"Tok Tok" sound coming from the inner tail gate!!!

[fullmetaljacket]

X5EVER - Very happy to know that this has helped a fellow X5 lover! Thank you for letting us know that this has somehow helped in reviving back your former affection and confidence for our X5. I just hope the simple solution will last Cheers!

[Russianblue]

just FYI guys,

i have knocked this thing out once and for all. i concur 100%. the problem is the latch inside the lower tailgate.

i didn't do a proper fix yet, but to isolate the noise i wrapped the latch with 1/8" adhesive foam...similar to the electrical tape job. that did it. instantly.

the noise is from the upper hatch and lower hatch knocking boots at the latch!

so....sometime this week i will work on re-aligning that lower tailgate.

thanks for all the help. this fixes a problem that has been off and on for 6.5 years.

[THXKNUT]

HA!!!!

This was the first thread I read here since the wife's 4.6 had the same sound.

I stopped at post #9. Try the easiest thing first then work your way down. So I loosened the two bolts on each of the latch catches that the tailgate latches into, behind the plastic covers. I adjusted them so that the tailgate draws up tighter to the body, closed the tailgate to ensure the alignment was correct and poof - No more sound. Took all of 10 minutes.

I could see Granny getting taken to the cleaners at a dealership over this one.

[Russianblue]

Taken to the cleaners eh? as in...Brian Harris BMW? that your local guy? i'm gonna scan and post screenies from their multiple failed attempts over the years.

i was born and raised in B.R. as coincidence would have it. whole family's still there.

Les's magic got trumped on Saturday. we still could have won that game. typical fare though: lack of organizational skills and poor tackling fundamentals. very aggravating to watch those guys any more.

[THXKNUT]

Originally Posted by Russianblue

Taken to the cleaners eh? as in...Brian Harris BMW? that your local guy? i'm gonna scan and post screenies from their multiple failed attempts over the years.

i was born and raised in B.R. as coincidence would have it. whole family's still there.

Les's magic got trumped on Saturday. we still could have won that game. typical fare though: lack of organizational skills and poor tackling fundamentals. very aggravating to watch those guys any more.

Any long time BMW owner in BR will tell you Brian Harris is good for sales and warranty service (Even the warranty service is questionable but free), after that Wedge Keys and German Auto rule the German auto repair & maintenance market in this area. German Auto has a new building and have become a major player overnight because of top notch service and unbeatable knowledge with a very small price tag.

My blood is LSU purple so aggravating or not my heart belongs there. Woulda, shoulda, coulda, I never expected a 7 - 1 start this year anywho. If the Tigers aggravate me so much I have a heart attack, I hope it happens at Tiger Stadium and I die right there - That way, I'm already in heaven.

You know who's next -

[amacman]

Originally Posted by THXKNUT

HA!!!!

This was the first thread I read here since the wife's 4.6 had the same sound.

I stopped at post #9. Try the easiest thing first then work your way down. So I loosened the two bolts on each of the latch catches that the tailgate latches into, behind the plastic covers. I adjusted them so that the tailgate draws up tighter to the body, closed the tailgate to ensure the alignment was correct and poof - No more sound. Took all of 10 minutes.

I could see Granny getting taken to the cleaners at a dealership over this one.

I read the same fix on another forum
part #18 on the top gate

RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 4.4i TRUNK LID/REAR WINDOW

part# 6 on the lower gate

RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 4.4i SINGLE COMPONENTS FOR TRUNK LID

[grey]

Originally Posted by fullmetaljacket

I've searched for threads discussing similar problems of knocking sounds coming from the rear tailgate and have done almost all the suggestions and DIY's to solve it but still no success at all!

Knocking sounds I've read about on this forum come from either, tailgate latches, suspension arms, reserve tire, loose jacks, cv joints, rubber bushings on the upper tailgate, etc. but unfortunately none of these are mine.

My knocking sound that sounds like a "Tok Tok" (like a seatbelt buckle hanging and banging itself on the body or rear windshield) is coming from the rear center, it's like coming from the back of where the plate number is mounted but when I took out the whole inside panel, there was nothing there that would make that tok tok sound. I also took out the panel that covered the rear wiper motor but there was also nothing there. arrrrrggg!!

Yes I did!!! I sat at the rear compartment while my friend drove the X5 around. The sound comes out more on small bumps rather than big humps and pot holes. It is also unpredictable when it will come out. Sometimes you won't here it for a day, then the next day you'll hear it again backing out of the garage. Sometimes you'll here just one "tok" and sometimes you'll here a series of it like a "toktoktoktoktok". It's very frustrating. I'm willing to overhaul the whole rear underchasis at this point but since I have not identified and pinpointed where the tok tok is coming from, all the replacements might all be wasted if it does not eliminate the tok tok problem.

I brought the X5 to the dealer, left it for more than a week but they could not find it as well.

Any of you has got this problem? Phantom? Any suggestions (other than sell the car hahaha)? Would appreciate any. Thanks guys!

i had the same issue. in my case the lower tailgate latch on the right side wasnt getting locked while the left side was locked. so it "knocks" against the latch when i fall into a pothole. I fixed myself by adjusting the lower tailgate latches. its scary as this is how it came brand new. i had to fix it myself. for god sake this is a 2008 BMW E70, what has happened?. I have other issues now. my dash rattles, not a clue

[Peter D]

Fullmetal....
Great diagnossis, ive got a similar noise and will try the latch tape trick before i tear apart as you did.....

[Maruzo]

Bump an old thread for a new issue with the same trunk area.

My 03 4.6is has been giving me a few issues from the trunk area. First that sporadic "tok-tok" noise that comes on at odd intervals, with no predictability and refuses to go away.

I've taped up all three latch catches on the lower tailgate so we'll see if that does the trick when I drive home today.

But for a different issue, i've been getting the "trunklid open" error on the cluster led display. It's been steadily getting worse these past couple of weeks. Right now every time I open the upper tailgate and close it, the warning would come on when I drive the car. I would have to stop the car, close it a few more times, then the warning light would go away.

Usually when the light comes on, I would end up hearing a lot more noises and rattles from the trunk area when I drive.

So I'm thinking maybe the sensor isn't faulty, but the latch connection isn't as good as it should be.

If I hear a nice and firm "thud" when I close the gate, the warning light is less likely to appear.

Has anyone experience the same issue?

Update: The textured electric tape I used on all three latch catches worked wonders. The "tock tock" noise has all but disappeared!

I also tried reducing the length of the 2 bump stops on the sides by loosening the torx bolt and then rotating the large bolt clockwise.

Will have to see if this works tomorrow!

[Russianblue]

FYI, I ended up solving this for good several years ago. It was definitely the latch.

I used some 1/4 inch closed cell foam with adhesive backing and wrapped the latch bars inside the latch. my reasoning being that when trunklid was shut it would cut into the foam and have a nice snug insulating layer and the gummy residue and foam would soak up the noises.

When I initially shut the trunklid, I had to really slam it hard. but after a few closings, it gets 'broken in'. for the first couple of years I had to re-do the foam every six months or so. i'd pull out the big pieces but leave the sticky adhesive and foam bits on the latch bars. over time, i had to reapply less and less. At this point, it's probably been 2 years since i last re-foamed. I keep a 4x6 piece of the foam in the rear tail-light compartment with pre-cut strips about 1/2 inch wide and about 1.5 inches long (IIRC) and if i ever need to reapply i just tear off a couple of strips and have at it. Takes two min.

It's not the most highly engineered fix in the world but it is something the dealership couldn't solve in SIX separate visits!! I imagine the electrical tape works much the same way. Probably cleaner too!