(T) Strange noises! Can anyone help?

Hi all.

My car has developed a very strange knocking sound, and i'm hoping some of the knowledgable members on this site may have some ideas to a possible cause.
When I first heard the noise I thought it sounded like a worn balljoint, but the noise is intermittent and doesn't seem directly linked to the suspension dealing with bumps and pot holes in the road.
I took the car to the garage where the car performed perfectly and didn't make a sound! But they had a look underneath and said they couldn't find anything obviously wrong with the suspension and there was no play in the steering mechanism. They said "Let it develop".
So I've found out that the car only starts making the noise after doing a lot of steering. Either lots of small junctions one after the other, or slow speed manoeuvring using lots of steering. (I am a driving instructor so I do a lot of this kind of driving!)
The sound is like something under the car is loose and is moving about as the car goes over bumps in the road, and is worse when the car is travelling in a straight line.
After leaving the car for a few hours the sound disappears completely only to return after a doing a lot of steering again.

So i'm thinking this must be a problem with the steering mechanism, although there are no strange noises whilst turning the wheel and the steering still feels nice and direct.

I'd be very grateful for any possible solutions. Thanks.


2002 1.6 dynamic 5 door Steel grey.

I'd go for track rod end first. When the car's jacked up the track rod end is at a different angle so can give the appearance of being ok but when on the ground that's where the wear becomes noticeable at the steering wheel. It'll get worse and you'll know then for sure.

Symptoms might be knocking felt through steering, slight wandering especially when changing gear or power on/ power off. Knocking when going over bumps

Could be lots of other things but that's what I'd go for first. Cheap too!

Hi M8 - maybe you should check your chassis number - see New Threard concerning recall posted by Fiattech today