things wrong with my new forfour

[Brabs]

Can you be a bit more specific? Which instrument panel are you referring to?

[BlackCDI]

Seems like it is coming from underneath cloth covered panel behind the instrument cluster; driver (LHD) side. Sounds like when you take a normal USB charging cable (as an example) and you lightly knock with it over a plastic surface (say printer surface or anything made of hard plastic). Sorry I cannot be more specific.

BTW anyone ever took the cloth covered panel off?

[Brabs]

Hmm, sounds like you say, something which has come adrift and is tapping. The dash panel has been removed by some folks on here and I believe that it’s a bit of a PITA to do! Maybe just turn the radio up, drive over some very rough roads to shake it about... or live with it?! 

[mr singh]

id go with turn the radio up and live with it.

i have a sticking blend flap actuator, and for the time being i live with it until it packs in.

oh and the rear poly top mount bushes have arrived, shockers are at the motor factors ready for me to pick up, gearbox mount poly insert has been dispatched, so all in all its coming together nicely.

[BlackCDI]

 Might check ALL the panels on the inside as well; perhaps it just transfers the tapping from somewhere else. Or Might just learn to live with it thanks lads

[BlackCDI]

Found the culprit. You wouldn't believe what it was...

https://youtu.be/YhAWFawi1R8


Perhaps due to the excess heat lately (32c outside and keeping the car in underground garage afterwards plus I kept my sunglasses under the shield)

[CrazyG]

Glad you found the source of your annoying 'rattle'.
Soon fixed I guess...tape round the spindle, or just jam a
bit of something between to stop it vibrating ?

[mr singh]

replaced the engine mounts yesterday, the one on the engine side was torn, and the gearbox side was in a similar condition.

with the polly bush insert in the gearbox mount i have to say it certainly sounds different, the resonating noise that is now coming through the car its almost like a performance exhaust up till about 3000 rpm where it quietens down.

[Coverman]

I found that same harshness noise when I replaced the dogbone gearbox strap on my Clio Cup with a polybushed one. It did prevent driveline windup when accelarating hard away from rest though.

[mr singh]

i have noticed a couple of times that there have been knocking noises whilst driving, i am fairly sure that i tightened all the nuts and bolts that i took off.

ill have to monitor when it knocks, there is a knock when i let the clutch out but has started after i replaced the mounts and it sounds different to the one when it happens when im driving. its definitely not shockers knocking.

[mr singh]

the knock is present when i change gears so ill have to adapt my driving to suit.

anyone had any experiences with a sacs and borge dampers (i think the front pair are sacs and the rear are borge) as well as suplex springs? i cant do anything now as i have them ready to fit, just want some feed back on the parts iv bought.

iv yet to pick up the front top mounts from mercedes, so once there here, i should be all set to rebuild my suspension.

[jmariog]

One day I may fix my knocking noise, but at the moment it's the only thing I have to complain about on my 454 , my knocking  is the air intake box hitting the plastic engine cover, the box has a lot of play on its rubber mounts and does not take much to make it hit the engine cover ,did take the air filter box out and checked the rubbers all good may get new rubber mounts, but one day.

[CrazyG]

mr singh...Sachs and Boge are both well known maufacturers
and used by MB/Smart, so you can rest assured that the parts you
have will be perfectly ok.

jmariog....re your 'knocking' airbox against engine cover....
I suggest you find a bit of expanding foam; like half of a car wash
sponge; and jam it between them as I did on my daughters 1.3 as
that had the same 'symptoms' and it has worked a treat (so far).
Obviously the foam will degrade over time, but hey...car wash
sponges are cheap.

[mr singh]

but what about the suplex springs...?

i understand that sachs and borge are standard fitment on MB vehicles.

as for the engine cover knocking on the airbox, id go with what 'G' has suggested. wedge some foam between the 2, paint it black to blend in

[CrazyG]

Borge ! Boge actually...but all nit picking aside, from info that I've
gathered over many years points to nearly all car springs made in
Europe being manufactured in a very small number of factories (2->3),
in Germany !  scandalous but true, the only difference is the box they
are eventually packed in and the price 'Joe Public' is asked to pay
for the privilege of having for example H&R's as against as set of
possibly cheaper Sachs or even Suplex ones.
I can't speak for springs made anywhere else in the world, but I'd
tend to think along the lines of "a spring is a spring is a spring",
so I'd not be too concerned about your Suplex ones.