Dashboard Rattle

[Nighters]

Hi all,

My 2 month old brand new Cali has started to rattle. It seems to be coming from the dashboard possibly the centre above the radio, hard to tell to be honest.

Has anyone experienced anything similar? Any advice on where i could look to potentially find where its coming from, its driving me mad as i cant find the location or how to get rid of it.

Thanks all,
Paul

 

[Martin]

Paul, if you need to get in there to have a look it is literally a 5 minute job, also a handy step by step guide Here


( Username and Password for download section can be found Here )

 

[Nighters]

Thanks thats a real help, will try on the weekend.

 

[slowcoach65]

Not sure if it's the same as you think the rattle is from above the radio, but, I have a rattle from the central console. It's a tinkling high pitched rattle which I found to be the cup holder :?

Andy

 

[Cali-Kev]

i keep coins in my ash tray it drives me bonkers

 

[KernowLad]

I have a rattle/creak too. A few old parking tickets have fallen down to the "unreachable" bit but I can't see them making the sound! Sounds like it needs tightening somewhere - it stops when I put pressure downwards onto the top of the dash (not handy when driving...!).

Off to investigate again...

 

[Tayls]

I have a rattle/creak too. A few old parking tickets have fallen down to the "unreachable" bit but I can't see them making the sound! Sounds like it needs tightening somewhere - it stops when I put pressure downwards onto the top of the dash (not handy when driving...!).

Off to investigate again...

I found a load of old parking tickets, a disposable knife and some coins down the bit between dash and screen - used a ruler to flick 'em out (I had to use another ruler at one point, when I let go of the first one!)

Ian

 

[James]

I have a rattle/creak too. A few old parking tickets have fallen down to the "unreachable" bit but I can't see them making the sound! Sounds like it needs tightening somewhere - it stops when I put pressure downwards onto the top of the dash (not handy when driving...!).

Off to investigate again...

I found a load of old parking tickets, a disposable knife and some coins down the bit between dash and screen - used a ruler to flick 'em out (I had to use another ruler at one point, when I let go of the first one!)

Ian

I've had a buzz from the drivers side since new - comes and goes - kind of got used to it. Plus, there is now a camping pass from the Lake District somewhere behind the dash

James

 

[Tayls]

I've had a buzz from the drivers side since new - comes and goes -
James

Perhaps a visiting Bee? Probably tells his mates he's got a holiday home at the Beach in Westcliff on Sea!

Ian

 

[James]

I've had a buzz from the drivers side since new - comes and goes -
James

Perhaps a visiting Bee? Probably tells his mates he's got a holiday home at the Beach in Westcliff on Sea!

Ian

Ian lol - possibly...

It's been there since new - I wondered if something was caught somewhere. Maybe a job for the first service.

James

 

[Freeley]

Yeah could be your pass or a parking ticket vibrating when you've got your blower on perhaps?

 

[steviej]

I had a look at the radio removal guide in the downloads section, very useful, particularly as I want to remove the tray on top of the dash to hard wire my sat nav cable. What is the "trim removal tool" referred to in the guide? Will a thin flat blade do the job?

 

[calikev]

Yes that will do if you are carefull

 

[James]

Yeah could be your pass or a parking ticket vibrating when you've got your blower on perhaps?

It could be - I don't think so though - although i am rubbish at guessing or diagnosing these things.

I did think leaf or something in the heater ducts??

James

 

[ollie]

Paul, did you get to the bottom of the rattling? I had the same thing and found that it was the alarm horn in the scuttle tray.

 

[KernowLad]

Paul, did you get to the bottom of the rattling? I had the same thing and found that it was the alarm horn in the scuttle tray.

How do you access that? Still no joy with our dash creaking (around/under the instrument binnacle).

 

[bossdrums]

I too have a rattling dashboard…if I put pressure on the trim around the drivers binnacle and the drivers air vent is stoops the worst of it…sounds like a loose cable or something behind it…any ideas on how to get access or is better to leave it to VW..as my Cali is literally weeks old…

 

[WelshGas]

I too have a rattling dashboard…if I put pressure on the trim around the drivers binnacle and the drivers air vent is stoops the worst of it…sounds like a loose cable or something behind it…any ideas on how to get access or is better to leave it to VW..as my Cali is literally weeks old…

Don't leave it too long. VW have a 6month limit on rattles and squeaks.

 

[bossdrums]

Don't leave it too long. VW have a 6month limit on rattles and squeaks.

Thanks I don't know that, I'll make sure I get it in before the limit...cheers

 

[Ch1pbutty]

I too have a rattling dashboard…if I put pressure on the trim around the drivers binnacle and the drivers air vent is stoops the worst of it…sounds like a loose cable or something behind it…any ideas on how to get access or is better to leave it to VW..as my Cali is literally weeks old…

 

[bossdrums]

Thanks for the link...appreciate it

 

[NLKMediaVWT5.1]

I had a very annoying rattle coming from my dashboard on my T5.1 Kombi. Drove me nuts and the solution was really simple once I found out what it was. I took the dash apart hunting for the problem, radio out, glove box out, everything I could to try and find the rattle. Had nothing to do with the dashboard but sounded like it was coming from the centre of the dashboard. When driving it would rattle and what gave it away was the rattle happened when the engine was turned off and you shut the drivers door hard. In the skuttle tray under the windscreen, where the wiper motor is, in the centre there is a little metal box bolted to the underside of the dash. This box has some wires going into it at the back but just dangles there. After some research it turns out that this is the Alarm Siren which is housed in a metal enclosure. It was this box that was vibrating and making the blasted rattling sound. All I did was put in two extra long screwdrivers from each side and bend it more forward. That completely stopped the rattling sound. My neighbour has the same van and his siren box was further forward than mine (identical van) but both boxes move and vibrate when pushed with a screwdriver.

If you are investigating an annoying rattling noise then please save yourself time and effort and check out the alarm siren box in the skuttle tray. Buy yourself two extra long and thin screwdrivers, mine were 10" long, which will fit in between the vent slots, and carefully lever the box forward. It's a stupid design to have this mounted the way it is and being a metal box. It does have some foam pads on it but they did not stop it rattling. Open your bonnet and get someone to close the drivers door firmly while listening in the centre. If you hear the rattle then you know what to do.

Hope this helps someone and saves you going through the investigation process