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I just did this - changed my left rear shock out completely -- which came complete with the upper mount on Saturday (the top nut of the shock was already snugged down to proper torque spec so I did not have to worry about it endlessly turning).
Took me the better part of a day, most of which was the interior disassembly and cleaning the dog hair, going to the LR dealership to get new clips and chick-fil-a for lunch. https://landroverforums.com/forum/20...nt-diy-126851/
Happy to answer any questions.
To be honest -- tightening your nut is likely not going to do anything except maybe buy you time. And also, when you try to tighten it, it’s just going to spin round and round. Unless you have an air tool in which case you might get lucky and overcome the resistance and spin it down a bit.
Basically what happens is one time, the articulation of the suspension changes the angle of the shock because of the way the rear suspension is designed. Over time, the shock shaft has proven to be too thin, so this bends the shaft up at the top where the nut is -- and remember the shock shaft is hollow -- because it has the electric wire attached to it. You can’t any of this because it’s inside the rubber shock boot and below that top nut you want to tighten. Anyway, as it flexes, it elongates. This is what then causes you to think the top nut has loosened. The nut has not loosened. It is still in the same place. In reality, the shaft has slightly lengthened itself because it has bent back and forth zillions of times, which causes it to slightly get longer and metal fatigue. The nut has locking compound and is a locking nut, I bet it has not loosened. Mine had not.
My take?
The only fix is a new shock. It’s not the upper mount w the 3 bolts or the nut. It’s the shock absorber component itself.
People report the following: Eventually as it gets really loose, the shock shaft starts turning, the wires will start turning round and round -- the harness will break and you will get a suspension error.
Thanks @nashvegas for clearing up this for me.... but, WHOLLY NIGHTMARE OF ALL RATTLES!
I checked the link to your disassemble and gotta say, I won't be sleeping tight again.
I guess I will cross that nasty bridge when I get there. Forget about preventive care Hahaha.
2025 Defender 110S. January 2025 Build. Similar noise coming from passenger side/rear. Need directions to remove trim in 5 seater to accurately diagnose.
On a 5 seater 110, you literally just remove the floor in the cargo area, then remove the jack and associated tools, then remove and pull up the foam piece that holds the jack (the support under the floor). It’s wedged in but comes out). You may have to undo the sill trim piece at the rear cargo door floor, unsure.
Due to the exact same problem as others in this thread, I just had my 2023 110's left rear shock assembly replaced under warranty. For about a year now, every time I had the vehicle in off-road height for more then a few hours, then returned that height back to Normal, I'd hear a rattle coming from the back like steel ***** clanking against each other. After a week or so of driving around town, the sound would go away. But it would repeat the next time I'd go off-roading. I reported it to my service advisor and they said they couldn't reproduce the sound and there was nothing for them to fix . So next time it happened, I pulled the foam insert out of the boot (mine is a 5-seater, so it was super easy) and filmed the strut rattling up and down in the mount. After bringing film evidence back to my service advisor, thankfully he was quick to accept and fix the issue with a new rear shock assembly. I'm now enjoying a mostly-quiet ride again! Thank you to those in this thread for helping me accurately identify the problem.
Good morning, I am having the same issue and have had it at the dealership numerous times. Did anyone get theirs fixed and if so would love to know the fix to pass on to the dealership. My 2024 110 is doing exactly like the video. Mine has gotten so bad that it does it on smooth roads as well. I do not drive off road in mine. Just a normal road driver. They have replaced the struts but that did not fix the issue. thanks
Hey @Aberner mine happened just out of warranty but the fix is “a new rear active shock because the shock shaft is bent, elongated and is thus rattling in the upper mount.”
Just replacing the upper mount or tightening the shock nut on top does nothing. It’s the active shock absorber. it looks like this with a little reservoir attached to the side. The electronics change the damping based on terrain mode, and the computers that control the car.
When you say they replaced the struts -- what did they replace? The air struts ? (totally different component from the shock absorber and what a boneheaded fix at a dealer if they thought that was the problem!). The upper shock mounts, see above, also not a fix.
The rear suspension has two major components aside from the actual metal stuff. Air struts (make the car go up and down, function like air filled springs), and the shock absorbers (responsible for handling, damping). What is happening on these Defenders is the shock shafts are weak because they have a hollow center where the wiring for the adaptive damping runs down the middle of the tube (like a thick straw). I don’t know if it’s from articulation ... but it’s definitely worse on offloaded cars. Surprised yours, that new, with road driving had this happen !
Hey @Aberner mine happened just out of warranty but the fix is “a new rear active shock because the shock shaft is bent, elongated and is thus rattling in the upper mount.”
Just replacing the upper mount or tightening the shock nut on top does nothing. It’s the active shock absorber. it looks like this with a little reservoir attached to the side. The electronics change the damping based on terrain mode, and the computers that control the car.
When you say they replaced the struts -- what did they replace? The air struts ? (totally different component from the shock absorber and what a boneheaded fix at a dealer if they thought that was the problem!). The upper shock mounts, see above, also not a fix.
The rear suspension has two major components aside from the actual metal stuff. Air struts (make the car go up and down, function like air filled springs), and the shock absorbers (responsible for handling, damping). What is happening on these Defenders is the shock shafts are weak because they have a hollow center where the wiring for the adaptive damping runs down the middle of the tube (like a thick straw). I don’t know if it’s from articulation ... but it’s definitely worse on offloaded cars. Surprised yours, that new, with road driving had this happen !
how much was the component and labor - and did you do it at your local dealer?
the same side of my original rattle is back; and now that I’m out of warranty trying to ball park this fix; if - to your point, they end up changing the rear active shock (they’d probably also recommend new mounts, etc).
. So next time it happened, I pulled the foam insert out of the boot (mine is a 5-seater, so it was super easy) and filmed the strut rattling up and down in the mount. After bringing film evidence back to my service advisor, thankfully he was quick to accept and fix the issue with a new rear shock assembly. I'm now enjoying a mostly-quiet ride again! Thank you to those in this thread for helping me accurately identify the problem.
