Dreadful vibration in a 2013 Kemerton

I have a dreadful vibration noise which is driving me crazy coming fro the rear of my late 2013 Kemerton. It starts at 60 MPH and is really loud and very annoying. It stays as the speed goes up but seems to stop below about 55 MPH.

I fully expect noise from the rear of a motor home but this is exceptional. I have tried all ways to find whatever is making this noise and the radio will not drown it out its that loud !! I have driven 550 miles this last week most of which was on the motorway so the noise has been there most of the time.

Any advice really welcome as this vehicle is heading for the classifieds . Mmmm

Sounds like rear wheel bearings possibly?

PB

Thanks but it's not a bearing type noise. It's a very loud vibration/ resonance that sounds like a fab blade with a piece of cardboard held against it.

Stone in tyre tread? Or a window open a bit can cause weird buffeting sounds when traveling fast.
Dave.

Hi there,

On one occasion, driving along a motorway in a brand-new Mercedes Vito there was an incredible "thumping" noise emanating from "somewhere".

I slowed down and the "thumping" reduced but not enough to be scary so I pulled into the first service area I could find.

As I slowed down and stopped the "thumping" stopped.  I got out and walked all around the vehicle without seeing anything wrong, looked under the bonnet (it seemed to be coming from the front end) with no result, checked all the wheel bearings and even crawled underneath with a torch; all to no avail.

Completely stumped I phoned the AA, joined the organisation (a tip worth remembering if you aren't a member anyway) and a mechanic turned up about half an hour later.

The mechanic did exactly what I had done and was also stumped, right up until we were standing near his own van and looking backwards at the Vito.  It was only then that we noticed the lump of windscreen seal that had come loose.  Yep!  This one foot long length of rubber had squeezed itself out of position so that it could hammer on the roof of the cab.

At 5mph the thumping was "noticeable" and at 70mph it was "terrifying".

Incredibly, the AA man produced a tube of glue, reinstated the rubber surround and it lasted until I sold the van about five years later!

So, back on topic, from the symptoms you describe I would look very closely all over the van to see if there is something hanging down or sticking up that can move and create the noise you describe.

It could be ANYTHING from a loose waste-tank emptying hose to a loose waste-tank; but if it is not a mechanical failure then it will almost certainly be something on the outside of the van and therefore exposed to the wind.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

A few years ago in France along a main road, I heard a flapping  noise, kept getting louder,  mentioned it to my husband ( he is a bit deaf ) who was driving, he said it must be that lorry behind us, the tapeline is flapping, minute later lorry overtook us, we were towing a caravan, still I could hear this noise, I said no it is us, next minute bang, the OS ( would have NS in England )wheel came off pulled up and the wheel was rolling down the road, even following the curb, must admit it did look funny, wheel stayed in the gutter just followed the bend in the road, sounds dangerous but no one was injured, we were lucky,  eventually it stopped, retrieved wheel and three of the nuts, there was my husband in the road putting it back on, with lorries hooting at us, don`t know what they thought we should do.

Steady to a caravan dealer who was near by, axle damaged, he even looked at his stock of Eldiss vans, but they were different to ours, he supplied us  with a glass of wine while we  called RAC in England, shortened version,  RAC had to order a part  flown out from Germany to France,   not one in England, limped to a caravan site, a few days later on a Sunday, two guys turned up, looked like farmers in a battered old Renault, with the part, came to do the repair , cannot fault the RAC they were fantastic service.

morel,never know what these noises are. sometimes hard to track down, in this case not. please excuse spelling mistakes it is 5am, have been ironing since 4am.

Hope you get it sorted.
Regards,
Margaret

We stopped I don't know how many times on our 550 mile trip . I went on top of under in and out of the van so many times I was dizzy !
When we hit 60 its like someone turns on a switch ! Honestly its incredible !
I will take it back to the dealers and let them sort it out !
I though I would ask here first in case it was one of those silly common faults cars sometimes have .

Thanks all !

