# Door panel rattle



## Caps0283 (May 1, 2013)

I’ve been hearing rattles coming from my passenger door. Especially when listening to music so I thought there was an issue with my Fender speakers or something loose in the door panel. Brought my car to VW and they took apart my door and said everything is tight. Nothing is loose. When driving on the highway, especially on cement type highways (here in Quebec the majority of highways are made in asphalt and some are made in cement) you can hear it like crazy. It’s like a constant rattle like loose plastic or something. Dealer can’t find anything and it’s honestly driving me crazy. 

Has anyone else experience something similar to this and if so what did you do or what did VW to fix it?

It’s so hard to explain but it’s like vibrating plastic or something. Don’t think the speaker has anything to do with it.


----------



## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

Caps0283 said:


> ....been hearing rattles coming from my passenger door. Especially when listening to music....


Maybe upgrade the type of music you listen to.


----------



## andyrooski17 (Sep 6, 2016)

I had a door rattle in my GTI which i couldn't figure out for a long time. Turns out the door cubby extends back farther than it seems like it should given the top opening. A pair of my wife's spare sunglasses had gotten back there and I hadn't seen or felt them previous times I checked the cubby. I'm not sure if the Tig has the same cubby style, but it's worth checking; just put you hand at where you think the back end of the cubby is and reach toward the back of the car.


----------



## Caps0283 (May 1, 2013)

andyrooski17 said:


> I had a door rattle in my GTI which i couldn't figure out for a long time. Turns out the door cubby extends back farther than it seems like it should given the top opening. A pair of my wife's spare sunglasses had gotten back there and I hadn't seen or felt them previous times I checked the cubby. I'm not sure if the Tig has the same cubby style, but it's worth checking; just put you hand at where you think the back end of the cubby is and reach toward the back of the car.


Yeah the cubby goes all the way through the door. Nothing is there. I also open and closed my door trying to hear if anything is loose and nothing is...


----------



## 1054521247 (Jun 17, 2018)

Caps0283 said:


> I’ve been hearing rattles coming from my passenger door. Especially when listening to music so I thought there was an issue with my Fender speakers or something loose in the door panel. Brought my car to VW and they took apart my door and said everything is tight. Nothing is loose. When driving on the highway, especially on cement type highways (here in Quebec the majority of highways are made in asphalt and some are made in cement) you can hear it like crazy. It’s like a constant rattle like loose plastic or something. Dealer can’t find anything and it’s honestly driving me crazy.
> 
> Has anyone else experience something similar to this and if so what did you do or what did VW to fix it?
> 
> It’s so hard to explain but it’s like vibrating plastic or something. Don’t think the speaker has anything to do with it.


i have the same issue with both front doors. i took it back to dealership for 5 times already they couldnt fix the rattle. And my door only rattle when temperatures is around 70-83F. Everytime when i take it in they just took the door off and reinstall it back. i gave up taking it to dealership. i will just pay someone to put dynomat sound deadening in the car and pray it will fix the rattle.


----------



## Khelms (Apr 25, 2019)

My driver’s door on my SEL-P makes this same “vibrating plastic” sound, but only in certain temps. I agree, it’s very hard to explain to someone. I’ll say, mine goes away when I press along the leather trim strip just below the door handle. I’m almost certain the noise we’re hearing is that leather trim vibrating back and forth mimicking the sound of plastic rattling/ticking because of the frequency of the vibration. I’ve taken the door panel off myself and reinstalled it. Nothing was loose, yet the noise persisted. That’s when I noticed that if I lightly press along that leather trim strip the noise would subside and sometimes not return that trip. I didn’t beat on it or press ridiculously hard; I think a light press at random points along that strip disrupted the pressure points that were rubbing and causing this noise. 

Side note, lowering the window just a tiny bit (like one blip of the button) also made the noise disappear. My guess is that with the window up, there’s more uninterrupted surface area through which rattles and vibrations can transmit and that manifests in the leather strip vibrating quickly to the point of sounding like rattling plastic. Lowering the window, even a fraction of a centimeter, disrupts this transmission. 

I hope this helps.


