Door Rattle - Possible Solution

[Guest blatters]

I've had a rattling from both front passenger doors. Sounded like they were coming from the part of the door furthest away from the hinges.

 

Now this is not a carefully thought through technical explanation of what I've done today but it seems to have worked. I know one day is a little soon to be sure but I'll update this thread after a week when I've done five days commuting into Edinburgh.

 

It's the striker catches on the doors. It seems that the white spray grease that the dealer sprays on them had gone a little dry. I pushed each catch back, sprayed them liberally, depressed the upper catch so I could reset the main bit back so I could close the doors and, hey presto, no noise since then.

 

The noise sounded like either the door flexing as the monocoque shell flexes over uneven roads (but I thought this unlikely 'cos the Galaxy's not the flimsy MK1 Nissan Micra that really flexed around the doors) OR something loose inside the door itself - say a loose wire from the release mechanism.

 

But it seems like some lubrication on the striker catches on the doors may do the trick. Well, it's dead easy and worth a couple of minutes for anyone who has rattly doors before proceeding to any more serious remedial work?

 

Let's hope I'm right this week and this email helps any others with similar problems. Rattles have been doing my head in over the last few weeks and I'm determined to gradually try and resolve them - with huge amounts of patience.

 

All the best folks.

 

Blatters.

[Masked Marauder]

I have a rattle around both nearside doors, I have looked everywhere for it!

[Denis]

Thanks Blatters, my doors have been rattling like mad recently, I've been avoiding doing anything about it 'cos I thought it would be a big job involving damaged door cards and cut fingers.

 

Will try the same on mine. <_<

[gregers1]

i used silicone spray alot better than w-4- and lasts longer

[Guest blatters]

Update - Day 1 of commute into Edinburgh

 

OK, just completed exactly the same journey that last week had the doors rattling away - my daily commute to & from Edinburgh.

 

Initial results are very positive. No noise whatsoever off of the front passenger door and only the slightest noise from the driver's door this morning and nothing tonight (although it was raining really hard so difficult to hear so clearly - Scottish weather eh?). The passenger door was so bad at the weekend that I stopped the car, got my wife to drive while I sat in the passenger seat sussing it out.

 

Gregers is right. WD40 not the stuff for this job. I use the white lithium spray stuff that comes in a spray can with a straw on the nozzle. Has a thicker consistency and lasts longer. But for the impatient amongst us you need to wait a little while for the spray to thicken up when it's applied - it won't do its job straight away.

 

So I'll carry on my scientific study of rattles (there's enough material when studying the Galaxy for a whole book). Will report back at the weekend and I'll even take some low-res digital photo's with my 'phone for the e-thread.

 

If this just helps one person from losing their temper with their beloved car then the investment in this email has been worthwhile - the rattles have been driving me mad!

 

Regards.

 

Blatters

[Guest blatters]

Solution doesnt work but we might be close!

 

Simply spraying stuff all over the catches has not worked. But it has improved things.

 

I've also noticed that if I move the doors rapidly when the car's parked up then there is no rattle.

 

So that makes me think that it might be the 'grab' catches on the doors rattling against the little brass bars as I'm travelling along.

 

I'll try again this weekend and I'm determined to track these two front door rattles down. These are the last two I have left - everything else resolved (pipe insulation is a wonderful thing).

 

The funny thing about these two rattles is that they are completely unpredictable as sometimes they're present and sometimes not. And this occurs on the same journey. Sometimes on bumps they'll start rattling but on other stretches of bumpy road they don't.

 

Very weird but I will persevere.

 

Blatters

 

PS. XC90 not big enough, middle row not really great for 3 adults on a long haul and back seats more Zafira like. VW Touareg perhaps (2.5TDi SE starts at

[Denis]

Didn't work on mine either Blatters, though I have noticed the same- sometimes it's really bad and other times not there at all.

 

I also have an annoying rattle inside the dash, passenger side, hope you may figure out a solution for that one too! :ph34r:

[Guest blatters]

Denis,

 

I've just searched through 46 pages on this site's search engine under door noises. There's a variety of choices including screws that seem to fall out of the mechanism in the door and folk removing the door panels - one fellow managed to remove the offending screw but then was stuck with a panel that wouldn't go back on properly (the woman that swallowed a fly comes to mind - is that gender neutral these days?).

