Hey, we got 15* weather here in Indianapolis; I started hearing something very faintly in the general direction of center dashboard under the windshield. You can't hear it with the radio even at 5 or 6. It's road-induced, bumps or rough road, seems like something is loose or rubbing and it's 'hard on hard' type of rubbing, not a soft rubbing. I haven't heard it before, and I don't think it's that I didn't notice, I think it was the temperature that caused it - anybody got any ideas or can duplicate this? I don't have any leaks or foam/seal anything out of place or otherwise on/around the windshield, and everything is in perfect working order. I even opened the glovebox to see if a CD case was jostling against the plastic a little when going over bumps or rough road, but no dice.
Clickity-click rattle-rattle clicky
- Thread starter BluMicaR
- Start date
I had a problem with rattling/rubbing by the windshield. It was driving me nuts. For me, it turned out to be the black plastic windshield cowl that rests against the bottom edge of the windshield on the outside.
There are a few threads about how to fix that. I put black electrical tape on the bottom side of that cowl so that it is not the plastic rubbing directly on the glass. Worked like a charm for me, but some claim it didn't work for them.
Sometimes in really cold weather you can get windshield rattles/creaks as a result of the seals contracting in the cold. But that's usually pretty sporadic from my experience. So if it's happening consistently on bumpy roads it is probably the cowl.
There are a few threads about how to fix that. I put black electrical tape on the bottom side of that cowl so that it is not the plastic rubbing directly on the glass. Worked like a charm for me, but some claim it didn't work for them.
Sometimes in really cold weather you can get windshield rattles/creaks as a result of the seals contracting in the cold. But that's usually pretty sporadic from my experience. So if it's happening consistently on bumpy roads it is probably the cowl.
speed3shon
Member
- :
- 2007 Mazdaspeed3
I just tried this, will post the results next drive i take... it is VERY annoying to me.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123685785&highlight=windshield+noise
Here is a couple of quotes:
"Sounds like you're talking about a common complaint with MS3s. I think people call it "cowl creak" or "crowning creak" or something like that..."
"I had this problem and was able to fix it. Most of you guys who bought your speed 3's in warmer weather are not aware of all the rattles that come out when it gets cooler. I bought my car last november and spent a lot of time trying to figure this out. It is the cowl that is rattling against the windshield and there is a very easy way to fix it. Get two plastic spackle knives and some very thick electrical tape. I can't remember what type I used but it was not very sticky and was much thicker than normal electrical tape, it also had a white backing on it. I got it at home depot. Take the screws out of either side of the cowl. You can remove the wipers as well to take off the entire cowl, but I found this was not necessary and it was two difficult to get the wiper arms off. Anyway cut a piece of the tape that is the same length as the entire cowl. Start by prying one end of the cowl up with one knife and pushing the tape under with the other, I found it was easier with the sticky side up. Do this across the entire cowl, it will get more difficult towards the middle because the wiper arms hold the cowl down. Once done put the screws back in and your good to go. You do not need to have any of the tape exposed so you can't even tell you modified it and the sound is gone. By the way the sound only gets worse as the weather gets colder, so take of this asap. I hope this helps, sorry I don't have any pics, but I am in Africa and won't be home until January."
"Dread... you are THE MAN! As I was doing this project, I kept thinking, "there's no way this is going to get rid of the clickity clackity noise I hear from my dashboard. I followed Dread's instructions (I actually only did the driver side of the cowl as that is where my noise was coming from). After 10 minutes (it was actually a bit tricky until I figured out a nice technique which I will describe later), I got in the car for a test drive convinced that the noise would persist. I was completely shocked when the only thing I heard was the hum of my Speed3 again! I couldn't believe it."
"Anyway, here's some more details I can add to Dread's post... I used "127 Linerless Rubber Splice Tape." It's the only thing I could find that fit Dread's description... thick electrical tape. I'm not sure if that's what he used or not. It was pretty difficult getting the tape down in the space you have pried open. I started at the side closest to the driver's door as that was the easiest part to pry open. Lay out the cut piece of tape (sticky side up) on the windshield. If you put the plastic putty knife ON TOP of the tape (but not touching it) you can create the space to tuck the tape in. The nice thing is that this tape wasn't extremely sticky, so it was not too tacky to work with. With a little practice, you'll get the tape in there and you can screw the cowl tight again. I actually did use a blade to cut off the excess as the cowl is not straight, so certain parts had more tape sticking out than others. (I'm curious how you did this Dread... when you put all the tape in there, how did you keep it from bunching up on you?). Anyway, your call if you want to trim it or tuck it all down in there. The bottom line is that if you have a vibrating, clicking, rattle, popping sound coming from the vicinity of your dash or windshield... give Dread's fix a try. Saved me a 90 mile useless trip to my dealership. Thanks, Dread!"
