Ok so for weeks now I have been hearing this rattle/clicking sound from the middle of my car near the cupholders/ashtray area. I have removed the woodgrain and cupholders numerous times looked for loose things, tried to secure areas, added foam, etc. and still the rattle seems to be getting worse. On my long drive to work this morning I tried shoving my ID between the edge of the wood grain near the ashtray and the leather side panel and it seemed to fix the problem.

Any suggestions on any material that I could you to duplicate this without just leaving my ID shoved halfway in? I was thinking just using several layers of electrical tape around the edge of the wood grain but I wanted to see if anyone had a better solution.

Anyone experienced this before???

P.S. - I refuse to take it to the dealer for this because they won't be able to hear the problem and I'll just get more pissed off at Jim Faulk in Bev Hills. I've already had my car there over 10 times for a couple of other rattles that I ended up fixing myself in the end.

Thanks!

 

And yes, I did remove everything from the center console, glove box and ashtray....

 

foam foam foam. Get some of that small foam that you put around doors of a house and stuff it in there where you can't see it. That is what I have used to fix rattles on other cars and it should help with yours.

 

Yea more foam I guess is the best option. Any other ideas anyone?

 

put felts along the same location and maybe also around the clip? it sounds to me that the clip is a bit loose when the shift place is all the way in, thus the rattle / squeak. when you put your ID there, you effectively lift up the shift plate a bit, and probably tighten up the clip and give it less play.

if that's the case, put some felt at the location where you put your id, and maybe also put them around the clips close to that area so they become "thicker". i think that would help

 

Out of curiosity, where do you get that felt with the sticky side?

 

a lot of car audio shops should have it

i have also seen them at home depot

 

Great ideas. Thanks guys. Looks like I'll be ripping up the panels yet again tonight...I'll yet you know if this solves the problem.

 

I always use the smooth side of the velco tape, it works just like a felt tape.

 

FOUND IT!!!

So I pulled out the console and drove around and the rattle was still there so I knew it wasn't the console. Next I looked up how to remove the radio because I thought that it might be behind the headunit.

Turns out 4 bolts hold the headunit into place. I went to remove the first of the 4 and it was missing and there was a loose metal bracket that was rattling. Went to home depot and after $0.83 for a new bolt and some washers the car is now silent again.

Ah the sweet sound of silence!

Thanks for all the help. I ended up using a buch of the soft side of velco too just to make sure nothing else rattles.

 

wow, a bolt is missing?! you dropped it when you did the nav hack?

but it's good that the car is dead silent again congrats!

 

dynomat works well in these situations. I am happy to hear you nailed it

 

Well I didn't do the nav hack myself but I suspect that the guys that did it didn't tighten one of the bolts all the way. The nav hack was done 1.5 yrs ago and just now I noticed it so it probably just rattled its way out! Tightened em all so hopefully it won't happen again.