Funny noise coming from my car

[happy_face]

I bought a 4 year old Renault Clio about 6 months ago and I've been so happy about but recently noticed a funny sound coming from it.

If I go over humps or when I brake I hear the sound of liquid gurgling. I don't quite know how to describe it other than if you have a big 5 little bottle and when you pour it you get the "gluck gluck gluck" sound when the air goes in to the bottle.

I only hear this noise when I'm going slow and don't know if that's because I can't hear it over the engine or if it only does it when I'm going slow. It has only been doing it for about 2 months. I've had a look under the bonnet but can't really see what it could be. The sound sort of comes from around the front of the car. Everything else is absolutely fine so I'm not too worried and will ask to get it checked out when it's due for it's MOT in the summer. But I was wondering if anyone has/ has had the same problem or knows what it might be ?

Thank you

[willow74]

You got enough water and engine coolant in there.  my car used to do that when i was low on water/coolant. 

[happy_face]

yep i've checked all the fluid containers under the bonnet, even the one for the screen wash to try and eliminate.

[Mortartube]

You possibly have a worn or leaky shock absorber on the front. Look at the shock absorber to see if there are any obvious liquid leaks (they are the struts behind the wheels, often with a spring coiled around them). Some are oil filled and some are gas filled so a leak will not always be evident on gas filled ones. Also bounce the car up and down on each side at the front, over where the front wheels are. Do this by pushing the wing down and letting go. Repeat a few times to get a bouncing motion going then let go. If the car stops bouncing on it's own almost immediately, the shocks are probably ok ( based on your visual inspection). If the car continues bouncing for a while, the shocks probably need replacement (they're done in pairs i.e the front two replaced together). Also look at the front tyres. Uneven wear on the inner or outer of the tyre can be a sign of worn shocks (as well as other things such as steering misaligned). If it is the shocks, get them replaced asap. They can cause increased fuel consumption, increased braking distances and tyre wear. It will actually save you money by replacing them soon (assuming that they are faulty). If this is all too much, any garage (Kwik fit etc) will tell you in a jiffy if you need new shocks and they'll probably do the initial inspection for free.