I am determined to do something about the rattling. It really spoils the great impression of the car. One of the guys here said that those cobblestones almost ruined his own car when he was in Prague. But Prague is not all cobblestones, the problem is that the tarmac roads here are full of very subtle or less subtle bumps and holes and that can really upset the silence of the cabin a lot.

Look what I found

http://www.botechs.com/m35/sm/ip.pdf

it is a whole book about diagnosis of rattle noise in infinity cars and it shows how helpful and professional the infinity guys are - they really try to do their best to help the customers and find and fix the rattle and i think it should be normal even with fiat - they should drive in the car with you,
check they know what rattle you have problem with, and try to fix it

The rattle kinds I have is really primitive and I can't believe it is not possible to fix it. But before I ask the unwilling staff at fiat garage, I will try to discuss and ask you for your tips or ideas

First: passenger airbag lid - it clearly rubs and squeezes against the external dashboard part on bumps - the infinity manual mentions some special foams or silicons that are made to fix this plastic against plastic noise

This is pain and i am very pessimistic about this one- it was reportedly fixed by Fiat already twice and it gets worse after each time they "fix" it. Plus they dismantle the whole dashboard and put some smelly stuff inside and the only result is smell and even more rattling.

Second: passenger head rest rattling - already fixed with a tape wrapped around the rod which made the rod sit firm inside the hole without play

Third: skydome plastic shades vibration - I am going to get some lead and glue it to the top of it so it makes it a bit heavier and prevent it from vibrating

Fourth: something knocking in both front doors when accelerating and braking - I can't fix this at all, must report to the mechanics, but it must be easy to fix and at least the sound is clear like anything

Fifth - something like a big plastic drawer somewhere under the trunk is
a bit shaking on little bumps - difficult to identify, but must be easy to fix once found

Sixth - all the ventilation knobs rattle on cobblestones but I can live with it

If you have found how to fix the most annoying ones or have experience from fiat that fixed it successfully, let us know. Let's help each other and encourage one another. Thanks

My Grande Punto was making various rattles and groans over certain surfaces.

I basically inspected every single piece of visible trim to check that it was all pushed on properly. I came across 6 or 7 bits that werent quite clicked into place.

One of them being the plastic thing on the inside of the tailgate, it really needed pushing hard on in the corner, but it did click into place eventually.

I have just found something really surprising. Lexus is supposed to be a luxury car and this guy doesn't even live in Prague. Somewhere where cobblestones have probably never ever existed, look what he 's got:

have a 2006 GS 300awd.Great car, but rattles, squeaks, noises, all temperature sensitive.Dealer has been very attentive and frequently stops noises temporarily.They've had the car at times as many as 10 days.After two years of service, there still are noises now coming from the rear view mirror area.Struts replaced three times and now insulated.Dash has a newly designed plastic cowl installed.Nav system insulated from radio.New rear mirror and overhead console to stop squeaking.Got the car back last week: quiet for 7 days.Now squeaking around the mirror again.Hard to believe that this Benz convert has to deal with this.Shame on Lexus, but kudos to the dealer and technicians who are steadfast in their work.Thinking about taking a stethoscope to the car and diagnosing the source of the noise myself.


I think I will have to give up the passenger airbag lid thing. And probably all kinds of rattling will gradually appear.

But what puzzles me, I have driven these cars in the same city and I don't remember any cabin rattle in them:

peogeot 205
skoda favorit
ford ka
ford escort - there were some squeeks, but not plastic and the car was after an accident and 9 years old!
audi a6 - okay, that is another league
audi a4 - the same as above
nissan micra 2000

just can't figure out why is my panda so much worse in this respect than all these above mentioned cars

but i noticed in the cabin, maybe they want to save money and time, the plastic parts are just not properly glued or designed - they feel all like loose puzzle parts you can easily move and play with - i think the interior is awfully assembled to save money on parts and work - it will be ok on quality roads but it will fall apart on bad roads really soon - it is incredible that even an old poor communist designed skoda did not rattle inside and it was a few years old - i remember when the skoda started to make squeak under the passenger seat, i went almost nuts and forced the mechanics to fix it, that was in 1995 or so, a favorit, mind you

I would never be one to have a pop at anyone here(especially being a newbie), but most of us paid between £6000 and £9000 for our new Pandas.

