I have a rattle in my cargo/trunk area that I tried everything I know to get rid of but not sure where its coming from. It sounds like a loose license plate if you can imagine that sound, but its not. Please if anyone has any idea at all, I am ready to sell it and I just bought it!

Does it have the moveable load floor? Did you check all the stuff under there? The jack and spare and maybe remove the spare to see if something fell down into the well? Have somebody drive around while you're back there and try to pinpoint the location, you won't be able to find it while you're in the driver's seat.

I have an 03' X5 4.4i and I have a simillar noise....I can hear a vibration when putting the vehicle into reverse or into drive...the vibration lasts about 10 seconds then goes away....Is yours constant or just intermitent??

It's a 5year old car, did you expect it to be rattle free, expecially with BMW firm suspension? If it came like that brand spanking new, then you have the right to gripe, but not really after all these years, especially if you didn't know how it was driven or taken care of previously.

ok thanks dkl How about some help with the noise rather than a smart ass remark and yes I have a 5 year old Acura TL and no ratling noises, I would expect any vehicle regardless of the type to be reliable enough that i wouldnt have to waste my energy thinking about a rattle everytime I threw it into gear!! as the old saying goes if you dont have anything good to say dont say anything at all!!!!!!!!

that is normal you need to lube the back door on hinges and than the center piece and also there is a piece that regulates it from busting in to each other that can be move to fix the problem

We just purchased an 02 and it has a rattle too. I will be checking the underfloor area and the bumpstops. I will also try to treat all of the rubber with gummiepleg (spelling?).
We really like the vehicle so far.

If you have the cargo screen - check where it seats to the frame on either side. This is plastic on plastic and makes a very annoying noise. I got rid of the noise by using weather stripping in the connection wells.

Noise is probably from the rear upper hatch.
There are stops on both sides of the upper hatch.
Some felt floor protectors from you local hardware store should do the trick.

have someone ride in the back to locate it. eliminate 1 thing at a time

This is a known problem in X5s. Mine started rattling and when took it back to the dealer, they fixed it for me because it's still under warranty. It turns out the bolts had loosened up on the hatch and it was moving and was out of alignment.

It's the rubber bump stops in the tailgate / lift gate jamb, they are threaded, so turn em out as they shrink as they age.

This is my first visit to any forum of any type but the rattle in the cargo area drove me nuts. Despite having several body shops look at it, no one had an answer. The noise was intermittent but generally at lower speeds on uneven roads. This has been going on for over a year in my 2002 X5.

I agree with the two previous posters -- it is the rubber stops in the wells of the hatch. I used adhesive backed thick felt and it works! This is a quick fix but I do not own or even know how to use a torque wrench, which is what I think you need to properly adjust the bumpers. Next trip to the dealer, I will have them do it properly.

Good luck.

They are rubber stoppers, they just twist further out with a torx driver (star head). :)




http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b312/Bimmer9938/DSC09526.jpg

This is my first visit to any forum of any type but the rattle in the cargo area drove me nuts. Despite having several body shops look at it, no one had an answer. The noise was intermittent but generally at lower speeds on uneven roads. This has been going on for over a year in my 2002 X5.

I agree with the two previous posters -- it is the rubber stops in the wells of the hatch. I used adhesive backed thick felt and it works! This is a quick fix but I do not own or even know how to use a torque wrench, which is what I think you need to properly adjust the bumpers. Next trip to the dealer, I will have them do it properly.

Good luck.

What you need is a Torx bit, not a torque wrench (see the picture above this post) to adjust the rubber bumpers for the hatch. And the felt pads you're using are as good a fix as you need. No sense in paying a dealer $50 to turn 2 screws!