Doors Rattling

[Guy]

Just recently I've noticed when going over a small bump like a manhole cover that I'm getting a brief rattle from the doors. It's particularly noticeable on the driver's side and it seems to be coming from the rear of the door although I can't work out exactly where.

I've found if I open the window a tiny bit the noise seems much reduced but that might simply be that the wind noise is masking it to some extent. In any event I don't want to be driving around with the window ajar all the time.

I've also noticed that the exterior rubber/plastic trim running along the bottom of the window glass line has a little bit of play at the rear on both doors. So maybe that is vibrating somehow.

The car definitely didn't do this when new so it's crept up on me. I'm not so far off having had the car for a year so I might wait until the first service and ask my dealer to look at it then.

In the meantime I would really appreciate any suggestions as to what the cause might be. Then, should the local dealership say "They all do that SIr" I will be able to have a meaningful discussion.

[DKPOLOGT]

Rattle. Check the seatbelt hight adjuster. I have a little rattle from that area.




/ *L*

[Guy]

Thanks for that - can it easily be adjusted/tightened? Or is it a job for the garage?

[DKPOLOGT]

Thanks for that - can it easily be adjusted/tightened? Or is it a job for the garage?

Dont know, but the very slight rattle in my car comes from that adjuster. Inside of it ofcourse.




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[Blairc2016]

Hi there,

It's the friction between the top felt seal on the door and the metal bodywork on the a pillar where this felt seal meets it.

The solution is to take it back to the dealer and get them to apply the Krytox special lubricant that they would put on the Eos roof seals to the felt seal at the top of the door and also the main thick rubber seal on the door frame on the car itself and not the door.

If this doesn't work, the door might be misaligned from the factory so get the dealership to check door alignment too!


Best of luck.

[Blairc2016]

Apologies for the double post...

I should also have mentioned that if you sit in the car and close the door and then put your hand on the glass and push out the way, you'll be able to hear the noise you are experiencing over bumps. It sounds like creaking rubber.

Also be aware that the sound can travel so if you have noisy dashboards, rattle on seatbelt height adjuster etc. It can be because of this creaking.


In any case, much, much better than having trim pulled apart to trace a rattle on a new car.

Hope this helps.

[Guy]

Many thanks for those replies!

I'm wondering if this explains exactly why the noise more or less disappears when I open the window a little. I found it hard to be absolutely certain when driving along because of the wind noise introduced.

Anyway i will try pressing gently out on the glass with the window shut tomorrow and see if I can get the noise that way and confirm that this is definitely the issue.

Many thanks again

[Guy]

I tried pressing the top of the window glass outwards and for both doors the maximum rubbing sound was about two thirds of the way from the A pillar to the B pillar so right next to the driver's head. There wasn't any rubbing at the A pillar itself that I could detect.

So if the natural motion of the car is causing this rubbing it explains a lot and many thanks for the information. It seems to be a more or less continuous noise in practice especially on a rough surface - not really noticeable on a very good surface. It also explains why it disappears when the window is opened a fraction. However I think there are also some louder very brief rattles when going over a significant bump and they may be down to some of the other causes you mentioned.

I'll arrange to take the car in fairly shortly and will mention all the points raised.

[Blairc2016]

That's correct. When I said A-Pillar, I was meaning the whole pillar from the door mirror to the end of the door. This is where my car was making the most noise and as you correctly said, it is right at the driver's head. The reason the rattles disappear when you lower the window is that the window is putting strain on the top of the door, when you take this away, the rubbing doesn't occur.

I hope that your dealership agrees to put this lubricant on the rubber and felt strip for you and this is where the source of your other rattles are from. In my experience, the creaking sound of the rubber that you heard when you push on the glass was very loud on a hot day as I was traversing in and out of the driveway at an angle, and what I felt was the plastic trim was making the noise on uneven road. However, after applying the lubricant, these have all disappeared and the car is as silent as a tomb.

If your dealer does not agree to putting it on, you can buy the lubricant:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Krytox-Genuin ... SwQPlV-pNx
VAG Part: G052172A1; ~£40 per 30mL bottle.

A cheaper source of this is from a lubricant company called SlugSlime. It is the exact same chemical composition as in the genuine VW product, at half the price; £20.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fluorofluid-P ... SwHmhV8Ct3

Best to get the dealership to apply this for you as they will have it in stock and you shouldn't have to pay for a fix for an inherent design flaw.

[Blairc2016]

Apologies again for a double post, but this link will help you if you show it to your dealer, or end up having to apply the lubricant to the seals yourself.

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/th ... ad.228553/

This is for an Audi A3 but the instructions are the same. These seals are common to all VAG cars.

[Parker87]

Thank you very much for your input Blairc2016. I've got the creaking noise on the o/s and n/s doors of my 6R GTI so I've invested in the Krytox via Ebay. This should arrive over the next couple of days so I'll let you know how I get on. I notice from the posts on the Audi forum that people have enjoyed success with cheaper options but I decided to go for broke with the Krytox!

[DKPOLOGT]

I had the same issue with the seals making annoying sounds.

I used this. Cheap, and solves the problem right away.
One coating lasted 4 years

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gummi-Pflege-Ca ... nav=SEARCH




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[Blairc2016]

I tried the Gummipflege but I found it to make the doors even more creaker on my car. I guess it must depend on the waxes or shampoo you use on the car. One big one to avoid is the AutoGlym Rubber and Vinyl Care. This was the worst I had experienced.

Hope it works for you Parker87. This is much more widespread than I thought.

[Scott Bounce]

Mines started over the weekend and it's seriously doing my t**s in now!

[Parker87]

....Hope it works for you Parker87. ...

Bingo!
I applied the Krytox and the creaking has gone. I used about 10% of the bottle (at most) so have plenty left for the future.
Thanks again Blair.