The access panel behind the glovebox can't be quieted without applying something to pad the molded-in stops of the three front latches as well as forcing both rear padded hooks against their respective stops. Adding foam or felt to the hook stops doesn't sufficiently make up for eliminating movement.

There are a couple of jacketed wiring harnesses that can be oriented to preload the right side of the panel, and which causes the opposite rear hook to become loose rather than preloaded against its stop. It seems to help having these bundles oriented for preloading the panel in conjunction with the foam padding, keeping the stops from tapping against the latches' mating steel surfaces.

I used some 5/16" wide, 3/8" thick rubber weatherstripping I had laying around to attach a roughly one inch long piece to each of the metal surfaces, on the molded-in stop side, running fore to aft, next to the slot where each of the three latches fit. Note that the side on which the stops are located varies with each latch. All rattling from the front, with the car emptied out, was completely eliminated after this fix.

Rattles from the rear deck were found to come from the pivoted covers of the childseat anchors. Small disks of velour (felt was too thick) applied to the mating surface at the front lip didn't help much as it turns out the hinges are not an interference fit. This means the body of the pivoting cover can vibrate even if the front of it, when closed, is fitted fairly tightly.

The rattling was eliminated by placing a tightly wound cylinder of foam behind the hinge point (a bit tricky) and a bit wider than the inside width at the hinge, so that it will expand and force the pivoted cover closed while also preloading the pin/hinge against any acceleration forcing function.

The cylindrical roll of foam is oriented with its symmetry axis running left to right, not fore and aft or up and down in case I wasn't clear in the description above. Tapping on the deck prior to this fix yielded a bit of 'buzzing' while after the fix the tapping sounded deader, more of a thud.

This is in a vehicle with the SOW and a large block of carpet underlayment-like foam is visible behind one of the anchors, apparently an attempt to damp the deck relative to the underlying structure. I guess it works better than no foam block but not well enough to keep the covers from chattering.

The sunglass holder in the roof, the passenger seatbelt tang, any of the door panels, the glovebox door, or the center console tray don't seem to be sources of noise although the sunglass holder isn't preloaded as well as it should be and can create a very weak sound if hit just right. No idea how to fix it other than to put some heavy weight in it to lower the resonant frequency, hopefully moving it out of range of any road induced excitation.

Other than that the car is completely rattle free, barring that caused by an umbrella in the glovebox. It's surprising how much I can hear in this car even at highway speeds. The alarm beep from my pda, in its hardcase, left in the glovebox is plainly audible at speed - would've never expected that. Then again it's all academic with the SOW cranked I guess.

FWIW, Pete

 

can you take pics of the fixed areas?

 

pics would be better.. i get dizzy trying to picture what you did

 

Don't have a digital camera but will take some pics and scan them in as soon as I can. Sorry about that.

 

Good write up. This is going to the Tech area above.

 

I followed you lead and did the same. I used weatherstipping also. When you remove the said panel under the glove box, it is self explanatory. I put pieces on the non-tab side of the tabs coming off the panel as well as the same on the underside of the tabs mounted in the car.

As far as the sunglass holder, I added two pieces of same weatherstripping to between the factory rubber stop and the center of the holder (one each side). This creates preload when the door is shut.

I also did same on the engine side of the center console cup holder (when open small triangular area between cup holes and stick shift.

Works well.

 

I thought about adding some thickness at the point where the spring loaded, black rubber stops touch the sunglass holder by using something like either stick-on felt or urethane pads but I'm concerned over the adhesive getting gooey or worse over the years with the heat in that location. I think that's why the design as it is uses rubber boots over springs, makes it more robust over time and temp. Maybe there's something that could clip over the edge of the moving part and extend along its top surface to the same spot to accomplish the same thing only without an adhesive.

OTOH, spring force doesn't increase when springs are placed in series, at least not until the weaker spring reaches its limit and bottoms out, leaving the stronger spring to take the force. So placing either a stronger 'spring' in series with or increasing the compression of the existing stop's spring will cause it to bottom out and its preload force to be replaced by that of the stronger 'spring' placed in series with it.

Think of it as the stiffer weatherstrip fully compressing the spring loaded rubber boot and then taking its place, being compressed when pushing up to get the door to either lock or release and drop down. The spring loaded boots will remain out of action until the door drops down enough to where the added 'springs' are fully extended and begin to allow the springs behind the boots to extend.

When springs are placed in parallel their spring rates add, as long as both aren't fully compressed or extended. If somehow a 'spring' of weatherstrip or whatever is placed beside each existing stop, and has a free (uncompressed) length equal to that of the existing stop, the two spring rates will add increasing the preload without causing either 'spring' to bottom out. Tricky to pull off though.

D'Oh! *light bulb* Just stuff some foam, or a sock (LOL) in it and force it closed, that'd do it - paralleled springs and all, just acting on different surfaces joined at the common hinge point. Can't get much of a lever arm the way the thing's designed so it'd have to be overstuffed a pretty good ways to have a decent effect. Something to think about anyway. I'll try it as soon as I get it back from the dealer after they fix all the crap they mucked up to begin with, like bubbles in the tinting, scarred up window controls, a screwy driver side door that doesn't close flush, etc., etc. Ya' takes what ya' can git.

Gotta be the world's longest post about something as trivial as a sunglass holder...