Fabia Dashboard Creak/Rattle - Best repair?

[octaviadan]

Hi All

We have recently purchased a '51' plate Fabia TDI Comfort and has the dreaded dashboard creak/rattle in the middle above the centre air vents (swore that it did not do this on the test drive!!) and is driving us mad!!!!

Anyway, I know that there are several threads about this common problem, however I want to know the best and most effective (and easiest!) way to tackle this job. The biggest problem I can see is removing the vents without damaging the dashboard or bits of trim as there is no gap around the edges to get any implement in to lever the vents out!

Any advice you can give is very much appreciated!!

Dan

[Rob.]

There's a full guide on here somewhere.. When I did mine I used a combination of cedit card and dinner knifes.

If your really carful it can be done quite easily with no damage.

I shoved a wodge of foam in the metal "top hat" on my old Y plate.. fixed it and the sound never returned.. allot of people have used half a cork but I couldn't see how this could have fitted.

.. on a side note, does anyone know if they revised this on later cars as my 04 doesn't seem to have the creak... though it does have a faint rattle coming from that area, but i can live with that

[octaviadan]

There's a full guide on here somewhere.. When I did mine I used a combination of cedit card and dinner knifes.

If your really carful it can be done quite easily with no damage.

I shoved a wodge of foam in the metal "top hat" on my old Y plate.. fixed it and the sound never returned.. allot of people have used half a cork but I couldn't see how this could have fitted.

.. on a side note, does anyone know if they revised this on later cars as my 04 doesn't seem to have the creak... though it does have a faint rattle coming from that area, but i can live with that

Thanks for that. Do I start at the top or bottom to release the clips?

[Rob.]

The bottom is probably the easiest starting point as the whole thing the slips down and makes getting the top ones easier.. but I don't think it really makes much difference as once you've got a little movement it all falls into place.

Only warning I'd really give is be sure your pulling the whole unit out and not just yanking the front of the flow directors.

[Harry Brooks]

I had that problem in my previous (Y plate) Fabia. Not a very high tech solution, but jamming a rolled up cloth very firmly between the windscreen and the top edge of the dashboard stopped it, although it worked loose after a while and needed pushed back in place.

I think I read that that there was a change in the dahboard mountings and I've not had this problem in my current (2006 model) Fabia.

[skomaz]

Personally I'd go the cork route - I did about 6 years ago and it is still working fine - cut the cork in half lengthways with a slight taper to one end and you should be able to get the narrow end into the gap above the dash support bracket behind the vents and then ram it firmly home . It'll compress enough to go in but is also strong enough to stop the creak.