Shake, rattle and a quick fix

We take a look at a few pointers on how squeaks and rattles start and a few tips to eliminate them.
Story: Cyrus & Ashish Masih

You have to agree, you are pushing up the volume on the stereo not so much because you like the song but because the parcel tray's squeaks are turning nauseating and you want the music to drown that noise. A rattle inside a car is like a mouse inside a house. Both get in easily, irritate the hell out of you and are difficult to get rid of. Car makers have managed to put in the in a Jacuzzi into a car but fail to remove squeaks.

Here we try and solve one of the biggest problems that car owners suffer from - squeaks and rattles and take a look at the contributing factors from various parts of the car and also tell you how you can avoid/fix them.

TYRES

Tyres play a big role in keeping rattles at bay. How? Tyres are the point of contact between the road and the car. So, these tyres are the ones which transmit the shocks from road onto the cars frame. The thicker a tyres sidewall (the portion of the tire between the centre and the tread), the better it will be at soaking up bumps from the surface, which means that a lesser amount of vibrations will be passed onto the car's body, translating into lesser chances of rattles. It also helps if the tyre has a wider foot-print.

But some buyers are obsessed with fitting oversized alloy wheels with low profile tyres (tyres with thin sidewalls) to make their car look cool. This increases the car's suspension wear as the 'secondary ride' or cushioning that is provided by the tyres' sidewalls gets reduced to a negligible amount. When asked about wheel selection, the owner of a major aftermarket parts store in south Mumbai said, "We strongly advise our customers not to increase their rim diameter more than an inch over stock when upsizing wheels but most customers refuse to listen to our advice and buy rims that are unsuitable for their vehicles. We also advise customers to stay away from wheels with more than the required number of mounting holes for their particular vehicle. This severely curtails the durability and basic strength of the wheel."

Most people do not understand that one should not change the basic specification of a wheel. They feel that one can put any rim on any car as long as it fits inside the wheel well. This is a misconception. Wheels with Multiple-PCD or multiple mounting holes, incorrect offset, width, profile or interface between wheel nut and wheel are all safety hazards and they ruin the ride and handling characteristics of a car.

Keeping your wheels balanced and having proper alignment checks done regularly are inexpensive preventive maintenance procedures that can save a lot of money in the long run. Listen for any new noises that might originate from your suspension, and be alert to any changes in the way your car rides and handles. As is true with most auto repairs, small repairs now will prevent major headaches in the future.

Bad tyres can also induce rattles. When a tyre's sidewall cracks, the strength of the tyre reduces drastically and affects the suspension. This can lead to rattling. So don't hold onto the tyres till the last tread fades away, change them as soon as the mechanic says so.

STEREO AND SPEAKERS

The sound of music can hit a bad note if the audio and in-car entertainment units haven't been installed properly. Make sure that your speakers are fastened well so that they do not cause any rattle, which in the long run can also seriously damage the speakers.

While installing a subwoofer, make sure that the enclosure is properly mounted and constructed correctly. A bad enclosure will ruin the effect of the subwoofer and will rattle when the car goes over a bump. Upon installation of a subwoofer, most people complain of rattles from the rear of the car. This is usually caused by the number plate resonating because of the subwoofer. In a sedan, the boot lid will also tend to rattle. Make sure there is good insulation to prevent it.

Make sure that the audio system's head unit is fastened properly to the dashboard, and there is some insulation between the head unit and the dashboard. The wiring harness should be refitted correctly after removal for the installation, and the amplifiers fitted should be properly fastened and have insulation for vibration protection. This will minimize rattles from the audio system.

Another clever method to minimize rattles is to put a layer of foam between the speaker components and the car. When the speakers play music they vibrate and these vibrations will subsequently get transferred to the car's panels. The foam will absorb most of these vibrations and ensure you can enjoy your music in peace.

It is also important that you keep out any bubbles or bumps so that you can assure yourself that the material has adhered completely. If there are some areas where there are ridges, make sure that the material actually fills the gaps. The wrong thing to assume would be that it is okay to put in the material and just bridge any gaps.

EXHAUST RATTLES

Cars that see a lot of bad roads tend to suffer from exhaust rattles. You'll get a plumbing sort of noise coming from the floor of your car. Chances are that heat shield that is found between the exhaust and the floor is coming loose too.

