Fixing dashboard rattle

[jcborden]

I've been trying to isolate an annoying rattle which mainly happens over bumps and general rough surfaces. Last night I found that the front of the dash where it meets the windscreen, particularly on the passenger side has a bit of movement and seems to be causing most of it.

If I bang on the dash I can hear it and see that the front doesn't seem to be well enough supported, so tested squashing some rubber anti slip matting between the dash and windscreen - this has certainly improved things, so I will experiment a bit more.

Has anyone else found this, or is your dashboard a little flexible in this area. What I don't know is how the dash is supported or attached at the front...

 

[UncleFester]

Remove the dash end cap from the passenger side - you can see it once the door is open - there's some hex / star bolts in there that attach the side of the dash to the frame of the car - make sure everything is a a snug fit and nice and tight. There might be some more up behind the dash itself but those are the main ones that hold the corner of the dash

 

[b1nuzz]

When I bought my car, it had small strips of felt, shoved between the dash and door pillars on both sides.

I removed them, and then got massive dash rattle. Shoved them back in again and all sorted now!

 

[jcborden]

I can see there is a small amount of felt between the dash and pillars, but the movement and rattle is definitely from the front of the dash where it meets the windscreen about 30 - 40 cm along from the passenger pillar.

I have checked the passenger side dash where it meets the pillar and all of this is very solid.

 

[jcborden]

So my temporary fix of stuffing some anti-slip matting down between the dash and windscreen helped a little, but on a long drive at the weekend the dash rattle was still there and drove me nuts!

Plan B - I had some dark foam padding abut 2cm thick and cut strips about 5cm high so the each strip was about 40 cm, 5cm high and 2cm deep. I cut enough strips to go the entire width of the dashboard then carefully pushed the foam between the dashboard and windscreen, all the way along, so that just the top of the foam was visible (so I can pull it back out if required).

Well tonight I took it for a drive along some of the roads that have caused the worst rattle and guess what? Near silence!! This is unbelievable, there was just a tiny rattle that was only occasionally audible over the bumpiest roads. I can't tell you how happy I am about this - these rattles have been driving me crazy since I got the car about 3 weeks ago (and of course I didn't hear any of them on the test drive before purchasing). Now all I need to do is just neaten it up a bit - basically just push the foam further down so that you can't see it, although it is already pretty good as it is a dark foam against a black dash and meets the black surround of the windscreen.

 

[Andy3004]

When I bought my car, it had small strips of felt, shoved between the dash and door pillars on both sides.

I removed them, and then got massive dash rattle. Shoved them back in again and all sorted now!

One of mine is working it's way out and I'm gradually developing a rattle! Just need to shove it back me thinks!!!

 

[volvic]

i've got a rattle but its from the side of the dash touching the passenger front door. (where the fuses would of been if we had left hand drive cars)

i held a glove between the open door and side dash, closed the door on the glove so it was wedged between. this has fixed the rattle. i've purchased some black sticky pads i'll be placing between the door and side panel...

give that a go as i originally thought the rattle was from elsewhere....

 

[JamJay]

When I bought my car, it had small strips of felt, shoved between the dash and door pillars on both sides.

I removed them, and then got massive dash rattle. Shoved them back in again and all sorted now!

Was this a SEAT thing, I also have these in mine?

 

[dg-1984]

Yeah think it was a seat thing, I had them on my pillar when I removed it to fit the boost gauge, fitted the felt to the nomad pillar and no rattle

 

[b1nuzz]

yeah i guess it was as everyone seems to have them... You would have thought they could have done it a little neater!

 

[JamJay]

I thought it was put in there by the last owner but I twigged why they were probably did it and left them. Glad to know it was a SEAT thing but you're right b1nuzz, they aren't exactly neat!

I was thinking though, maybe this was a recall that was fixed cheaply?

 

[b1nuzz]

I was thinking though, maybe this was a recall that was fixed cheaply?

Even so, shove the felt down a bit further so that we cant see it.

I thought it was the last owner too!

 

[RichStew]

Mine has this annoying rattle too, gonna get me some black squashy stuff to sqeeze in there,

Good work mate

 

[andylcr]

Mine is rattling around there too and its doing my nut in.

I'm just wondering if its the same rattle that you guys are on about. Its around the driver dash area but its almost like its near the bonnet too. Is that what yours was like?

Cheers

 

[wayne lcr]

I thought it was put in there by the last owner but I twigged why they were probably did it and left them. Glad to know it was a SEAT thing but you're right b1nuzz, they aren't exactly neat!

I was thinking though, maybe this was a recall that was fixed cheaply?

i also got this on pass side thought it being accident but its hpi clear

 

[Bignod00]

Aaaaahhhh, thankgod its not just me then! Did a 600+ mile journey the other week and it drove me mad! Will get something black and squishy and give it a go also, thanks for the advice.

 

[BEOWULF]

So my temporary fix of stuffing some anti-slip matting down between the dash and windscreen helped a little, but on a long drive at the weekend the dash rattle was still there and drove me nuts!

Plan B - I had some dark foam padding abut 2cm thick and cut strips about 5cm high so the each strip was about 40 cm, 5cm high and 2cm deep. I cut enough strips to go the entire width of the dashboard then carefully pushed the foam between the dashboard and windscreen, all the way along, so that just the top of the foam was visible (so I can pull it back out if required).

Well tonight I took it for a drive along some of the roads that have caused the worst rattle and guess what? Near silence!! This is unbelievable, there was just a tiny rattle that was only occasionally audible over the bumpiest roads. I can't tell you how happy I am about this - these rattles have been driving me crazy since I got the car about 3 weeks ago (and of course I didn't hear any of them on the test drive before purchasing). Now all I need to do is just neaten it up a bit - basically just push the foam further down so that you can't see it, although it is already pretty good as it is a dark foam against a black dash and meets the black surround of the windscreen.

Where did u get ya foam from mate mine doing the same and it doing me nut in now

 

[jcborden]

The foam was out of an old camera case and was nearly perfect. However, I recently had my windscreen replaced and whilst the old one was out I took all of the foam and actually stuffed it under the dashboard to support it better - just had the one shot so used quite a lot of foam!

Anyway it was even better than before and complete removed the rattle from the left had side, however introduced a nasty rattle/squeek from the centre of the dash... I then used a piece of anti-slip mat between the dash and windscreen (just a few cm long in the centre) and that has stopped that so the end result is that the car is quieter than ever.

Still the worst car I have ever owed for rattles, but after all of the above it is now perfectly acceptable. Just wish I'd of noticed all the rattles on the test drive, but I think it clearly depends on the quality of the roads you drive on - where I tested the car they were good and where I live they are not so good.

 

[BEOWULF]

Cheers for the reply mate
Roads where i live are shite and loads of speed bumps every