Rattles are driving me crazy

[vonVeezelsnider]

Lets start with the Cobalt. Around the time I got the Cobalt last January I noted that there was this loud annoying rattle coming from the steering column when driving over rough road surface. Took it to the dealer and they replaced the whole steering column stating that there was a design defect with the steering column where there was excessive backlash in the electric steering gears causing the noise. They replace it, noise goes away. Heaven only knows for what reason but almost a year later the noise is back. I understand that GM is suing the supplier over the defect, but it's a pain in the ass. Also the front door panels on the Cobalt are making this annoying creaking noise when you put any amount of weight on the armrest and it's getting worse. Lovely. It's not like I abuse my car, in fact I probably treat it with more kid gloves than the lions share of Cobalt owners and yet it persists. Dealership is going to think I'm effing crazy I'm sure since this is the second time I'm complaining about both issues.

This brings me to the Malibu, whoever designed the headliner assembly really needs to be trotted out over hot coal. There is this DEAFENING loud rattle coming from the dome light are and skylight when the road is less than completely smooth and silky. It is seriously the loudest rattle I've ever heard in any car, ever (it is louder than the noise the tires make going over a manhole cover or thru a pothole). So I do a little poking around with the Malibu and I find that the reason it is rattling at the dome light is because the dome light is SUPPOSED to be stuck to the roof with double sided tape. Who uses double sided tape to stick up a headliner I will never understand. Well surprise surprise eventually the double sided tape lets go and the headliner droops just a bit, and when you go over bumps the dome light impacts the roof and comes back down. Around the skylight and I didn't even touch because it's all complicated with the retractors for the sunshades but the same thing is happening there methinks. Which brings me to the intermediate steering shaft which has already been replaced once and as of today is gone again (!) and adding to the cacophony of rattles. I can kinda tolerate it in the Cobalt because its sorta hushed and isolated but the rattles in the Malibu are so loud and intrusive that it makes you just not want to drive it. I swear to god I'm just this close to ripping off the interior trim and filling it with Dynamat or foam or something.

The Impala of course, remains to this day flawless. No rattles and no issues over the time it has been with us.

Just goes to show you that the good ol' W-Body even though it doesn't have the nicest interior plastic (Malibu does) or the most rigid platform (Cobalt does) simply stands up better to daily use.

/rant

[daves87rs]

Don't get me started on the rattles on the wife's Cavalier......

Though my Balt doesn't rattle....

[ocnblu]

I've had no issues with my steering since my own column replacement at 5k miles. I have almost 16k miles now and no recurrence. I have no other appreciable rattles in my car, and I am anal about that, I cannot stand rattles. Over huge expansion strips I might get one single "crack" noise in the dash, but it's very isolated.

[vonVeezelsnider]

I've had no issues with my steering since my own column replacement at 5k miles. I have almost 16k miles now and no recurrence. I have no other appreciable rattles in my car, and I am anal about that, I cannot stand rattles. Over huge expansion strips I might get one single "crack" noise in the dash, but it's very isolated.

You've put about the same amount of mileage on your car since your replacement as I have had on mine. Maybe the rutted up rough Canadian winter has something to do with it...

[RjION]

You don't know what rattles or wind noise is untill you buy your wife a HHR, and don't tell me it's the roofrack ... it don't have one. Have to tell you that 2.4L is nice.

Edited January 15, 2010 by RjION

[Paolino]

Just goes to show you that the good ol' W-Body even though it doesn't have the nicest interior plastic (Malibu does) or the most rigid platform (Cobalt does) simply stands up better to daily use.

/rant

My friends' 05 Impala rattles like a mofo. Then again, she lives in Brooklyn so you can't really drive 5 feet without hitting a pothole.

[Cory Wolfe]

The Cobalt has been rattle-city since I got it at 10k miles. They seem to show up from all angles.

[daves87rs]

My friends' 05 Impala rattles like a mofo. Then again, she lives in Brooklyn so you can't really drive 5 feet without hitting a pothole.

I'm thinking the roads will have a lot to do with it....the roads here are really bad..

[SAmadei]

Hmmm... the '99 Bonne is staying pretty rattle-free at 212K. The biggest noise seems to come from the bottle of Ibuprofin... or the CDs in the console... or the power tools in my trunk flying around.

My real noises come from the driver's door weatherstripping wearing out and the power steering whine... things I intend to fix.

[caddycruiser]

I hate rattles. Hate. If I can't get rid of them myself or, in a case, the dealer can't, I honestly can never stand the car...

My '95 Fleetwood was actually still rattle free for the most part at 117k when I got it, but I fixed 2-3 small "tick" noises from the interior myself over the first year. Remained that way through being sold.

