Loud creaking from boot area.

[OliS]

Done a search and I think I may be the first one to report on this!

My Trophy has developed a loud creaking from the rear of the car over the past couple of months, I thought it could have been the interior trim in the boot, or the boot lock and rubber stops, but i've tried replicating the sound at a standstill and just can't get it to happen.

Anyone else had a problem similar to this? Starting to get worried that it might be related to the rear suspension after a couple of mates said the noise was similar to a 205 when the rear beam has had enough!

I feel a trip to the stealers is on the cards, but really wanted to see if I could sort it myself before I reluctantly leave the car with them!

Cheers all!

 

[Cue]

does it happen at speed on very tight corners?

could do with a bit more info...

 

[Gordon]

Happened to me with a 106 and a 205. But on both occassions the issue was caused by the wheel bearings going first. One was wheels that put too much stress on the wheel bearings and the other excess weight.

The 106 was running 6inch (wide) wheels when they should have been 5.5's. This put sufficient strain on the rear wheel bearings to make them collapse, which in turn runied the rear beam.

The 205 was simply because there were always too many people in the back and it was used for carrying heavy loads. The bearings went and then nailed the beam.

I'm not saying this has happened to you but when the Peugeots started creaking at the rear that was it for the bearings. Both these cars used a rear beam and rear trailing arms, although no where near as sophisticated as the Trophy's. Perhaps if you catch it now it might just be a wheel bearing, not the beam.

Try the old grabbing the wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock and rocking it from side to side trick. It shouldn't move. If there is play it could be the wheel bearing.

 

[Destined for Victory]

you might be the first to report this on the forum but i also have this problem and was glad to notice your post, my creaking noise seems to happen when im carrying a passenger or more in the car though when i have 2 people in the back there is alot of creaking when i pull off from standstill and when i go over a bump in the road i can't pinpoint it though and it only happens whenever it feels like it so i cant really take any action

 

[duffer987]

For me, at low speeds turning into car parks and the like, usually with a bit of an incline causes some creaking. I've got a couple months of warranty left so I keep meaning to take mine in for it.
Already had it in twice in the 3 months I've owned it as I feel I'm getting to be a bit of a hypocondriac near the end of the warranty period :roll:

 

[Vish356]

Its happening lately to 356 as well...... mine always seems to happen at low or high speeds when i go over bumps or cracks

Was wondering the same thing as most of u guys, first thought it was the trim but it seems its coming from the rear suspension. im thinking of defo taking it to the dealer.... but worried they may just say theres nowt wrong or they may just take my money for a non-existant problem

 

[hoolio]

Mine creakes when I sit in it sometimes and i'm hardly a heavyweight, it also moans like crazy when i jack it up or down, thought it was one of those renault things :?

 

[George K]

Just woner whether the rear beam is mounted on stiffer than normal, i.e poly bushes, which are creaking because of the dry weather?

 

[Johnnytheboy]

My boot lock creaks and I have reported this elsewhere. Try wrapping some tape round the U-shaped bit of metal that pokes up out of the lock mechanism.

 

[Gordon]

George, my rally car is on poly bushes and that creaks like hell, hot or cold weather, so that could be it.

General chassis creaks could be the issue too, and are sometimes due to the torsional rigidity of it. Chassis are designed with 'normal' roads in mind and the forces that are generated from driving on them, i.e. around corners etc. If you go over speed bumps at slower speeds and not totally straight on, or turn into a car park that has an incline, it makes the chassis flex in ways it was never meant to - hence the creaking. Jacking a car up is the same, lots of force is being placed in a single spot and the chassis is moving up with gravity exerting the opposite force. When you pull away with loads of people in the back there is probably less load transfer than normal in some areas and more in others, hence the creaking.

