Annoying Dashboard Sound

[venomx]

Must be the spring then, as the noise is coming from directly above it.

Will get them replaced when I get a chance, as it's an 08 Yaris with presumably the OEM springs, would be a good idea. 

 

Arm pin/Bush was an advisory at the MOT 6 months ago, but I did have that replaced shortly after

[venomx]

I'll be getting the coils and bearings in the top of the strut mounts replaced.

Do I need to get the mount itself replaced or not ? It seems sturdy and no movement in it.

[corradovr6]

Try rocking the car from side to side and then bounce the front of the car up and down. This will, to some extent, reproduce the movement of the shocks. If there is an issue with the top mounts you'd likely hear it. Be vigorous with the movement.  What is the condition of the spring bushes - the ones on the damper itself?

[venomx]

18 hours ago, corradovr6 said:

Try rocking the car from side to side and then bounce the front of the car up and down. This will, to some extent, reproduce the movement of the shocks. If there is an issue with the top mounts you'd likely hear it. Be vigorous with the movement.  What is the condition of the spring bushes - the ones on the damper itself?

Tried that, no noise. I can't replicate the movement as it only happens when going over a sharp bump at speed ( usually when the car moves down, not up ) and usually on uneven surfaces. ( I'd assume this is because all the weight of the car shifts onto one side, causing the noise )

Can't be the bearings in the top mount either as when I steer the car when it's stationary it's nice and smooth and no noises.

 

Was looking on Autodoc at top mounts, how come some come with bearings but most don't ?

[venomx]

After doing some reading I've learned some cars don't have bearings in their mounts.

How do I find the correct OEM number for the part I need ? As if I enter my reg details into autodoc it comes with parts that aren't even for my car

Well hopefully the mechanic can sort this out anyway. I'll update after

[venomx]

Had the top mounts and springs replaced. Still makes the noise.

Took the a pillar off, put some anti rattle behind a cable , put the pillar back on... and then the noise disappeared for most the day, then it started again. Really weird.

I'm going to have have accept the noise won't be found and to live with it 

[venomx]

Think I've finally fixed it.

Going on the fact that reseating the A pillar sometimes stops the noise for a while then continues, I looked at what could be moving into the right place where it doesn't rattle and then back mysteriously.

There's a cable between the dashboard and the A pillar which would move and then move back again by itself over the course of a few hours.

So I used some black-tac to tether it to the side of the dash so it cannot move. It's now disappeared for over a day now. Hopefully it's sorted as now the car is silent 

[corradovr6]

Hopefully thats the issue!  Bear in mind that the plastics used are really very cheap and there is a large amount of hard surface contact too.  

And its surprising the noise that wiring looms make on the chassis - well done for locating this one.

[venomx]

21 hours ago, corradovr6 said:

Hopefully thats the issue!  Bear in mind that the plastics used are really very cheap and there is a large amount of hard surface contact too.  

 

Yeah the car drives like a dream but the cheap interior lets it down. To be fair though most cars from 2008 era would probably be rattling all over the place

[Hybrid21]

Coming from Landrovers and Volvo I do see a massive difference in build quality with my RAV4.

Especially the interior trim which is very down-market compared to Landrovers and Volvos.

But you only get what you pay for and the Toyota has other redeeming qualities 👍

Iain

[venomx]

Noise returned two days later. Really strange.

[venomx]

Last thing I can think of is trying to pull the dashboard up slightly on the drivers side to see if anything underneath is rattling. Unlikely as the noise comes from near the A pillar and does disappear sometimes if I mess with the cables.

Is it an easy job to unclip one side of the dash and prop it up slightly ? Or would I need to remove the whole thing? I saw a YouTube video but he disconnects the passengers airbag to take it off which I'm not willing to do

[corradovr6]

does this disappear when the car warms up or when its in the sun at all? Sometimes it can just be the plastic expanding and hence making noise.  

The option i will be trying soon is to spray some WD40 silicone spray in the affected areas. VW have a product called Krytox which is hugely expensive for the quantity you get but dies seem to cure squeaks and noises completely.  I'm hoping that a dry lubricant spray may achieve something similar..

[venomx]

25 minutes ago, corradovr6 said:

does this disappear when the car warms up or when its in the sun at all? Sometimes it can just be the plastic expanding and hence making noise.  

 

Nope. I know what you mean though, when it was icey and snowy the car does make some crackly noises until it's warmed.

This one is strange. If I take the A pillar off and then back on again, or move some cabling around.. it can disappear for a few hours ( or even days ) then returns out of nowhere.

I'm trying to locate the point of contact, but everything has been anti-rattled around the A pillar.

[corradovr6]

awkward one!  Trace the cable harness further into the dash and see what else it is in contact with.  See if the mounting clips are creaking or flexing. If this is on a large flexible mount, that then turns into a loudspeaker amplifying the noise further.  

[venomx]

I wonder if it comes from under the dash? Is it an easy job to prop it up and have a look ?

I'm fairly sure the underside of the dash is padded anyway.

[venomx]

What I can do is take out the drawers on the drivers side and look up to see what's causing it

[corradovr6]

I dont know the Mk2 Yaris but the Mk1 has push-fit components in the dash.  By removing the clocks, glovebox and centre console, you do get pretty good visibility right across the dash to allow you to grab and shake anything that may be loose or potentially a noise source.

[venomx]

Bit of thinking outside the box as I didn't want to remove the entire dashboard to locate it.

I pulled out the small drawer on the drivers side, looked up to get a good view of underneath the dash and have located the source of the noise. Seems fine for the past few days, definitely coming from this cable as it was making the noise, I then moved the cable away from where it was contacting and seems to be alright now.

[corradovr6]

Just a general point about the mounting clips. I found it helps to use some fabric tape (as per wrapping cable looms) between the clip and the mounting hole as well as along the cable loom itself where it sits inside the clip.

[venomx]

I've circled where the contact point was. 

I was trying for months to get rid of the sound and a few days ago narrowed it down to where the dashboard meets the windscreen.

Shoved some card down there and now it's gone..

 

[corradovr6]

well done for finding this and for the persistence in sorting.  These things really do a make a difference in terms of enjoying the drive.

I need to sort the back seat rattling, so will need to dismantle the seat to look at the locking points. 

[venomx]

I had the windscreen replaced today, and whilst they had it off I had a look to see exactly where the contact point was and it was quite obvious, where the padding is, it has somehow been flattened and moved, so I stuck some anti-rattle tape on it and got rid of the card I had shoved down the side of the dashboard to make it tidier.

Here is a picture of where the contact point was....

 

[Cyker]

Good grief that's so small!!

Well found - No way would I have ever tracked it down to that!!

[venomx]

3 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Good grief that's so small!!

Well found - No way would I have ever tracked it down to that!!

Yeah. It did my head in for months. Taking the A pillar off numerous times, moving cables around etc and was close to giving up. I then had a good think about it and because I could hear it right in the corner of the dash, I thought it must have something to do with how the dash meets the windscreen. 

One day I shoved a business card down there and from then on it was silent, very relieving as every other rattle in the car was easy to fix, but this one was persistent and frustrating.