Faint rattling sound from dash - Page 2 - Smart Car of America Forums : Smart Car Forum

sato7 · 03-30-2009, 02:44 PM

rear vibe sounds can be from the engine lid vibrating... DYNAMAT cures that.

Up top the cover that.... covers the windshield wiper motor, has a tendency to vibe like crazy.. take it off, drive around.... no sound? use felt stickers (Lowe's)(Ace) to wedge in contact areas and bolt back on.

the rear lid, open it and you will notice a white residue in places where the plastic lid rubs against the larger hatch... felt stickers to the rescue!

these and other gremlins are the issue with a new design... we are the guinea pigs!

Carl242 · 03-30-2009, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sato7

rear vibe sounds can be from the engine lid vibrating... DYNAMAT cures that.

Up top the cover that.... covers the windshield wiper motor, has a tendency to vibe like crazy.. take it off, drive around.... no sound? use felt stickers (Lowe's)(Ace) to wedge in contact areas and bolt back on.

the rear lid, open it and you will notice a white residue in places where the plastic lid rubs against the larger hatch... felt stickers to the rescue!

these and other gremlins are the issue with a new design... we are the guinea pigs!

Thanks Sato7. Some good pointers--I will try those. Should I also try the felt strips on the break pads facing the discs? Maybe that will stop the scraping sound (hehe-just kidding)

sato7 · 03-30-2009, 02:58 PM

actually check the pad wear indicators... also are you leaving the car out in dew or rain? the disk will rust real quick and as you "brake" the first couple of times they can stutter or squeal until the pads clean off the surface rust.

SubSlr88 · 03-30-2009, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carl242

Thanks Sato7. Some good pointers--I will try those. Should I also try the felt strips on the break pads facing the discs? Maybe that will stop the scraping sound (hehe-just kidding)

For that problem you can liberally soak the disc in silicone spray. That'll stop the noise . . . of course you can't stop the car very well, but it'll be quiet~!

I know, I know~! But I just can't resist . . .

Carl242 · 03-30-2009, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SubSlr88

For that problem you can liberally soak the disc in silicone spray. That'll stop the noise . . . of course you can't stop the car very well, but it'll be quiet~!

I know, I know~! But I just can't resist . . .

the dealer checked it out and said the pads are fine (i've had this since the car was new). They even shaved down the very edges of the disk in-case it was forming a lip that was rubbing against the pad, but that did not work. What's interesting is the break makes the sound when the breaks are not depressed--it goes away when I depress the brake pedal.

Carl242 · 04-08-2009, 11:18 AM

Got my car back from the dealer last week, and the fixed all the rattling! Here's a summary of the different fixes over time

Rear View Mirror - Dealer replaced mirror, rattling went away
Plastic Headliner - After a few attempts, dealer found it was the bracket holding the LED in the Airbag Warning indicator, and put some felt in. Now its totally silent
Doors - Dealer adjusted both door latches to match the position of the door. Though these can be adjusted they are always put in the same position at the factory. The doors are totally silent now!
Vanity Mirror - Informed that this was common. I guessed as much, and I don't expect a fix except I might put a piece of white felt above it or soemthing
Breaks - Shop Foreman drove along with me, heard the sound, and said he'd check to see if there was uneven wear or a sticking pad. After inspection, he said everything is normal and OK, though sometimes i'll still hear a sound. Not sure about that, but that's material for another thread.

I'm really happy with San Francisco Smart's service. They really tried to sort the rattles out and succeeded! All in all I had my smart in 5 times to analyze the noises (mixed with other things like the 10,000 mile service). With my previous car (a VW) my concerns would have been blown off a long time ago (they blew off a nasty sqeal from my engine and the fact that my turbo kept cutting out even though I was willing to pay for a repair after my warrenty had expired). Smart SF really followed through on something as minor as interior rattle, and came through with the results. I'm very happy to be a Smart owner now, and confident that my car is well taken care of. Thankyou Smart SF and Felipe!