Mini DIY - Fixed my elusive door rattle

[PokeyD16Z]

Well, I finally got tired of the damn door rattle I had and fixed it. This rattle was constant...every bump, every note hit from the stereo...even when you closed the door, you could hear this rattle...more like a buzz, actually. I had no luck with the dealership...they said it was "in the B-pillar...part of the seat belt mechanism and they couldn't touch that" and after I took it apart and investigated (and added felt, tightened things up, etc), it turns out it wasn't, as I had suspected. So, I started banging on the door panel. Lo and behold, I heard it when I banged on the upper rear part of the door panel. I knew I'd have to take the door apart to get it, and would probably require some felt.

What I didn't know was that it wasn't the door panel. When I took the door panel off, I hit the door on the metal to see if I could hear the buzz/rattle. What do you know? It was there. So, I now had to focus my attention on inside the door panel. After a bit of investigating, I removed the rubber plug in the upper rear part of the door panel. Now I had access to the door handle mechanism and the window track. I decided to press on the window track while banging on the door...hey, it worked! Now, it was time to try and figure out how to fix it. There seems to be a bracket (welded or built into the door panel) that has another bracket to hold the window track. This second bracket was the problem. It was in the shape of a U with the open end having the window track (and rubber). Apparently, the open ends were too far apart and not holding the window track in correctly. So, I took a set of pliers and bent the bracket ends slightly to give it more contact with the window track. Voila, the noise is gone!

However, here's the rub...I think, that as the window is lowered into the door, it will eventually push apart that bracket again. The car never made the noise when it was new (I bought it in Oct. 05, so I had no real need to lower the windows then), but as it grew older and warmer outside, the windows started coming down more and the noise got worse and worse. Figures that it won't make the noise at all when the window is down. So, while this is a fix, I'm afraid it will only be temporary.

Now, its on to fixing the other noise (like a rubber rubbing noise) in the passenger door, and fixing the airbag cover's rattle (dash on dash)...

[peliROJO]

Cool. Thanks for taking the time to write that up. Hopefully it will help somebody one day.

[ADewan]

I have the exact same problem with the rattle. Would it be possible to post any pictures?

[PokeyD16Z]

Honestly, you really wouldn't see much with pictures...the only way to see the window track is through a 1" hole in the door...and even then, its hard to see the bracket. Plus, I just put the door panel back on after using some tar paper on the bracket in an attempt to change the resonant frequency of the bracket or at least weigh it down to avoid the rattle (and I added an LED ambient light behind the door handle). If I take off the door again, I'll see if I can get a shot that shows something.

[liuh]

does this rattle stop when you press on the door panel? thats the rattle i get...
hopefully dynamat will fix that though.

but what you described is the same thing for me I think, but I think my rattle is still there wit hteh windows up

[PokeyD16Z]

my rattle did not go away when you pressed the door panel. And, it was only there with the windows up.

[BATANG CITY JAIL]

i have a rattle going on at the passenger side back seat all the time.. took it to the dealer 5 time and they couldnt fix it.. and this guy test drive my car atleast 50mile..i had to fuzz them out about that.. any way until now they could'nt fix it so i have to give it a shot...