Rattling tailgate / rear hatch fix
07-27-2006, 01:02 PM
#1
AudiWorld Super User
Thread Starter
Rattling tailgate / rear hatch fix
Our tailgate was so noisey at times you couldn't stand to be in the car. Chirping, squeaking, rattling....it was enough to make me want to pull over, tear the gate off and leave it lying in the street.
Today I removed all the interior trim panels, starting with the top center piece near the hinges and working my way down. Really a challenge to get it all apart without breaking any of it.
Once I had it apart, I seperated the padded trim piece that sits up above the sun shade.
Then I bought 4' of 2" wide self-adheasive velcro. I cut the fuzzy side of the velcro as needed and stuck it all around the trim pieces and to the tailgate metal where the metal spring clips engage.
Basically, I made sure nothing touched anything else without having a layer of the fuzzy velcro in between.
The results are excellent! The tailgate is now completely silent. Not one single noise, at all.
It's transformed the car completely.
Total cost, $11 for a 4' long, 2" wide box of self adheasive velcro.
Total time, about 2 hours.
While I was in there I adjusted the rods and the tailgate now opens from the inside.
Today I removed all the interior trim panels, starting with the top center piece near the hinges and working my way down. Really a challenge to get it all apart without breaking any of it.
Once I had it apart, I seperated the padded trim piece that sits up above the sun shade.
Then I bought 4' of 2" wide self-adheasive velcro. I cut the fuzzy side of the velcro as needed and stuck it all around the trim pieces and to the tailgate metal where the metal spring clips engage.
Basically, I made sure nothing touched anything else without having a layer of the fuzzy velcro in between.
The results are excellent! The tailgate is now completely silent. Not one single noise, at all.
It's transformed the car completely.
Total cost, $11 for a 4' long, 2" wide box of self adheasive velcro.
Total time, about 2 hours.
While I was in there I adjusted the rods and the tailgate now opens from the inside.
07-29-2006, 07:09 AM
#3
AudiWorld Super User
Thread Starter
You might get away with black felt stuck in the seams around the sunshade trim.
Try to get it quiet without taking it apart. The upper center and 2 side pieces pull off fairly easy, but the main panel that has the sunshade and lift handle is really, really tough to get out.....at least it was for me.
You might pop off the upper center, and 2 side pieces and go for a drive to see if that makes it better...or different. If it does, you can focus on padding the 3 of them and the area where the side pieces touch the main panel. That would sure safe a ton of work and grief.
I couldn't go this route on mine because it's yet another area of the car that some shop has had apart and butchered the hell out of. The main panel was loose, screw holes were stripped and the metal clips were actually damaging the sheet metal of the tailgate. It was a mess.
You might pop off the upper center, and 2 side pieces and go for a drive to see if that makes it better...or different. If it does, you can focus on padding the 3 of them and the area where the side pieces touch the main panel. That would sure safe a ton of work and grief.
I couldn't go this route on mine because it's yet another area of the car that some shop has had apart and butchered the hell out of. The main panel was loose, screw holes were stripped and the metal clips were actually damaging the sheet metal of the tailgate. It was a mess.
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