Finally fixed the rattle issue
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 472
Likes: 88
From: Arizona
I bought my 2013 GS350 in late 2018 with 64k miles. It currently has 90k miles. Not long after getting it I'd notice a slight rattle from the passenger side vent area. It only happened occastionally and I usually drive alone so I never got a good idea of where it came from. As the months went on, it got louder and happened more frequently. I think in the warmer months it was less likely to be noticed and I'm in Phoenix so it's warm a lot. The last four or five months it happened more and more often. Everytime someone was in the passenger seat I tried to get them to identify the location but nobody could. I found that if I pushed down on the dash or up on the glove box it would stop it. I also pulled off the dash end cover that's visible with the door open to see what I could find. I stuffed some foam in the hole there and put the cover back on and that would help, for a while.
It got more and more frequent recently and it's slowly been driving me mad. I was afraid I'd have to tear the dash out to find it and I was contemplating selling the car if it persisted and I couldn't fix it. Well, finally I got my brother to drive along and listen again. He found that it stopped if he pushed down on the speaker grill on the dash. Finally! I wasn't sure if the grill came off easily so I searched and found this thread. Saturday I popped the grill off with a plastic trim tool and found that it was not the speaker bolts, but the third one that is just about under the pillar trim. I managed to get a 10mm open end wrench on it and snug it down and finally my nightmare is over.
I think it was mainly the loose washer that was rattling. When temps were right, I think there was a little downward pressure on the bolt head to keep it from rattling.
Anyway, just wanted to let others know what issue I had and how easy it was to fix. I wish I'd found this out two years ago.
It got more and more frequent recently and it's slowly been driving me mad. I was afraid I'd have to tear the dash out to find it and I was contemplating selling the car if it persisted and I couldn't fix it. Well, finally I got my brother to drive along and listen again. He found that it stopped if he pushed down on the speaker grill on the dash. Finally! I wasn't sure if the grill came off easily so I searched and found this thread. Saturday I popped the grill off with a plastic trim tool and found that it was not the speaker bolts, but the third one that is just about under the pillar trim. I managed to get a 10mm open end wrench on it and snug it down and finally my nightmare is over.
I think it was mainly the loose washer that was rattling. When temps were right, I think there was a little downward pressure on the bolt head to keep it from rattling.Anyway, just wanted to let others know what issue I had and how easy it was to fix. I wish I'd found this out two years ago.
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 351
Likes: 54
From: Los Angeles, CA
I bought my 2013 GS350 in late 2018 with 64k miles. It currently has 90k miles. Not long after getting it I'd notice a slight rattle from the passenger side vent area. It only happened occastionally and I usually drive alone so I never got a good idea of where it came from. As the months went on, it got louder and happened more frequently. I think in the warmer months it was less likely to be noticed and I'm in Phoenix so it's warm a lot. The last four or five months it happened more and more often. Everytime someone was in the passenger seat I tried to get them to identify the location but nobody could. I found that if I pushed down on the dash or up on the glove box it would stop it. I also pulled off the dash end cover that's visible with the door open to see what I could find. I stuffed some foam in the hole there and put the cover back on and that would help, for a while.
It got more and more frequent recently and it's slowly been driving me mad. I was afraid I'd have to tear the dash out to find it and I was contemplating selling the car if it persisted and I couldn't fix it. Well, finally I got my brother to drive along and listen again. He found that it stopped if he pushed down on the speaker grill on the dash. Finally! I wasn't sure if the grill came off easily so I searched and found this thread. Saturday I popped the grill off with a plastic trim tool and found that it was not the speaker bolts, but the third one that is just about under the pillar trim. I managed to get a 10mm open end wrench on it and snug it down and finally my nightmare is over. I think it was mainly the loose washer that was rattling. When temps were right, I think there was a little downward pressure on the bolt head to keep it from rattling.
Anyway, just wanted to let others know what issue I had and how easy it was to fix. I wish I'd found this out two years ago.
It got more and more frequent recently and it's slowly been driving me mad. I was afraid I'd have to tear the dash out to find it and I was contemplating selling the car if it persisted and I couldn't fix it. Well, finally I got my brother to drive along and listen again. He found that it stopped if he pushed down on the speaker grill on the dash. Finally! I wasn't sure if the grill came off easily so I searched and found this thread. Saturday I popped the grill off with a plastic trim tool and found that it was not the speaker bolts, but the third one that is just about under the pillar trim. I managed to get a 10mm open end wrench on it and snug it down and finally my nightmare is over.
I think it was mainly the loose washer that was rattling. When temps were right, I think there was a little downward pressure on the bolt head to keep it from rattling.Anyway, just wanted to let others know what issue I had and how easy it was to fix. I wish I'd found this out two years ago.
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 472
Likes: 88
From: Arizona
Also, thought it's worth mentioning. That picture shows the A pillar trim removed. You do not need to remove that trim. That pic was taken from a more in-depth dash removal so that's why it was removed. If you have a loose bolt like mine it was one that is just slightly under the bottom of that A pillar trim and you have enough room to get an open end wrench on it but you would have a hard time removing the bolt with that trim piece on. I had first thought I might try to put locktite on it but since I couldn't get it out easily without removing that trim, I did not try. There is an air bag in that a pillar so you need to be more careful if you try to remove it.
Last edited by thallium; Feb 15, 2021 at 04:41 PM.
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 351
Likes: 54
From: Los Angeles, CA
The picture earlier in the thread shows you how the grill pops up. That was the driver and mine was on the passenger so mine was the opposite but I went from the side with a straight trim tool. Trying from the front did not work as the tool hit the windshield first. Just work the trim tool in the crack between the grill and the top of the dash. There are two clips only on the front of the grill. There are no clips on the back so try to pull up more towards the front. You can slip the rear of the grill out after you've released the front clips. Hope that helps.
Also, thought it's worth mentioning. That picture shows the A pillar trim removed. You do not need to remove that trim. That pic was taken from a more in-depth dash removal so that's why it was removed. If you have a loose bolt like mine it was one that is just slightly under the bottom of that A pillar trim and you have enough room to get an open end wrench on it but you would have a hard time removing the bolt with that trim piece on. I had first thought I might try to put locktite on it but since I couldn't get it out easily without removing that trim, I did not try. There is an air bag in that a pillar so you need to be more careful if you try to remove it.
Also, thought it's worth mentioning. That picture shows the A pillar trim removed. You do not need to remove that trim. That pic was taken from a more in-depth dash removal so that's why it was removed. If you have a loose bolt like mine it was one that is just slightly under the bottom of that A pillar trim and you have enough room to get an open end wrench on it but you would have a hard time removing the bolt with that trim piece on. I had first thought I might try to put locktite on it but since I couldn't get it out easily without removing that trim, I did not try. There is an air bag in that a pillar so you need to be more careful if you try to remove it.
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