Rattle behind the right rear passenger panel?
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Rattle behind the right rear passenger panel?
So last week, I started to notice the rattle, which I initially thought was the infamous "hatch rattle". One day I started to do some intelligent diagnosis. When I was stopped at an intersection after driving with the rattling going, I removed the seat headrest to see if the rattling sound really was coming from the right rear side, or if it was coming from behind and being deflected by the headrest. It really was coming from about 4 o'clock, in the vicinity of the small right side window.
The next step was to try to get near the rattle as it was happening, but this would be impossible to do while driving. Fortunately, I could get a rattle sometimes when the car was warmed up, idling, and running the air conditioner (so the lower idling RPM threshold). With the car idling and parked, I climbed into the back seat, and indeed the sound seemed to be coming from that quadrant, but then the rattling stopped. Damn! I turned off the engine in disgust, and poked around a little at the hatch frame. Nothing. I pulled down the passenger seatbelt, wondering if it could be the culprit. Nothing. I let the seatbelt go. Rattle! THERE IT WAS! I pulled the seatbelt and let it go again. Rattle! I then started to thump around the sill of the right rear passenger side, and seemed to find a "sweet spot" of rattling when I thumped on the center of the bottom sill of the right rear passenger window. It sounded like something behind there, and not up in the hatch hinge or rear moonroof area.
Oh yeah, and I also have a little bit of the radio door squeak going as well. Both that and the rattle are off and on, and easily drownable by trance (though the right front speaker buzzes sometimes under heavy bass, but usually doesn't; gotta research that).
Still my favorite car, though. I took it through a brisk acceleration down the straightaway for lunch, revving to 4500K. It's over 850 miles old, so It's almost prime time.
The next step was to try to get near the rattle as it was happening, but this would be impossible to do while driving. Fortunately, I could get a rattle sometimes when the car was warmed up, idling, and running the air conditioner (so the lower idling RPM threshold). With the car idling and parked, I climbed into the back seat, and indeed the sound seemed to be coming from that quadrant, but then the rattling stopped. Damn! I turned off the engine in disgust, and poked around a little at the hatch frame. Nothing. I pulled down the passenger seatbelt, wondering if it could be the culprit. Nothing. I let the seatbelt go. Rattle! THERE IT WAS! I pulled the seatbelt and let it go again. Rattle! I then started to thump around the sill of the right rear passenger side, and seemed to find a "sweet spot" of rattling when I thumped on the center of the bottom sill of the right rear passenger window. It sounded like something behind there, and not up in the hatch hinge or rear moonroof area.
Oh yeah, and I also have a little bit of the radio door squeak going as well. Both that and the rattle are off and on, and easily drownable by trance (though the right front speaker buzzes sometimes under heavy bass, but usually doesn't; gotta research that).
Still my favorite car, though. I took it through a brisk acceleration down the straightaway for lunch, revving to 4500K. It's over 850 miles old, so It's almost prime time.
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 4
Re: Rattle behind the right rear passenger panel?
Funny that you posted this today. I am having the exact same problem with the rear right seatbelt rattle. It sounds like a plastic against plastic tapping quickly. I was able to locate it tonight because I had someone else available to drive while I was in the backseat. I can reproduce it by tapping on the molding that holds the seatbelt spring mechanism inside.
Anyone else have this problem and were you able to fix it??
Thanks.
Anyone else have this problem and were you able to fix it??
Thanks.
Originally Posted by arbnpx
So last week, I started to notice the rattle, which I initially thought was the infamous "hatch rattle". One day I started to do some intelligent diagnosis. When I was stopped at an intersection after driving with the rattling going, I removed the seat headrest to see if the rattling sound really was coming from the right rear side, or if it was coming from behind and being deflected by the headrest. It really was coming from about 4 o'clock, in the vicinity of the small right side window.
The next step was to try to get near the rattle as it was happening, but this would be impossible to do while driving. Fortunately, I could get a rattle sometimes when the car was warmed up, idling, and running the air conditioner (so the lower idling RPM threshold). With the car idling and parked, I climbed into the back seat, and indeed the sound seemed to be coming from that quadrant, but then the rattling stopped. Damn! I turned off the engine in disgust, and poked around a little at the hatch frame. Nothing. I pulled down the passenger seatbelt, wondering if it could be the culprit. Nothing. I let the seatbelt go. Rattle! THERE IT WAS! I pulled the seatbelt and let it go again. Rattle! I then started to thump around the sill of the right rear passenger side, and seemed to find a "sweet spot" of rattling when I thumped on the center of the bottom sill of the right rear passenger window. It sounded like something behind there, and not up in the hatch hinge or rear moonroof area.
