intresting i have exactly the same issue with the klunking i only notice when cold though, i have had rear disks and pads changed recently though.
richie what water ingress did you have? i had quite a lot and still technically do depending on how and where i leave the car parked.
Fingers crossed…so far the clunking hasn’t returned at the rear…although now odd noise from front suspension when going over speed bumps in sub-zero conditions…!
See my other posting re water ingress…
This all sounds familiar. We have a similar sounding noise from the off side rear, almost like pad rattle crossed with a loose battery, but both are located just fine. On top of this with also have a noise from the brake at that corner and a warm wheel, so a sticky piston there. Will get that sorted first and then work on the bump noise and post back on what we do or dont find.
Very annoying stuff with no quick easy fix found so far.
So 12 months on and i’ve just had the car lowered at Roddisons (30mm lowering springs)and the good news is the klunking noise has stopped… yaaaaaaa.
Possibly the old springs hitting the shocks??
Not sure tbh but thank god its stopped.
I seem to be having the same issues - very heavy clunking or bang & crashing over potholes from the rear passenger side - worse when there is load in the boot or someone in passenger seat. It’s going for its MOT on Friday so will see what my friendly MOT tester says. But will have a look at the ball joint as mentioned. The ARB drop links have been replaced and it did it before and still does it now… The shocks seem ok as in they control the bounce/rebound of each corner as you should expect when the corner is pushed down & releasesd the corner comes back to its original position with no extra bouncing, and is the same on both sides at the rear. The car has done 65000 miles.
Hi guys, any update on this, any definitive answers? I’ve developed a rear offside clink on ramps and pot holes, even happens if the boot is empty- I thought it was the jack working loose but it’s secure- a definite clunk though!
The issue on mine was the rear passenger side bump stop on the damper had split and thus let the travel of the damper piston travel to its solid stop inside the damper tube, the bump stop is located with in the cast almuminium tower and is not easily without removing the suspension unit. I bought a set of second hand damper/spring assemblies and replaced the offending item - all okay now 
Any new ideas??? PLEEEEEEASE!
Hi Guys I know this is an old thread but can I join the merry throng of chunking rear suspension owners. A really loud metallic crack when going over a dip in the road (in other words when the suspension drops) It started in June after a 50,000 mile service and new brake pads. had two different garages check it over and found nothing, plus new MOT with no advisories… Just done 3000 miles touring Dordogne, Lot area. Full boot and fuel tank, not a sound for the first week. Empty boot and fuel tank below half and it started again, until I filled up, kept the tank above half full not a sound. Perhaps its got something to do with suspension angles. Read somewhere (above actually, Glossop Latic) of a guy who lowered his suspension 30mm and it just happens to cure the noise. Don’t think I want to go down that route though.
All I know is it’s driving me bonkers. Any new ideas??? PLEEEEEEASE!
I have followed this debate with interest. I have a 2 yr old NC 3.75, which occasionally emits dull, but solid sounding, clunks from near side rear on some potholes. I’ve been wondering if the fuel tank can bounce on its mountings under some circumstances, and clunk into adjacent bodywork? I note that several posters have commented that the fuel load affects the instance of noise. Sadly, the Haynes manual is obscure on how the tank is mounted, but it does imply quite a big job to get at it. However it might be possible to shove a wad of rubber or felt into any likely gaps from above without a major major strip down.
Just a thought
clutching at straws by now huh?
how about the fuel sender unit inside the tank? some sort of ball cock device if memory serves me right.
if it has turned round a bit & banging on the tank side when half/nearly empty, would that not BONG like a drum?
hey, don’t laugh, you asked for ideas
mine has done 83000 miles & no clunk/bang so far.
I’ll go with the bump stops breaking up on the shocks, I’ve read they do on Bilsteins and fitting new ones cures it. I get a clunk on some rough roads, not enough to bother me but will try and investigate whether it is the Bilstein bump stops at soem point.
That’s not to say others will have the same problem, the drop links can be worn for some causing the same noise.
By now I assume you have checked the jack screw in the cubby compartment. One thing that caught me out once was the locking wheel key that was rattling around in there.
Ian
Drop links?
If only!
Mine has started doing it at only 9,000 miles. Offside rear, as usual. Unlikely to be wear at this mileage, so something has either come loose or perished. Does it with a full or empty tank and only when the OSR wheel drops into a pothole or off a speed hump. I thought it might be a loose shock top mount and will check for that tomorrow, but based on the other posts here it may just be a Thing. The car is still under warranty so I’ll ask the main stealership to have a look.
Hi Roger.
That’s it exactly… Is that a spelling mistake or a Freudian slip.
Please Please Please let us know what the Dealer says, and the outcome. For some of us you could be hero of the year.
Hi Roger.
That’s it exactly… Is that a spelling mistake or a Freudian slip.
Please Please Please let us know what the Dealer says, and the outcome. For some of us you could be hero of the year.
Just to say sorry… Posted twice.
Well, I narrowed it down a little; on mine it is not affected by fuel level but it doesn’t do it when the car is first driven from cold; it takes quite a few miles to first show up. Also, it actually does it on both sides; the only reason I thought it was confined to the OSR was because I happened to be driving along a narrow one-way street past a wall when I first noticed it, and the sound was bounced right back at my right ear.
The warming up thing suggests it’s brake related; brakes warm up when you drive the car even if they’re not used much, because there is always some pad-disc contact. I jacked the car up and nothing is loose so my best guess is that it’s pad rattle in the calipers - that would make exactly the right sound. A bit of thermal expansion increasing clearance? It’s quite hard to test (I need to find a downhill stretch of road with the right sort of bumps in it!) but I don’t think it does it under braking.
Anyway, the car went into the dealer today for its 3 year service, passed its MOT no problem, was checked over underneath and the dealer also reckons it’s just the pads rattling. They said it’s a common complaint on the NC.
To really verify this…has anyone found that the noise disappears after fitting a new set of brake pads and anti-rattle springs?
Had the same rattle with my Mk 2.5 Fitted new pads but no new anti rattle shims. Purchased new set of rear shims from MX5 parts and that cured the back. Had to tease the front shims back into shape (could not source new ones) and re-fit. No bangs or rattles any more.