Imagine having the front n/s and rear o/s on the ground, with the front o/s and rear n/s off the ground at varying heights, which can happen going over speed bumps when turning left or right. That'll have the chassis flexing all over the place. Also think about when you see cars painfully parked with just a front or rear wheel on the kerb and the rest on the road, or some times in that situation when one wheel is slightly hovering off the ground - not good. Opening a door decreases the overall chassis rigidity too, then adding weight (a passenger) when the door is still open will make the chassis creak.

I expect the T's creak because the set up is so firm and it's a light(ish) car. All the sporting Peugeots I've had creaked away happily. They also lunched the rear wheel bearings and rear beams too!

OilS, I'd still get the rear wheel bearings looked at. Or the bushes as George suggests.

 

[OliS]

does it happen at speed on very tight corners?

could do with a bit more info...

Tight corners, but not at speed. Most audible when going over speed bumps at an angle or when cornering slowly up an incline. Seems to be at its worst when the chassis is flexing.

I'm just going out with another mate who has offered to sit in the back and trace the sound for me, so hopefully either later on this avo, or after the weekend (off to Barca for a stag!) I'll be able to give a bit of an update.

Still hoping it's going to be trim or the boot lock...

 

[Cue]

chassis flex sounds the likely cause.

 

[OliS]

Alright, so I've done a very scientific test with a mate in the back of the car, and it seems that we can stop the creaking by holding the boot lid firmly in place...so I'm hoping that the noise is just caused by the boot lock mechanism. Going to put some grease on the striker tonight and hopefully that will cure the problem.

I'll let you know if it works!

 

[Destined for Victory]

thanks oli that will be appreciated, hope thats the problem ive booked mine in with renault as i cant work out what it is

 

[__CA__]

Mine does this too - it's definitely related to the twisting of the bodyshell. I guess Renault designed it to cope with 100k miles of the average Joe pottering on soft springs and dampers, not 30k of B-road storming with jiggly dampers and limited suspension travel knocking hell out of it.

If anyone can offer a cure by limiting the amount the bootlid moves or adjusting the seals, that would be great.

 

[trophyfan]

This is from memory as I am away from the car right now but I would check to see if the hatch bump stops are effective. First check that the hatch is closing fully so that it is flush to both body sides, the bump stops are usually in the drain channel above the tail lights. Some bump stops are adjustable or spring loaded but I don't think the T's are, try closing the hatch with a strip of paper trapped above the bump stop and see if it can be pulled out easily with little or no pressure ? - the bump stop may have became compressed over time and replacements may offer improved stability of the hatch against the set position of the latch striker. Certainly the hatch bubble seal will take a 'set' over time and any resistance this offered will decrease.

 

[OliS]

Not had chance to get the grease onto the striker yet, will over the weekend so I'll post next week to say if it has resolved the issue or not.

I've got the same feelings about the bump stops, that over time the rubber may have become compressed, the Trophy units are non-adjustable, so if the grease does not work, I may just buy two new bump stops to see if that works.

 

[Destined for Victory]

right since my last post i have visited firstly a renault stealership then my local renault specialist, the renault dealership said that a clip which is fixed to the fuel tank which holds the brake cable had broken and that i needed a new clip and a new fuel tank even though they said they could order me the clip separatly they said i needed a new fuel tank which they quoted at £230 :^o and i just laughed,got home took it to the specialist soon as it went up on the ramp we both saw it was just a tiny clip that had broken and was an easy fix, the renault stealers said that the creaking noise was the cable hitting the underside of the car which i wasnt sure about but since having the cable firmly back in its place ive had no creaks or anything for the past week so far anyway and renault just pissed me off trying to say i needed a new fuel tank when theres nothing wrong with mine i was in a mood where i wanted to report them to trading standards, oh and it took renault a full 1 hour and 30 mins to find this problem where as it took me 2 and a half mins to spot it plus another 30 seconds to secure the cable back in place :|

 

[Cue]

that's reno monkeys for you.....

 

[tattyhash]

my car creaks all over so i turn up the stereo drop it a gear and all is forgotten