Oh yeah, and I also have a little bit of the radio door squeak going as well. Both that and the rattle are off and on, and easily drownable by trance (though the right front speaker buzzes sometimes under heavy bass, but usually doesn't; gotta research that).
Still my favorite car, though. I took it through a brisk acceleration down the straightaway for lunch, revving to 4500K. It's over 850 miles old, so It's almost prime time.
The next step was to try to get near the rattle as it was happening, but this would be impossible to do while driving. Fortunately, I could get a rattle sometimes when the car was warmed up, idling, and running the air conditioner (so the lower idling RPM threshold). With the car idling and parked, I climbed into the back seat, and indeed the sound seemed to be coming from that quadrant, but then the rattling stopped. Damn! I turned off the engine in disgust, and poked around a little at the hatch frame. Nothing. I pulled down the passenger seatbelt, wondering if it could be the culprit. Nothing. I let the seatbelt go. Rattle! THERE IT WAS! I pulled the seatbelt and let it go again. Rattle! I then started to thump around the sill of the right rear passenger side, and seemed to find a "sweet spot" of rattling when I thumped on the center of the bottom sill of the right rear passenger window. It sounded like something behind there, and not up in the hatch hinge or rear moonroof area.
Oh yeah, and I also have a little bit of the radio door squeak going as well. Both that and the rattle are off and on, and easily drownable by trance (though the right front speaker buzzes sometimes under heavy bass, but usually doesn't; gotta research that).
Still my favorite car, though. I took it through a brisk acceleration down the straightaway for lunch, revving to 4500K. It's over 850 miles old, so It's almost prime time.
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From: Corpus Christi, TX
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 4
Re: Rattle behind the right rear passenger panel?
I haven't seen this rattle issue fixed in any of the other pages for rattles. I was wondering if you were able to fix this specific one that is targeting the rear passenger seatbelt housing area, where the seatbelt recoils into the molding.
Originally Posted by arbnpx
So last week, I started to notice the rattle, which I initially thought was the infamous "hatch rattle". One day I started to do some intelligent diagnosis. When I was stopped at an intersection after driving with the rattling going, I removed the seat headrest to see if the rattling sound really was coming from the right rear side, or if it was coming from behind and being deflected by the headrest. It really was coming from about 4 o'clock, in the vicinity of the small right side window.
The next step was to try to get near the rattle as it was happening, but this would be impossible to do while driving. Fortunately, I could get a rattle sometimes when the car was warmed up, idling, and running the air conditioner (so the lower idling RPM threshold). With the car idling and parked, I climbed into the back seat, and indeed the sound seemed to be coming from that quadrant, but then the rattling stopped. Damn! I turned off the engine in disgust, and poked around a little at the hatch frame. Nothing. I pulled down the passenger seatbelt, wondering if it could be the culprit. Nothing. I let the seatbelt go. Rattle! THERE IT WAS! I pulled the seatbelt and let it go again. Rattle! I then started to thump around the sill of the right rear passenger side, and seemed to find a "sweet spot" of rattling when I thumped on the center of the bottom sill of the right rear passenger window. It sounded like something behind there, and not up in the hatch hinge or rear moonroof area.
Oh yeah, and I also have a little bit of the radio door squeak going as well. Both that and the rattle are off and on, and easily drownable by trance (though the right front speaker buzzes sometimes under heavy bass, but usually doesn't; gotta research that).
Still my favorite car, though. I took it through a brisk acceleration down the straightaway for lunch, revving to 4500K. It's over 850 miles old, so It's almost prime time.
The next step was to try to get near the rattle as it was happening, but this would be impossible to do while driving. Fortunately, I could get a rattle sometimes when the car was warmed up, idling, and running the air conditioner (so the lower idling RPM threshold). With the car idling and parked, I climbed into the back seat, and indeed the sound seemed to be coming from that quadrant, but then the rattling stopped. Damn! I turned off the engine in disgust, and poked around a little at the hatch frame. Nothing. I pulled down the passenger seatbelt, wondering if it could be the culprit. Nothing. I let the seatbelt go. Rattle! THERE IT WAS! I pulled the seatbelt and let it go again. Rattle! I then started to thump around the sill of the right rear passenger side, and seemed to find a "sweet spot" of rattling when I thumped on the center of the bottom sill of the right rear passenger window. It sounded like something behind there, and not up in the hatch hinge or rear moonroof area.
Oh yeah, and I also have a little bit of the radio door squeak going as well. Both that and the rattle are off and on, and easily drownable by trance (though the right front speaker buzzes sometimes under heavy bass, but usually doesn't; gotta research that).
Still my favorite car, though. I took it through a brisk acceleration down the straightaway for lunch, revving to 4500K. It's over 850 miles old, so It's almost prime time.
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