Rear rattle FIXED

dgw · 02-07-2007, 08:13 PM

It took 35,000 miles and almost 2 years but I did it. Killed the bastard before it killed me. The rattle in the back is history and I couldn't be happier if I had found a cure for cancer (well I did, in a way).

The short story is that it wasn't any of the usual suspects mentioned in this forum. Nope, not the heat shield, nor the trim around the rear windows, or the underfloor tray nor the floor above it, or the seats not latched, or the spare tire tools, or the prop-rod, or any of multitude of wiring harnesses under the trim, or the trimclips that broke off inside the hatch frame then fell to the bottom of the hatch, or the rear wiper motor or mount.

It was the hard rubber blocks that are mounted on either side of the hatch. Over time, the one mounted on the hatch contacts the one mounted in the rain channel when the car is driven on a less than perfect surface.

Here are the pictures. [attachmentid=6490][attachmentid=6491]

So I covered them first with bicycle helmet foam pads, which worked great but looked bodgey, then tried weatherproof foam strip, which looked better but didn't last very long. The good thing about the weather strip, though, was it showed the exact contact points (see 3rd photo), so my next step will be to get some adhesive backed felt on those areas.

[attachmentid=6494]

Next, on to the doors and maybe if I get brave and stupid, the dash.

molgrips · 02-09-2007, 03:23 PM

It is such sweet relief when you fix a rattle! The totally persistent one for me was the side of the dash (the bit that fits into the door) touching the end of the metal bar that supports the whole lot. Dismantling the dash wasn't too hard tbh.

Just the other day I also tracked down that rattle's louder successor - it was the rear seatbelt wobbling around and making its ball bearing rattle.

It's like having a new car!

mini2prius · 02-16-2007, 04:27 PM

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! It would appear I have (had!) the same problem, but was never able to isolate it.

1 down, 99 to go!

02-07-2007, 08:13 PM	#1
dgw Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Mill Valley, CA Posts: 34 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	It took 35,000 miles and almost 2 years but I did it. Killed the bastard before it killed me. The rattle in the back is history and I couldn't be happier if I had found a cure for cancer (well I did, in a way). The short story is that it wasn't any of the usual suspects mentioned in this forum. Nope, not the heat shield, nor the trim around the rear windows, or the underfloor tray nor the floor above it, or the seats not latched, or the spare tire tools, or the prop-rod, or any of multitude of wiring harnesses under the trim, or the trimclips that broke off inside the hatch frame then fell to the bottom of the hatch, or the rear wiper motor or mount. It was the hard rubber blocks that are mounted on either side of the hatch. Over time, the one mounted on the hatch contacts the one mounted in the rain channel when the car is driven on a less than perfect surface. Here are the pictures. [attachmentid=6490][attachmentid=6491] So I covered them first with bicycle helmet foam pads, which worked great but looked bodgey, then tried weatherproof foam strip, which looked better but didn't last very long. The good thing about the weather strip, though, was it showed the exact contact points (see 3rd photo), so my next step will be to get some adhesive backed felt on those areas. [attachmentid=6494] Next, on to the doors and maybe if I get brave and stupid, the dash. Attached Thumbnails

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02-09-2007, 03:23 PM	#2
molgrips Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 197 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	It is such sweet relief when you fix a rattle! The totally persistent one for me was the side of the dash (the bit that fits into the door) touching the end of the metal bar that supports the whole lot. Dismantling the dash wasn't too hard tbh. Just the other day I also tracked down that rattle's louder successor - it was the rear seatbelt wobbling around and making its ball bearing rattle. It's like having a new car!

02-16-2007, 04:27 PM	#3
mini2prius Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 72 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! It would appear I have (had!) the same problem, but was never able to isolate it. 1 down, 99 to go!