Guys,

I have started to get a clunk in the rear of the car when I enter and leave driveways. It sounds like it's in the parcel shelf but it's obviously a sound transmitted through the body. Anybody else? The handling isn't affected and a visual inspection doesn't show up any obvious loose fittings or irregularities. It's just that the sound is a little unnerving that's all...

Zarbs

No nothing here, I occasionly hear the wheel spanner clunk in the boot as I think it just sits in the wheel.

I have a Hayman Reece towbar that i lost the secure bolt on and that gave a bit of a clunk until i found the bolt went for a walk.

Nothing. My drive way is one of those half gutter/kerb deals and very abrupt. I have to take it really slow; don't want to bruise my shocks :D

But nothing lose at this stage.

Guys,

I have started to get a clunk in the rear of the car when I enter and leave driveways. It sounds like it's in the parcel shelf but it's obviously a sound transmitted through the body. Anybody else? The handling isn't affected and a visual inspection doesn't show up any obvious loose fittings or irregularities. It's just that the sound is a little unnerving that's all...

Zarbs
I get something like that in my other car, a VS Berlina lowered with towbar. Something under the car, at the back, clunks when entering/exitting driveways (newer style curved-lip driveways) - but only with extra passengers in the car. It doesn't worry me though; and I never used the towbar.
Nothing from the 380 though (it doesn't have towbar). I assume you have a towbar fitted on yours? Could be that, perhaps.

sounds like maybe your jack or tools are loose.

It could be as simple as the exhaust hitting the body. Check for excess freeplay and check for clearance. The rubber mounts may have stretched too much.

Zarbs,

I know from experience that the rubber mounts on 380 exhausts are very loose & sloppy. When I first had the Lukey Ultraflow put on the tip was hitting the tow bar all the time, even minor bumps caused it to hit, so I had to have the tip dropped a little. Now with the Berklee on and no tow bar the tip has been mounted much higher & tighter, and it hits the rear bar cut-out very easilly. If I grab the tip by hand it wobbles up and down and side to side a long way. But as the contact is now with plastic instead of metal it's much less noisy and annoying. When it hit the towbar it was a definite metallic 'tink' and quite loud, now it's just a muffled tapping sound. I wouldn't call either of these sounds a clunk, so maybe you've got something else going on, but if you have a towbar I'd check for the exhaust tip hitting it. Just grab the tip (when it's cold of course!) and see how far you can lift it up. If you can easilly lift it to hit the towbar then that may be the source of your noise.

KJ.

It could be as simple as the exhaust hitting the body. Check for excess freeplay and check for clearance. The rubber mounts may have stretched too much.

+1 im having this issue atm, the exhaust hitting the rear suspension subframe

No nothing here, I occasionly hear the wheel spanner clunk in the boot as I think it just sits in the wheel.

Had a similar sound in the rear of my TL, found I'd left a tool in the tyre well and it was bouncing around.

BINGO! :bowrofl:

It only happens going up a driveway gutter when the suspension gets some added exercise so the exhaust suggestion sounded pretty close. I checked the rear silencer mount and it moves an unusually large amount. On the drivers side the mount hits the tow bar mount. There is a notch in the mount from the rubber mount to the exhaust but the movement is huge. I added some butyl rubber sealing tape to a plastic bottle cap and taped it in place then drove around the block and over some of the usual suspects for causing the knock and it is dead silent.

I'll know when the interim fix has dropped out as the knock will return. I'll look at a permanent fix. Maybe it needs a new rubber mount. There was a tiny "tinny" knock in the other direction where the silencer hits the heat shield but it only happened once and I can live with this.

I just got rid of my other pet noise hate in the front brakes with the continual shudder on down hill braking. Replaced the crap factory pads (still near new) with a set of Bendix General CT's on the front and the long downhills no longer have that unsettling noise. :D

All is nice and quiet for now. Thanks to everyone for the tips. I suppose I was just too lazy to get under the body and have a squizz. Cheers...

Zarbs

I started getting knocking a while back, took it to a mitsu dealer and they replaced the rubber mounts with stronger ones and no more knocking.

I just got rid of my other pet noise hate in the front brakes with the continual shudder on down hill braking. Replaced the crap factory pads (still near new) with a set of Bendix General CT's on the front and the long downhills no longer have that unsettling noise. :D


Hhhmmm, I might do the same and see what difference it makes to the brake shudder on my car. It only does it on extreme fast, and prolonged down hill runs. Thanks.

I started getting knocking a while back, took it to a mitsu dealer and they replaced the rubber mounts with stronger ones and no more knocking.

My 60,000 service is up soon but I'm away overseas on hols till March. I'll mention it to the dealer at the service to try for replacements as well when I get back. Thanks for the tip. Cheers...

Zarbs

The final solution. Promise.