A loose heat shield can sound like a tin can full of rocks, very annoying. If this is your symptom, we might have the solution. Wait until your car is nice and cool, at least an hour since it was last driven, exhaust repairs on a hot car is no fun. Raise the car and safely secure it on jack. Now you can shimmy underneath to see what's going on.
About two feet behind the engine you'll see the exhaust pipe heading toward the back of the car. Right about where your seats sit, there will be a thin metal shield between the exhaust pipe and the floor of the car. Pull, push, poke and prod this every way you can imagine -- you're trying to make it rattle. If it's loose, you'll hear the same irritating sound you've been hearing.

If you can't make it rattle, you'll have to start the car. We highly recommend that you do not crawl underneath your car while the engine is running. Instead, poke your head down there and listen closely to see where the rattle is coming from.

Also, check the entire exhaust from its engine mounts till the tip at the end. The exhaust system should be mounted properly on the chassis mounts present and that there should be a rubber bushing between the exhaust bracket and the chassis mount. No part of the exhaust should touch the body or chassis except at the mounts. But ideally we recommend you should ask your mechanic to fix.

SUSPENSION COMPONENTS

This is about the only part on the car that doesn't have a "recommended service interval." How long the suspension will go before it needs to be repaired depends on a lot of factors. Things like the amount of heavy loads, do you drive often on bad roads, your driving style. Arguably, the suspension is the most uncared for part of your cars repair, because it isn't always clear when things need fixing. The "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," approach doesn't apply to suspension, because failures can be extremely dangerous and lead to loss of control.
Worn-out shockers or struts are common culprits here. When the internal hydraulics wear out, the piston will move without the proper resistance, then stop short when you hit a bump. With shockers, another thing to check for is loose or dried-out mounting bushings. Make note of the way your car rides on a familiar road, and if you spot any changes, take it for an inspection. If your car rides lower or a lot harder than it used to, and doesn't filter bumps like it did, then you probably need new suspension components.
Another way to check your suspension is to look under your car just inside the wheels. Look for the long tubes that come down to the wheels at an angle. These are the dampers, and if they're leaking fluid, then it's time to replace them. Worn dampers place more stress on other suspension components, and dampers are relatively inexpensive to replace - so they're a wise investment.

OTHER PLACES TO LOOK

Dashboard rattles are the most irritating and also quite difficult to stop because most rattles originate from loose mounting bolts which are fitted in inaccessible places sometimes. To get these fixed you'll have to remove the entire dash and change the rubber insulation on the mounting edges.

If the seats are rattling, remove the seats from their rails, tighten every bolt on the chassis of the seat and then refit the seat after applying some grease. In some cases, the seat rails will need to be replaced.

Door rattles can be stopped by tightening or in some cases even replacing the door hinges on the body. Another source of rattling from the doors is the power window mechanism and motors which come loose after some time on rough roads. You'll have to get the entire panel opened and get this fixed. In some cases it even helps if you put a some foam that works as insulation inside the panels.

Rubber beading on the doors get deformed thanks to heat in most parts of India and should be replaced if they are. The rubber liners which hold the window glass in position should be checked often and any abnormalities should be rectified.

A creative way to eliminate squeals from the windows is to apply some talcum powder on the inner side of the glasses this reduces friction and the squeaking and your car will smell good too.

Parcel tray rattles can be removed by covering the edge of the parcel tray with foam insulation or inserting rubber insulation in the slot where the tray fits. Or you can also put rubber bands on the ends that hold the tray onto its mounts. This works as a vibration absorber.

Wheel caps can rattle as well. Tightening the nuts will solve the problem and if it doesn't, the wheel caps may be damaged and will need to be replaced. Aftermarket wheel caps generally use a poorly executed bracket on which a center bolt is welded and tend to rattle.

If you do most of these things mentioned above you'll enjoy a more peaceful cabin while traveling. But you'll probably miss playing 'guess where that noise is coming from'next time you travel. Jokes apart, most of the car's squeaks and rattles can be kept under control by taking regular care of your car and also driving it restraint. Keeping these noises at bay also ensures that your cars resale value will hold better compared to a squeaky one.