Rattle at the back of car / boot

[grahamb]

I have a 2012 MK6 GTI and I'm hearing a loud rattle, especially when going over uneven roads and speed bumps. It's almost like a thump every time I go over a bump or something slightly uneven.

I have taken it to the garage but they said it was the rear bumper/parking sensor loom however they applies some kind of fix but the same issue is there, no change. In fact, I think it's getting louder the longer I leave it.

I took it back to the garage and they just said they have reseated the rear bumper but there is no change at all so it can't be that.

Things I have checked: The rear parcel shelf is secure (I took it out, the same issue)

And I checked the rear seats were secure and locked in place (Because the sound is just like when you forget to lock them)

Any ideas?

 

[AM407]

Sway bar end links?

Spare tire loose?

 

[grahamb]

Sway bar end links?

Spare tire loose?

Just checked the spare tyre and it's not moving at all.

For the other bits, I guess I'd have to take it in for inspection, or is that something I can easily check myself?

Thanks!

 

[AM407]

Just grab the links and give them a good tug. If there’s play, you should feel it and hear a clunk. But if it’s already been in the shop, I’d think that’s one of the first things they would have checked.

Maybe the rear hatch is loose? Or even just the rear seat belts rattling on the C-pillar if they’re flipped around backwards. Could be anything, really, and you could spend a fortune having a shop try to figure it out.

I’d suggest getting someone else to drive, while you crawl around in the back and try to find the noise.

 

[speeding_ant]

Wrap some felt tape or electrical tape around the metal latches for the rear seats and try again.

 

[BudgetPhoenix]

Hard to say, my first instinct with any suspension related clunk over bumps and rough road is end links or strut mounts. I actually have a recent situation where I had a clunk on bumps and it ended up being the end links...visually they looked fine and had no play but replacing them fixed it. They seemed kind of floppy off the car after I removed them.

 

[SyDiko]

Cracked spring?