[geoffr]

Hi
We're getting a rattling/chirruping noise from the car while driving along that we didn't have a few months ago.  The only way to describe it is like a chirruping noise like a grasshopper is in the engine!!  Seems to be coming from the rear of the car but can only hear it when the windows are open - before you say drive with the windows shut - it's driving us mad!!  It happens intermittently and only when the car's warm.  Had the wheels and brakes checked but there's no probs with them.
Anyone else had this problem - guys at the garage even suggested it was the keys rattling in the ignition when driving along!!
Thanks for looking and any advice you can give!
Geoff

[Lorian]

I wonder if they checked the anti-chatter shims on the brake pads (assuming the i30 is supposed to have them), copper grease on the back of the pads.

[Shambles]

Hmm.

Does this chirping (chirruping?) speed up the faster you travel?

[geoffr]

No it gets less or disappears the faster the car goes. 

What are the anti-chatter shims?

[Shambles]

What are the anti-chatter shims?

They are slim metal plates between the brake pad and the caliper. They should have copper-based paste applied (sometimes known as "coppaslip") which prevents chirps and squeals.

You have to remember that the pads are in constant contact with the disks, so the "anti-chatter" compound is important. On my Toyota RAV4 I have just replaced the pads but Toyota's OEM pads have this compound included in the pad backbone, to sort this kind of thing out.

It might be an easy fix that sorts this out

[Lorian]

Hopefully you can see this image without a hmiservice account. <right click> -> save as the image and then view it on your pc becuase it doesn't show up very well on the clubs grey background.

Item 12 is the shim. Worth checking the springs are in place too item 14.

Please note I'm not a mechanic, just know that this is one thing that can cause these kind of noises. I'm sure there are lots of other possible causes too.

[Blue]

You only hear it when the car is moving?
Does the sound stop or change while altering direction (usually left OR right not both)?
Got Steel Wheels?

I had a Kia Cerato that developed a similar sound. A high pitched creaking sound, a coarse squeak.  Kind of like that noise you get on a very dry, very tight, nut (like a wheel nut) when you apply strong tightening force (sound about right?).
Drove me nuts for weeks. I swore it was a brake or bearing problem.

Turned out to be a very fine fracture (crack) in the rim, near the wheel nuts.
The reason I think it's worth a mention, it happened to two of the rims on that car 6 months apart... not a one off.
The rims on the Kia and Hyundai (Elantra) are similar (I bought a second hand Elantra Rim to fix the problem!) so it is possible they are sourced from the same factory !!!!!

Sounds identical to me... intermittent, outside, and got less severe the faster we went.

Worth checking out IF you have steel wheels (alloys won't make the sound!)!
Take the wheel covers off and look for a very fine black line (hard to see - the brake dust may have stuck to it though) somewhere, more likeley to run radially (ish).

From your description, and the fact that you say the brakes have already been checked (it is so hard to see, it could easily be missed in a wheel check)... I would ALMOST put money on it!

[2i30s]

i had a car that made a noise like that,i removed the hubcaps [rim dresscovers] and it went away. after a month of searching.

[Zhangster]

easy solution to check that out... go to dealership demand they check it out and tell em try som other wheels...  and see if is gone...

another way is if u put on the spare wheel and see if stops... try all wheels...

You only hear it when the car is moving?
Does the sound stop or change while altering direction (usually left OR right not both)?
Got Steel Wheels?

I had a Kia Cerato that developed a similar sound. A high pitched creaking sound, a coarse squeak.  Kind of like that noise you get on a very dry, very tight, nut (like a wheel nut) when you apply strong tightening force (sound about right?).
Drove me nuts for weeks. I swore it was a brake or bearing problem.

Turned out to be a very fine fracture (crack) in the rim, near the wheel nuts.
The reason I think it's worth a mention, it happened to two of the rims on that car 6 months apart... not a one off.
The rims on the Kia and Hyundai (Elantra) are similar (I bought a second hand Elantra Rim to fix the problem!) so it is possible they are sourced from the same factory !!!!!

Sounds identical to me... intermittent, outside, and got less severe the faster we went.

Worth checking out IF you have steel wheels (alloys won't make the sound!)!
Take the wheel covers off and look for a very fine black line (hard to see - the brake dust may have stuck to it though) somewhere, more likeley to run radially (ish).

From your description, and the fact that you say the brakes have already been checked (it is so hard to see, it could easily be missed in a wheel check)... I would ALMOST put money on it!

[Lorian]

I would hope its already been fixed as the OP was months ago....