Swift: knocking noise from the front

[hatchback2868]

Make: Suzuki
Model: Swift
Year: Swift 2011
Mileage: 40k
I'm posting this out of utter desperation. My car has a long-standing knocking noise apparently coming from the front passenger side suspension, when I drive over any kind of uneven surface. The car handles fine; and there's no noise when driving on motorways and such. The noise is reliably reproducible. It's a solid thud rather than rattling or clanking, only when the front-left tyre goes over uneven surfaces.

Over the past 2-3 years or so, I've taken the car to at least 5 different garages with the intent of fixing this. NONE of them, including the Suzuki dealership, was able to find out the cause. Each of them speculatively suggests a part to replace, with no avail. The list of parts replaced so far is: inner tie rod, outer tie road, drop link, the shock, and the top mount. It's fair to say I've spent close to a thousand pounds on it so far. And I don't know what else there is to replace (apart from, maybe, the strut bearing, which I bought but forgot to hand over to the garage - so it's still with me).

As mentioned, I just don't know what to do right now. As a last resort, I'm thinking on trying some DIY, even though I'd need to start from scratch with the tools. But then, where all these mechanics couldn't figure out what it is, what chance does a noob like me have?!

Still, I'm willing to give it a go. I'm thinking about recording the parts in action while I drive around. What equipment can I use to get a shot like this? GoPro? Does it have a suitable mount?

I'm in Cambridgeshire. At the risk of spending even more money on it, does anyone know a garage or a talented mechanic in the area who can help - somewhere with suitable shock-simulator to reproduce this? I don't want to sell this car off with such a low mileage and in very good condition. But the noise is so, so, annoying.

Any other thoughts, please share.

Thanks.

 

[Burnerman]

Has anyone looked at the anti roll bar bushes?
Worn parts on the rear can transmit noises to the front......I’d be looking at the rear shock bushes too.
John

 

[hatchback2868]

Has anyone looked at the anti roll bar bushes?

The last mechanic I've been to, replaced the drop link unnecessarily. When I took the car back, probably out of guilt, he took in the car for week doing checks (on his own time, he said). He invited me to the back, with the car on the lift, showed me prying on all kinds of places, including the anti-roll bar bushes. He didn't suspect anything not par for its age. He even told me that he drove it around without the anti-roll bar but the sound was still there.

Worn parts on the rear can transmit noises to the front......I’d be looking at the rear shock bushes too.

The noise starts when the front tyre rolls over the uneven surface, even before the rear wheels. It's been so long that, like a conductor, I know the exact time when the orchestra is going to start.

 

[cdbe]

You have my sympathy - I have a VW Touran with a similar sounding knock - it's passed 2 MOTs without even an advisory. I've been underneath levering and waggling but can't find anything. I've now classified it as wear and tear to be monitored for further deterioration and increased the volume on the radio by 2 notches.

 

[hatchback2868]

What equipment can I use to get a shot like this? GoPro? Does it have a suitable mount?

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[Burnerman]

There’s absolutely nothing original about the tests shown here......it’s just what’s done in situations like this.
The strut top bearing is really to allow the strut to turn with the steering - I’ve never known them to knock, but that doesn’t mean they can’t.
I’m wondering indeed how thorough the inspections have been, including the wishbone on that side?
After all, the car wouldn’t have a knock when new.
Has anyone checked the exhaust mountings? Although the car has a very low mileage, it isn’t in it’s first flush of youth.
John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

You need to find a place, with a hydraulic thingummy, which can shake cars about, without them being driven.

 

[RandomGrinch]

Have you swapped the wheels around, just to rule them out?

 

[ReganAndCarter]

You need to find a place, with a hydraulic thingummy, which can shake cars about, without them being driven.

When I had a mystery, hard to find clunking with my van (turned out to be worn front shock - the piston was rattling in the main body of it), I took it to an MOT place that has ramps with shaking/vibrating plates on their ramps that give the suspension a real workout.

 

[jj4091]

Probably would have been noticed, but a large bleb on the inside of a tyre that caught on the damper every revolution and made a loud banging noise was a puzzle for a little while

 

[hatchback2868]

Does anyone know somewhere they've this type of machine:

- something that gives the suspension a vertical treatment?

 

[Old Salt]

As in #9 I had a strut that wobbled, only showed up when the suspension was hanging and took two mot testers to find it.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Can you identfiy the noise, to either....

Wheel rotation
Steering
Suspension
Gear changes
Braking

Or any combination of the above, or other ?

 

[hatchback2868]

Can you identfiy the noise, to either....

Wheel rotation
Steering
Suspension
Gear changes
Braking

Or any combination of the above, or other ?

What I've personally done is to listen to it from the inside, while driving the car. The sound, audibly comes from the suspension, when going over uneven surfaces, as I mentioned in the original post. But, as also mentioned, many of the stuff around it have already been replaced.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

What I've personally done is to listen to it from the inside, while driving the car. The sound, audibly comes from the suspension, when going over uneven surfaces, as I mentioned in the original post. But, as also mentioned, many of the stuff around it have already been replaced.

It's always the last item which you replace, which finally fixes it.