I'm fortunate enough to have a rattle-free Zed, now that I have tinted the rear window and don't use the boot blind.
There's been, however, one particularly nasty rattle that has been ruining my entire Zed experience for months.
It was a hollow, plastic rattle, something like a mint Tic Tac rattling in a plastic box.
I checked:
- the airbag/steering column: no rattle when I shook the column up and down
- the air vent pipes: sometimes they rattle like that, especially the ones behind the cupholder vents: mine were stable
- the pedal cover in the footwell: I thought it was there, used lots of foamy tape... close but no cigar.
- the central vent above the stereo: stable
- the AUX-IN panel below the HVAC: squeaky, eliminated with the double-sided tape
- the bars in the engine bay: tight
The ultimate source of the rattle was behind the headlight switch. Maybe it is a punishment for us LHD drivers, but the curse can also affect RHD Zeds - just invert the directions.
Solution:
1) remove the instrument panel
Attack the torx screw with a T20 key, gently pull the cluster, no need to disconnect the wire.
2)
reach into the hole and move the headlight switch assembly up and down - it will rattle as the plastic bolt in the rubber hole is loose.
Take a flat head screwdriver, cut a piece of foam or double-sided tape, and squeeze it deep into that hole with the tip. Move the headlight switch assembly - it should be stable.
3) gently reinstall the instrument cluster
Petrolheads on this forum have sold cars because of a rattle, and I am no different. Glad to have it fixed.
EDIT:
ADDED TWO OTHER POTENTIAL RATTLE SOURCES
THE DEFINITIVE RATTLE GUIDE
http://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=37362
There's been, however, one particularly nasty rattle that has been ruining my entire Zed experience for months.
It was a hollow, plastic rattle, something like a mint Tic Tac rattling in a plastic box.
I checked:
- the airbag/steering column: no rattle when I shook the column up and down
- the air vent pipes: sometimes they rattle like that, especially the ones behind the cupholder vents: mine were stable
- the pedal cover in the footwell: I thought it was there, used lots of foamy tape... close but no cigar.
- the central vent above the stereo: stable
- the AUX-IN panel below the HVAC: squeaky, eliminated with the double-sided tape
- the bars in the engine bay: tight
The ultimate source of the rattle was behind the headlight switch. Maybe it is a punishment for us LHD drivers, but the curse can also affect RHD Zeds - just invert the directions.
Solution:
1) remove the instrument panel
Attack the torx screw with a T20 key, gently pull the cluster, no need to disconnect the wire.
2)
reach into the hole and move the headlight switch assembly up and down - it will rattle as the plastic bolt in the rubber hole is loose.
Take a flat head screwdriver, cut a piece of foam or double-sided tape, and squeeze it deep into that hole with the tip. Move the headlight switch assembly - it should be stable.
3) gently reinstall the instrument cluster
Petrolheads on this forum have sold cars because of a rattle, and I am no different. Glad to have it fixed.
EDIT:
ADDED TWO OTHER POTENTIAL RATTLE SOURCES
THE DEFINITIVE RATTLE GUIDE
http://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=37362
