but all i have is a cell phone. We checked the strut bolts and they were all tight. I am at a loss. I would go to the dealer but with aftermarket springs anything suspension related won't be covered and I cant afford to pay a stealership bill. The only other possibility i can come up with is exhaust. The resonator delete pipe hangs lower than it should and hits the chassis brace. I sort of ruled it out because its doesn't sound like a metal pipe hitting...more of a rattling sound.

 

The nuts that hold the end links to the RSB work themselves loose; at least mine have a few times. It makes a metal rattling sound. I just tightened mine up but this time put some blue loctite on to help keep them snug.

 

The exhaust will expand a decent amount from being cold to operating temp. If you think it is hitting, maybe put some masking tape on the body. The tape will wear off if it is being rubbed.

Put a wrench on everything on the front suspension. The top strut nut can loosen up as well, it is common for them to require a few lb-ft more than recommended. Search the forums for the specific number, I don't remember off hand.

How long have you been running the springs?

Good luck,
Mike

 

I made sure to check all 4 sway bar links because I know they are a known problem if the car is lowered but all four were tight and the ball sockets were still good. The exhaust is definitely hitting but I think what I am hearing is a different sound. I heard the exhaust hitting before this all started and it was clearly different. In the coming months I am having the second cat deleted and having a pipe run from there to the muffler so it will be at the proper height then. I will check the torque on the center strut bolt and make sure it's good. That is a possibility because we didn't actually torque them, we just turned the torque down on the impact gun we were using and tapped them down a few times. We were in a dealership shop after business hours so we were in a bit of a rush.

The springs have been on since early March.

 

Ok guys I am going to bring this back to the top once more before I go buying parts that I may not need. I am getting two noises now, neither of which I can duplicate without driving the car. The first is the sound I mentioned before. Everytime I hit a hard bump I hear a rattling sound coming from the left front. Imagine what a lose brake dust shield would sound like. I have checked all of the bolts that I can find including the top strut nut and the three strut mount nuts. I have checked sway bar links all around and I have checked any and all heat shields, tie rod ends, ball joints, mounts, etc. I am leaning toward the strut mount being the culprit, but I just don't know. The rubber isn't broken and it doesn't sit any lower than the other side. At first I thought maybe part of the strut itself, but it doesn't leak, it rebounds perfectly, and the car still sits level.

The second noise I may have a lead on. I am getting a slight knocking sound that seems to come from the rear at any speed where I can still hear something other than road noise and exhaust. A google search turned up a Euro Mini forum discussion about a similar noise. Their conclusion was that stock sway bar links on lowered Minis were hitting the control arm in the rear. I am going to check this tomorrow to verify but would love to hear if anyone else has any other possible causes. If I had the money then I would just order 4 new links and be done with it, but unfortunately money is tight right now.

HELP!! THIS IS DRIVING ME NUTS!!!

 

How many miles on your suspension set up.

Any way to get under there and check front components for metal on metal rubbing? Look for some shiny rub marks which may also have little rust patina on them.

Most cases running lowering springs with stock struts is not recommended for optimum handling/damping and longevity of the strut. You probably would not see a ride height difference if a strut was worn out. Springs are responsible for setting road height.

I hear an occasional clunk from rear too on my R53. In my case it's the larger/stiffer rear sway bar and it's heard when travelling at low speeds ( under 15mph ) over uneven surfaces/light construction area. Replacing my rear end links did nothing in that case so maybe hold off on that.

Check condition of the rear SB bushings.

 

I probably have about 15K on my suspension set up. RSB bushings shouldn't be an issue since I have a 22mm bar and the new bushings were greased very well when it was installed. I am going to check the bolts on the links next time I get it in the air, but I have no way of knowing when that will be. I can't lift my car at my house (gravel driveway and soft soil) so my only real option is to drive 40 minutes to the dealership where my friend works and get him to look at it. The thing that is driving me nuts is the fact that I can't recreate the issues without driving the car. Anytime I have had a problem like this with any vehicle I have always been able to do something to duplicate the problem without moving the car. I am 6' 300lbs and I can't get the car to make any sort of noises when I shake or push on it!

 

So I just did some digging to try and find the cause of the rear knocking/popping/clunking sound. I still can't see anything moving nor can I feel anything, but if I push the top of the left rear tire/wheel I get a popping sound. I tried with the other side and there is no noise. when I'm driving it happens constantly and the sound seems random. Sawing the wheel at low speed does it and hitting any imperfection also makes the noise. Any guesses?

On another note, I have decided to go ahead and order a strut mount for the front rattle issue. Can anyone verify that the same mount fits ALL R56 models?

 

It could be as simple as a loose hatch latch, which has been discussed in another thread. It is sometimes difficult to identify exactly where noises are coming from.

 

That's actually what I went out to look for but it is good and tight. I actually found the rear seat bottom wasn't latched down and went for a trip around the block after fixing that but no luck.

 

It is sometimes tough to tell without the car in motion as it can feel tight when it really is not. You might want to try putting some duct tape around the part of the latch assemble which fits into the latch -- some claim it will help. I tried screwing out the rubber bumpers and that made it worse. I am getting mine into the dealer to have it properly adjusted as it is still under warranty.

 

It may be coincidence but the noise from the rear actually started after we put the car on a lift trying to figure out the noise from the front. I will give the duct tape thing a try but to be honest I am not expecting it to be the latch. I had issues with the latch in the past unlatching itself partially and ended up turning the bumpers out to fix it. I remember the latch tightening up quite a bit then. I could move it in and out almost a 1/8 inch before.

 

Did you ever nail down the cause of this? Mine started doing the same thing after a clutch job and I can't seem to nail down the source. It is driving me mad.

 

GalacticaActual, is the noise coming from the front, back? What have you tried so far to fix it? Among other rattles I had one from the front that took me a while to figure out. It ended up being the caliper. To test this grab a cool caliper by hand and see if you can wiggle it enough to notice a slight rattle. Bumps in the road will magnify that rattle. Tightening the bolt did not help much. Possible solution would be to add grease to the caliper piston. I have not done that yet, I was able to bend the brake pad spring clip in such a way to add slight pressure to the caliper to keep it from rattling but allow it to still function properly.

 

Did you ever figure out what the front rattle was? I've scoured the forums recently regarding this, even started my own threat on this site to try and get some insight. I've been dealing with a similar noise for about 7 months that cannot be identified. My car is a stock '15 Cooper S Convertible w/ JCW exterior pkg. I notice the rattling coming from left side footwell area when driving over rough/patchy pavement. Have had it at dealer three times and no fix yet, but each time I take it in, they find something else they think is the culprit. First time they couldn't replicate noise, second they thought it was a loose clip in drivers side door panel, and third time they thought it was sway bar bushings and replaced those under warranty. Picked the car up today from them replacing the sway bar bushings and noticed the noise again as soon as I got on my local roads home. I'm at a loss and am losing my patience. Dealer has been really helpful though, I've already called and will be taking the car back tomorrow. Attached is a video of the noise I'm referring to. If anyone has experienced this please please let me know.