Dashboard creak -- driving me crazy!

tagscuderia

tagscuderia

Member
2 months into A2 ownership and I'm pretty happy, that is except for the dashboard which has an intermittent creak that makes me want to drive off a bridge! Once it starts, it's with you, I did a 100 mile trip last Saturday that drove me nuts...
I digress: if you put light pressure on the dash near the driver's side A-pillar/windscreen it stops. Release and it starts again. Was wondering if anyone else has suffered (and preferably then cured) or knows what might be causing it -- the majority of the time it doesn't creak (!)?
Any help would be hugely appreciated, cheers.

Regards,
Tom.

P.S, it's a loud creak and 2 noises i.e, eeh-uh.
 
I sometimes develop a creak from where the drivers door closes against the side of the dash, just give them both a clean and see if that cures it.........
 
This is what it is ..... the bonnet! Take the bonnet off and where it initially locates, pack those two slots (black, a few cm's long) with a bit of foam tape ( or other), cut to size. The packing only needs to be a mm or two thick. .... I am sure that your rattle will disappear!

David
 
DJ 190 said:
This is what it is ..... the bonnet! Take the bonnet off and where it initially locates, pack those two slots (black, a few cm's long) with a bit of foam tape ( or other), cut to size. The packing only needs to be a mm or two thick. .... I am sure that your rattle will disappear!

David
Click to expand...

If that's what it is, you're a life saver! What I might do is wait until it starts creaking again and then try, gives me an on-the-spot answer that way (plus she's not creaking at the moment so...) -- I noticed that you can get "bonnet sound absorber clips" for the A2 on eBay, do they do the same job albeit for a price?

Thanks for both replies, will give it a quick clean also.
Cheers, much appreciated.
 
The clips on e.bay look like they are for retaining a sound insulation pad to the underside of the bonnet. ( Can't recall if the A2 has this)

Cheers Spike
 
@spike, cheers for the heads up.
Took a look at the bonnet and that's definitely not it. The creak is definitely the dash! Short term fix is gently wedging my wallet between it and the windscreen (by the A-pillar), does anyone know if there's a screw or something that might have come loose there?
It's weird because it is intermittent and if it is going to do it, it starts immediately and will go on for hours... it's 100% not temperature related, I'm stumped.
As per Josall's suggestion, I'll try cleaning between the 2 surfaces -- fingers crossed.

P.S, I picked the car up having been serviced and MOT'd and some numpty had inflated the tyres front/rear: 50+/48 PSI. Drove an extremely uncomfortable 40 miles, wondering if this is unfortunately related (?).
 
Exactly the same as I am/was experiencing. I have packed out the bonnet lug housings as per many suggestions but unfortunately that didn't solve it. I have moved the bracket under the bonnet very slightly using a socket & this has helped tremendously. Sat in car as I type & it hasn't rattled once! :)
 
That's interesting; the driver's door was out of alignment when I got the car, the top bolt going into the door was ridiculously loose so had the garage tighten it up -- could they have overdone it squeezing the dash? Makes me wonder if the door needs re-aligning again...
@yellowskunkcabbage, can you explain which bracket you mean? I'm willing to try anything, using my wallet really isn't a great solution seeing as I accidentally left it in overnight on Friday!

Thanks for the replies, appreciated.
 
I am pretty sure that your problem will lie with the bonnet location ..... just adjust the packing thickness/bonnet lug housing locations ..... it really does usually do the trick!

David
 
When you remove the bonnet there are two metal lugs to the rear. They are held in place by two nuts each. These are the ones that slide into the plastic keepers other have success with by packing with foam etc. I simply loosened these & moved the lug on the drivers side out a midges & it seems to have cured it. It was driving me mental. Hope it helps.
 
I was convinced my rattle was coming from my dash...a bit like a bracket or something was loose just behind the instruments & rattling with engine speed, road bumps etc. Someone else in another post described it as sounding like 'a pea on a plate' If it was a metal pea on a metal plate that would be a pretty much spot on description. I tried the foam packing but was disheartened when it didn't work for me cos I know it has worked for many others. Been driving me crackers. A quick fiddle with me nuts & I'm sorted. Can't tell you how glad I am.
 
Typically she hasn't creaked since my temporary fix and now she's back where I bought her getting the anti-rollbar replaced/bushes/drop links -- I think the garage is hoping and praying for bushes only!
Just wanted to say thanks for all the replies, much appreciated and will report back with news of my irritating dash.
Cheers.
 
Getting a few odd creaks here and there, the OpenSky roof when closed (?) for instance. The "dashboard" hasn't creaked for a fortnight now though and that's without any tinkering.
Either way, cheers for everyone's help, if it rears its head I'll know what to do.
Thanks.
 
I'd forgotten about this thread, whoops.
My issue is definitely the dash rubbing against the window and I noticed at some point last year that the dash is indeed raised on the driver's side -- hence contacting the windscreen! I understand that removing the dash is a big job so I guess I'm going to have to live with it, as to why it is raised... who knows.
The windscreen has been replaced at some point and given the way it mists up, I'd say badly. I wish I'd had the chance to own an A2 from new; need to get mine checked due to several dubious noises now :(
 
tagscuderia said:
I'd forgotten about this thread, whoops.
My issue is definitely the dash rubbing against the window and I noticed at some point last year that the dash is indeed raised on the driver's side -- hence contacting the windscreen! I understand that removing the dash is a big job so I guess I'm going to have to live with it, as to why it is raised... who knows.
The windscreen has been replaced at some point and given the way it mists up, I'd say badly. I wish I'd had the chance to own an A2 from new; need to get mine checked due to several dubious noises now :(
Click to expand...

Hi,

the dash is fixed at the front along the windscreen by having three lugs which engage with rubber bushes fitted to straps attached to the bodywork. If one of the lugs has missed the centre of the bush then it is most likely to end up sitting on the top edge of the metal plate holding the bush, making the dash too high and also not holding it in place and so able to rattle.

Perhaps your dash has been taken out before and not refitted properly? Alternatively, the lug may have broken off the dash, it is only part of the plastic moulding and not metal. If you can push the dash down into the correct position then it is probably broken but if it doesn't move then the lug is probably resting on top of the mounting plate for the bush. The only way to correct this is to pull the dash back slightly and then re-engage the lug in the correct place at the centre of the bush. Doing that is not quite as bad as taking the whole dash out, all the fixings will still need to be undone to release it but at least the steering wheel and the A pillar trims probably won't need to come off.

I have attached a photo below which indicates with red circles where the dash front mounting bushes are. I've just checked and you can see the rear part of the driver's side mounting lug on the dash by looking upwards where the peddles are (with the trim panel removed). That would at least provide a visual check to see if it is broken. I couldn't see forward enough though to see if it was engaged by the naked eye but it is possible to see with an endoscope camera. I've also included a photo of the screen of mine showing the lug engaged.

regards

Andrew

DSC03159c.jpgDSC03391.jpg
 
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Thanks for that. I'll have a look & see what I can see in the area you've indicated (my dodgy knees may dictate I won't be able to see much) as some days it drives me absolutely crazy.
 
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