Obsession with rattles...

pburns

A recent purchase has reminded me of a peculiar hang-up. I am TOTALLY anal about rattles or sqeeks. I hate particular noises - peoples iPods on public transport bug, the slightest noise at night - all bug the hell out of me and every time I get a new car I go through a period obsessing about the tiniest creaks.

After a while I relax about it - because every car I've driven over a pro-longed period has some sort of tiny creak or rattle if you listen closely enough. Some come and go... Some are dependant on wierd stuff like temperture.

I know the noise I'm referring to is almost imperceptible. So is it just new-car nerves? Or does the 100% rattle-free car actually exist? Wish my eyesight was as pin-sharp as my hearing!

CyberGhost

I'm like you Burnsy,

I wish I was indifferent and ignorant to all the annoying rattles like many people are.

When I drive over a bump, I want to hear only the suspension and tires... you know that soft nice noise of "dum-dum".

When something rattles, scweeks or is loose, I definitely notice it, and try to get rid of it.

I never put keys, mobile or anything else in a place where it might produce some noise.

Sometimes, I just to tell myself, "ok, that's enough, relax".

Lord Nikon

****e in the glovebox, or crap rolling about the boot. Rattles suck ass are very annoying.

colm_mcm

I hate rattles too, I also prefer if people put their bags in the boot as opposed to in the car. If I'm in a car and there's a rattle, that's all I can hear!

cashmni1

I'm not too bad about stuff in the car (shopping or phones, objects rolling about), if I know that they are temporary and I know what they are exactly.
However, if there is a strange creak or noise from the dash or panel in the car, I will not stop until I find the creak or fix the rattle. I have been known to stop the car on the side of the road and pull seats forward and back to stop a rattle. Drives me nuts.

vectra

Pheew.
Thank Chri$t for that.
and my wife has been telling me I am Paranoid about noises all these years.
I had my son in the boot of the car one time listening for a squeek I couldnt resolve.:rolleyes:

mike65

Same here, I had one that was doing my nut as I could not locate the source. It sounded like a russle/creak from the passanger side A pillar trim or glovebox. It turned out to be the roof consol containing the sunroof switches and lights, the cover isn't closing correctly and its the flimsiest bit of trim in the car by un-coincidence. When I had an Opel Corsa I had the same problem (overhead light fitting squeaking away it also took months for the penny to drop).

Mike.

245

It would irritate me as well - my Corolla (end of model cycle, so should have things ironed out) had a squeak from the passenger seat when it was occupied - the only cure was for the passenger to sit slightly sideways - I reckon that it had something to do with the seat belt clip against the seat frame but never got it sorted.

If its the Legacy that's rattling, there is an issue with rattles from inside the dashboard - it may be something simple though so check everything that you can systematically. Mention it at the 1600 km service (includes a free oil change b.t.w. - got mine done during the week).

Sometimes these things resolve themselves as things settle down though - new engines vibrate in a different way when new and can set up resonances that go away as the engine frees up.

pburns

I don't mind a rattle if I know what it is - car keys, a bag etc. It's that almost imperceptible rattle coming from a piece of interior trim on a level but slightly roughly-surfaced road that gets me:rolleyes:.
And it's usually noises from the back-seat/boot that I notice - seems to be a notorious place for noise in all the cars I've had (and they're mostly saloons).

Anyway, like I said, it's not as if the car is falling apart. I think I'd find some creak or noise from inside a slowly moving bank vault:o. I've laughed at people on here who are obsessed about polishing their cars or getting scratches in car parks. I'm relaxed about that, just uptight abolut different issues!

245 wrote: »

Mention it at the 1600 km service (includes a free oil change b.t.w. - got mine done during the week).

245, reading between the lines I'm beginning to think we may have bought from the same dealer;). I'll send a PM...

Gandalf23

Thank God!

I'm the exact same, and for years I thought I might have OCD or something!!! I've been totally obsessed with rattles in every car I've bought.

So back to the OP's original question ... does a rattle free car actually exist?

BlackWizard

My car could do with the rear bushings being replaced and the drivers sun visor will rattle if it's not closed right. Other than that, I've never heard of any kinda of rattling or creeking.

I guess now I'll be more aware and start hearing some god awful noises while driving

Vertakill

I go absolutely mental about rattles. In my last and current car the seatbelt has made a rattling noise and it drives me up the walls, literally.

Volvoboy

Fair enough if i bought a car straight out of the wrapper and i found a rattle i'd be peed off.

But if were talking about 8+ year old cars making rattles thats just the charm of the car:pac:

My 12 year old Toyota has lots of it:)

-Chris-

I'm the exact same, I hear everything. And once I notice it, I can't un-notice it, it's the only thing I hear.

