Rattle/vibration identification

[BenSh]

Just been down the road and back and I have a rattle/vibration that was not there before.  Car is just 3 weeks old, so a bit annoyed. Not sure where it is but in near my right ear (seat belt area?/door/rear door maybe but these sounds like to confuse me). Happens at approx 18mph and I think other similar revs - i only noticed the speed- I think. Guess it might go away if transitory but if not, will have to call dealer which is a hassle. Ill give it over the weekend, but any identification help/ideas or things to try welcomed.

[Penpusher]

If it's only just appeared, have you checked the door pockets and storage boxes for anything loose inside that's rattling around, especially if you have children in the car?  In particular, check the slot in the back of the front door pockets for hi-vis vests as there could be something that's slipped inside that you can't see.

[MartiniB]

1 hour ago, Penpusher said:

If it's only just appeared, have you checked the door pockets and storage boxes for anything loose inside that's rattling around, especially if you have children in the car?  In particular, check the slot in the back of the front door pockets for hi-vis vests as there could be something that's slipped inside that you can't see.

have you been paid for this post?

 

@BenSh

use board search for "rattle" and "built quality", there is orchestra :(
DSG6 gearbox - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS7UyS6cbyY

shock absorbers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abPGeEu9iWE
rear bushes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFNwa8p4ocw
engine's fan high spin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PTthyikQL8
fuel pipes under car

speaker under dashboard
...
..
.
and of course TDI, but that was obvious before i paid 40k Euros

 

 

[Penpusher]

49 minutes ago, MartiniB said:

have you been paid for this post?

No, it was just a few random ideas this morning when I was drinking a cup of coffee (currently just south of you in Klaipėda with no rattles after long journey from UK).

[MartiniB]

41 minutes ago, Penpusher said:

long journey from UK

yes! long journeys is where i can enjoy Superb III with 220ps,

last summer have done 6k Km long trip from Baltic sea(LV.Riga) to Black sea(BG.Burgas) and return

 

but first four posted positions my car got from the factory, brand new,

half of them not solved yet :( ~15 service visits in 26 months

 

[Sagalout]

Back to the OP question.

 

have you checked the adjustable seat belt clip where you can adjust the height of the belt? I found mine wasn't exactly clipped into one of the slots after SWMBO had moved it. (i.e.make sure it is firmly slotted into whichever position and you cannot move it without unclipping. That solved my rattle from that general area. Also agree with Penpusher. There are few hard surfaces in door pockets, glove box and centre console that will provide 'odd' rattles if you leave something hard against them. My supermarket trolley token took took several weeks to be found out as the source of a rattle.

 

Cars always have odd rattles; the annoying think is finding out what causes them 

Edited 5 May, 2018 by Sagalout
typo

[facet edge]

11 hours ago, Penpusher said:

have you checked the door pockets and storage boxes for anything loose inside that's rattling around, especially if you have children in the car? 

Children should be strapped in. 

[mrgf]

Along the lines of the earlier post regarding the seat belt slider...I sometimes get an annoying sort of rattle from that area on my Fabia. It stops if I press the plastic cover. It seems to rattle just a little, particularly when its cold. It is so close to your right ear, its annoying but it is not actually that loud. 

[BenSh]

Thanks. Well tried all that. No difference with seatbelt height device, and no change in pockets etc. Not had car long enoug to have much stuff like that in it. No kids been in back (only my 19 year old in the front!) While parked did revs to 1600-1800 and thats when it happens (mostly) . Not noticable when going fastish, but noticable up to about 35mph when at those revs. Does seem to have dulled a bit but no idea why or where exactly it is. Definatly seems to be around  driver door or seatbelt column and easy to hear for me driving.  Already emailed dealer but will continue to monitor over long weekend then give him a ring if still there. Reasonably confident nothing I have done and it has suddenly changed. Its not terrible but annoying and I really dislike strange or annoying noises in cars.

Hopefully easy to find and 'fix' especially as can be found when parked and just reving. Given only 3 weeks in, easily inside the 6 month 'rattle' part of warranty.

Ta all.

[Sagalout]

Make sure you do a sound recording (on your phone?) to take to the dealer so they can hear the noise you are reporting. Otherwise you risk the dreaded 'nothing found, the tech cant hear anything Sir' response.

[MaddicIrl]

I'd take out the umbrellas from the front doors and see if the sound goes. As you car is 3 weeks old, this was only time I took them out.

 

Also if you have sunroof, others have complained of noises from this area also.

[BenSh]

Well, not done anything special, and it seems to have gone...just like it arrived! Did take the umbrella put and put back in again, but think it was 'gone' before that. Will just see if comes back again and try and narrow it down again (Starting with removing the umbrella I think if it does it again). Only other  thing I noticed was it happened/more noticeable when the car was 'cold'/within 10 mins of starting, then dies off - but now not doing that any more. Anyhow, will just keep and ear on it now. Thanks all.

[TGR]

I have EXACTLY the same noise in the same conditions!  More of a buzz. It comes and goes. Last time I was at the dealer they agreed they could hear it too but would need the car in for longer for a full diagnostic. Next service then. 

 

My guess is some loose wiring in the door pillar or something. 

 

It is annoying. 

[BenSh]

Mine has been back and gone again. Let me kmow what they say as I will leave it a few more weeks and try and get a recording of it as it is intermittent and they might argue. Not the umbrella btw as I had that out at the time.

[CheshireBumpkin]

I have this one intermittently at the moment too. Very annoying... 

