| How to eliminate those squeaks and rattles |
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Majority of us get these all the time. No matter what year or make of the car. In the MN12 case, we generated all major areas of rattles. And here is a list of how to eliminate them.
- Squeak in or under dash:
Removed a 1.5" x 1.5" "L" bracket that is located near the hump where the center dash meets the driver's knee panel. It's a shinny black powder coated bracket. Apparently, the slots for the two bolts are too large and the bolts did not get a good grip so wiggle just a fraction causing a squeak. No amount of tightening eliminated the noise.
Add larger washers behind the bolt heads. Voila! Gone!
Then use .25" wide gray stick-on on foam weather stripping (purchased at Home Depot) around the edges of the knee and instrument panel to prevent any new squeaks from appearing.
Also lub the small black rubber blocks and metal clips that are on the backside of instrument bezel and knee panels with silicone grease. Silicone grease will not dissolve rubber over time like regular grease.
- Rattles/Squeaks on dash top:
The top of the dash has a hard plastic panel insert running the whole width of the dash just behind the windshield. It was made a tapping noise when it hit the windshield plus was squeaking.
To remove it, pull up along the rear edge. Once the rear edge pops up, unplug the sensor on the passenger's side then pull up and back to free the metal hooks near edge by the windshield. The small metal clips have soft Velcro stuck on them from the factory. If any are missing, look around on the foot wells as they may have fallen off. Or you may have to add Velcro or get new clips from the dealer.
Then add .75" wide gray foam tape to the top front edge of the to prevent it from hitting the windshield, and add more foam tape on the bottom front edge to prevent rubbing on the metal dash frame. The bottom of the windshield has black paint, so you won't see it.
Also add .25" foam tape around the whole edge of the panel where it meets the vinyl dash. There are also little black rubber stops on the bottom that you have to lub with silicone grease. But before putting it back together, tighten all visible bolts under the panel. Silence!
- Rattles/Squeaks from the inside edge of the doors:
The hard plastic trim that runs around the inside edge of the doorframe would squeak when hit with the palm of my hand. The trim is held on with metal clips which all you have to do is pull it free from the body starting from the rear seam. Then lub or put Velcro on the metal clips, put .75" foam tape behind the trim and snapped back into place. Tap frequently sections with your palm to see if the squeaks go away. Put Velcro under the edge of all overlapping plastic trim panels. More silence!
- Fold down rear seats:
Put more stick on Velcro where the metal catches meet the hooks on the fold-down rear seats. Notice one of the plastic trim screws is rubbing against the metal striker plate so put more Velcro on there. This eliminated a rattle and squeak there.
- Front Seats rattles and squeaks:
Spray a small amount of lithium grease on the seat hinges and springs, and rub a little silicone grease where the edge of plastic side trim meets the seats (this area is vinyl, not leather). Screw down the round trim pieces that are where the headrests meet the seat back and use a little silicone grease where they rub against the seat material. This reduced the rattling coming from the passenger's head rest.
- Popping from somewhere in the rear down low:
It is slapping the lower rear cross brace as you go over bumps in the road. It may be a rear bumper cover loose by .5" where it is attached underneath in the center. The factory used weak plastic trim "rivets" here. So drive some screws into the existing holes. No more popping!
- General instruction:
All trim pieces should have foam tape or Velcro where they meet other pieces or attached to the body.
Tom Mezger
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