I only have the car key in the ignition, all my other keys are in my pocket. I don't keep CDs in the glovebox and keep the car pretty empty as a general rule.

I'm getting a slight creak from the driver's window in the current car I'm driving. It's driving me mental!

Gandalf23 wrote: »

So back to the OP's original question ... does a rattle free car actually exist?

It's not possible if you think about it. A car's chassis needs to be able to flex due to torsional forces (although manufacturers will try to minimise it). The dash won't flex the same way though, so there'll always be a difference between the movement of the ouside and the inside of a car. That's why convertibles get scuttle-shake - they're missing the structural support of a fixed roof.

To get a squeak proof car you'd have to weld everything in so tight you'd be afraid it would crack!

peasant

Rattles & squeaks ...pfffff

Park my van in the sun (if you can get any sun) and then drive along a bad road and the whole roof panel flexes with one massive theatrical thunder like bang !
First time that happened I almost had a heart attack

JoeA3

Another rattle-freak here! I hate them... and I've yet to own a car that was 100% rattle free... do they exist?! I was particularly disappointed with my last car - an Audi A3 - supposedly the byword for quality interiors... it rattled like a biscuit tin full of marbles almost from day one! The dealers suggested smearing vaseline all over the window rubbers for one particularly annoying racket!

Current car is far far better but I still get the very odd squeek and groan, not helped by stiff suspension and big wheels on our roads I guess.

Also... I found from experience its best to live with them rather than let the dealers (i.e. a monkey with a wrench) anywhere near your interior.

Leprechaun77

I used to get pi$$ed off in my previous car when the 'toll' change rattled in the change compartment between the seats.....it would go then after I gave the coins a good stir.....but eventually the vibration from the engine would bring this back at high revs....The missus has an air freshen in her car which rattles like hell and she won't let me touch it because she knows it is annoying me. Got a new car a few months back and everything was perfect...for 2 weeks anyway, until I got a handsfree kit installed. The panel between the seats which connects to the radio rattled like hell...after deciding I was not being too 'anal', I called them out to have a look...."oh look, I see the problem, here's a screw that we must have missed". Whilst this fixed the main problem, the radio panel still rattles at high revs.....car due its first service next week so hopefully they can fix this...

ninty9er

Change doesn't bother me as such, but there was as creak coming off the cradle on the handsfree kit (which only my dad's phone fits in anyway), so I removed it from the trim today and stuffed it behind the dash. Connection by Bluetooth all the way!!!

The rear parcel shelf rattle bugs the hell outta me too!

ninty9er

vectra wrote: »

Pheew.
Thank Chri$t for that.
and my wife has been telling me I am Paranoid about noises all these years.
I had my son in the boot of the car one time listening for a squeek I couldnt resolve.:rolleyes:

My dad did that to me too, with the Vectra funnily enough:pac::pac:, it was the boot spring.

Webmonkey

I'm same, Id have to stop the car if there was some noise of a empty crisp bag floating around the back seat -

Green Hornet

Bloody HATE rattles. I seek out the bloody things driving along just in case theres one that I cant hear!:rolleyes:

Of course when I find them I cant filter them out no matter how loud the radio is. Its like as if I've tuned into their frequency.

Passanger seat has a rattle when theres nobody sitting in it but for some reason I'm OK with that because I know where it's coming from.

L1011

I left a screw out of the cover on the steering column for ages (sheer laziness), about three months on I couldn't even notice the rattle any more. However, shock mount goes and I get a clonk noise on speed bumps - in to the garage with her straight away.

Rattles I can cope with, clonks thunks and thonks usually scare me

I also have house keys, shed keys, office keys, a few keyrings and a USB stick on my keyring so it rattles a fair bit.

pburns

Just had another thought about this...

I have a theory that these phantom rattles can be hugely effected by cabin temperture. If car is left out during a summer day and interior is hot (even a so-so day like today), plastics can expand and rub off one another.

Also in extrmely cold weather materials may contract. In my last car the centre console plastic rattled slightly during freezing winter mornings but if the temperture was above 3-4degrees there wouldn't be a squeak...

mike65

Thats certainly true - suspensions react likewise - quiet and compliant on a mild morning, creaky in the cold and crisp.

Mike.

Panda Moanium

This thread reminds me of the VW ad from years ago for the Mark 2 Golf GTI. Anyone remember it? Here's the youtube link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF-KJ5-KNQk&feature=related

Great ad!

JoeySully

peasant wrote: »

Rattles & squeaks ...pfffff

Park my van in the sun (if you can get any sun) and then drive along a bad road and the whole roof panel flexes with one massive theatrical thunder like bang !
First time that happened I almost had a heart attack

:D:D that made me LOL :P