Okay I can report back that this definitely fixed my problem. I removed the cowl, cleaned the glass, and stuck weather stripping around the bottom edge. Reinstalling the cowl was tricky but I drove all over town tonight and not one squeak!

 

hey rjjone...

Mine too... the noises started on the passenger side and now tonight it started on the driver side...

would it be possible to show 1 or 2 pictures of what you did exactly so I can do the fix right away since its driving me crazy...?

THX!
Carlo

 

Where can we get felt tape or weather stripping?

 

Well now that the cowl is back on I'm not going to be able to show anything in a picture but I just used some 1/4" wide foam weather stripping from Lowes that you get in the window treatment isle. The stuff I had was 3/8" thick which made it real tough to slide the cowl back on. First, take both wipers off, and pull the cowl off. It's in 3 pieces. There were two small plastic trim mounts in each end I had to remove. Take care not to damage the long black rubber seal that sits on top of the cowl and presses into the hood. Once the cowl is removed, you'll see the bottom of the windshield. The cowl just has a plastic u-channel that the bottom of the windshield fits into. My cowl had very thin felt where it hits the bottom side of the windshield. So I cleaned the glass and stuck my weather stripping along the bottom edge of the windshield on the top side. Then the cowl just clipped back over that so that the weather stripping acts as a buffer between the cowl and the glass. I has to use a spudger to work the weather stripping into the cowl as I was fitting it back into place.

 

Mine did this on my 400 mile trip to LA. it drove me insane and made me feel like my car was a POS. I've had my cowl off several times so I'll take it off and try this. It is so annoying and happens rapidly when driving on their freeway over old slabs.

 

Well I'll be damned, the cowl is the source of the upper windshield creek from hell. Finally, I can drive in peace.

 

Would adding a top strut bar help?
Ppl with bars still notice creaking?

 

Mine does it with the strut bar. I haven't done the fix yet.

 

My xb makes this noise every year for the last 4 years, but only when it gets really cold outside like it was here a couple of days ago. I just put a wooden toothpick under the cowl between the windshield on the passengers side and the noise stops. Then in the spring I just remove the toothpick and all is well.

 

I've had my 2011 xB for three weeks and has 1500 km on it. I noticed the windshield creek and plan on doing what you have all suggested. Thanks. I had a 2010 matrix and it made similiar sounds but worse. I put felt pads that you put on the bottom of chairs between the dash and windshield. It helped a little. So annoying!

 

+ 1 for me on the above fix procedure.

My "front noise" was starting and driving me insane. I followed the above directions exactly and it WORKED LIKE A CHARM! Totally silent now. $2 for the weather stripping and 30 minutes of time. Very easy fix. Here is a tip. Before you pull off the wipers put a piece of masking tape on the windshield along the edge of each wiper, so you will know how the position of the wipers to put them back on in the right place. I see what the design flaw is. The channel on the cowl that goes into the bottom edge of the windsheild has factory installed felt tape and it is VERY thin and inadequate, so the hard plastic channel cowl just rubs on the windshield and the windshield acts like a "speaker" and amplifies it and it sounds like it is coming from all over the front. Way to go guys and solve this one! That is what the forum is all about!

 

PICS MY FRIENDS.....PLEASE. My 11 does it every time the weather gets below 40f. It is loud and i'll be doing this to cure the problem. Could this turn into a TSB for Toyota?

 

We definitly need pics for this. I am going to complain when I bring mine in for it's first service and I will print off this thread. Has anyone had this with a 2012 model? I am wondering if they corrected this for 2012. I'll keep everyone posted what happens.

 

I wish I knew which kind of weatherstripping I'm supposed to buy. Really want to do this tomorrow.

 

Since no one took photos I took some.

Cut these in half




All back together

 

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardw...&storeId=10051

 

i have the same problem but how do you get the cowl off?

 

pop the caps off the ends of the wiper arms. its a 10mm I believe and it lifts up to release from the *****. then pop the hood, two or three push clips and lift up and pull out. that easy.

 

Hows it sounding now Sam? So Foam not the rubber stripping....? Thanks Sam for posting pics my friend..

 

It's been pretty cold here and I haven't had any noise. I think rubber or foam will work.