Roof and seat rattle

[Delaneycatz]

Afternoon all. First time out today and usually I’m a roof down but due to local weather decided to leave it be. There are several seemingly from both sides of the car some rattles and clunks that appear to come from the roof mechanism. Are there any known areas that benefit from a tighten up or grease. Same can be said for the passenger seat. 
 

[Pordave]

You've probably been sat in a modern Eurobox for too long, I too notice the rattles but call it character on a 21 year old car.

If you want rattles you should go in my next door neighbours 1960's Triumph TR4A. 

[iborguk]

2 hours ago, Delaneycatz said:

 Same can be said for the passenger seat. 
 

Sound can bounce around these cabins....

Passenger seat belt clip ? I normally stick mine high up the belt when not in use to avoid noise from it against the seat.

Also check the wind deflector if there is one, notorious for rattling when the clips get worn.

Windows rattle when you shut the doors hard ? Worn regulators can be another noise point.

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by iborguk

[Delaneycatz]

Thanks. Checked the wind deflector and that’s fine. Didn’t consider the door glass🤔 wouldn’t this show itself with the roof down. I expect a few creeks and bangs but this was really irritating. Hoping for a few long road trips this year and defo will need improving before that.  

[iborguk]

7 minutes ago, Delaneycatz said:

Thanks. Checked the wind deflector and that’s fine. Didn’t consider the door glass🤔 wouldn’t this show itself with the roof down. I expect a few creeks and bangs but this was really irritating. Hoping for a few long road trips this year and defo will need improving before that.  

It's a case of zero'ing in with these things, I'd suggest having a passenger help identify the noise sources and rule things out.

Try the door shut test re the glass and maybe try with the windows at different open heights when driving.

Also Gummi Pflege the roof seals , that can help counteract the effects rubber ageing, another noise source.

I had an irritating click click click sound like a Geiger counter in mine which I swore was coming from the frunk and turned out to be the airbag against the steering wheel.

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by iborguk

[charlieboy2608]

I'm sure I've read on here that noise can be attributed to the roof mechanism-searching those points should keep you busy for a few hours 😉

[bally4563]

13 hours ago, iborguk said:

It's a case of zero'ing in with these things, I'd suggest having a passenger help identify the noise sources and rule things out.

Try the door shut test re the glass and maybe try with the windows at different open heights when driving.

Also Gummi Pflege the roof seals , that can help counteract the effects rubber ageing, another noise source.

I had an irritating click click click sound like a Geiger counter in mine which I swore was coming from the frunk and turned out to be the airbag against the steering wheel.

 

+1 For the passenger input, getting them to identify with pressing/pushing etc.

[Kev Ush]

I’ve also been trying to track down some rattling coming from either the roof mechanism or the seatbelts 🤷‍♂️ I’ve had a prod around the roof mechanism and can’t find anything that might be causing it. The only thing I’ve found (this evening actually) are the top mounts for the seatbelts rattle about quite a bit. I’ve added a thin springy wavy washer thingy under the bolt that keeps them from rattling but still lets it rotate on the bolt. I’ll update you if it’s any better but I’m not sure if that was the rattle I was hearing. 
 

 

Edited May 7, 2021 by Kev Ush

[M9G UK]

Girlfriends earring? 😜

Only the old folk in here will get that

[Delaneycatz]

They weren’t big enough for some of my old girlfriends🤨

[Delaneycatz]

Please keep me informed Kev as it will know doubt save me a lot of time. Going to strip down the door cards in the hope it might be the window regulators 

[½cwt]

I found a good treatment of al the rubber seals with Wurth Gummi Pflege got rid of most roof squeaks/rattles.  For a deeper treatment go for Krytox.  Also lubricating the hood mechanism joints with Lithium grease could help.

I have also found that mu passenger seat can give the odd knock/rattle when unoccupied and in the fully raised position.  Set it one notch down and it is silent.

[craighayling]

I’ve never driven in a convertible that does not rattle to some degree or other....maybe some Uber expensive ones don’t (ie a roller) but I doubt it. Perhaps your expectations are a bit high? The seat however should not make any noise....slide the passenger seat forward and see if the noise lessens? If it’s excessive noise then it could be a real rabbit hole tracking down the issue and realigning the mechanism.....best of luck sorting it out.

[½cwt]

26 minutes ago, craighayling said:

I’ve never driven in a convertible that does not rattle to some degree or other....maybe some Uber expensive ones don’t (ie a roller) but I doubt it. Perhaps your expectations are a bit high? The seat however should not make any noise....slide the passenger seat forward and see if the noise lessens? If it’s excessive noise then it could be a real rabbit hole tracking down the issue and realigning the mechanism.....best of luck sorting it out.

After treating mines as above it is noise free.  Still some scuttle shake noise on pot holes or really rough surfaces but nothing from the roof.  Time patience and treatments over a few months has solved it.  These noises only really showed up after refreshing the suspension and getting rid of all the noise associated with that.  A modern convertible roof should be quite. Mrs ½cwt's Golf cabrio: also silent.

[Kev Ush]

Well it’s definitely better than what it was!! I’ve lost the rattle that was right in my ear while driving and the rattle from the passenger side is gone (I also added a foam strip where the seatbelt buckle sits against the plastic trim when it’s not in use)

Another thing I did was I removed the storage box from the parcel shelf and used black silicone rtv stuff on all the plastic joints underneath it. That gives it a much more solid sound when you tap on it.

I’ve still got a couple of rattles to track down but at least with some of them gone I’ve been able to pin point others and can now tell that one is definitely coming from inside the drivers door. I’ve still got one from the roof mechanism but I’m going to give the slides a grease and see if that sorts it out...I can also now tell I’ve got a rattle coming from my centre console too. I’ll get all of them sorted out today.

I don’t mind the odd rattle from somewhere just so long as it isn’t constant and right in my ear.