![]() Unfortunately, the catches on these aren't adjustable. Those overhead storage compartments for glasses and garage door openers are sure convenient, but they're made of hard plastic and are likely to generate an excruciating buzz. Move the latch in the direction that makes the fit as tight as possible while still being lockable. Latches, say, for the glove compartment or console lid, usually can be adjusted. ![]() Special tools are available to help you get under the door panel and pop the clips or push-in plastic plugs with as little damage as possible.Ī console door's latch may need minor adjusting. You have to remove the door panel, which can be tricky. Giving a door a solid blow while it's open, or just shaking it vigorously, may confirm your suspicions as to the location, but you won't really know what's going on without a look-see. Power lock linkage is another possibility, as are speakers, especially if they've been added on (stereo shops don't employ NVH engineers). Older-style window mechanisms can become loose and create loud rattles. Sometimes you can improve access to the nether regions of the dash by removing the glove compartment liner. You might be able to find a rattle in the dashboard by reaching underneath and shaking whatever bundles of wires are there. If that doesn't work, remove the screws and the component, cut pieces of foam to fit in the seams, and reinstall. If screws hold these pieces together, try tightening them. You may find that a high-frequency rattle or buzz is coming from the interface between a piece of trim and the dash itself, or between the dash and the instrument panel. The pushing and pounding routine is the first step. This wouldn't be so bad except that all of this is hidden, requiring you to remove trim panels. They may be coming from any of those places where metal and plastic meet, from components such as timers and relays that dangle from the wiring harness, or from heater and air-conditioning control cables. Once you think you've found the problem, try wedging cardboard or a wooden tongue depressor between the offending components to eliminate vibration.ĭashboard noises are particularly annoying. Is one missing? Do they look dried out and shrunken? How about the window channels? Are they worn out? Gone altogether? Also look for missing screws. Glove compartment and console doors typically close against little rubber bumpers. Besides aural and tactile, this is also a visual inspection. Beating on the dash with your fist may also cause a change in the noise, but you've probably done that already as a means of venting your frustration. Sometimes this will require quite a push, especially if you suspect the dashboard or a door panel. Press on panels, doors, windows, handles and trim until the sound changes. Now that you have a general idea of the location, it's time to go hands-on. We've found rattles that turned out to be a socket set in a steel box, other assorted tools, a loose fire extinguisher, etc. Or, use a stethoscope (electronic versions are available).Īt this point, we should mention the obvious: Make sure the noise isn't being caused by something you've put in the car and forgotten. Enlist a helper to drive over the type of pavement that elicits the unpleasant sounds while you climb around, hose to ear. ![]() Similarly, you can take a piece of heater or garden hose and hold it to your ear. Whenever the other guys in the shop were presented with a mysterious noise, they'd get him to take a ride with them and he'd pass the amp over the likely spots until he zeroed in on the offending area. He wore an old-fashioned hearing aid that had an earpiece and a wire that ran down to the amplifier, which he kept in his shirt pocket. We once worked with a mechanic who was hearing impaired. These annoyances can be easily fixed, but finding them is a challenge that requires focused concentration. You might even begin thinking of the old story about the disgruntled assembly line worker who used to hang empty beer cans inside body panels to sabotage the car company's reputation. This is why the term "rattletrap" was coined. Within an hour it's as annoying as myelin being flayed from the nerve endings in your inner ears. With the new bumps comes a minor rattle that starts under the dash. A quick trip to the Men's and a tankful of gas get you rolling again, this time on a secondary road that's not so smooth. You're coming to the end of a gas tank's worth of superslab, the pavement as fresh and as smooth as your brother-in-law's balding pate.
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