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      09-30-2018, 12:18 AM   #1
Redd
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Dashboard Buzzing/Rattle - Solved!

I've been plagued with this mysterious buzzing/rattle coming from the center dashboard near the windscreen that only occurred over certain rough road surfaces. Read every post on rattles, nothing worked. It's not the vents, or the glovebox/fusebox cover. Not iDrive screen or dash trim. Not the gauge cluster, or steering column/cover. Not center speaker, not rear view mirror or housing. Not the cupholders, nor the gap between dash and center console. Not the micro filters or covers, not the strut bar, not the engine bay fuse box or ecu, not the wipers or covers.

I've literally torn apart the entire dash and engine bay near the windscreen looking for that noise. In the process the car has gained couple lbs of felt tape, velcro and padding. Last month I actually had the entire dash professionally removed, wrapped in leather and alcantara, repaired all broken clips etc, and professionally re-installed. Didn't help.

Today, at the end of my wits, I stuffed a towel between the dash and windscreen. It was a long towel and lot of the fabric went inside the gap, not sure where it ended up. But it worked. The buzzing/rattle was gone!

So if you've tried everything else and nothing worked, try this. I'm probably going to get a nice long piece of black carpet made up to replace the red towel and stuff it in there permanently.

Anyone know what could be in that gap causing the buzzing? It sounds like a thin piece of plastic buzzing at certain frequencies.
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      06-26-2019, 05:53 PM   #2
XKxRome0ox
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did your buzzing start right away after car is started or after driving? only at certain rpm or all over the place?

i'm getting an annoying buzzing noise only after having driven about 25+ minutes and 10+ miles ...
basically every morning driving to work, when i am also to work and in stop and go traffic i can start to hear it
but it's not just the distance because the same drive back home doesn't produce the buzzing noise
and the buzzing only happens and can be heard at idle
if i give it any gas, the noise goes away
and the buzzing also goes away when i open the hood


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      07-01-2019, 12:50 AM   #3
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I get a buzz from somewhere in the passenger dash/floor area when I cruise at low RPM - like going 45 mph in 7th gear. I though it was one of the cup holders or something around the glove box. It come and goes. I'll try the towel trick to see if that helps lol
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      07-01-2019, 05:52 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XKxRome0ox View Post
did your buzzing start right away after car is started or after driving? only at certain rpm or all over the place?
My buzzing only happens when I go over rough roads/bumps, and sounds like a screw rolling around on a metal plate.

Yours sounds like a something which vibrates at a certain frequency rubbing against the car body or chassis. If I were to guess, I might think it was an exhaust mounting, or a loose ac blower. Maybe check and tighten all the screws/bolts in the vicinity the buzzing is coming from. Check engine/tranny mounts too.
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      07-01-2019, 05:52 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Redd View Post
My buzzing only happens when I go over rough roads/bumps, and sounds like a screw rolling around on a metal plate.

Yours sounds like a something which vibrates at a certain frequency rubbing against the car body or chassis. If I were to guess, I might think it was an exhaust mounting, or a loose ac blower. Maybe check and tighten all the screws/bolts in the vicinity the buzzing is coming from. Check engine/tranny mounts too.
the noise started right after i had the ac compressor and receiver drier replaced in my car
i took off the plenum and put it back on just in case something was loose there
didn't make any difference

i need to have the shop that did the work take a look at it... but the noise doesn't happen until the car has been sufficiently driven around
i'll get around to dropping off the car
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      07-02-2019, 08:17 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XKxRome0ox View Post
the noise started right after i had the ac compressor and receiver drier replaced in my car
i took off the plenum and put it back on just in case something was loose there
didn't make any difference

i need to have the shop that did the work take a look at it... but the noise doesn't happen until the car has been sufficiently driven around
i'll get around to dropping off the car
Might be something has expanded when sufficiently warmed up and come a bit loose, and vibrating against the car body. If the ac had been worked on recently, that's the first thing I'd check. Maybe something is a bit loose.
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      07-05-2019, 04:18 PM   #7
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took the car in today to my indi mech
tested this and that
the cause seems to be the motor mount

it's only been one year since I had them replaced
so how likely is that?
time to go talk to the shop that did my motor mount (while replacing the rod bearings)
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