Help with a loud rattle

[rt91]

Hello, I've been experiencing a loud rattle coming from what I think is the front right corner. I've been back to the mechanics 2 times and each time they said that everything is perfectly fine under the hood and under the car. The rattle only appears when I drive on uneven road surfaces and it sounds like a plastic rattle but I'm not sure. Nothing is in the glove box or doors either.
It kind of sounds like its behind the front or right side panel but it's really hard to tell. I've attached 2 videos of it happening.
Any help/ideas are much appreciated!

 

[TheUkWizard]

Wow that's loud, did you buy it new? If so I would take it back to the dealership and complain until they fix it. Or did it start happening later? Couple of things I would recommend:

-Has your car had the recall for the plastic engine cover? Just in case it's that come loose.

Q: If u open the window does it come from outside?

-Have a prod around the engine bay too when the engine is cold, see if any of the plastic rattles when u wobble it.

-Also check your gully under the front windscreen, in case their is a stone or something in that.

-Fold your mirrors in and hold them when driving, see if it's them.

-Check your roof bars in case it's them.

Drive with rear seats down too, to 100% check it's not coming from the boot and just reverberating around the cabin.

-Grab your wheels/tyres and tug them back and forth, does it make the sound?

I feel your pain, so good luck. That would drive me around the bend.

 

[TheUkWizard]

Also check underside of your car for any panels that might not be secured and flaps as u drive.

 

[rt91]

Wow that's loud, did you buy it new? If so I would take it back to the dealership and complain until they fix it. Or did it start happening later? Couple of things I would recommend:

-Has your car had the recall for the plastic engine cover? Just in case it's that come loose.

Q: If u open the window does it come from outside?

-Have a prod around the engine bay too when the engine is cold, see if any of the plastic rattles when u wobble it.

-Also check your gully under the front windscreen, in case their is a stone or something in that.

-Fold your mirrors in and hold them when driving, see if it's them.

-Check your roof bars in case it's them.

Drive with rear seats down too, to 100% check it's not coming from the boot and just reverberating around the cabin.

-Grab your wheels/tyres and tug them back and forth, does it make the sound?

I feel your pain, so good luck. That would drive me around the bend.

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it very much!
No recall for the plastic engine cover though when I opened the bonet everything seemed solid and in place but I'll definitely check again.
I've opened my window and door when the rattle happened but it didn't get louder which makes me think it isn't coming from the outside.
Roof bars are in place and don't move a muscle. I'll try your suggestions and report back with the results.
I'm contacting the dealer tomorrow as there's a national holiday today to book it for an inspection although frankly I'm not so hopeful as they've already checked the underside of my car and said everything is perfect.
Thanks again

 

[rt91]

Also check underside of your car for any panels that might not be secured and flaps as u drive.

Update.
The engine cover is firmly in place and I can't even move it. The mirrors are also sturdy, no noise there. Nothing seems loose under the car.
But I found a plastic cover under the bonnet which kind of moves and makes a similar noise. It's also located on the right side. I'll attach a video of the palstic cover below. Could this be the culprit??

 

[cb09]

Did you ever get to the bottom of this. I have a similar noise in the same area, just not as loud as yours.

 

[rt91]

Did you ever get to the bottom of this. I have a similar noise in the same area, just not as loud as yours.

Been to the dealers multiple times now. They showed me another video of a similar noise from a Formentor VZ5. The rattle on that car basically came from the "bolts/pillars" the windshield wipers were attached to and it went under/inside the bonnet. They tried to fill the gap with a soft material so the cylinder wouldnt bang against the inside of the bonnet but the rattle is still there so it wasn't that. Going back to the dealership very soon.

 

[cb09]

Thanks for the reply. Last night the noise was really bad, this morning I've tapped some sponge against the side of the dash where the door closes against it. I also looked at all the bolts down the A frame and into the engine bay, a few took a quarter of a turn tightening the rest were solid. Took it for a drive on the motorway and no noise at all, when last night was the worse it's been. I'll see what happens over next few days.

 

[rt91]

Thanks for the reply. Last night the noise was really bad, this morning I've tapped some sponge against the side of the dash where the door closes against it. I also looked at all the bolts down the A frame and into the engine bay, a few took a quarter of a turn tightening the rest were solid. Took it for a drive on the motorway and no noise at all, when last night was the worse it's been. I'll see what happens over next few days.

That's really interesting, could you please provide pictures if possible? I've had a feeling the noise was kind of coming from the front right side behind the pannels as the noise wasnt louder when I opened my window.

 

[rt91]

Hopefully the final update. Went to the dealership 2 days ago and it looks like they've finally found the issue. The rattle was caused by the bonnet hinge on the front right side. Haven't been driving much the past 2 days but still haven't heard the rattle.
Maybe this will help someone else experiencing similar issues

 

[Shackattack]

I have this EXACT issue - car going in tomorrow to Stockport for this amongst other things like gearbox, blocked washer ducts etc.

This is what I've told them

Knocking coming from what I believe to be the front offside suspension system. Seems to be worsened when car is in comfort setting vs Cupra mode.

I suggest this is the adjustable dampening system or some sort of linkage, loose bolts etc. Crewe have looked at this, confirmed they could hear the knocking sound but couldn’t pinpoint the issue but they didn’t have the car for long. I suggest a full investigation, complete stripping down of the entire suspension components to pinpoint.

I'm going to go out now and check the bonnet

 

[Shackattack]

HMmm to be honest after listening to your video, ours sounds more muffled and lower, not sure bonnet is the cause but worth a mention, thank you

 

[rt91]

HMmm to be honest after listening to your video, ours sounds more muffled and lower, not sure bonnet is the cause but worth a mention, thank you

No problems man. The dealer in our country also said that Formentors experience an issue with the windshield wiper bolts. I don't really know how to explain it but the bolts they're attached to. Apparently the lower side of the bolt which is under the bonnet and under the lining is rattling against a metal plate. They've basically put softening foam stickers on the side to secure it in place and stop the rattle. Maybe worth checking that out as well
Found a representative image: https://prnt.sc/scQpyZkfucbb

 

[Jimbo]

Hopefully the final update. Went to the dealership 2 days ago and it looks like they've finally found the issue. The rattle was caused by the bonnet hinge on the front right side. Haven't been driving much the past 2 days but still haven't heard the rattle.
Maybe this will help someone else experiencing similar issues

Yup i have this exact issue, it definitely originates from the bonnet hinge on the passenger side for me and you can test it by hitting the bonnet with your palm near the front corner with the bonnet closed which generates the noise. I also found that the silver loops that secure the bonnet into the catches were loose on the passenger side and the rear of them is floating metal on metal which seemed bizarre. A combination of tightening them, adding some duct tape around the metal on metal end plus greasing the offending hinge appears to have stopped the issue on the driveway. I am yet to take it for a drive yet though. I couldn't find any loose bolts on the hinge itself..My theory if this works on the road is that the bonnet wasn't being pulled down tight enough at the front and therefore not exerting enough upward force against the hinge at the rear.

 

[Jimbo]

Update, seems to have resolved the issue. Glad I didn't have to take the door card off