"I have it when it is cold, its like a little squeak, I still have to bring it back to the dealer, but he said it is a common problem and they will be able to fix it by putting foam between the cowl and the windshield."
Here is a couple of quotes:
"Sounds like you're talking about a common complaint with MS3s. I think people call it "cowl creak" or "crowning creak" or something like that..."
"I had this problem and was able to fix it. Most of you guys who bought your speed 3's in warmer weather are not aware of all the rattles that come out when it gets cooler. I bought my car last november and spent a lot of time trying to figure this out. It is the cowl that is rattling against the windshield and there is a very easy way to fix it. Get two plastic spackle knives and some very thick electrical tape. I can't remember what type I used but it was not very sticky and was much thicker than normal electrical tape, it also had a white backing on it. I got it at home depot. Take the screws out of either side of the cowl. You can remove the wipers as well to take off the entire cowl, but I found this was not necessary and it was two difficult to get the wiper arms off. Anyway cut a piece of the tape that is the same length as the entire cowl. Start by prying one end of the cowl up with one knife and pushing the tape under with the other, I found it was easier with the sticky side up. Do this across the entire cowl, it will get more difficult towards the middle because the wiper arms hold the cowl down. Once done put the screws back in and your good to go. You do not need to have any of the tape exposed so you can't even tell you modified it and the sound is gone. By the way the sound only gets worse as the weather gets colder, so take of this asap. I hope this helps, sorry I don't have any pics, but I am in Africa and won't be home until January."
"Dread... you are THE MAN! As I was doing this project, I kept thinking, "there's no way this is going to get rid of the clickity clackity noise I hear from my dashboard. I followed Dread's instructions (I actually only did the driver side of the cowl as that is where my noise was coming from). After 10 minutes (it was actually a bit tricky until I figured out a nice technique which I will describe later), I got in the car for a test drive convinced that the noise would persist. I was completely shocked when the only thing I heard was the hum of my Speed3 again! I couldn't believe it."
"Anyway, here's some more details I can add to Dread's post... I used "127 Linerless Rubber Splice Tape." It's the only thing I could find that fit Dread's description... thick electrical tape. I'm not sure if that's what he used or not. It was pretty difficult getting the tape down in the space you have pried open. I started at the side closest to the driver's door as that was the easiest part to pry open. Lay out the cut piece of tape (sticky side up) on the windshield. If you put the plastic putty knife ON TOP of the tape (but not touching it) you can create the space to tuck the tape in. The nice thing is that this tape wasn't extremely sticky, so it was not too tacky to work with. With a little practice, you'll get the tape in there and you can screw the cowl tight again. I actually did use a blade to cut off the excess as the cowl is not straight, so certain parts had more tape sticking out than others. (I'm curious how you did this Dread... when you put all the tape in there, how did you keep it from bunching up on you?). Anyway, your call if you want to trim it or tuck it all down in there. The bottom line is that if you have a vibrating, clicking, rattle, popping sound coming from the vicinity of your dash or windshield... give Dread's fix a try. Saved me a 90 mile useless trip to my dealership. Thanks, Dread!"
"I have it when it is cold, its like a little squeak, I still have to bring it back to the dealer, but he said it is a common problem and they will be able to fix it by putting foam between the cowl and the windshield."
Um, do you have a Euro-spec focus? No? Then they are NOT cousins. Different platform. The engineering of the US-spec focus is a joke compared to the 3.
Jesus christ dude, chill out. Either way, my 8 year old focus has no rattles and my brand new MS3 does. Point still stands.
Ha, you're talking about me there! I bought mine in May in Houston. Now if it drops below 65 I get the rubbing dashboard sound, and my seatbelt creaks.
Funny that I only see people complaining about the sounds AFTER I start hearing mine
I had taken it to the dealership and they said it was the air conditioning vents. As soon as I drove away it came back, so I just thought I'd have to live with it.
I'm going to try this fix, thanks!
So when do rattles determine build quality? You will find rattles in almost every make in a certain price class and it's a hit or miss. I bet you there are people with focuses that DO rattle.
Sorry, I'm use to yelling at people at other car forums. (smoke)