----------



## tepeswallachia (Oct 14, 2006)

Not the same car, but I had a CC that had the same problem from the driver's door. Rattling with bass from the speaker. Took it to the dealer and they said they couldn't hear it, after driving my car around for 50 miles. Rattled as soon as I drove off. :banghead:

Anyhow, I took the door panel off, and there is a plastic cutout that covers the innards of the door, ie. window regulator, etc. On the CC there were half turn fasteners that when undone allowed the plastic to be pulled away. I found the door cable to be outside of it's track on the inside (window regulator side) of the door. Popped it back in place, reattached the plastic cover, and the rattle was gone for good.

Looking at pictures of the Tiguan front door, it has a plastic cutout but it is not affixed with any fasteners. I don't know if its a pressure fit or glued in place, but if it were me I'd check out what things look like on the inside. Also wrap anything that can rattle in tesa tape.


----------



## Caps0283 (May 1, 2013)

1054521247 said:


> i have the same issue with both front doors. i took it back to dealership for 5 times already they couldnt fix the rattle. And my door only rattle when temperatures is around 70-83F. Everytime when i take it in they just took the door off and reinstall it back. i gave up taking it to dealership. i will just pay someone to put dynomat sound deadening in the car and pray it will fix the rattle.


LOL good idea. Wonder how much that would cost and if it would fix the issue.


----------



## Caps0283 (May 1, 2013)

Khelms said:


> My driver’s door on my SEL-P makes this same “vibrating plastic” sound, but only in certain temps. I agree, it’s very hard to explain to someone. I’ll say, mine goes away when I press along the leather trim strip just below the door handle. I’m almost certain the noise we’re hearing is that leather trim vibrating back and forth mimicking the sound of plastic rattling/ticking because of the frequency of the vibration. I’ve taken the door panel off myself and reinstalled it. Nothing was loose, yet the noise persisted. That’s when I noticed that if I lightly press along that leather trim strip the noise would subside and sometimes not return that trip. I didn’t beat on it or press ridiculously hard; I think a light press at random points along that strip disrupted the pressure points that were rubbing and causing this noise.
> 
> Side note, lowering the window just a tiny bit (like one blip of the button) also made the noise disappear. My guess is that with the window up, there’s more uninterrupted surface area through which rattles and vibrations can transmit and that manifests in the leather strip vibrating quickly to the point of sounding like rattling plastic. Lowering the window, even a fraction of a centimeter, disrupts this transmission.
> 
> I hope this helps.


Sad that cars are made so cheap these days...it drives me nuts...


----------



## Triple6 (Jan 2, 2019)

Khelms said:


> My driver’s door on my SEL-P makes this same “vibrating plastic” sound, but only in certain temps. I agree, it’s very hard to explain to someone. I’ll say, mine goes away when I press along the leather trim strip just below the door handle. I’m almost certain the noise we’re hearing is that leather trim vibrating back and forth mimicking the sound of plastic rattling/ticking because of the frequency of the vibration. I’ve taken the door panel off myself and reinstalled it. Nothing was loose, yet the noise persisted. That’s when I noticed that if I lightly press along that leather trim strip the noise would subside and sometimes not return that trip. I didn’t beat on it or press ridiculously hard; I think a light press at random points along that strip disrupted the pressure points that were rubbing and causing this noise.
> 
> Side note, lowering the window just a tiny bit (like one blip of the button) also made the noise disappear. My guess is that with the window up, there’s more uninterrupted surface area through which rattles and vibrations can transmit and that manifests in the leather strip vibrating quickly to the point of sounding like rattling plastic. Lowering the window, even a fraction of a centimeter, disrupts this transmission.
> 
> I hope this helps.


Mine doesn't rattle. My theory is this: It sounds like if you have to roll the window down a C-note for the rattle to stop, Its inside of the door panel. When the window motor is all the way up, it can put a strain on the inner door skin which in turn pushes against the inside of the door card just enough to cause a rattle. When you push on the door card below the door handle, you're basically making the door card rest against the inner door skin firmly instead of loosely. If it were me, I would put some super thin felt on the high spots of the inner door skin and see if it goes away. I know, big PITA taking the door card off several times until you find it but it sure beats hearing the rattle forever. You can even use a few layers of duct tape until you find the right spot that stops the rattle.


----------



## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

Triple6 said:


> ....When the window motor is all the way up, it can put a strain on the inner door skin which in turn pushes against the inside of the door card just enough to cause a rattle.....


 Have you forgotten the system has pinch protection and the motor stops with very little resistance? Certain can't deform a substantial steel panel.


