Rattle Hunt: Lessons Learned

Thanks Lewie...I haven't solved any of mine, but the more solutions we can document, the better!

 

I had DCH in Freehold, NJ look at the creeks and rattles and they said they 'put felt' in the areas where they heard noises and yet they are all still there. I will try your method!

 

I have isolated some of the dash noises in mine. Both upper and lower glove compartment door latches rattle unless they have some stress on them. My initial fix was folding a bunch of fast food napkins and opening both boxes. I held in place the napkins while closing the first box, then closed the other box down on them after. The dash rattles were eliminated. I have purchased some adhesive foam weather stripping, the only thing I could find that was thicker than 1/4", and placed a strip of it on each of the upper and lower sections where they are closest to each other.

Another one to look for if you hear noise from the center console would be to make sure that the removable cup holder is in the correct position, and pressed firmly to its lowest point. I've found that after removing mine to get some loose change and placing it back sloppily.

 

After being away from the forum for a few months and checking back in, I'm dismayed to see the issues with the creaks & rattles on this car. I've put the Prius 2010 (or maybe 2011) on my list as the only car I want. I'm currently driving a 1998 Saab that has under 93K miles. It is solid and absolutely no rattles, creaks or any bothersome noises. Granted, it gets half the mileage of the 2010 Prius... I sure hope Toyota gets these fit 'n finish issues worked out soon or at least by the time I'm ready to purchase. Those kinds of noises would be more than a little irksome to me.

 

I'm afraid to fix the problem it would require major changes in quality of materials or even interior design changes, so very unlikely until next generation.

 

I've seen your posts about the Honda Fit (and I can tell that you really like it). It's cute, but sooo small (I don't mean inside, I mean overall). It would be a great 2nd car except that I am a one-car owner type. I plan to drive my '98 Saab until I can't anymore and at only 93K miles perhaps I *can* wait for a later model Prius where (hopefully) they'll figure out the interior (or perhaps there will be something else I'll like better).

I gag just looking at pix of the Ford Fusion. Looks like a big boring sedan. I'm a hatchback girl myself.

Of course if money were no object and gas $ didn't matter, I'd likely own a Lexus RX450H. I want THAT level of luxury inside but I can't pay that kind of $$$.

... sigh ...

 

Thanks Lewie, I just went out and put some WD40 in the rear seat latches, hope it helps mine also.

I have had some success lining the areas of the center console lid with sticky backed felt from the sewing department of Wal-Mart. It comes in 8X11 sheets and you can cut it to fit, they didn't have dark gray so I bought black. It didn't fix all the rattles from that area but it got some of them.

The cover under the lower glove box was installed wrong and rattling, I reinstalled it and that solved one of them.

I have a rather annoying squeak over on the passengers side of the dash I'm looking for now.

This has become my hobby, but it's not a hobby I wanted.

 

The Honda Fit is a nice car. It looks small outside but has an impressive interior room. The car is also fun to drive and the sport trim comes loaded with technology. HWY FE in the winter is comparable with the Prius. But it is not a luxury car as much less so is the Prius.

Have you considered the Audi A3 TDI? It's a "hot" hatchback, beautiful inside out with luxury and solid interior. Fuel efficiency is not quite like the Prius but close in the HWY, again especially during winter. The options on it, like Bluetooth, navigation, premium sound, etc are all high end, but the basic model comes with many nice features including a sound system that blows the Prius JBL out of the water. Price for basic model is cheaper than Prius V, or maybe even Prius IV I think. You may want to take a look... if you seat in the cabin and drive it for a while, you won't resist it... The high torque and performance of the TDI engine is marvelous.

 

I have not thought about the Audi A3 TDI. I'm interested in reliability and cost to keep running. I love my Saab, but when it's time to fix it (and there's something almost every year) it's expensive and I have to rent another car in the meantime. So reliability is right up there for me. But I will take a gander at the Audi--I know their cars are solid and have excellent interiors.

 

They are not as reliable as Toyotas or Hondas but they are in the pool of car makers making good progress, like Hyundai, Ford, and VW/Audi. I believe they offer free maintenance for up to 30K miles and they have good standard warranty as well. Most, if not all, Audi dealers will lend you a car to drive (often a nice one) when your car is being serviced or repaired. The thing about Audi and other German cars is that they are much more spirited than Japanese with better interior quality. Like I said, if you seat and drive the A3 TDI, you will be thrilled...

 

My '10 III Prius is rattle and creek free and has been since day one. Do not be too concerned by those who vent their frustrations here. Many owners post here for sure, but I'm sure we only represent a small fraction of the total number of owners, and I'd bet most of us don't have rattles! Besides, we know nothing of how their vehicles are used/abused, driving conditions, ect. Buck up, Bucko. Don't let us get you down. I've even noticed some here seem to enjoy derogatory comments.

 

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...2-do-you-hear-rattling-noises.html#post988673

 

Granted it's not scientific, but I see that 123 people responded to the poll and 75+% of those respondents have indicated that their Gen III has rattles.

Yes, I would call that significant and yes, it would be enough for me to avoid purchasing if Toyota was not able to tighten things up by the time I'm ready to purchase.

Ya know...I might consider the Honda Fit when the time comes. We shall see what the landscape of cars looks like.

 

You can't go wrong with the Honda Fit but at least check out the 2010 A3 TDI...

 

Also in that vein--since the OP mentioned she wants a hatchback--I'd think the '10 Golf TDI would be worth a look. Same basic structure as the A3, less lux, but VW interiors and driving dynamics are quite nice. Same TDI engine, same tranny options, probably a few thousand less. BTW, the A3 TDI "starts" at about $30K--see Audi sets price on 2010 A3 TDI at $29,950* — Autoblog Green , and that's before a lot of options that typically are included in Japanese cars, where you have fewer choices--you know, Hondas are LX or EX; Toyotas package them their own, more arcane way. A fully optioned Prius V is probably in the low end of A3 TDI territory, but a IV is more like $26.something K (trust me on this, I bought one).

I've always enjoyed driving VW/Audi products--nice cars, no question in my mind (same goes for German cars in general). If you do a lot of long-distance driving, and you have back or comfort issues, they're great cars.

That said, by way of getting back to the topic of this thread, the most rattle-ridden ride I've ever owned was a VW--but there are signs that their quality/reliability issues may be turning the corner. And they do have free maintenance for (I think) 36K mi--and that's long enough for the real problems to show up. Good luck with the electrical system after that, though.

Alright, I'll shut up already - best wishes on your new car, whatever it might be.
peace
T

 

I figure with (only) 93K mi. on my '98 Saab 900 I can wait until 2011 for my next car. There should be lots of rattle-free options available and maybe even the Prius will be quieter. I really want a hybrid and I will get one eventually.

 

Very good point but the Golf is a compact car, much less cargo space than a hatch with no folding back seats, so very limited cargo room.

 

Also watch for the Hyundai hybrid coming up. I have had an excellent experience with a Hyundai in the past, it was extremelly reliable and they come loaded with more features for a lower price tag.

It's believed that Hyundai is the major threat for Toyota's and Honda's supremacy althought Ford and VW is becoming strong too as their reliabilty rating gets better.