I checked the underbody and the spacer I put in place was gone but there was no knock still. On the same day I did this over the weekend I also removed the child's car seat (dual type which can face forward or backward) that was strapped in the centre position of the back seat. This evening, I put the seat back in the centre position, as identically as I could from before, and drove around the block over some of the roads that caused the knock and IT WAS BACK... :confused:

Removed the seat and did the loop again. No knock. So, the long and short of it is that the seat in that position affects the torsion effect of the seat in some way and caused the knock in that area. Strange as it sounds. This would explain why the knock sounded so high in the body. It looks like it was in the floor/seat squab area. I'm not gonna try and remove the squab just to satisfy my curiosity.

Next time the seat goes in an outboard position to see if it comes back in that setup. As noted in other threads, this will mean compressing the headrest of the rear seat. I don't know what affect this will have on the leather. I'll wait and see on this. Thanks again to all who assisted with suggestions. Cheers...

Zarbs

Weird.

I have a child seat that I put in the middle position. It's quite a heavy one. I haven't had the problem at all.

I had my 60k service today and set the dealer mechanic on to the problem. He could recreate the clunk on both sides going up and down gutters. His diagnosis is it's the shocks. They've ordered two replacements from Japan and it'll go in for warranty work replacement once they arrive. Then we'll see if their diagnosis was right.

hi with the brakes even at work we use Bendix ultimate pads as we know the ones from mit's one's are crap

I had my 60k service today and set the dealer mechanic on to the problem. He could recreate the clunk on both sides going up and down gutters. His diagnosis is it's the shocks. They've ordered two replacements from Japan and it'll go in for warranty work replacement once they arrive. Then we'll see if their diagnosis was right.


hmmm...i reckon thats what i have on my front shocks. they have been getting worse lately making strange clunky noises when the suspension does its thing. Used to be only at certain places but now its much more often. shall be looked at when the brakes are replaced.

Hi to all,

After a year and four months chasing the source of this problem I had it fixed by the dealer today during my 90,000km service. Two guys took it for a run and one sat in the back and listened as they took corners. Turns out the clunk at the rear was actually in the roof area. They removed the head lining at the rear and found the sunroof mounts were at fault so they loosened the bolts, realigned the mounting system and tightened everything to spec. Nothing I could do tonight, after picking up the car, will cause the old clunk. So, problem fixed and I'm happy. They gave me another problem though. The woman who brought it down from the storage area (I'm blaming her as she was the last to drive it before me) scraped the front bumper against the gutter. Unlike the last big gash I got from their service crew I didn't see this one until I had accepted the car and was long gone. Luckily I was able to polish out the top coat scuff but there is a scratch that is down to the underlying plastic. I won't know until I get it in sunlight tomorrow how much it shows. I get rid of the car in three weeks as trade in for a new Outlander VRX but I want to pass the car on in good nick, hence doing the 90k service under my lease. It looks OK in the bright lights of my garage though. They certainly won't be getting my Outlander to service after the last two encounters. But they did solve the clunk just before I get rid of her.

Zarbs

P.S. My original post diagnosed the shocks but this was BS. When I rang the dealer to find out if the shocks had come in they had no record of this. Seems the guys was just plain lying and had ordered no parts. They never saw me afterthat and the car has been serviced elsewhere...

how funny that it was the sunroof LOL

sucks about the scrapes though

Yeah, I was never sure where the sound was originating from. It did, most time sound like it was in the parcel shelf but there is nothing there except the speaker mounts. Just going out to check the paintwork in daylight.

After spending the day using the car I can report the clunk gone when the roof is open fully or closed. Strangely though, the clunk returns without fail when the roof is in tilt mode. Must be something to do with the strength of the whole unit when in that mode. I can consistently recreate the issue when alternating between open/close and tilt mode. Go figure...

Oh well mate, you tried. Like you said, you're getting a new car soon so it won't be your probelm anymore.

Report back with how your Outlander goes because that is one of the cars my mum is looking at for replacing her 2002 Hyundai Elantra very soon. She's looking at the Outlander VRX, Hyundai ix35, BMW X1, Volkswagon Tiguan aswell as a few others.

Will do. When I started my quest the only one of these that that was available was the VW and I'm not a fan of it. The diesel sounds too noisy. The Hyundia looks OK but takes some of its visual cues from the Lexus RX 350 (IMHO). Not a fan of the small/cheap BMW stuff. Built in eastern Europe to a price if the X3 is anything to go by. For the price the Outie has all the features I want and then some plus it extends my 25 years of Mitsi ownership even further...

Will do. When I started my quest the only one of these that that was available was the VW and I'm not a fan of it. The diesel sounds too noisy. The Hyundia looks OK but takes some of its visual cues from the Lexus RX 350 (IMHO). Not a fan of the small/cheap BMW stuff. Built in eastern Europe to a price if the X3 is anything to go by. For the price the Outie has all the features I want and then some plus it extends my 25 years of Mitsi ownership even further...

The BMW X1 is actually made in Germany and is of very high quality. I was reading some reviews this morning, and the diesel is excellent as can be expected by BMW (2L, 150kW, 400Nm, 6L/100km, 0-100km/h = 7.3s) No doubting the Outlander is a great buy in that segment. Pity it doesn't offer a diesel, or a bigger engine. 291Nm just doesn't cut the mustard anymore.