The infamous dashboard rattle back again

My dashboard rattle started up sometime after that wonderful gas tank/gage fix. It was so wonderful to go from 7.8-8.2 to 8.0-8.5 gallons per fillup!!! The whole dash gradually started clunking everytime I hit a moderate bump. I had it fixed 3 weeks ago and it was good for a week until it came back.

Seems they put this black sticky putty everywhere they could between parts of the display and the large front plastic dash section. I'm assuming they had to get the dash section out to do this. Anyone else with the same issue? The pieces of putty up on the display can be seen and they are in back of the clear plastic piece in the picture.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(blkc5\";p=\"104007)</div>

Hi Brian. I was easily able to demonstrate the "rattle" to the tech by lightly tapping the dash in the display area. It rattles hot or cold and it's a very noticeable knock that you can prevent by putting some pressure on the display area, so it's between those two. That's why they tried the putty I guess. But the putty is so viscoelastic that one good bump and the noise was back.

The squeaks are another matter. I've had them from almost day one and they do vary with the temperature of the day. Both tiny side dash panel under the small frt windows were dealer fixed at one point. Most of the normal squeaks are from around the center of the car I think.

The mirror assy squeaks loudly if to grab it to adjust it and sometimes it will resonate as well at just the right speed. I have to grab it once to stop it and then it's ok for awhile. It's the auto dimming one.

As far as tire pressure goes, I have run 42/40 but because of the rattles and freeway wandering issues, I've been running 35/33. And I'm running Hydroedge tires, much stiffer.

I'm all for not fixing something if it's not broken but a rattle means something is "broken" right? But you are correct about the assumption that the more I get fixed the more that appears to break, lol. I've never had much faith in snap fits for parts that need to be unsnapped a couple of times or more. Ideally they should not have to be taken apart.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dave\";p=\"104143)</div>

The dealer did inject something up there. No quite like RTV but stiffer than the putty used elsewhere. But if the display is loose below that it seems to just rotate about that upper dash piece and make plastic to plastic contact.

I got in my wife's 2003 RSX and I noticed immediately that it had a similar sound much to my dismay. She was just ignoring it and cranking the DVD to to cover it. It was a kick panel on the passenger side where a snap fit had come loose. It was dangling with each bump so that the snap hit another plastic structure...plastic to plastic. That took all of 3 sec to fix!!! Wish this one was that easy. Now I have this terrible putty everywhere and it's very messy to remove. It's like the stuff they used to can "pokey" putty, used for auto glass installation and sealing yrs ago...maybe still.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rocco\";p=\"104236)</div>

It's a bit of a stretch but if you can reach out to the display area when it's rattling and hold that you can see if it's the same thing. With my car, I can even rap on the dash with my knuckles near the display and by touching the display area at the same time, make the rattle go away. Rapping on the passenger side does not produce any rattle at all.

My sqeaks or creaks sound like they're coming from the center of the dash and are a much different sound. They usually get worse with higher temperatures too and I sometimes don't hear them when it's cold.

 

yes you're right there. Had a pair of sunglasses in the ceiling storage rattling once. And they had to replace a seat belt in the back that was rattling. My large dashboard piece squeaks at the touch so that's a big source of my problems. I think I'm going to have to tear everything apart one day and fix it myself