----------



## Khelms (Apr 25, 2019)

Wow, thanks for the great advice! I worry about taking the door panel off several times and weakening the clips, but I may have to. The rattle/ticking is very much behind the door panel and 100% subsides when the driver’s window is lowered a hair. Your explanation regarding the tension on the window parts when the window is completely raised makes perfect sense. It’s also temperature and humidity dependent. Given its tendency to go and come, I will never bring this to the dealer’s attention and have them tear it apart to no avail. I feel so silly making such a fuss over what amounts to intermittent ticking, but that’s just my nature. I traded a couple-month old 2008 Mercedes ML over a decade ago because it rattled so. I’ll investigate this further and keep the thread posted. Thanks again!


----------



## Caps0283 (May 1, 2013)

Triple6 said:


> Mine doesn't rattle. My theory is this: It sounds like if you have to roll the window down a C-note for the rattle to stop, Its inside of the door panel. When the window motor is all the way up, it can put a strain on the inner door skin which in turn pushes against the inside of the door card just enough to cause a rattle. When you push on the door card below the door handle, you're basically making the door card rest against the inner door skin firmly instead of loosely. If it were me, I would put some super thin felt on the high spots of the inner door skin and see if it goes away. I know, big PITA taking the door card off several times until you find it but it sure beats hearing the rattle forever. You can even use a few layers of duct tape until you find the right spot that stops the rattle.


WOW same here! As soon as I lowered the window no more plastic rattling....hmmm would Dynamat solve the problem?


----------



## Triple6 (Jan 2, 2019)

Caps0283 said:


> WOW same here! As soon as I lowered the window no more plastic rattling....hmmm would Dynamat solve the problem?


Anything that will close the gap when the window is up. Dynamat may be a little too thick. Could push the door card out a bit when the window is up.


----------



## sp4c3m4nsp1ff17 (Feb 6, 2008)

I had a rattle in the driver door - I found if I pulled on the lip of the bottom door cubby and pulled it towards myself, the rattle would stop. I placed a rubber hose washer at the bottom of the door, in between the door card and the metal door body. It created just enough tension on the card to stop the rattle.


----------



## Caps0283 (May 1, 2013)

sp4c3m4nsp1ff17 said:


> I had a rattle in the driver door - I found if I pulled on the lip of the bottom door cubby and pulled it towards myself, the rattle would stop. I placed a rubber hose washer at the bottom of the door, in between the door card and the metal door body. It created just enough tension on the card to stop the rattle.


Can you post a picture if you dont mind?


----------



## sp4c3m4nsp1ff17 (Feb 6, 2008)

Caps0283 said:


> Can you post a picture if you dont mind?


This is looking up from the bottom of the door. I've had this in for about 6 months and have been watching for any damage to the inner door seal and haven't seen any...thats about the only negative impact I could think of with putting this washer here. 

<a href="https://s1042.photobucket.com/user/alangjames/media/0_zps88gvm91x.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b422/alangjames/0_zps88gvm91x.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 0_zps88gvm91x.jpg"/></a>


----------



## Triple6 (Jan 2, 2019)

sp4c3m4nsp1ff17 said:


> This is looking up from the bottom of the door. I've had this in for about 6 months and have been watching for any damage to the inner door seal and haven't seen any...thats about the only negative impact I could think of with putting this washer here.
> 
> <a href="https://s1042.photobucket.com/user/alangjames/media/0_zps88gvm91x.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b422/alangjames/0_zps88gvm91x.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 0_zps88gvm91x.jpg"/></a>


Inside that square area there is supposed to be a plastic twist style lock for the door card. If it came that way from the factory, bring it in to the dealer and have them put one in. 

Sent from the mobile. Don't text and drive.


----------



## sp4c3m4nsp1ff17 (Feb 6, 2008)

Triple6 said:


> Inside that square area there is supposed to be a plastic twist style lock for the door card. If it came that way from the factory, bring it in to the dealer and have them put one in.
> 
> Sent from the mobile. Don't text and drive.


Good catch - I just looked it up and if anyone else is missing them, the part number is 3aa868243a. Ordered a pair just now and saved myself a trip to the dealer.


----------



## Caps0283 (May 1, 2013)

sp4c3m4nsp1ff17 said:


> This is looking up from the bottom of the door. I've had this in for about 6 months and have been watching for any damage to the inner door seal and haven't seen any...thats about the only negative impact I could think of with putting this washer here.
> 
> <a href="https://s1042.photobucket.com/user/alangjames/media/0_zps88gvm91x.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b422/alangjames/0_zps88gvm91x.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 0_zps88gvm91x.jpg"/></a>


Do I need to take off the door panel in order to put in that washer? How did you install it?

