Unexplained knocking in my car; and others'.

[AaronV]

Sorry that this is a big lengthy.  There's 2 stories here.  I want you to get the whole picture and will give as much important detail as I can.  My stats: 43y/o, 20yrs married, electrician, live in Gainesville, GA USA area.

About 2 years ago, I was buying a car (2003 Honda Element) from a private owner in a nearby town. I grabbed my brother-in-law (BIL) who is a mechanic and we drove to pick it up.  It was a 45min drive.  We headed back and it was about 9:30-10:00pm in the summer. Interstate was quite empty.  We left I-85N and merged onto I985N where there was some construction on the shoulder for a few miles; no active work going on at the time though.  I was in the lead with my BIL trailing behind me in our 2000 Honda Odyssey minivan. I called my wife and was talking to her on my headphones.  As we were talking, I hear a distinct knocking right above my head.  The knocking was in 3s or 2s in no discernable pattern and never more or less. It would happen maybe once or twice a minute.  I silenced my wife a few times so I could try to identify it; it was a new car afterall.  I joked that I'd pull next to my BIL and ask if Jeepers Creepers was on the roof of my car.  Because of my reaction, my wife started to get concerned.  I let her go so I could try to identify what was going on.  I examined all the options: no heavy equipment was running from the construction; there is a moon roof on the car but much further back behind the driver and has no cabling running through the roof to rattle; and afterall, it was RIGHT above me.  I wasn't scared at all, just very confused.  I reasoned it was a rattling moulding on the exterior and would check it when we got home.  The noise lasted for several miles, 2 or 3 knocks (not an S.O.S. pattern), and stopped a few miles before the interstate ended and the road started having traffic lights.  

Once we both pull into my driveway,  I hop out and start knocking all the plastic moulding on the exterior roof of the car. My BIL asks me what I was doing? I said, I don't know, maybe something is loose, but for some reason there was this knocking RIGHT above my head.  My BIL gasps and says "did it sound like this"? and he proceeds to knock his knuckles on the hood of the car 3 times!  By my very startled and freaked out reaction, he knew it was exactly the same!  Then we both collectively freaked...the...hell...out!  He said when the knocking started and stopped and it was exactly as mine did.  He said it was immediately over his head and he was trying to feel the roof of the car to see if anything was up there and thought for a second a bird was pecking, but the sound wasn't quite right.  We agreed that it wasn't a metallic or hard plastic knock; it was something hard, with a soft cover.  We are both mechanically inclined and the repeating rhythm and the specific location was just WAY to strange.  After that evening, not a peep; never happened again.  

Several months after that event, a buddy and I went out for a few drinks.  We get to talking and I reluctantly told him my experience.  He sat back in his chair with a puzzled look on his face.  After I finished, he said "You know, that's interesting.  A few weeks ago, I was at the light (the 1st light of that same interstate system) and a guy pulled up next to me.  He was feeling the inside of the roof of his car and looked really disturbed.  He got my attention and I rolled down my window.  He asked if there was anything on the roof of his car?  I said no, and I let him go first when the light changed because the whole thing was strange".  When my buddy told me that, It really freaked me out but at the same time validated my experience.  3 people who heard some noise immediately above their heads that sounded like something was on the roof. 

I only ever come up with 2 explanations: spirit activity, or very focused sonic waves pulsing from above somewhere.  I feel ridiculous stating that last one, but am counting on this "no judgement zone", lol. I've looked online for anything like this and come up dry; just a bunch of auto mechanics saying its cabling for a sunroof or things like that.

Any thoughts or similar experiences out there? 

[Susanc241]

Have you tried driving along that same route to see if it happens again?  Same time of day/night maybe?  Intriguing and if you never find out what it was, a good story (as in a good account of an actual event rather than a fictional yarn).  I do like a good mystery and thanks for posting it.

[AaronV]

@Susanc241

Thanks for your comment. I actually drive that route daily, but mostly super early in the AM. I drive it frequently in the evening but only rarely at night. I really don't hope to ever know exactly what happened, so I'm more interested in alternate theories. 

[papageorge1]

6 hours ago, AaronV said:

Any thoughts or similar experiences out there? 

Haunted highways are out there from the number and quality of cases I've heard. Can't dismiss some natural phenomena either. It seems likely that an interstate will have seen a tragic accident and more in its time.  I'll go a good 50/50 on the paranormal on this one.

[Susanc241]

6 hours ago, seanjo said:

Just because it was above your head doesn't mean that was where it was coming from, if you have something loose or worn like wheel bushes or rod ends the sound can sometimes appear to come from somewhere else in the car because it's a big metal vibrating box. I would recommend that if this keeps happening you get the car(s) checked out by a good mechanic.

That doesn’t explain the BIL in the following car hearing the same thing at the same times.

[moonman]

Maybe from seeds or debris dropping onto the roof from trees, or cars kicking gravel up from the road.

There are many possible explanations, I would put "ghost" dead last.

Edited January 13, 2021 by moonman

[AaronV]

@moonman

I appreciate this thought moonman. This was an interstate and I was going 75+- (oh, sorry, right at 70mph, lol), so a single or even a double knock I can understand, but several minutes if this would be hard to attribute to debris or anything like that. No other cars were in front of me and no overhead trees. 

[Jon the frog]

Kids with slingshot... pretty funny you know ! 

[the13bats]

15 hours ago, Susanc241 said:

(as in a good account of an actual event rather than a fictional yarn).  

I say this with all respects, unless we were there we do not know this isnt made up, its a story with hearsay to back it up.

however i love these mysteries and go into them all as being sincere.

Im also a lfe long gear head who has rebuilt cars from the ground up, i was in the music club biz as a career but for fun and camaraderie ive worked at shops.

But my thumping my chest about my car knowledge has very little merit is this case because the bil in a different car heard it himself and even the extra collaboration of a buddy who claims a stranger at an intersection heard it too, it rules out the vehicle, and bil didnt see creeper on your roof.

 

16 hours ago, AaronV said:

I only ever come up with 2 explanations: spirit activity, or very focused sonic waves pulsing from above somewhere.  I feel ridiculous stating that last one, but am counting on this "no judgement zone"

I have no idea why the sonic waves makes you feel ridiculous but a ghost on the roof doesnt, not judging at all.

Heres the thing, i believe your story so far but seems if you your bil and a stranger experenced it it might be worth talking to a reporter at your local paper, human interest oddball stories are popular see if others come forward with their stories, expect some bandwagon effect.

I dont believe it was the car, i dont believe sonic waves or spirits so what's left? We have weird things happen on roads that some see as "spooky" cars seems to coast uphill is one, since you didnt say it has done it since it could be things from the construction, nature, weather if me i would go drive the route same time etc see if it repeats.

For now i rate yours unexplained.

 

[sanchez710]

I had a similar experience when I was driving my works van. When the window was open and I was driving at speed there was a knocking noise coming from the roof. When I wound the window up it stopped. I reasoned that the wind resistance inside the vehicle was causing the roof panel to flex. Did you have the windows down when you heard the knocking noise? 

Edited January 16, 2021 by sanchez710

[AaronV]

@sanchez710

Thanks for that option Sanchez. The windows were up with the A/C on. I also was paying attention to the seems in the road to make sure to rule that out. Keep the ideas coming though...

[sanchez710]

Ok cool, just thought I would mention it. Weird experience for you guys. Very interesting.