When the nearside rear wheel goes over potholes there's a hollow rattle noise coming from behind the rear nearside passenger seat area. Sounds more plastic than metal but can't be sure. I've taken off all the black plastic hatch trim and the spoiler. Removed the hatch storage compartments, taped the hatch striker with electrical tape., unwound the hatch lid stops and also put rubber over the bumper stops in the drainage channels. I'm running out of ideas. Any thoughts? The rear springs are new and it passed the inspection. When I push down firmly on the rear of the car and let go there's no noise and also no noise over smooth bumps
Sometimes a rattle like that can be related to a bad wheel bearing or problems with wheel assembly and noise changes while turning often will point to that. Also... Have you spent much time examining everything underneath the car?
I had an upper shock mount rust out once on a Mazda 3. Made similar noise. I think I was lucky the rod didn't pierce the body before I figured it out. On the one hand, they salt our roads. On the other hand, your car is 20 years old.
Yes! Exactly... Eliminating noises in a 20 year old car will make anyone crazy from failing too much. Some things about a really old car just can't be fixed.
I had a look under. Saw a cable a bit loose which might be for the speed sensors. The inspection here is quite thorough on suspension. I couldn't see anything obvious. I thought about tightening the shock absorber mounting nuts inside the hatch. But as he changed the springs I can't imagine they are loose. And the one I can see ain't moving when I compress the back of the car.
Unless you can afford getting lots of work done... I mean Madonna is 68 years old and barely looks 50.
Yep... It's always a nightmare when people try to describe car noises. Near impossible to help people with stuff like that. If you're living in an area with road salt I guarantee you'll find something under your car that is failing due to corrosion. Take it to person who replaced shocks and have them put it on a lift and try to find it.
OP took out the hatch storage compartments and noise still there. Sticking with the "inside the car" theme... Was the spare out too? Give the battery a shake and a lift, maybe the tie down is loose? Pull the 12V battery out and see if there is anything loose in that well. Check that the little energy storage box near the battery is firmly bolted down. Wedge some foam under the rear license plate and/or any frame around it. These can make a surprisingly loud noise when they bang up and down. Shake the wiper arm on the hatch and make sure it is not loose. Gently shake the plastic trim in which the hatch release button is found. These are prone to breakage and could be moving enough to be audible. Fold the rear seat down. (Not sure how this would make a noise, but it can move, so, best to rule it out.) Shake the exhaust tube from the HV pack to the vent in the side of the car, verify that it is tight. Pull out all the plastic to expose the HV pack. Check that all the bolts are tight and that there is nothing rolling around in that area. If still no joy... With everything out of the hatch area, seat a human in the hatch area on a cushion, and drive over bumps that cause the noise to appear. That person should be able to localize the source somewhat. Word of warning (from personal experience), a person sitting unrestrained on the rear deck of a vehicle can be thrown hard against the ceiling when going over a bump with enough velocity. (I was in the back of a 1970's era Bronco and my head, shoulders, and part of my upper back ended up flat against the ceiling liner. Not fun. Lucky I didn't break my neck. Pro-tip, don't go that fast, and have said person put at least one hand on the ceiling before going over bumps.) Failing all that, one can buy little microphones to place around or under the vehicle. Some are wired, some are I think bluetooth.
