Hello!

After a bit of spirited driving in the mountains outside of Monaco I stopped at what looked like a reststop at the side of the road. I drank some water, took some scenic picures and then carried on.
While pulling off the reststop i heard what can only be described as every motorists nightmare: a loud metallic sound coming from underneath the car. It sounded almost like when you drag a tincan on tarmac behind you car.
I instantly stopped to inspect the damage but couldn't really see any. Half the car was in the middle of the lane on a mountain road so I couldn't really take my time and do a deep inspection. I decided to risk it and carry on driving.
After a few kilometers I came to a better area with better parking so I stopped to take a proper look. To my surprise there was no leaking,dripping or release of any fluids. Neither could i see any broken or severly damaged parts.
I drove a further 100km after this and I noticed no difference in performance, handling or breaking.

Has anyone else managed to scrape/damage the underneath of their car and has tips on where to look more closely?

Attaching a picture of the described "reststop". The lip of the tarmac was a bit higher than expected

 

Looks like a V6, but what year is it? What you're describing sounds very much like a displaced heat shield knocking against something... going to have to get under the car and have a look. This part is unclear: "While pulling off the reststop i heard what can only be described as every motorists nightmare." Was it making the noise with the car moving, not moving, or both? Also, when you stopped later, was it still making the same noise?

Less likely, is it possible that you ran over a piece of metal, a can maybe? Perhaps it got stuck in the undercarriage somewhere and is rattling.

 

I had that noise once (in an old ford laser) and it ended up being a little rock caught in a brake part. I just googled to see if it was still a thing and apparently yes. Sounds exactly like tin cans being dragged.

 

I had that happen to a car with little clearance between the wheels and brake calipers. A piece of gravel got stuck in between and made a terrible noise as it ground a groove into the wheel.

 

Most likely by far is the front splitter - I grind that on steep driveways etc. nearly weekly. Never bothered to replace mine, though it's pretty well shredded. Can't tell from your picture if that lip reentering the road is enough.

 

Yes, it's a v6s MY16. The noise only happened when I was moving. When I stopped the sound stopped. As I started the car and contiuned moving the noise came back for maybe a meter or two and then everyting went back to normal.
If a rock can get lodged in a brake part and cause that noise that would explain how I am unable to see any damage to the underneath of the car! I will have to inspect the brakes tomorrow.

 

I had a small stone stuck in the left front brake shield of my XK8 many years ago and that made a lot of noise. A "knowledgeable" neighbour told me my exhaust was hanging off! I managed to "fix the exhaust" by jacking up the affected wheel and slackening the wheel nuts until the stone dropped out.

 

Yeah it's amazing how much noise that it makes. The one I had was a little stone - like a pebble. But it sounded like honeymoon car at a hillbilly wedding. Wildpipe it has probably gone already and you might never see the effect of it, if it was thet to start with.

 

I've had a pebble between the pad and rotor too--makes a godawful sound but will usually fracture, disintegrate, or otherwise dislodge itself in short order.

 

I have had it happen to me three or four times this year and one of those was on my Aston which has carbon ceramic brakes which are stupidly expensive to replace so I was a little concerned!

The best thing to do is try reversing and also turn the steering wheel backwards and forwards. That always works for me.

 

Same happened to me...and the photo shows a perfect spot for a caliper/rock meeting.

 

I was also thinking a rock in the brakes. Good that it disappeared.

Great roads north of Monaco aren't they? Did you head up to Col de Turini?

Och välkommen förresten!

 

Tack! I drove a bit more to the east through Ceva and Ormea. Just stunning scenery and roads. Driving through the towns next to the Mediterranean was also fun but really made the suspension work overtime. The speed bumps are insane!

 

Yep, apart from the speed bumps cruising slowly along the riviera is always really nice too although it may be a bit crowded this time of the year. If you thought that was tough on the suspension, try some English B roads. It's only after a road trip in the UK with my F-Type that I realised why English car journalists keep banging on about the ride of cars they test. Hope you get/got the chance to hit the Route Napoleon too. That, along with the Monte Carlo rally roads up to Col de Turini are probably the most epic roads down there.