My '08 G6 GT coupe was "solid" in general, if it just hadn't been for the stupid roof. Between the power sunroof, the headliner, and the sunshade module, from the first day I drove it, it creaked, then started popping & rattling to the point that I had it in 4-5 times, the dealer removed everything (really? That many times didn't help) and had added extra foam, grease, tightened, etc. and no help. Also to the point that my father--who would never notice rattles in a car unless it was the sound of half of the car falling off, said "Yeah, that really is noticeable...just obnoxious enough it would bother anyone" when I took him for a drive. If only they had replaced everything in the roof...but then GM bought it back for that & other reasons.

My '09 Malibu 2LT was very solid, the roof silent unlike my G6, and it made no noises until I had to have a speaker replaced in the rear shelf and after re-assembly, there was a clunkity thunk rattle inside the shelf somewhere over bigger bumps. Just enough to annoy me, of course. But otherwise, nothing. Mom's '08 Malibu 2LT was EXTREMELY impressive, not even a tick anywhere in 22k, regardless of temp, etc. Always just smooth, silent, and silky.

My '09 G8 GT is a tank, only let down in 1 or 2 small spots literally where there's the cheapest plastic inside. The glovebox is the flimsiest I've ever had & with a lot of play, so the latch area will rattle on textured roads, etc. Pretty typical, haven't figured it out yet. Otherwise the only other weird one is the shifter rattles strangely deep down under the console whenever AFM kicks in, a development in the last few thousand miles. Will take it apart some day. Otherwise, solid.

Mom's '10 Camaro 2LT seems good...no noises in a month+, and actually feels more solid and screwed together than even my G8. Impressive.

Rattles...GRRR...not mechanical or other problems, no, but they certainly change your impression of a car, ey?

[§carlet §wordfish]

[Nick]

I hate rattles. Hate. If I can't get rid of them myself or, in a case, the dealer can't, I honestly can never stand the car...

...

Rattles...GRRR...not mechanical or other problems, no, but they certainly change your impression of a car, ey?

I hear ya.

I don't know how many times I have ripped apart the interior of my car to cut down on creaks. My car is pretty solid, and is still holding up extremely well for being 11 years old with 160k. I can't say I have had any issues with rattling, but the creaking from leather/rubber rubbing against plastic/wood/metal has always driven me insane. One day I just ripped off all the door panels and applied pieces of material to act as a layer between the metal and the panels. This cut down on a lot of the creaking. I still get a few creaks here and there, and I have had to do some major dissection to get rid of a few other issues (like one in between the edge of the sunroof and the headliner which was making this sticky tacky clicking noise).

I don't tolerate that stuff.

No car is perfect though. I remember an old manager of mine back at an old job picked up a new Lexus GS a couple years ago. He switched from an older Infiniti Q. He is one of those guys who is kind of a douche and was proud of his "solid, reliable" Japanese product, and was quick to shoot down anything else. A couple days after his purchase he actually pulled me away from my duties at work to have me drive around with him in his car to see if I could identify where all the rattles and creaks were coming from.

[caddycruiser]

I don't tolerate that stuff.

No car is perfect though. I remember an old manager of mine back at an old job picked up a new Lexus GS a couple years ago. He switched from an older Infiniti Q. He is one of those guys who is kind of a douche and was proud of his "solid, reliable" Japanese product, and was quick to shoot down anything else. A couple days after his purchase he actually pulled me away from my duties at work to have me drive around with him in his car to see if I could identify where all the rattles and creaks were coming from.

Exactly. Oh, and the wonder of new Toyota's...I love reading new Edmunds owner reviews and losing count of how many say "the roof...the doors...my dash...rattles...creaks..."

If I like the car enough--Cadillac, my fully in warranty G8, etc.--I'll try to figure it out myself. Well, that, and in a lot of new car cases, unless there's a legitimate fix/bulletin/etc. that is more than you might be able to do int he driveway, noises aren't the highest priority in a dealer's service department & the most annoying/worst paying for them to solve, so yeah.

Dad's '96 Legacy, wagon to boot, with almost 190k on it doesn't make a tick either except for a weird exhaust heat shield rattle sometimes. The quality of that car, especially in the rattle regard, has certainly made him notice after never caring before with his past rides.

[ocnblu]

I need to clarify my earlier comment. My car DOES feel "loose" when driving over rough city streets, but there is no specific area that the looseness is coming from.

[caddycruiser]

I need to clarify my earlier comment. My car DOES feel "loose" when driving over rough city streets, but there is no specific area that the looseness is coming from.

Not uncommon. Weird "feeling" but nothing points to anyone area or thing...

[daves87rs]

That was great, coming from another J owner.....

Rattles come standard.

[caddycruiser]

That was great, coming from another J owner.....

Rattles come standard.

Just one of those cars...well...you can tell from breathing on the outside door handle..."Yeah...it's a bit flimsy..."

They always scared me even just parked at auto shows, but alas...

[vonVeezelsnider]

In all fairness to my Cavalier it rattled less than the Malibu does...

[caddycruiser]

In all fairness to my Cavalier it rattled less than the Malibu does...

