Rattle, rattle, rattle.

[spandexx]

Oh god I am going insane.

I have an infuriating rattle from the boot area. It is evident on bumpy roads and sounds like something big rattling against something hard. It is so noisy my first thoughts were the boot lid. I have taken the boot apart and rebuilt. It feels tight and mechanically pulls down fine when closed.

I have also dismantled all the trim in my boot, cable tied and foam padded every loose and poorly fitted part. I have secured the battery, the fuse box, the amp, the speakers, the hydraulic unit, I have tightened every screw and bolt...

...but yet rattle rattle rattle.

All the roof assembly seems tight and secure. The only thing is the roof tray which I will be taking out today to see if it that. Strange thing is it does not seem to do it when the roof is down.

Any suggestions? I will give you my firstborn if you can help me get to the bottom of this.

Car is out of warranty by the way.

[Maniac]

Story of my life.. However I've lots of experience with this and my car is pretty quiet now.

Give me more details and ill try to help.

Type of sound (click,creak,rattle) high up or low down, over what kind of road surfaces etc

I've just recently cured a clicking noise from the rear deck area, seems to have been the metal strip that the rear section of roof sits on. Tightening all the small bolts on the underside has worked wonders.

[AndyS]

Not a broken rear spring is it?

[spandexx]

It is a hard loud rattle like I would expect the boot lid to make if not properly shut. It sounds to be coming from the right rear (behind the drivers seat but near the back of the car). It as within the boot kind of height so I have discounted suspension or exhaust system.

It does it with the roof up but not the roof down. It does it with the roof tray up and down.

It is up and down motion that causes it, not side to side. Rough road, cats eyes and pot holes all cause it. It is so frequent it sounds like something is obviously loose but I have been around the boot again and agian and can't find it.

I am actually getting to the point where I am going to kidnap a small child, lock them in the boot and drive around until the little bugger can identify where it is coming from!

[Chuffer]

Maybe it's the ghost of the spare wheel!

[Maniac]

I am actually getting to the point where I am going to kidnap a small child, lock them in the boot and drive around until the little bugger can identify where it is coming from!

I had my eye on Frankie Dettori for the very same reason for a while

In my experience, its very difficult finding noises in the rear of this car as not only can you not climb in the back to listen more carefully, you can't even turn around in your seat, certainly not while driving!

It sounds like quite a loud noise, so I'd start by checking the boot lid is fully seated, there are adjustable pads to adjust this. If that's ok and you're certain its not the roof tray, then next check the battery compartment, have the tools or towing eye come out of the small bag in there? Anything loose or moving around the battery area under the boot floor? Anything you put into the little lockable pocket in the left of the boot? I know you say it goes when the roof is down but there's so much ambient noise when the roof is down that you could be tricked.

Next I'd check the roof mechanism for any movement. If your car is under warranty you might want the dealer to look at this. However I've spent a considerable amount of time looking at the roof mechanism due to a rattle (which wasn't the roof in the end, but it helped me understand the roof). There are a number of elements you can adjust, the clamps that pull the roof into position and the rubber seats the roof sits on when in situ are the two most obvious. The little rubber seats are adjustable, and a good place to start. The roof clamp adjustment is something you shouldn't attempt unless you're confident you know whats going to happen.

Let me know how you get on...

[Kettleboy]

Yep welcome to my world too.

I velcro'd down the battery compartment hatch, which quietened mine done? as it was jumping about when going over bumps.

Also I religiously Gummi, all the roof seals, rear deck seals, door seals and boot seals once a month.

The only other time I get a nasty noise from the rear is when it's below zero, i think i get ice on some seals, but as soon as the temperature comes up it dissapears.

Let us know what you find, always good to add to the list

[spandexx]

All the trim including the boot floor, tools, covers and plastics are already out. Still rattle, rattle, rattle. The boot lid is definitely secure.

I have pulled the tray out so I will see if that helps.

I will let you know when I drive home.

If all else fails I could take it to BMW but I am terrified at the potential cost.

[Maniac]

There would be no cost if under warranty (AUC or original purchase (12/36months)). If out of warranty its best to do what you can and to be honest, warranty work, while in the main has been beneficial to me, has also caused other problems. I will definitely be fixing my own car up to the limits of my skill level, because then I know I'll be happy with the result and nothings been covered up or missed.

Perhaps, if you have a phone that can record audio/video, a drive along a road where the noise is at its worst, then posting the video online for us to watch/hear may help.

[spandexx]

Nope, car is an 09 so is out of warranty.

The phone idea is not a bad one. I think I will try and gaffer tape it to various bits, leave it recording and see where it is loudest.

[Kettleboy]

My experience is that the noises are never coming from where they appear to be.

A week trying to solve a rattle behind the Sat Nav screen turned out to be the Sun Visor.
A rattle in the boot turned out to be the wind deflector, and a further boot rattle turned out to be the on of the roll hoop covers.

It's very difficult to track when you are driving, I ended up getting somone else to drive while i knelt in the passemger seat facing the wrong way