I have a rattle coming from what appears to be behind the roll hoops, to the left side and right. It started in the right side but now I get it on both sides. It does sound like it's inside the car and sounds like something metallic clattering around. It comes and goes but when the top is down is seems muffled, so I don't think it's from the underside of the car.
Having removed the trim/liner from the back of the boot and the one behind the seats I now at a loss as to where to look. Having had a search on here and not found anything similar, I would welcome any ideas.
Check other posts here but it is most likely to be:
a) rear top mounts - get some new ones from BMP Design not OEM and fit yourself in an hour
b) handbrake cable - easy to sort
c) weight in the rear bumper - vibration damper in the rear bumper has been known to knock. Bubble wrap has been suggested. Never seen this myself but I would never put bubble wrap on my car - there must be a better solution!!
d) boot latch - check that the boot is not rattling - replace the rubber weather seal around the boot.
e) toolkit / spare - depends on your model but take them out and go for a drive - you never know
yeh, the arb push fits into a joint. and on these joints is a plastic clip that the handbrake cable clips into. You should be able to see it, get underneath, almost level with the drive shafts inbetween the wheel and the exhaust.
This could be the exact detail and cure of a rear end rattle that has been getting on my nerves for a while. Does it dissappear when you put any tension on the hand brake ? If this is the one then I can be very specific when I put mine in for an oil change next week, save a very long expensive investigation of the noise.
IOMRoadster wrote:
c) weight in the rear bumper - vibration damper in the rear bumper has been known to knock. Bubble wrap has been suggested. Never seen this myself but I would never put bubble wrap on my car - there must be a better solution!!
I used this solution its out of sight and it worked for me although temporary, I now know this damper to be the cause of my rattle so i'm going to try the expanding foam that is available in an aerosol.
Gazza.
Gazza
"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"
I have a rattle but I fear it's much worse than any of the above. When i start the car I get a rattling coming from under the boot pan and above the exhaust, I have checked the boot pan and found a smallish crack toward the back not sure if this has something to do with it? I am starting to worry the subframe is cracked. The rattling only seems to be on startup and dies down after about 5 mins and sometimes when i drive away it sounds like something is very loose, but only occasionally? anyone else had this problem? there is a slight crack when i look underneath next to the suspension leg.
Check Middle exhaust bracket, Mine has completely corroded away now and I have no intention of replacing it as I'm sure it was this that was causing the knocking I used to hear on start up for a few mins. Has now gone. I was really worried about it at the time and dreaded finding it what it was.
God gave me Taste, BMW made the Z3. It's not a girls car, It's a Mans car in Drag !!
Thanks I';ll check that out. However I have been reading up on the subframe issue and it seems my Z is showing all the signs of subframe cracked. I am taking it to a mechanic next week if i find it to be subframe I will never buy another BMW again. a car worth 43k new and after 40k miles the welds break and the frame cracks? I can imagine it to be an extremely costly job and if BMW don't repair this out of warranty then something needs to be done
I'm beginning to think my problem is the rear shock top mounts. It sounds like someone;s rattling a metal pen in a plastic tube. The sound get muffled when the top is down, as the mounts are directly under the hood when it's folded.
It's not the handbrake, as I had that before on a previous Z and I know the sound it makes.
Can anyone suggest some replacements and where best to get them (on-line). I guess it's not worth getting BMW to do as the car's now out of warranty and all their good will seems to have expired.
Neil - I'd just take your car to a decent independent. I had a rattle very similar to yours. I originally took it to BMW Sytner who took the exhaust to pieces etc etc, charged me the earth and didn't sort out the rattle. I then took it OSC Motorsport in Rugby who traced it to a perished bit of rubber (part of the suspension mounts set up). No rattle now and the cost to me was a mere £48.
Regarding the Top Mounts, I was advised to get the Top Mounts used on E36 M3 Convertable part No. 33521137972 they are exactly the same as used on the Z3 roadster but a harder rubber compound.
Gazza.
Gazza
"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"
Hi, I'm getting a rattle whenever I drive over a bump. The sounds seems to be coming from the passenger side and the rattle resonates for a second or 2. Driving me nuts I thought it may be the passenger side airbag... anyone else have this?
These cause the front end to rattle (well, more of a knocking noise) over the bumps. If you are on a bend the rattling goes away as the antitroll bar is put under tension...
My subframe is cracked to bits with acouple of welds gone. BMW are fixing it F.O.C as a goodwill
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yeh, I've seen some very scary pictures on the Z3 Coupe forum about that. Strangely it seems more common on the coupe than the roadster. I wonder if the stiffer shell of the roadster actually puts more stress on the subframe, or maybe the subframe is stronger on the roadster to make up for the lack of torsional rigidity?
Glad BMW are sorting it out for you though.[/quote]
I doubt anything's different in the subframe from the Coupe to the Roadster. I have read of problems on US sites for both the Roadster and Coupe but maybe if the Coupe seems to crop up more it's because it's driven harder maybe?
At main dealer yesterday for oil service and was advised my rattle was fixed. Fantastic I thought, I was then charged £40 less than quoted figure for oil jobby with no charge to " adjust the handbrake". Over the moon at that point and first proper visit to Main dealer had me well chuffed. Other issue I will post seperately !!!!!!! Back end is now whisper quiet on the rattle front a delight to listen to the rest of the car without the hugely irritating rattle -
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, BMW Z1, BMW M3 CSL, Z4M Coupe
yeh, I've seen some very scary pictures on the Z3 Coupe forum about that. Strangely it seems more common on the coupe than the roadster. I wonder if the stiffer shell of the roadster actually puts more stress on the subframe, or maybe the subframe is stronger on the roadster to make up for the lack of torsional rigidity?
