well, the chas bar could help. also, i put a hose between the dash and the windshield which seems to help. i haven't heard a creak in months. of course, it's hot here in LA, but probably similar temperature to OC.

 

I know that when I had a civic it made freakin rattling noises like crazy, but that was expected. I do feel your pain though. Can it be heard from the outside of the vehicle? If so, it could be the suspension. If not, you might need to remove the whole dash to see if anything is loose. I am not an expert, but this is what I have heard over the years.

HTH,
don_rapheal..you knew that!

edited for a dealer comment...you've done that :crazy: sorry!

 

if its under warrnty and you bring it in x amount of times

doesnt that quallfy as a lemon and you can get new equivlant model or soemthing

 

Have you taken it to the dealer? One time I had a rattle on my last car (a Mercury Mystique). I took it to the dealer, took a technician for a ride in it. He immediately figured out what it was. Twenty minutes later my car was rattle free. The rattle was deep within the dash. I probably wouldn't have figured out what it was myself. It took the technician no time at all. Just curious if you exercised this avenue yet?

 

Have you taken it to the dealer? One time I had a rattle on my last car (a Mercury Mystique). I took it to the dealer and took a technician for a ride in it. He immediately figured out what it was. Twenty minutes later my car was rattle free. The rattle was deep within the dash. I probably wouldn't have figured out what it was myself. It took the technician no time at all. Just curious if you exercised this avenue yet?

Oh yeah, just to add to that. My parents have an Acura RL. That bastard rattles so much I don't know how they stand it. My father is largely deaf so he can't hear it. My mother doesn't know enough about cars to know something is wrong.

Japanese cars, although generally more reliable, certainly aren't immune to rattles, squeaks, and other annoying sounds any more than German or American cars. But usually a mechanic or technician can figure it out and correct the problem.

 

O.K. So you brought the car to the dealership 7 times now and the problem isn't fixed. Contact VWoA Customer Care at 1-800-822-8987 during regular business hours and explain the situation. This way a case could have been openned and on record. Schedule another appointment with the dealership and inform the Service Writer and Service Manager that you would like a Volkswagen Quality Specialist to check the issue. The Quality Specialist visits all dealerships once or twice a month to check problem service issues. If your rattles aren't repaired after this process then you can seek recourse through Volkswagen.

 

Have you tried this:

http://www6.district125.k12.il.us/~dalcarls/dash_foot.jpg

This is what you see if you pop the passenger's side cover off the dash and look towards the front of the car. Loosen the screws on the side of the dash that hold it to the bracket. Pry the dash up, put something (I used a rubber washer, but you could maybe use felt folded over a couple times) between the dash foot and the bracket. Tighten screws. Made a huge difference for me. The noise seems either directly related to that foot, or raising it up a bit applies tension to/takes tension off something closer to the windshield. I had the exact same sound you're describing - I could duplicate it by tossing the car side to side, flexing things. You need to pry the dash up by using a long screwdriver in there, braced against something solid, and slide something in there.

I feel your pain. I sold a new 96 Civic after a year because of all the noises. My 99 Integra was horrible too (same basic platform - what was I thinking???). I am terrible about noises. But that seemed to get it to go away by about 99%. You've got nothing to lose.

 

AgVWB5:

Will send this info to dealer. Cooool. :bow:

Anyone else have fixits that they can use to find problem while they are in there?

 

Someone on :b5: mentioned stuffing a black dress sock between the dash and the windshield. Could be as simple as lubing that area. Last time I stuffed my fingers in there it seemed like there was some sort of rubber gasket.

 

ya that rattle is stupid annoying specially for a 30k car.

but my dealer found most of my rattle and it originated from a loose clamp passanger airbag.

ganx14

 

I have to add that it just isn't the dash groan/creak/rattle that is driving me crazy.

My plans from day one were to make this car handle better. So the driving dynamics I want are being delayed because of the rattle issue.

Big picture: Should have gotten the A4 to begin with.

 

Now how do you know the A4 is any better??? What creaks on mine I have figured out are the plastic vents in the dash - especially the double one in the middle. As you booming down the road you can recreate the noise by just touching it or pushing it and it creaks like crazy. Drives me nuts too especially since my wife doesn't like music on in the car. Cold weather especially makes it worse since the heat expands the cold vent in the winter. I also hear a slight rattle from my roof liner once and awhile - I smack it and it stops so that's my easy fix. Good Luck playing detective...

 

Now how do you know the A4 is any better??? What creaks on mine I have figured out are the plastic vents in the dash - especially the double one in the middle. As you booming down the road you can recreate the noise by just touching it or pushing it and it creaks like crazy. Drives me nuts too especially since my wife doesn't like music on in the car. Cold weather especially makes it worse since the heat expands the cold vent in the winter. I also hear a slight rattle from my roof liner once and awhile - I smack it and it stops so that's my easy fix. Good Luck playing detective...

I had the squeaky center vent as well, it went away when the had to replace it b/c it was peeling. If it didnt stop, I was going to take it out and put some black electrical tape along the edges and then put the vent back in.

When I first lowered my car, I had a few more creaks but they just went away.

 

I second the sock between dashboard and windshield. For other plastic on plastic noises try 303 Aerospace Protectant. After reading their website claiming it can remove plastic creaks/rattles, I tried it myself and it did help.

Good Luck