Thanks for the pic!


----------



## sp4c3m4nsp1ff17 (Feb 6, 2008)

Caps0283 said:


> Do I need to take off the door panel in order to put in that washer? How did you install it?
> 
> Thanks for the pic!


Nope - I used a trim removal tool to just pry the plastic enough to stick a washer in there. The tension on the door holds it in place and also seems to have stopped the rattle.

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk


----------



## 1054521247 (Jun 17, 2018)

sp4c3m4nsp1ff17 said:


> Good catch - I just looked it up and if anyone else is missing them, the part number is 3aa868243a. Ordered a pair just now and saved myself a trip to the dealer.


My 2019 came with that part on my door, yet my door still rattles. i did tried putting a washer rubber on the corner and still rattles. maybe i need to remove that part and put that washer rubber in the same place?


----------



## sp4c3m4nsp1ff17 (Feb 6, 2008)

1054521247 said:


> My 2019 came with that part on my door, yet my door still rattles. i did tried putting a washer rubber on the corner and still rattles. maybe i need to remove that part and put that washer rubber in the same place?


You need to first figure out what will stop the rattle. You may need to pull the door towards you, or push down on the arm rest etc. to silence the rattleml. Then youll need to put something somewhere that will create the same tension on the door card that you created by pulling on it manually. It worked for me with this washer because I needed to pull outward in the same general location. 

Its tough to isolate these rattles. I thought mine was the notorious b pillar rattle for the longest time.

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk


----------



## 1054521247 (Jun 17, 2018)

has anyone figure out a solution for this yet? i dont want to waste $500 on dynamat installation


----------



## Caps0283 (May 1, 2013)

Nothing yet....it blows my mind that VW can't fix the issue.....even with my 2013 Passat I had the same thing...but between my Passat and Tig I had a Q50 and never EVER has any issues.


----------



## blipsman (Nov 20, 2001)

So this goes back quite a while, but I had a rattle in my rear passenger door of my 2002 Jetta that appeared not long after I'd bought it. Dealer tried a number of adjustments to the door, door panels, speaker, etc. but rattle was still there. It eventually got louder and seemed almost electrical in nature, like a speaker pop more than a rattle. Replaced the speaker, still there. Replaced the amp, still there. Eventually, after like 5-6 trips into the dealership and the service manager basically treating me like I was insane some tech found a wiring harness that wasn't properly connected between the amp and the speaker, and the rattle/pop was the two parts that were supposed to be clipped together rubbing inside a rubber housing! PROBLEM FINALLY SOLVED! Service manager felt so bad he told me to go out for a really fancy dinner with a friend and send him the bill.


----------



## 1054521247 (Jun 17, 2018)

1054521247 said:


> has anyone figure out a solution for this yet? i dont want to waste $500 on dynamat installation


I did dynamat on it yesterday and drove like 10 miles after, the noise is gone. i will have a 400 mile trip coming up this weekend will update my input soon.


----------



## JimGravelle (Nov 13, 2018)

1054521247 said:


> I did dynamat on it yesterday and drove like 10 miles after, the noise is gone. i will have a 400 mile trip coming up this weekend will update my input soon.


I too have a rattle from time to time...did the dynamat fix the issue long term for you?


----------



## matrix187 (Jan 3, 2019)

You can do it yourself pretty inexpensively using Noico 80 mil. It is recommended to add the 170 mil foam made by Noico (noico green). I just finished the entire rear hatch (real PITA). I also friction taped all clip contacts and the entire plastic trim where it contacts the rear window. It has helped tremendously with rattles and sound. Doors are next up. They should be significantly easier independently, albeit time consuming given the number of doors. 

I do have a rattle in my driver door as well. Will be addressing it first by using both layers of Noico and possibly friction taping or using felt in some areas in the door.


----------



## Caps0283 (May 1, 2013)

Issue was solved.

Dealer replaced my door panel and found some loose ""components"" in the door. 

So basically they used a new door panel and switched over everything from the old to the new and now no more rattle noise.


----------



## matrix187 (Jan 3, 2019)

That seems to be a common issue with these---loose parts. My air bag brackets were loose and flopping around against the body and headliner. Glad to hear you got it fixed.


