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[tedtropy]

Now I've got a pretty decent car, nothing exotic mind you, but a 2002 Mazda Protege ES. And it's done well by me in the time I've owned, but I've noticed lately that I get a little rattle on the left-side of my dash when driving over certain types of roads. Unfortunately, I'm the kind of anal individual that allows stuff like that to bother me. I clean my car habitually, vacuum the interior, there's nere a coin of loose change about, my glove box is nice and organized, my trunk clean and stocked with the roadside essentials, etc. I love my car, no doubt about it. While I understand you're going to get this sort of dash rattling with time, and the fact that I drive the pothole obstacle course known as I-10 (Houston) isn't helping, it still bothers me. I swear if I had the money, I'd strip my entire car down to the frame, line the whole thing with Dynamat, and find something else to annoy me. Am I abnormal?

 

[Doth Togo]

Lots of cars rattle. The dash, the sunroof, the doors...

My advice is to turn the music up and get used to it. Even new BMWs rattle after a year or so. VWs and Hondas too.

For a period of the year, when it's hot, the dash may not rattle due to the plastic expanding into the seals. Enjoy that time.

 

[tedtropy]

Lots of cars rattle. The dash, the sunroof, the doors...

My advice is to turn the music up and get used to it. Even new BMWs rattle after a year or so. VWs and Hondas too.

For a period of the year, when it's hot, the dash may not rattle due to the plastic expanding into the seals. Enjoy that time.

Yeah, fortunately I have 3 8" JL subwoofers in the back that I use to permanently damage my hearing whenever the noise bothers me enough. Ironically, those same subs are likely going to worsen said rattling. Please don't break into my car.

 

[Tarazet]

My Element's speakers are rattling sympathetically with the music, after only 5000 miles. A year-old Lexus ES330 I test-drove had a squeak in the center console. It happens.

 

[tedtropy]

My Element's speakers are rattling sympathetically with the music, after only 5000 miles. A year-old Lexus ES330 I test-drove had a squeak in the center console. It happens.

Well, one thing you can do about the speakers issue is buy some small pads of Dynamat that you place around the perimeter of where the speakers attach to the car's frame. You can pick two pieces of that up for like all of $12 at places like Fry's. It's well worth it - the stuff really does what it claims.

 

[Tarazet]

Well, one thing you can do about the speakers issue is buy some small pads of Dynamat that you place around the perimeter of where the speakers attach to the car's frame. You can pick two pieces of that up for like all of $12 at places like Fry's. It's well worth it - the stuff really does what it claims.

Hmm. I was going to run down to Fry's anyways.

This car has seven speakers though. That might get expensive. o.o

 

[Drozmight]

When it's cold out, the car I drive makes all sorts of wierd sounds. The stereo doesn't work anymore so I have my headphones drown out the sound.

 

[Doth Togo]

Hmm. I was going to run down to Fry's anyways.

This car has seven speakers though. That might get expensive. o.o

Agreed.

Eight here.

 

[tedtropy]

Hmm. I was going to run down to Fry's anyways.

This car has seven speakers though. That might get expensive. o.o

Then I'd just do it on the speakers where it's most noticeable, likely the front two. I put Dyanmat around my front two speakers, but didn't bother with the back two, mainly as the subs are drowning out most of the sound they make anyways.

 

[DaCocoBrova]

Anything in my car that makes noise, and isn't supposed to, gets fixed ASAP. I have a thing for troubleshooting tho. I do it all day at work, so it's hard to just stop when I'm not at work.

My grandmother's car makes this really wierd dash sound, but it's occassional. It sounds like there's someone trapped on the other side of the SRS. Knock knock knock.

 

[Tazznum1]

 

[Tarazet]

Anything in my car that makes noise, and isn't supposed to, gets fixed ASAP. I have a thing for troubleshooting tho. I do it all day at work, so it's hard to just stop when I'm not at work.

My grandmother's car makes this really wierd dash sound, but it's occassional. It sounds like there's someone trapped on the other side of the SRS. Knock knock knock.

That seems to be endemic in American cars. I can be sitting on the sidewalk, some big American car will go by and I'll hear that sound even from where I'm standing. Knock knock knock... or if it's a Subaru, squeak squeak squeak as the wheel bearings slowly die...

 

[tedtropy]

Anything in my car that makes noise, and isn't supposed to, gets fixed ASAP. I have a thing for troubleshooting tho. I do it all day at work, so it's hard to just stop when I'm not at work.

My grandmother's car makes this really weird dash sound, but it's occasional. It sounds like there's someone trapped on the other side of the SRS. Knock knock knock.

Yeah, ditto on essentially having troubleshooting as a career - perhaps that's why it bothers me so much, but I just can't find the damn source. I'm sure I'll be ripping the dash apart before too long. As for the noise in your granny's car, that's the little midget that activates the airbags suffocating. Crack 'dem windows when it gets hot!