('11+) 2012 Impreza Rattle thread (and solutions...???)

[WStrembitsky]

Originally Posted by flyboy1100

I can't figure out what to put where

I used a light grey felt that matches the colour of the headliner.

1. I pulled out the speaker grates and pushed felt under the A pillar trim. Lots of felt, don't be shy, felt is cheap.
2. At the top of the A pillar trim where the headliner starts push small pieces of felt down from the headliner under the trim. Also put some felt between the door gasket and the trim.
3. Halfway down the A pillar, push a bit in between the gasket and the trim.
4. The gap between the grey A pillar plastic and the black dash plastic from the speak grate to the door. Push a doubled up piece of felt into the entire length of the gap.

Before I did this the trim was noticeably loose, after it feels solid with virtually no play at all. N guarantees this will work for you but it eliminated all my rattles. Also it won't do anything if the speaker grates are rattling (mine weren't).

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[n00b on demand]

Originally Posted by WStrembitsky

Fortunately the A pillar rattles are easy to fix. The console area rattles which I luckily don't have seem like they'd be much harder to fix.

Which part rattles for you? In my car the part right under the radio that sits between the radio and heater/ac fan control knob rattles over any bump/. I have compared it to loose change rattling...that kinda noise. The tweeter covers in my car rattle too....i have tried just about everything....I even insulated the inside of the cover with foam tape but it still does it.

[WStrembitsky]

Originally Posted by n00b on demand

Which part rattles for you? In my car the part right under the radio that sits between the radio and heater/ac fan control knob rattles over any bump/. I have compared it to loose change rattling...that kinda noise. The tweeter covers in my car rattle too....i have tried just about everything....I even insulated the inside of the cover with foam tape but it still does it.

The rattles I had were purely in the A-pillars. Although the bottom of the A-pillar cover rattling could sound like the speaker grate rattling. Someone else mentioned their dealership used spray foam on the A-pillar which I imagine would do the job as well or better than my random bits of felt solution has.

[nubsub]

Originally Posted by WStrembitsky

The rattles I had were purely in the A-pillars. Although the bottom of the A-pillar cover rattling could sound like the speaker grate rattling. Someone else mentioned their dealership used spray foam on the A-pillar which I imagine would do the job as well or better than my random bits of felt solution has.

i think for many of us, the A-pillar is what is rattling, not the speaker cover as much as it might seem so. the key is to find some way to brace the A pillar cover so that it does not rub against the window. that could involve "propping up the cover by removing the tweeter speaker grate and stuff stuff under the A pillar cover. or, stuffing somet cushioning material between the window and cover. or taking off the a pilar cover and filling it with some cushioning material.

again, all methods just aim at keeping that A pillar cover from moving. i for a long time thought it was my tweeter being loose or that speaker grate, but in the end, due to the fine folks here, realized it was the A pillar cover.

(another rattle can occur outside the car by the way...i can't recall how to describe it offhand, but if you look at the molding near the corner of the windshield you will find a trim piece that has some play. i stuffed some black foam tape in there too.)

[Brian B]

Here's where I'm at in my rattle battle

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=2473142

Also, does anyone know what in both front doors, sounds just like ball bearings rolling around?

Thanks

[79letour]

My rear hatch is the worst rattle. Its constant After 20k the rattles are really starting to get loud and annoying.
All four door cards have a ting-ing rattle.
The seats are hopeless.
Theres something rattling behind the gauge cluster.

Oddly- the a-pillars stopped rattling on their own. I only get the occasional noises from them on crappy roads.

[soobie doo]

I'm at 12k. Got some crappy roads near my house that I need to traverse pretty regularly.

Damn car sounds like it's about to fall apart every time I hit a bump. Hatch, doors, a pillars, that center display thing with the temperature and fuel economy and such...

But whatever, it's not really a new car anymore. I got my impreza because I wanted a small, cheap hatch with awd, not because I want to be constantly bathed in luxury.

It's still as practical and fun to drive as always, and that's what matters most to me.

[Paradis]

Originally Posted by nubsub

2. rattle from steering column area near the the knee airbag. i've reported on this elsewhere. i can make the rattle stop by pinching together the adjacent panel and this airbag panel so i know roughly where it is located, but i can't figure out exactly where something is rubbing within the panel. this is very intermittent. it used to only happen when the car was cool (again, defined by not being in the sun, and the ambient temp is below 70 oF), but now, the past couple of mornings, it has been nonexistent under those conditions, yet i heard it faintly after driving a while (it warmed up some) and then not there at all when the car is warm. i'm hoping and praying wishfully that this one may solve itself. this is my most annoying rattle, i think, because it is so near to me when i'm driving and has a really high paced (tap tap tap) very fast) type of sound and can almost sound a bit creaky in tone.

Did you find any solution ?

[nubsub]

Originally Posted by Paradis

Did you find any solution ?

i sort of did. when i took my car in for service in december, i told the tech about it. amazingly, he listened very carefully and we both could hear something very faint. it wasn't the ideal temp/rough road for testing the phenomenon since the road was smooth and it was 48 oF outside.

nevertheless, he looked carefully into it for me and what he found was that while the dash assembly was bolted together tightly, there was play in one the inner brackets that allowed the dash to move going over bumps or when shaken. he was shocked to find this (and showed the other techs). to fix this issue, he inserted some washers to remove the play in this area in the innards of my dash/instrument cluster area.

after this "fix" the sound seemed to have gone away when i encountered a few warm days in late december (i'm in CA). however, since then, when it was cold outside (30-35 oF), on occasion, i heard it faintly recurring.

yet, beyond those cold temps, i have not found the sound to come back again even when it's hit 70-75 oF outside (on a few occasions). we'll see how this evolves in the spring when i get a bigger range of temperatures.

at first blush, it seems that maybe the problem has been partially solved. for me, if it only occurs at cold temperatures (for CA), i could live with it since that would mean its only there occasionally. i'll report back if it comes up again. (if it came up in a repeatable way this spring/summer so that i could reproduce it in the presence of the dealer, i would consider having them look at it again)

but it does seem at least better...for now...and as i noted previously: even if he didn't fix the rattle that most concerned me, i'm glad he removed a source for other possible rattles!

(sorry for the long story/answer)

[Paradis]

Thank You
I'll talk to my dealer about it

[AlexBmur]

Originally Posted by WStrembitsky

I used a light grey felt that matches the colour of the headliner.

1. I pulled out the speaker grates and pushed felt under the A pillar trim. Lots of felt, don't be shy, felt is cheap.
2. At the top of the A pillar trim where the headliner starts push small pieces of felt down from the headliner under the trim. Also put some felt between the door gasket and the trim.
3. Halfway down the A pillar, push a bit in between the gasket and the trim.
4. The gap between the grey A pillar plastic and the black dash plastic from the speak grate to the door. Push a doubled up piece of felt into the entire length of the gap.

Before I did this the trim was noticeably loose, after it feels solid with virtually no play at all. N guarantees this will work for you but it eliminated all my rattles. Also it won't do anything if the speaker grates are rattling (mine weren't).

I am hesitant to try and remove my speaker grills. Whats the best way to get the grills off off without scratching or damaging anything?

Thanks

[sager]

Originally Posted by AlexBmur

I am hesitant to try and remove my speaker grills. Whats the best way to get the grills off off without scratching or damaging anything?

Thanks

Hi there, just get a small flat or sharp pick and gently pry up at the mating seam between the grill edge and the dash.
You should see it pull up and you may even be able to grab with your other hand and pull up.

Good luck, but it's pretty easy to do without damaging anything.

Eric