Insane dash rattle

[Petrucci914]

Hey,I'm getting this serious dash rattle on the left side. I originally thought it was the light sensor vibrating but the only thing that makes it stop is me pushing on the dash to the left of the gauge cluster. When the car is parked and I have the door open I notice that I can move that part of the dash a bit......... and can't on the right side of the dash.. Could there be a loose bolt somewhere or where could I start looking? Thanks!

[ColonelPanic]

I believe I've had a similar rattle for pretty much the entire time I've owned this car, right from that area. I thought it was the light sensor until I took the thing out to test and the rattle still was there. So from that point I always suspected that rattle to be with something with where the dash mounts up by the windshield on mine.. The dash on mine came loose too, on that side... See here for stuff on that... Dealer took out the dash and put it back in. Didn't fix it but it's the thought that counts, I guess. heh Driver's side is loose right at the windshield. Passenger side is fine (thank god, I wouldn't want the dash flopping around an explosive device in the event of an accident!) But nope, not really any bolts or anything that hold the dash in up there. Just tabs by the windshield...

[VibeGriff]

There was a post on this message board a good while ago on how to remove the dash I think, try searching for it. Maybe it will be able to show you the part that is shakin and bakin. My guess is once you find it you can either glue it back into place or place silicon or some toher filler there to make up for the space that causes the rattle. I had to do this with my neons....that took a while to track down all those rattles post install.

[klungseth]

I've got a 2003 and had the same problem. To get rid of it, I took a piece of felt weatherstripping (really thin felt) and doubled it over. Pushed it between the dark grey dash and the light grey frame heading up to the roof. Be careful not to push too much or it will push through. The black felt blended somewhat with the dash, but if you look, you can see it. My vibe is more of a "kid hauler", so a slight piece of weatherstripping barely sticking out isn't as important to me as getting rid of the mind numbing rattle. This is a link to a picture of the felt I'm talking about. http://images.orgill.com/200x200/6920425.JPG If you need a picture of what my dash looks like, let me know.

[ColonelPanic]

That's good to know. Welcome aboard, by the way.

[klungseth]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »That's good to know. Welcome aboard, by the way. ColonelPanic, thanks for the welcome. Funny that you're from Indiana. I drove 4 hours from Peoria, IL (central IL) to South Bend IN for my Vibe. A used car dealer had it listed on the internet in late 2004 for about $4,000 under anything else comprable (the "too good to be true flags" were waving heavily). When I got there, they said that the Manager listed it at night and realized his mistake on his way into work the next morning. In the meantime, I had put $500 dollars down to hold it until I got there. They got a lot of calls about it, but I eneded up getting it. I have loved it ever since!

[canadavibegt]

There was a problem with the original vibe. I had the same problem with mine and it took me three different visits to the dealer to fix it. They installed padding around the wiring and under the dash as far as I was told to fix the problem. There used to be a post on here on a DIY fix........ Mine was all coverd under warranty....... Got a new radio as well because they broke my original one trying to re-install the dash....

[idontknowwhatimdoing]

I had a wicked rattle too from the same spot, but mine was the gauge cluster screw. Tightened it and it went away!