 

Anyway, I really don't want to remove the door card / panel if I can possibly avoid it. Since the noise is intermittant, won't occur when I swing the door back and forth and is on both front doors I really don't think we're talking a fallen loose screw.

 

My money is on the door clasp in the lock mechanism hooking over the brass bit on the central door pillar. That's my next move. I'm also persuaded that this is the offending item because, when road testing at the weekend (after having lubricated everything that moved) the nearside door was rattling like a good'en and so I stopped, reset the clasp and voila, noise gone - for a while. So I reckon there's a relationship that needs looking into at the weekend.

 

My creaking centre console (mainly from where it meets the ashtray bit and worst when cold or going over bumpy roads) is most definately gone - pipe insulation pieces stuffed discreetly between the two parts where they meet which has also added some tension the the centre console and helped.

 

The noise from the fusebox undertray resolved as well. Again, the pipe insulation to keep it tight.

 

Check that you've not got a door panel rubbing against the side of the dashboard where they meet when the door closes. You can get some self-adhesive draught excluder for that - my first X (2000) Galaxy was a killer for squeeking there and this solved that problem.

 

And don't forget the dreaded buzzing rear view mirror. Sounds to everyone in the cabin that the buzz is coming from different places but someone else tipped me off on that one and now resolved.

 

The front plastic piece at the bottom of the external glass windscreen can rattle on the passenger side and that sounds like it's coming from inside the dashboard within the cabin. But its not and you just need to slip something underneath it to stop the plastic trim rattling against the glass and your problem may go.

 

And so the list goes on & on...........

 

But for me, the end is in sight - just the doors. Please, please may I finish my crusade.

 

Blatters

[Galaxy23]

Blatters,

Don't we just love the challenge of a rattle !!

 

I've just sorted my drivers door rattle.

Firstly I replaced the latch, but the rattle was still there,but not quite as bad as before.So what i did was to place insulating tape around the striker plate barrel.This cured the problem.I guess that the striker plate barrel must wear a little after a period of time and when the latch closes on it there is a little space left which causes the latch to rattle on the striker plate ,if that makes sense.

 

I also had a small rattle coming from the passenger door area and when looking at the passenger door from the inside it was pressing more against the rubber surround than the drivers door.Anyway i happened to be a a local v.w. garage and asked them to check if the door was positioned correctly.The mechanic after doing several adjustments told me he had adjusted the door and the door striker plate.The rattle seems to have gone for now,but i bet the b......d will come back.I hope not.However the door is still pressing very hard against the rubber surround,but i can live with it if the rattle has gone.

 

I hope this helps you.

 

 

Regards,

 

Paul

[Guest blatters]

Paul,

 

You're a gem!!!!!

 

I think that your solution will be a cure for mine as well. Yes, my latch clasp thing is a little loose and I'm going to try wrapping a little insulation tape around it in the mornin before embarking upon a truly 'rattle-inducing' trip to Carnwath across the Border roads.

 

I'll let you know.

 

A big, big thank you for your super fast reply for help.

 

I'm off for some sleep.

 

Blatters :P

[Guest blatters]

Oh, and somewhere in the fossil record of the 46 pages thrown up by the search engine..............

 

someone said that there may be benefits in just applying a little silicon spray to the rubber seals around the doors to prevent 'creaking'. They said their dealer had done this and it had helped cure problems for them.

 

If it helps someone then that's a freebie.

 

Blatters

[Guest blatters]

:P :P :P IT WORKS :D :D :D

 

Respect is due to GALAXY23. The tape around the striker pins has solved the very last rattles in my car. The doors now no longer rattle whatsoever and, believe me, my journey today from Peebles to Carnwath across the Scottish Borders' desolate roads, is the ultimate test.

 

For the first time since I bought the car brand new in September 2003 the Galaxy now makes no weird or annoying noises - a real pleasure.

 

The fact that the whole car is stuffed to the brim with pipe insulation and electrician's sticky tape is neither here nor there (a slight exageration).

 

This brings one of my most frustrating e-threads to a close - thank goodness.

 

:P Blatters

[gregers]

wow a sparky and a plumber,must be earning a fortune :blink: