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Gen3 dash squeak, looking for a fix.

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by gm77, Sep 28, 2019.

  1. gm77

    gm77 New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2019
    2
    0
    0
    Location:
    Ontario
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Hi everyone, long time lurker here, but joined because I have a question.

    I know there are plenty of threads about squeaks, rattles, etc. I'm actually quite lucky in that our 2014 Prius is mostly squeak free. There is one, however, that drives me absolutely MENTAL and I'm hoping someone who has experienced it can provide some troubleshooting on how to fix it.

    I've searched for a solution to this for awhile, so I'm either entering the wrong search criteria, or there isn't anything available to assist.

    I have a squeak, in the driver information center display, near the reflective portion for the speedometer. It typically starts to present itself in the fall when the temperature drops to around 10 degrees celicius or lower. I THINK it's from some type of adhesive that is installed at the factory, and I think it is caused by this adhesive starting to become less "tacky".

    It does not occur in the summer at all. In the winter, it is the worst, once the car starts to warm up, and the display area gets warmer. It's not a squeak, it's more of a creaking sound, like if you were bending really brittle plastic.

    When the sound occurs, if I push down lightly on the right of the reflective screen that projects the speed it goes away. I also find if I run the front defroster, it seems to cool the area down, and then it goes away for a short period of time (it eventually comes back even if I continue to run the defroster or otherwise I would just continue to run it lol).

    I have tried pulling up on the dash area and putting felt in it, but it doesn't help. I also can't put too much or I can't see the speedomter because it gets covered up.

    Does anyone have any tips for silencing this particular sound? I'm hoping I'm missing something easier. If I'm not being clear, I can post a picture of where the sound emenates from.

    Thank you in advance.
     
  2. wheezyglider

    wheezyglider Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2011
    247
    177
    0
    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    I have the same insanity-causing squeak and know exactly how tricky it is to not block the reflected display. It seems like its the horizontal glass(?) piece that's rattling up and down.

    No silver bullet from me on this, but right now I have a doubled-up piece of masking tape wedged in there that's doing the job. It's annoying that I can see the tape sticking out a bit, but it doesn't block any information and not having that squeak far outweighs the ugly factor. Eventually I'll buy some non-glossy black gaffer tape to replace it. Your post reminded me to add it to my amazon shopping list. :)

    It might also be worth trying a removable putty like Blu Tack. I have some but I'm not eager to rip open the dash if something goes sideways.