Full of Rattles

[GoLowDrew]

5 months and 16K later. I noticed more and more rattles. It's very "un-Toyota" like consider we also own(ed) Camry and Corolla (Japan made).Is NUMMI quality below "Toyota Standards"

[Vibe_dude]

noticed the same thing too.,.....been a GM man all my life.........thought i would give the jap cars a try..........said the same thing to my buddies at work who are big import fans.....they think iam full of BS and making it up........i thought this was below toyota standards...oh well....still really like the car though.

[Raven]

Mine too has it's share of squeeks, buzzes and rattles, some were fixed under warranty and others they have spent hours on and can't seem to find.

[Psychobroker]

If you find the stock rattles are annoying, make sure you never install polyurethane motor mounts!

[Mavrik]

I thought my car might have a few probs because of the build date being a monday... but oddly enough my car has to be the quietest one out there, you all complain of squeaks and rattles, I don't have any.

[ToolGuy]

Our 03 is quiet too and I am great at finding and stopping them, have not had to do that in the Vibe... And we have some of the worst roads in the nation, Michigan! I suppose everyones ears are different.

[nismo]

Yea.... Mine, 2 accidents and that's my explanation.Inder

[ragingfish]

My dash has more rattles then a nursery...Thankfully, I'm taking my day off thursday to rip the dash out and find and STOP each and every one!Ahhhhhhh....service manuals HOW I LOVE THEE!!!

[JohnC]

I couldn't say for sure if the Matrix or Vibe is better built, but the Matrix forum seems to have about the same amount/type of problems.I had a couple rattlesthat were easily fixed and one that was somewhat hard to find. Here is a link to that old post.http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...32452

[ColonelPanic]

Now that it is getting cooler, my dash is really starting to make some noise as well... The worst part is this "snap" I hear coming from the left area of the dash near the windshield when driving on a rough road... If you have the same noise, I'm very much looking forward to see ideas on how to get rid of it...

[RIT]

I have the 3000+ RPM buzz coming from the center part of the Instrument Panel (above the radio). If you also have that, and figure our what is causing it, and how to fix it, would you please, please let me know how you solved it.

[ragingfish]

I thought the buzz was determined to be the cruise control module.

[RIT]

I assume you are referring to the silver box - about the size of a pack of cigarettes that sits below the DRL detector ? If that is the case, then it is an easy fix - just pull out the gauges, and then you can practically crawl inside there! What troubles me is that i would swear that the noise is coming from the center - by the radio, but noise is funny - it is hard to pinpoint the exact location. I'm really psyched if that is the souce of the buzz, becuase quite frankly - it drives me nuts. It is really my only gripe about the car, except for the need for and extra 20 hp, and 20 more lb-ft of torque at about 1k-3k rpms.Let me know if you are certain - and how you fixed it. Did you just duct-tape some foam around it, or get fancier? I suppose you want an outlet for heat dissapation, huh?

[ragingfish]

I unscrewed it, put a piece of armaflex on the mounting bar, and screwed it back down.No tape required.I never had the buzz though...I did it proactively...

[RIT]

I find that the buzz is weather and rpm related. It starts at 3K rpms, and only when the ambient temperature is below 45 degrees, or so. But basically, you are telling me that you are not sure if this is the solution to the buzz problem, becuase you never had it - darn !

[Atomb]

Hey RIT,I have the same buzz with the same scenario...between 3 and 4k rpm and cooler weather. it's definitely coming from the centre (i had my wife listen around while i was driving). Based on RagingFish's dash breakdown pictures, i think it's something to do with the vents vibrating on the back section of the radio...or something like that in the vicinity.I think a quick (read "easy") check is to remove the face plate over the radio/knobs and take a look above the radio. I may do that someday soon....you're not alone on this one!

[RIT]

We're in this together. I have removed the radio, etc. and i still can't figure out exactly where it comes from. The are air vents that must shrink in the cold, and then vibrate. I can generate the noise by banging on the dash with a rubber mallet, but cannot figure out where it comes from. I'm am extremely (removed) abount noise in cars, and this gets to be my #1 priority everytime the weather gets colder. Please keep me posted if you ever solve it, and I'll do the same. Anyone else solve this ?

[ragingfish]

Pretty sure it's not the vents...And many others reported the CC module as being the primary suspect...since the armaflex essentially isolates the module from the mount bar, there's no vibration. It can't hurt anyway...I'm pulling the dash tomorrow, I'll let you know if I solve any of mine...

[ColonelPanic]

At one point in time, I had what sounds like the same buzz-buzz here too, Rit and Atomb. Haven't heard it for a while, but it did resonate around 3K. Also made a bit of a noise when the car idled. The center of the dash has been taken apart a few times by the dealer - two radio replacements, one bezel replacement, and replacement of the A/C / recirc switches. Perhaps something got knocked back into place somewhere along the way...

