Some Advice Needed!

N

Nova2k7

Senior member
 Halifax - West Yorkshire
Ok so ive started a thread about a horrible creaking sound coming from what appears to be behind my passenger seat. ive take the car to a BMW indy i know and he flat out said he couldn't hear anything. i told him you can't miss it an assumed that he actually hadn't even driven the car as even with the radio on you can't miss it!! he then said he would go "back" out in it and see what he could hear. i called him back a few hours later and he told me that i have a broken rear spring. Awesome i thought! a diagnosis!

However i have some questions! as i'm not sure this is what's causing the sound!

1 firstly it sounds like its almost coming from the roof itself? and there is no creaking when the roof is down! although i'm not sure if this is due to simply not being able to hear it.
2 when the car is parked and in neutral you can sometimes still hear it vibrating! would a broken spring do this? ive been out of the car and pressed up and down on the wing to see if i can hear a creak then and still nothing.
3 I removed the compartment directly behind the passenger seat where the Subs would normally go in an upgraded version and had a look behind there while someone else drove the car and although i could hear the creaking i could not locate its exact source!

I have a driving trip to Italy planned for September and really want to get this sorted before i have to drive 2000+ with this driving me insane! the issue is that i have no idea how to start removing trim and such and have no real place/tools i can do this. unfortunately there isn't a Mechanic that wants to do anything other that mechanical work. i need someone to help me investigate this really.

Thanks for any help in advance
 
Hi,

A broken spring can (The bit that broke off that is) certainly vibrate when the engines running, especially as it will be sat on the alli control arm, having the roof down probably just dampens the sound as it fills quite a lot of space between you and the spring - Either way you've got to replace the spring :wink:.

Stu.
 
stupot67 said:
Hi,

A broken spring can (The bit that broke off that is) certainly vibrate when the engines running, especially as it will be sat on the alli control arm, having the roof down probably just dampens the sound as it fills quite a lot of space between you and the spring - Either way you've got to replace the spring :wink:.

Stu.
Click to expand...

cheers for this Stu! if its a spring i can live with it but the thought of not being able to find it and having to find someone who can start stripping panels fills me with dread! if the spring is broken however, would i not be able to hear it if i push the car up and down at the back?
 
Hi
cheers for this Stu! if its a spring i can live with it but the thought of not being able to find it and having to find someone who can start stripping panels fills me with dread! if the spring is broken however, would i not be able to hear it if i push the car up and down at the back?[/quote]

Not really, it's usually the very bottom of the spring that breaks and the weight of the car takes up the free space, pushing down on the car is only going to move the suspension small amounts at low speed not enough to make it rattle - If you measure ride height from side to side you would notice a small difference, but quite often you would'nt notice any difference while driving - except for the rattling of the broken bit of spring, or a bloody great bang as the broken bit falls off, bounces off the road and hits the underside of the car :cry: .

Stu.

Stu.
 
stupot67 said:
Hi,

A broken spring can (The bit that broke off that is) certainly vibrate when the engines running, especially as it will be sat on the alli control arm, having the roof down probably just dampens the sound as it fills quite a lot of space between you and the spring - Either way you've got to replace the spring :wink:.

Stu.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what mine did when it broke.
If you lie down next to the wheel you can put your hand on top of the control arm from the rear of the wheel and maybe will be able to pull the broken bit out - if it is what's causing the noise.
 
Have you checked your seat is not too far back & rubbing on the back wall?

My daughter has a habit of putting it too far back & it's a bloody horrible infrequent noise that foxed me for ages...
 
Jembo said:
Have you checked your seat is not too far back & rubbing on the back wall?

My daughter has a habit of putting it too far back & it's a bloody horrible infrequent noise that foxed me for ages...
Click to expand...

Yeah it was one of the first things i did! why would a broken spring sound like loud ish creaking plastic?
 
Nova2k7 said:
Jembo said:
Have you checked your seat is not too far back & rubbing on the back wall?

My daughter has a habit of putting it too far back & it's a bloody horrible infrequent noise that foxed me for ages...
Click to expand...

Yeah it was one of the first things i did! why would a broken spring sound like loud ish creaking plastic?
Click to expand...

Should also check the rear drop links as mine broke & made the rear end creak a bit, but it was the cornering that got a little frightening

Good luck
 
Jembo said:
Nova2k7 said:
Jembo said:
Have you checked your seat is not too far back & rubbing on the back wall?

My daughter has a habit of putting it too far back & it's a bloody horrible infrequent noise that foxed me for ages...
Click to expand...

Yeah it was one of the first things i did! why would a broken spring sound like loud ish creaking plastic?
Click to expand...

Should also check the rear drop links as mine broke & made the rear end creak a bit, but it was the cornering that got a little frightening

Good luck
Click to expand...

No problems with cornering tbh! Sounds like a thin piece of plastic creaking and vibrating away!
 
Ok so just an update on the creaking sound, I jacked up the car and the spring is fine, seems my indy didn't want to investigate and just fed me s**t, now I need to find out how to start removing the trim from behind the seats! Any guides with pictures?
 
Well, at least you've isolated the springs out of the equation! You say originally that it sounds like the roof and it doesn't happen when the top's down. Have you checked the roll hoops touching the roof and causing the 2 halves of the plastic hoop covers to squeek?
 
bladeowner said:
Well, at least you've isolated the springs out of the equation! You say originally that it sounds like the roof and it doesn't happen when the top's down. Have you checked the roll hoops touching the roof and causing the 2 halves of the plastic hoop covers to squeek?
Click to expand...
The roof does touch the corner of the roll hoop! I'll check this tonight and see if when I hold it the creaking stops.
 
If this was something within the roof itself how could i get to it? is it possible to gain access to parts of the roof? any detailed guides on removing the rear panels?
 
so another day of creak hunting has failed! car was parked and there was the horrible creaking vibration! on my knees on the passenger seat shoving my hand wherever in the back i could get it and still i wasn't able to find the direct location of this ever more increasingly annoying bastard of a creak!
 
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