Cars - chasing a rattle, how far to take it

[Deleted member 18121]

Hi all

I've got a 2009 Suzuki swift. It's my station car and my run around to get me to golf etc at weekends... So only 3,000 miles a year, serviced every 12 months, recent Mot all passed, no issues, drives absolutely fine.

Middle of last week I noticed a "rattle" from dashboard/air vent area when at idle and is noticeable with the bonnet up. I do not notice it when driving.

Took it to local garage today for them to investigate... Total cost £94.

They tightened front and back heat shields, checked the pulleys/belts/chains and could find nothing ... Told me they don't think it's anything to worry about, but bring it back if I'm concerned.

Started the car up and immediately it's all I hear...... Exactly the same as before.

The car is worth 3k, every panel has a ding or scratch or dull paint etc and it is what it is.... A way of getting from a to b. So how far do you take hunting down a rattle, how much do you spend before enoughs enough and you just live with ?

 

[spongebob59]

Turn the music up ?

 

[Bunkermagnet]

It depends how irritated you are by it.
Have you checked you haven't left anything in the car yourself that may cause it?
Have you tried going over the dash assmebly with your hands when it's making the same?
Is the rattle focused more at one point or all over?

TBH at 13 years old, theres a good chance someone has left/broken a screw in or around the dash that started to rattle.
You could try removing the radio and seeing if you can see anything there

 

[full_throttle]

£94 and they didn't fix it!!

at least Dick Turpin wore a mask

 

[Maninblack4612]

I once had a very annoying rattle. Just before I booked it into the garage I found a golf ball under the petrol tank.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

£94 and they didn't fix it!!

at least Dick Turpin wore a mask

£78 without VAT..... I would say that was propably a very reasonable labour charge.

 

[Deleted member 18121]

It depends how irritated you are by it.
Have you checked you haven't left anything in the car yourself that may cause it?
Have you tried going over the dash assmebly with your hands when it's making the same?
Is the rattle focused more at one point or all over?

TBH at 13 years old, theres a good chance someone has left/broken a screw in or around the dash that started to rattle.
You could try removing the radio and seeing if you can see anything there

I went through the car myself over the weekend looking for obvious signs of something and found nothing....my gut feeling is that it's something linked to the air con unit as it doesn't sound "in" the car.

Maybe I will try the music trick.... But knowing what I'm like, all I'll be listening out for is this stupid rattle.

 

[jim8flog]

Turns out it was a marble in the ash tray.

 

[RichA]

I went through the car myself over the weekend looking for obvious signs of something and found nothing....my gut feeling is that it's something linked to the air con unit as it doesn't sound "in" the car.

Maybe I will try the music trick.... But knowing what I'm like, all I'll be listening out for is this stupid rattle.

I remember a TV program made in the Mini factory. Car manufacturers employ people at the end of the production line to sit in the cars on their test run to identify locations of any rattles. It was described as something like the hardest most specialist job in the whole production, as rattles are so difficult to track down.
I generally buy new or nearly new cars and can't remember ever having a car that didn't occasionally have an irritating rattle.
A 13-year old car, I really wouldn't worry about. As someone else said, turn the radio up.

 

[RichA]

View attachment 43997

Turns out it was a marble in the ash tray.

My current car had a £1 coin in the plastic air channel under the passenger seat that slid every time I went round a corner. It took a year of occasional hunting to figure it out.

 

[larmen]

I have an issue in my old car where I am fairly sure I ‘know’ what it is. Ford wants to investigate for a couple of hours, can’t remember their rate. I have to check with my local independent.

It’s the key receiver and the part costs about £20 on eBay, but I don’t know how to get the roof liner off, and more importantly back on again.
Not going to pay £200 to the brand garage for it on a 15 year old car.

 

[spongebob59]

I went through the car myself over the weekend looking for obvious signs of something and found nothing....my gut feeling is that it's something linked to the air con unit as it doesn't sound "in" the car.

Maybe I will try the music trick.... But knowing what I'm like, all I'll be listening out for is this stupid rattle.

Get a huge subwoofer and play some drumnbass, everything will rattle then ?

 

[CliveW]

My first car was built in 1964 and didnt need a speedo. You could tell how fast you were going by what was rattling! Gear stick rattled at 30mph, door window at 40mph and prop shaft at 65mph.

 

[srixon 1]

My first car was built in 1964 and didnt need a speedo. You could tell how fast you were going by what was rattling! Gear stick rattled at 30mph, door window at 40mph and prop shaft at 65mph.

Teeth at 80 mph ?

 

[jim8flog]

I am reminded of a wedding day prank played on my brother in law. He knew nothing about cars. Whilst the reception was going on he had pennies put in the hub caps (old fashioned car with metal ones). He called the AA out because he could not work out what the noise was.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Teeth at 80 mph ?

Cars didnt go that fast then

 

[srixon 1]

It took me a couple of months to realise that a rattle in my current car were my sunglasses in their overhead stowage. The rattle sounded like it was in a different location and it wasn’t until I put the sunglasses on one day that I worked it out.

 

[PJ87]

I have an issue in my old car where I am fairly sure I ‘know’ what it is. Ford wants to investigate for a couple of hours, can’t remember their rate. I have to check with my local independent.

It’s the key receiver and the part costs about £20 on eBay, but I don’t know how to get the roof liner off, and more importantly back on again.
Not going to pay £200 to the brand garage for it on a 15 year old car.

My juggernaut had a leak. Sent to my mechanic to have a look, he couldn't find the issue said have to try main dealer

It's a known issue with those cars about 2k to replace the sunroof, they wanted £300 to look at it .. I'd have to hire a big car for a few weeks so that's almost £1000 added to a £2000 repair

£30 for flashing tape off Amazon and £5 for a roller

Sunroof sealed.. fuse pulled

£35 and 1 hour of my time

Hasn't leaked in a year lol

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Way back when I was at college, one of the guys had a Honda 50cc motorbike, he came in one day really worried about a rattle that had started.

We all piled out into the car park and he rode it round and round,

We twigged almost immediately that it was a loose back number plate, but there were loads of “oooh sounds expensive” type comments, before we told him

Chortle
Ok you had to be there ?

 

[Newtonuti]

Drive it like a track car, rip all the interior out