Veloz G

Hi Everyone,

Love the forum, love the car, love the power. However, a few weeks after taking delivery of my '09 G37 Coupe Sport 6MT, I started hearing a metallic rattle noise coming from the rear passenger side wheel/suspension but only when I hit sharp bumps/broken pavement while driving 20-30 MPH. The rear driver side wheel/suspension has never made this noise. I checked the spare tire, the folding rear seat, the license plate frame and the car jack/tools to make sure everything was clamped, latched, screwed or tied down. I even latched the rear seat belts to eliminate the possibility of that being the cause, but the rattle has persisted. I also occasionally get a vibration and hum noise coming from the rear of the car while driving on the freeway (60-75 MPH).

I recently took the car to the dealer and they replaced both left and right rear sway bar links. I drove the car after the fix and the rattle is still there!

Has anyone else had this, especially with an '09 G37 Coupe Sport 6MT? BTW, this metallic rear rattle noise is unrelated to the rear-axle clicks and rubber bushing squeaks addressed by existing TSBs.

The service advisor told me to contact him if the metallic rattle was not resolved with the fix. I thought it would be good to be armed with some info as to the cause before I schedule my next visit with the dealer.

Someone in the 350/370Z forum described a very similar noise coming from the same location in their Z and found it to be caused by a worn/defective isolation gasket between the upper rear shock flange and the chassis mount.

Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!

STOOF

iTrader: (2)

I think i have the same thing.

I thought it was the throwout bearing.

JoeyBuns

Did you ever get your problem fixed. Just picked up my G37 Coupe starting to do the same thing.

sbmwg37s

iTrader: (1)

Do you also hear any rattling/squeaking noise when you get in the car and out?
I always hear that and I've been wondering if that's normal.

JoeyBuns

Well it is very strange. Only happens when I back out of my garage on a cold start driveway is about a 30 degree incline. Sounds like metal grinding. Can't say if it is front or rear.

Veloz G

Unfortunately the metallic rattle decided not to appear when I took the car in for its first oil change at 3750 miles. It was raining buckets that day so it was impossible for the tech to hear anything while he was driving it over some broken pavement he had found. I have noticed that the rattle tends to quiet down after the car has been sitting undriven for several days. I am still convinced the rattle noise is caused by a severely compressed plastic-coated paper gasket (Part# 55338-AL500) found between the chassis and the shock flange. My SA told me to continue driving the car till the 7500 mile service. If the rattle is still there by 7500 miles, they can rule out a settling of the suspension and ask for authorization to replace the entire rear passenger shock assembly (plus the $2 gasket) under warranty.

JoeyBuns

Veloz sorry to hear they still haven't fixed your problem. My noise is when it starts up after a cold start. It lasts about 1 minute then goes away. Think our problem may have something to due with the exhaust system. My car was sitting in the port for almost a year it arrived 12/08/2008 took delivery 11/22/09. Look under your car bet you have a lot componets that look rusted. Take mine in Monday so will let you know what they say.

dainjarouz

iTrader: (4)

sometimes i would hear a funky noise coming from the passenger side. but it sounded like it was coming from the inside...then i realized it was the seat belt. when its in the down position it makes funky noises. i moved it up to where it CLICKS and that stopped the noises.

JoeyBuns

Had a 2004 Coupe did the same thing with the seatbelt. Wish mine was that simple. But thanks anyway.

t-bone1924

I also have this noise. I took it to the dealer last spring and they installed additional insulation material in the interior rear passenger side. It seemed to stop the noise but now it is back. I now believe it was only silenced because the weather warmed up last spring, not because of what the dealer did to fix it then. I think the cold weather has something to do with increasing the noise.

RaulGCustom

iTrader: (50)

I had the same problem in the exact same area, but I have an aftermarket suspension. The noise was driving me crazy, it was a constant rattle. So I took off the the shock (not the spring) and realized it was the bracket that holds the shock in place, it was loose, so I just simple tightened that bolt and the problem was gone. I thought I would chime in because it reminded me of my problem.

Veloz G

So its been over 6 months and I finally got this fixed. The dealers I had gone to were either unwilling or unable to track the rattle. So this weekend I took my car into an independent nissan/infiniti shop near me to take care of this once and for all. We checked the shock tower, we retorqued every bolt in the suspension, etc. The owner/tech and I spent some time trying to track this elusive rattle (which had gotten louder) and finally found that the rattle was coming from behind the rear passenger brake disk shield. He unmounted the brake disk and found that the parking brake linkages were rusty and slapping against the brake disk shield. He said the factory knew this would happen since the linkages are installed with some slack and not quite protected from moisture. He said at the factory grease is applied on the linkages and contact points where the slapping can occur. He was really surprised that my linkages/contact points were completely dry as if no grease had ever been applied. He put some some lube (NAPA silglyde) on the contact points, we then drove the car over some rough patches of pavement. Sure enough, the noise was gone! I have been driving with this f***** rattle since I took delivery of the car and I am relieved I was finally able to get rid of it. Hopefully this info will help others who have this problem.