It's odd how so many Epsilons are SO solid and others scare people away by having so many rattles, clunks, etc. I've always wondered about it, since it seems to be a higher than usual variance.

May have just been my head playing with me, but it always seemed that my 2 Lake Orion built EP's--G6 & Malibu--weren't, well, something, compared to our Fairfax Malibu. I've seen the same on others I've checked out, too, from door alignment to paint. Would never make a blanket statement, but my experiences...then you'll find an older Fairfax Malibu that sounds like a kid's drum going down the road...it's all relative.

Edited January 17, 2010 by caddycruiser

[vonVeezelsnider]

I think the rattling wouldn't seem as bad if I lived in a place like AZ which has much better roads than Alberta... and doesn't get rutted permafrost covering them from October to May.

[ocnblu]

vonVee, please tell the LeSabre owner they have a brake light out, m'kay?

[caddycruiser]

vonVee, please tell the LeSabre owner they have a brake light out, m'kay?

Seriously...my eye went to that before anything else in the pic

[Blake Noble]

The Camaro is surprisingly rattle free and F-Body cars are known for rattling like a box of BB shells. However, I do occasionally hear a strange clunk over potholes ...

[regfootball]

the aztek is ugly, but its tight. very solidly built, nary a rattle after 110k miles.....

[ocnblu]

Sounds almost like a Personal Ad, reg.

[daves87rs]

the aztek is ugly, but its tight. very solidly built, nary a rattle after 110k miles.....

As is my brother in law's...

[RjION]

Yes.........Arizona here and the HHR sounds like a can half full dimes, nickles, and pennys bouncing around from one end of the car to another. The good part about that is once your up to 55MPH the wind noise is so bad you can hardly hear the can of coins.

[caddycruiser]

As is my brother in law's...

As is my grandfather's '03 Rendezvous and every other Rendezvous I've been in...U-body van based or not, it and the 'Tek always felt about 10x more solid.

[vonVeezelsnider]

So now the heating fan is making an annoying rattle in the Cobalt.

[GMTruckGuy74]

The Caddy FWB makes only a couple of noices/rattles that get to me, most noticably the long piece of fake wood trim that goes across the dash. For a 14 year old car, it's pretty solid.

[Intrepidation]

My car is pretty rattle and creak free as well..the only part that has a real creak to it is a piece of door trim that forward of the padding.

[regfootball]

Sounds almost like a Personal Ad, reg.

lol..

[gmcbob]

I think the rattling wouldn't seem as bad if I lived in a place like AZ which has much better roads than Alberta... and doesn't get rutted permafrost covering them from October to May.

Is it odd that I actually went onto Google Maps and found that exact location?

Edited January 31, 2010 by gmcbob

[gmcbob]

I have a slightly annoying rattle in my 08 Saturn Vue XR. It sounds like it may be coming from the glove box or perhaps the center stack - maybe from the plastic around the gear shift??? It's real tough for me to pinpoint. I can only hear it at somewhat low speeds over rough concrete. I thought it something in my glove box, but after removing almost everything from it, the noise is still there. The radio masks it fine, but it sort of sucks. Any ideas?

Overall I think this car is pretty solidly made, it almost seems like an out of character noise to hear when I'm driving it.

[vonVeezelsnider]

UPDATE:

So I had the Cobalt in today and the following needed to be replaced

Rear Driver's Door wiring harness

Turn Signal Assembly

Blower Motor

Interior door panel fasteners for front doors

Steering Column

[caddycruiser]

UPDATE:

So I had the Cobalt in today and the following needed to be replaced

Rear Driver's Door wiring harness

Turn Signal Assembly

Blower Motor

Interior door panel fasteners for front doors

Steering Column

Wow, the dealer actually went through it thoroughly enough for noises to make that list? Nice. Hope it works.

[vonVeezelsnider]

Still waiting as the car will be there overnight. They didn't have all the parts in stock and will have to overnight half of them from the Western-Canada parts warehouse in Edmonton. Yeah they went through everything with a fine tooth comb- I have a good dealer and they have a good service dept. The people there know me and know I expect perfection and to not be yanked around. They're pretty thorough, all that stuff should address almost all the issues. Might have to go back another day to get rid of the rest of the housekeeping issues. Occasionally the hood rattles a bit on cold idle and the adhesive they used to glue my GM Aftermarket iPod interface into place has melted due to proximity to the fan. I'll have them look at that at the next oil change but seeing as I won't be driving it daily anymore it really doesn't matter.

As for the Malibu, I've narrowed the sounds to trim rattles behind the back seat on either side, as well as in the dome light due to its adhesive melting as well. Who could forget the all familiar rattle coming from the rear skylight. I'm certain the ISS has gone for the second time during our ownership and I think there's something up with the struts too. Since there's a 100$ deductible on the GMPP extended warranty I have to save up a whole bunch of issues to justify taking it in. I think I'll take it in soon as on top of that it's developed a hot crank issue like Tony had on his G6 back when, have them address it all at once.