A problem solved...

The other day I reported that I was suffering a mystery knocking/rattling sound linked to movement of the car. It was driving me nuts.

Anyway, this evening driving home it worsened, and I became worried about driving the car any further in case it was a bearing or something. So I called the nice man from Skoda assist.

The guy went above and beyond the call of duty. He test drove the car, raised and checked all 4 wheels, ruled out the possibility of it being a bearing, then basically proceeded to dismantle the front quarter of the car and discovered my problem.

Sitting over the driveshaft, where it exits the gearbox, there is a small plastic silver shield with heatproofing on it. It is attached at one end and then arcs over the driveshaft using only its own rigidity to hold it in place. The piece is held on by 2 bolts sitting in rubber spacers. Basically, the spacers were loose, even though the bolts were tight, and the heat shield had dropped onto the driveshaft, bouncing it up and down whenever the car moved.

So, no harm done, and maybe if you have a similar noise it will give you something to check before you tear your own hair out!

Happy again

Soapy