Annoying Door Panel Rattle

[cjanderson629]

Does anyone know how to fix the annoying door panel rattle? It is especially annoying when the stereo is on. And no, I do not have my bass turned up.
Thanks

[Sponsor]

[jdetzel]

I know this sounds crazy, but a friend of mine told me about the years ago. I did it in my Tundra and it worked.
Dum Dum - Plumbers putty. You can ball it up and place it on the interior of the door panel where it will press against the door shell.
It does 2 things. One it causes the trim panel to fit tighter against the shell and it adds density to the trim panel which absorbs vibration.
It is fairly stable so it won't melt and drip into anything. Had it in the Tundra door panels for 8 or 9 years, never caused a problem.

[TboneZX3]

I have door rattles, but only when I have the stereo sound levels pretty high. I plan to use audio matting on the inside skin of the door (Dynamat or Fatmat), and some adhesive neoprene on the inside of the plastic panel.

One thing you should check: the screws in my doors (the ones behind the interior door handles) were fairly loose from the factory and tightening them made a difference in my car.

[wgilles]

Originally Posted by jdetzel

I know this sounds crazy, but a friend of mine told me about the years ago. I did it in my Tundra and it worked.
Dum Dum - Plumbers putty. You can ball it up and place it on the interior of the door panel where it will press against the door shell.
It does 2 things. One it causes the trim panel to fit tighter against the shell and it adds density to the trim panel which absorbs vibration.
It is fairly stable so it won't melt and drip into anything. Had it in the Tundra door panels for 8 or 9 years, never caused a problem.

That's a great idea!

OP, check this thread out
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=273150

[cbdallas]

I had a VERY persistant door rattle in my Mazda 3. I finally took off the door panel and started messing with all the attachment hardware. It turned out that backing out (about 1/2 turn) one of the bolts that held on the window hardware stopped it. I guess they tightened it so tight at the factory that it was CAUSING a rattle.

Not saying that's what's wrong with the Focus, but sometimes you have to take the door panel off, and beat on the door lightly with your fist (to simulate vibrations) in order to find the source of the noise, and then make the necessary adjustments. Don't be afraid to get creative, as long as your fix doesn't impede the inner-workings of the door & window.

[SkyPilot]

You own a brand new car, you have a warranty for these kinds of things, take it to the dealer and have them try to fix it before you tear apart your door and make things worse.

[cjanderson629]

Thanks for the input guys! Found some of the plumbers putty in the basement and plan to fix it this week when I get some time.

[wgilles]

Originally Posted by SkyPilot

You own a brand new car, you have a warranty for these kinds of things, take it to the dealer and have them try to fix it before you tear apart your door and make things worse.

This is assuming you have a dealer that is willing to spend the time to look for a rattle. Let's be real, 9 times out of 10 they are going to say they couldn't find the rattle.

[Burns098356GX]

Check the little reflectors on the inside of the door. I found mine would rattle constantly with the stereo on.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using FF Mobile

[SkyPilot]

Originally Posted by wgilles

This is assuming you have a dealer that is willing to spend the time to look for a rattle. Let's be real, 9 times out of 10 they are going to say they couldn't find the rattle.

Then take it to another dealer. Its a FORD waranty not a dealer waranty, If they wont fix it there are proper channels to take to get it fixed.

and I had a rattle as well in my 12 HB. The I ended up spending all day at the dealer, and several techs looked at the car, drove the car. AND GOT IT FIXED. sure I wasted the day at the dealer which sucks, but they got it taken care of.