Hi,

Check your tyres for flat spots,

I have just changed all of mine when I checked that they were manufactured in 2007, the tread was like new but the tyres had gone hard and the side walls had weakened,
I also had a flat spot which caused a slight vibration and thumping noise, I will now move my Sherbourne each week a couple of feet and make some covers as I store my motorhome done at a farm in the open and at times it is in full sunlight which does the tyres no good at all.
hope this helps

Whatever this noise is it is not tyre related or coming from the mechanics of the vehicle. It is a loud vibration/resonance that comes in at a given speed range. 

I have today removed the outside vents for the fridge and inside these there are two screens that were rattling about as they assemble them unfixed so they can be easily removed for access to the back of the fridge area. They are now fixed but still removable. 
The screens them self's rattle like hell so I have used rubber glazing strip to make sure there is no rattles anymore. 

I haven't had time to road test the van to see if that was the problem.   We shall see "

On many sites recently, we have been plagued with a strange tapping noise eminating from the back of the van. I was sure it was low branches from either trees overhead or an overgrown hedge. I was in and out of the van like a yo-yo, but couldn't see anything touching the van. I thought I was going mad! On our recent holiday in Europe, once again, it was a little windy, we were stationary on a pitch, and this tapping noise started once again! This time I was determined to find out where this noise was coming from. When I came round to the fridge vents it got louder and sure enough, there were the two screens behind the vent rattling in the wind. I fixed them with small strips of rubber with double sided tape, bought from the 99p shop before the trip (a useful packet of different size rubber pads for furniture feet). Hey presto irritating noise gone. So I can well believe the possibility of loose vents causing a disturbing rapid rattling noise at a particular speed when the conditions are perfect for maximum vibration. I hope this is the cause as you must think you are going mad! My wife was worried about me! Good luck. Pete

Had the same issue as Masai Warrior in our SussexEB (Marquis version of Kemerton). Fixed with small pieces of self adhesive rubber sealing strip.

Only noticed it when parked up though never when travelling.

Good luck, hope it's is the fridge vents as its an easy fix.

Masai Warrior wrote:On many sites recently, we have been plagued with a strange tapping noise eminating from the back of the van. I was sure it was low branches from either trees overhead or an overgrown hedge. I was in and out of the van like a yo-yo, but couldn't see anything touching the van. I thought I was going mad! On our recent holiday in Europe, once again, it was a little windy, we were stationary on a pitch, and this tapping noise started once again! This time I was determined to find out where this noise was coming from. When I came round to the fridge vents it got louder and sure enough, there were the two screens behind the vent rattling in the wind. I fixed them with small strips of rubber with double sided tape, bought from the 99p shop before the trip (a useful packet of different size rubber pads for furniture feet). Hey presto irritating noise gone. So I can well believe the possibility of loose vents causing a disturbing rapid rattling noise at a particular speed when the conditions are perfect for maximum vibration. I hope this is the cause as you must think you are going mad! My wife was worried about me! Good luck. Pete

  but ....

Many years ago I was driving a brand-new A40 pick-up around the refinery I was working on and paying scant regard to the "running-in" instructions.

Having thrashed the pick-up the ten miles down to the docks and back, I pulled into the refinery and switched the engine off.

The "pink-pink-pink" sound of a very much overheated engine cooling down started almost immediately; and a bit of me died inside as I thought of having to report a seized engine with less than 100 miles on the clock. 

I had already worked out at least three excuses when I started to get out of the pick-up and noticed in the nearside wing mirror that there was a tiny pied-wagtail knocking seven bells out if its own reflection in the brand-new hubcap!  "Pink-pink-pink!" it went!! 

Full of relief I decided to run the vehicle in properly from then on.

Back on topic, "mysterious noises" are always difficult to find.  The clue is in the description!  

Best regards,

Drove the van today after sorting out the side grills and the screens that are within. 
The screens are not fixed to anything so are free to rattle around . Not a criticism but put a marble in a tin and shake. What would we expect ? 
Any way I took it up to the speeds at which it was making its murderous noises and it's no quiet. 
I don't for a second expect silence from a motor home but there is tolerable and where did I leave the 5 litres of unleaded and a box of Swan Vestas..