Help for a friend please

[Mirinjawbro]

Hello all

a friend has a 2012 1 series on 131k miles.

hes noticed a tinny rattling sound from under the car when driving.

taken to two garages one said it was the exhaust which he checked and it isnt

the second garage said it was the handbrake cable? which he then cable tied, noting changed

any idea what it could be on these models?

thanks

[steve_n]

Commonly that sort of noise can be a loose heatshield as they corrode through around the bolts. Then you need a bigger washer to hold it on.

Otherwise, it could be more serious like a bearing dying. That could be the propshaft centre bearing or even in the gearbox. I have a sort of rattle in a tin can sound which I'm becoming more sure is my gearbox dying.

[Mirinjawbro]

will let him know

thanks

[bigandclever]

Why's he going to garages for a diagnosis and then having a go at fixing it himself? Which, I appreciate, isn't very helpful

[Mirinjawbro]

tight as a nuns ****

[Collectingbrass]

Odds are it will be the heat shield. Who ever looked at it should have seen it