[AKLGT]

i notice i get a rattle in the same location about 3-4K rpms and my HEAT is on!

[RIT]

Last night, on the way home from work, i started thinking about it, and I also wondered if it was related to the heat being on. "We" need to solve this - for my sanity!

[AKLGT]

i agree or i'll bust out my eardrums from turning up the stereo too loud!

[ragingfish]

So I pulled the dash today...What I did was put felt on EVERY joint -- where the dash meets the body...and where the upper and lower dash meet. I also felted a few junction blocks. This seems to have solidifed the joins significantly...I didn't hear any rattles tonight, but the real test will be in the morning on a cold start -- that's when it's always the worst...Will let y'all know what the final verdict is...

[sensfanrk]

I've noticed a deep sounding rattle up near my windshield. I figured out that it's my window defroster vent. It only makes the noise when my fan is set to low or the 2nd setting, and only at low RPM's. Anybody else have this issue, and what has been done about it??

[ragingfish]

I do have a lot of rattles coming from the engine bay...turns out they're just the engine being loud as hell. Nothing I can do to fix it.

[ColonelPanic]

Looking forward to the results! Did you happen to get any pics during this little project?This morning, my car sounded like I had a bowl of rice krispies sitting on the dash... Snapped, crackled, and popped the entire way home. Oh well, I guess it helps distract me from the horrible ticking in the engine when it's cold... I need to tear my dash apart and try to do something with it... Afraid I'd screw it all up though. Say, if your expirement worked, how much would you charge to fix mine? lol!

[tots]

My '04 base's windows rattle when down - annoying!

[damronjr]

Hey, mine too! I have to have them either all the way up or all the way down.

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Looking forward to the results! Did you happen to get any pics during this little project?This morning, my car sounded like I had a bowl of rice krispies sitting on the dash... Snapped, crackled, and popped the entire way home. Oh well, I guess it helps distract me from the horrible ticking in the engine when it's cold... I need to tear my dash apart and try to do something with it... Afraid I'd screw it all up though. Say, if your expirement worked, how much would you charge to fix mine? lol! No pics. And no success. All the rattles I'd thought I fixed are back.I shall not back down. I WILL find the sources!

[ColonelPanic]

That's the way to look at it! Don't let that cheap plastic win! Hate to hear you didn't have much success though, after all you went through. Any particular area in the dash that has more noises than another? I know with mine, the majority of the sounds come from the far left corner of the dash, from the light sensor forward to the windshield. I'm almost wondering if the chassis flexing while on a rough road is making the dash move and bumps up against something it shouldn't... I haven't a clue, although I do know what you're going through.

[Vibespread Panic]

Ive found the same probs w/ my dash. Sounds like the dash has a low squeek and the chrome trim on the gauges. I just push the chrome trim on the speedo and the ledge on the dash above towards the windsheild and it stops, then the next day, and the day after that, and the days following. But I'm tired of that now and am going to take it in before my warranty runs out.

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Any particular area in the dash that has more noises than another? I know with mine, the majority of the sounds come from the far left corner of the dash, from the light sensor forward to the windshield. I'm almost wondering if the chassis flexing while on a rough road is making the dash move and bumps up against something it shouldn't... I haven't a clue, although I do know what you're going through. There are two specific areas bugging me. One is somewhere between teh gauges and radio, but closer to the front of the car...it sounds exactly like the compressor on a refrigerator bouncing around...I have not been able to figure out what could possibly be making the noise..The other is a rattle from the glovebox area...again, no source found yet...I remember reading somewhere someone took that adhesive foam window and door insulation and stuck it between the dash and windshield, and it helped...Will try that in the spring...

[ColonelPanic]

Where does one get the felt to stick onto things anyway? I may try to buy some and see if that helps.And I'm definitely interested in the foam around the windshield idea... I too remember seeing something about it mentioned here, I'll try to dig up that thread.I guess we always could just buy a couple hundred cans of "Foam in a can" and completely fill every open space inside the dash with the stuff... That'll fix it! (removed)!

[ragingfish]

I'm actually starting to convince myself the rattles are the dash panel itself...but I dunno...I happen to find a huge roll of felt material lying around the house...was so old the adhesive was dried out...but i glued it on...you can probably get that in a craft store...

[futseal04]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »The other is a rattle from the glovebox area...again, no source found yet...I had one of those as well. I found two places where it was rattling:1. The plastic cover over the PCM (I think that is what it is). It is right under the glove box held in place by 2 plastic fasteners. I just folded some cardboard, and placed it inbetween the PCM and plastic, and voila!2. This one was more difficult. I heard a metallic rattle in the vicinity of the glove box, and it actually turned out to be the passenger seat fore/aft adjustment lever. I guess the sound bounced off of the floor to the glovebox. Anyway, again, I just made some shims out of paper, and inserted it under the lever and that fixed the problem.