 

Edited 16 May, 2018 by CheshireBumpkin

[ChrisJ944]

This sounds a lot like the fuel pipe vibration - sounds like a buzz and can be reduced by pressing the trim over the door.  I have had this addressed by my local dealer twice now, but whatever they do must rattle loose as it keeps coming back (few months later).  You hear it at about ear level and coming roughly from the B pillar.  It is worse at certain revs/driving conditions, and can be totally silent at others.  I'm going to try and find some diagrams/videos of somebody doing the fix so that I can have a go at doing something more permanent than the dealer.  If anybody has done it, I'd be keen to see any photos/video.

[cheezemonkhai]

If it’s vibrating the trim, just put some cloth trim tape over the bits where the trims meet the other trim?

[TGR]

9 hours ago, ChrisJ944 said:

This sounds a lot like the fuel pipe vibration - sounds like a buzz and can be reduced by pressing the trim over the door.  I have had this addressed by my local dealer twice now, but whatever they do must rattle loose as it keeps coming back (few months later).  You hear it at about ear level and coming roughly from the B pillar.  It is worse at certain revs/driving conditions, and can be totally silent at others.  I'm going to try and find some diagrams/videos of somebody doing the fix so that I can have a go at doing something more permanent than the dealer.  If anybody has done it, I'd be keen to see any photos/video.

 

Why on Earth would the fuel pipe be routed through the B-Pillar??

[ChrisJ944]

I made very similar comments to the service manager when he rang me to tell me they had found the fault and fixed it.  I had to eat my words when they had.  I won't know for certain until I open up the trim and have a look myself but will let you know what I find when I get round to it.  Hopefully there will be a reasonably obvious sound deadening pad/bit of tape that has been added so that I can see where the problem is.

[BenSh]

Would be nice diagram/photo to have just to take to dealer. Fuel line does seem mad in there!

Mine noise has 'gone' for the moment so can't do anything with dealer very easily and the mileage is ticking by...It did come back very noisy for a few days a while ago but I was on holiday in Scotland at the time so could not do anything and it had gone again on the drive home and since. Keep thinking it gone by itself then it shows up again, just don't know the conditions that create it!

[alanOcty]

I am having a similar rattle, and suspect the cabling to the remote release on the right hand rear seat. if I fold that seat forward, it seems to stop. The grey trim / boot carpet seems to be glued on, so can't get in to take a good look, but there are definitely loose cables in there. You can see them behind the black closing plate on the outside lower edge of the seat - visible when folded forward. 

 

I have been experimenting with bits of cloth stuffed in various places but as others have said, just when you think it's sorted, it starts up again, so I could be on the wrong track altogether !

[alf.onso]

43 minutes ago, alanOcty said:

I am having a similar rattle, and suspect the cabling to the remote release on the right hand rear seat. if I fold that seat forward, it seems to stop. The grey trim / boot carpet seems to be glued on, so can't get in to take a good look, but there are definitely loose cables in there. You can see them behind the black closing plate on the outside lower edge of the seat - visible when folded forward. 

 

I have been experimenting with bits of cloth stuffed in various places but as others have said, just when you think it's sorted, it starts up again, so I could be on the wrong track altogether !

 

Can you take a picture of that trim piece you described? There are no trim/carpet glued into place near rear pillar so if you can show me what panel you mean, I can tell you how to remove it. 

There are several wire harnesses inside rear pillar and over rear wheel arches. 

[penguin17]

1 hour ago, alanOcty said:

I am having a similar rattle, and suspect the cabling to the remote release on the right hand rear seat. if I fold that seat forward, it seems to stop. The grey trim / boot carpet seems to be glued on, so can't get in to take a good look, but there are definitely loose cables in there. You can see them behind the black closing plate on the outside lower edge of the seat - visible when folded forward. 

 

I have been experimenting with bits of cloth stuffed in various places but as others have said, just when you think it's sorted, it starts up again, so I could be on the wrong track altogether !

Check the latch/catch itself.  I had a rattle with the seats up on my Leon ST.  I cured it by wrapping some self-adhesive felt around the latch so there wasn't two metal surfaces in contact, with the seats up.  

 

 

[Zenbasses]

When I got my Mk3 I had an usual rattle/buzz which just got worse over time to be the point it was intrusive.

 

Pushing the dash and the glovebox seemed to dampen it but never resolved it.

 

Took it the dealers and told him what I believe the problem was, after 20mins they asked me to test it, and it had gone.. My thoughts were correct.

 

Down in the passenger footwell the removable panel next the centre console was removed, along with the glovebox, here run the AC pipes and 2 mountings had fractured and failed, they replaced the brackets, 4 months on, no rattle/buzz.

 

The 2 other common buzz that took me a while to fathom eventually ended up being

 

1. the fact my partner had put her sunglasses in the holder with mine, and they were rattling against each other.
2. The plastic cover under the passenger seat where the ventilation comes from was loose, 1min job with a screwdriver fixed that

 

The problems with rattles and buzzes is just because you consciously hear them in one ear doesn't always mean it is in that direction, they are swine sometimes to locate, especially if they are behind the dash.!!!!!!

Edited 12 July, 2018 by Zenbasses

[Mark3538]

Just purchased a new 220 Sportline Estate and noticed a similar problem to the OP on day 2.  There was a vibration which appeared to be emanating from the drivers door area near the handle/ speaker. It was intermittent occurring at 15 to 25 mph and 35 to 50 mph. Needless to say it was extremely irritating. It did not matter what pressed or poked and was irrelevant whether the window was up or down. 

 

I booked it in to the local Skoda dealer who also heard it on a test run.

 

They quickly advised that there is known problem with fuel lines on some cars not having a rubber coating to prevent this issue.

 

The part is on back order and should be available in a few weeks but the temporary fix appears to have done the trick and resolved the problem thus far.  The rubber coated fuel line will be installed in due course. Fingers crossed that this is a permanent solution.