----------



## JimGravelle (Nov 13, 2018)

matrix187 said:


> You can do it yourself pretty inexpensively using Noico 80 mil. It is recommended to add the 170 mil foam made by Noico (noico green). I just finished the entire rear hatch (real PITA). I also friction taped all clip contacts and the entire plastic trim where it contacts the rear window. It has helped tremendously with rattles and sound. Doors are next up. They should be significantly easier independently, albeit time consuming given the number of doors.
> 
> I do have a rattle in my driver door as well. Will be addressing it first by using both layers of Noico and possibly friction taping or using felt in some areas in the door.


So you used both the Noico 80 sound deadening mat and green 170 mil together? Is there enough space in there? :what:

What friction tape did you use? I found 3M Friction Tape on Amazon...looks to be a bit pricey. But if it works then it's worth it...can't stand rattles!

I found this great site that walks you thru the steps of removing the door card: https://www.autoinstruct.com.au/man...k2-tiguan/mk2-tiguan-front-door-trim-removal/

Even though the driver door is on the wrong side () the instructions are very detailed and well illustrated.


----------



## JimGravelle (Nov 13, 2018)

Caps0283 said:


> Issue was solved.
> 
> Dealer replaced my door panel and found some loose ""components"" in the door.
> 
> So basically they used a new door panel and switched over everything from the old to the new and now no more rattle noise.


Ya...I wish I had that level of luck. The two times I brought it in the stealership claimed "they couldn't hear anything"!

I swear they act as if it's coming out of their paycheck sometimes...very frustrating. :banghead:


----------



## Caps0283 (May 1, 2013)

JimGravelle said:


> Ya...I wish I had that level of luck. The two times I brought it in the stealership claimed "they couldn't hear anything"!
> 
> I swear they act as if it's coming out of their paycheck sometimes...very frustrating. :banghead:


I made a VW tech sit in my car and made him listen to a few songs and he heard it right away. Shadow of the Day from Linkin Park was perfect to hear the rattles in the door. As soon as they fixed it, I replayed that song and no more noise.

Try playing that song. Put up the bass and raise the volume and try to hear for a rattle in the door panel.

Good luck!


----------



## OEMplusCC (Jan 27, 2013)

JimGravelle said:


> I swear they act as if it's coming out of their paycheck sometimes...very frustrating. :banghead:


Well it is, if the dealer cant prove to VW that this is an warranty issue then they are the one who are paying for it.
They can't be just replacing parts left and right and asking for the reimbursement from VW.


----------



## JimGravelle (Nov 13, 2018)

OEMplusCC said:


> Well it is, if the dealer cant prove to VW that this is an warranty issue then they are the one who are paying for it.
> They can't be just replacing parts left and right and asking for the reimbursement from VW.


I seriously doubt that VW has the time to test all the parts that are returned to them for warranty issues. :sly:

There has to be a certain level of professional trust between the stealership and the manufacturer.


----------



## JimGravelle (Nov 13, 2018)

Caps0283 said:


> I made a VW tech sit in my car and made him listen to a few songs and he heard it right away. Shadow of the Day from Linkin Park was perfect to hear the rattles in the door. As soon as they fixed it, I replayed that song and no more noise.
> 
> Try playing that song. Put up the bass and raise the volume and try to hear for a rattle in the door panel.
> 
> Good luck!


Thanks for the idea...I will give it a try.


----------



## JimGravelle (Nov 13, 2018)

matrix187 said:


> You can do it yourself pretty inexpensively using Noico 80 mil. It is recommended to add the 170 mil foam made by Noico (noico green). I just finished the entire rear hatch (real PITA). I also friction taped all clip contacts and the entire plastic trim where it contacts the rear window. It has helped tremendously with rattles and sound. Doors are next up. They should be significantly easier independently, albeit time consuming given the number of doors.
> 
> I do have a rattle in my driver door as well. Will be addressing it first by using both layers of Noico and possibly friction taping or using felt in some areas in the door.


Have you had a chance to try and fix the rattles in your driver door? If so, did your technique work?


----------



## n0thing (Mar 30, 2014)

The drivers door in our SEL P rattles like crazy and it's because of the window switch. The keys to roll up and down each window are not tight and wiggle a little bit if you touch them. If I put my finger down on the keys the rattle goes away. It will rattle on roads and when bass hits in songs. 

Sharing just in case this may be an issue for some of you as well.


----------

