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Balloon rubbing sound coming from where dashboard meets windshield, at highway speeds??

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by prominence, Dec 15, 2012.

  1. prominence

    prominence Junior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2011
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    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Hi!

    The temperature has dropped down into the 30s here and in my 2011 Gen 3 Prius, when I am driving at highway speeds (55mph-75mph), and go over any sort of light bump or rough road (gently rough, nothing significant just normal "imperfect" highway bumps), there is a rattling sound coming from the front of the dashboard where it meets the windshield that can only be described as the same sound that your hand makes when it's rubbing a balloon! Not your normal plastic random rattle, but like "rubbing a balloon with your hand quickly" sound.

    Has anyone else ever experienced this?? It's driving me bonkers! I don't mind that other plastic random rattles from time to time (I am not OCD about the imperfections of how much plastic is in the car), but this is obnoxious and I feel like I'm literally driving a clown car. Is there some sort of lubricant or adhesive that is between where the dashboard and windshield meet that has possibly dried out, that the dealership could quickly fix or apply? I'll still under full warranty at 22k miles.

    Thanks for your help/insight/advice!
     
  2. phoenixgreg

    phoenixgreg Senior member

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2010
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    Location:
    Phoenix
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    This time of year PC gets a few posts on creaks and rattles on the G3s. Welcome to the club! I plan to pull my dash out completely (again) and go over it with felting and silicon gel lubricant where plastic meets plastic. Almost all of the plastic interiors are assembled with "stab-lock" connectors. If the fit isn't absolutely perfect, and over time, these connectors will abrade with each other and you will get creaks and rattles.

    To address your issue (if you are lucky), it could just be the edge of the main dash plate rubbing on the base of the windshield itself. One member here sprayed WD-40 between the two and solved it. Since WD-40 has some petroleum as a component, it could cause deterioration of the plastic. I would suggest getting a spray silicon lubricant such as "Blaster" from Home Depot. Silicon on plastic is OK. My trick is to extend the wand. If you have some extra wands from other products, you can put them together (I use 3) with about 1/2 inch of 12 gauge wire insulation between the wands. You just put the wands together using the insulation as couplings for one really long wand. Now you have better control and can get the lubricant directly into the area between the base of the glass and the dash plate minimizing the overspray. Go easy on the spray button to control it. A little goes a long way. With your fingers, move the dash plate down a bit to allow the silicon to work its way between the 2 surfaces. If this was in fact your problem, the noise should stop. If not, the problem is deeper in the dash.
     
    DadofHedgehog and prominence like this.