These cars are built to a price, so comparing it to lexus' or audis is crazy. Yes the plastics and fit are slightly cheaper in our cars. but thats what you paid for isn't it?
I am sure if Fiat had built their cars in Germany and used much higher grade materials, nobody would be paying the £15000 - £20000 that they would cost!
Besides I expect my car to get some rattles and squeaks, as its a 100hp, with suspension so stiff, it makes my fillings rattle. But I love it that way!
Don't mean to offend anyone, just adding my bit!

what you say Visorfett is quite true.

T14086 said:

what you say Visorfett is quite true.

Click to expand...

comparing to lexus crazy, but the lexus owners complained about rattle a lot
plus my list of cars includes skoda, ford ka, and other cars on par with panda, that is my main surprise, why so much more rattle than in Ford Ka or Micra? those are the same kind of quality cars

My theory is that the quality went down ever since the cars began to be built in Eastern Europe - for example my Micra was made in Holland and Ka is probably built in Germany. As I said, these days the cabin plastic parts are just placed there like puzzle, not really fixed there firmly - try to touch them and see you can easily remove them just by pulling. This didn't use to be normal I think. Can you imagine a head rest rattling after half a year? I mean these things don't rattle even after 30 years, but in panda, half a year is enough! Also, I had rented a Doblo as replacement for my guarantee repair and the thing was brand new. And the door had a knock, right there, after 100 kms of running. Give me a break. It seems these cars are made broken, rather than finished. THe desing is great, but the assembly is appaling. No, I don't accept the argument about the prize. Favorit by communist Skoda is a few classes below Panda price wise and it did not rattle. Period.

I guess your experiences are different to mine. My old Skoda 2001 Fabia creaked and rattled and got much worse as the weather got colder. The Panda has now covered 1500 miles and is still rattle free, despite being flung down some pretty poorly covered roads.

The only other rattle free car I've owned was my Mondeo and previous cars in the same price bracket as the Panda (Corsa, Micras, etc) have all buzzed and rattled right from the outset.

Maybe you have a point about where they're assembled. I assume the Mondeo was Germany? I think Corsas were Spain and Micras were good old Blighty?

Chris

ScoobyChris said:

I guess your experiences are different to mine. My old Skoda 2001 Fabia creaked and rattled and got much worse as the weather got colder. The Panda has now covered 1500 miles and is still rattle free, despite being flung down some pretty poorly covered roads.

The only other rattle free car I've owned was my Mondeo and previous cars in the same price bracket as the Panda (Corsa, Micras, etc) have all buzzed and rattled right from the outset.

Maybe you have a point about where they're assembled. I assume the Mondeo was Germany? I think Corsas were Spain and Micras were good old Blighty?

Chris

Click to expand...

I don't want to sound all whiney, but maybe I am just unlucky. I swear I don't remember the MIcra make a single sound for a year / then we broke up with the woman who shared it with me. I also used to drive a few years old Corsa and no rattle. I am anti-rattle freak and I would definitely remember. I remember my favorit just did not rattle and once I took a taxi in a favorit that had run 150 000 km (mine had only about 60 000) and i remember it rattled a bit more than my panda now and i remember i felt literally sorry for someone who is so poor that has to listen to all that and drive old beat up skodas. So it is really a mystery why these fiats i have driven recently are so rattly. I really suspect it has something to do with the way they make these cars assembled - really quick and simple. I only mean the cabin, and I agree with the opinion that Panda feels German - I do realize that the sound of the door closing feels luxury, not cheap. It is the silly plastic parts and little metal parts inside that make problems. I had a substitution Panda while my Panda was being fixed for the skydome rattle - and they had to replace the whole skydome to fix it! and it took them bout two months and in the meantime they lent me a simple basic Panda
and it did not rattle - why - there was no passenger airbag, so one noise down, no sunroof, another silence, the head rests were different, simple design, no rattle again, and all the knobs on the dashboard for some reason did not make any sound even on cobblestones. I am afraid that even this car would start rattling after a few months, but it helps when the cars are not so fully equipped as my panda is. All the previous cars I had had almost nothing extra.

I think I am a bit unlycky with this panda and I don't want to spend another month waiting for it to be fixed so I will tell them at the first regular check and oil change which will be in two months or so.

What do you guys think use some silicon into the dashboard gaps to prevent rattle? I am not sure if it makes any harm especially where the airbag is.

I think it would help to fill the gaps with some pasty thick stuff, it can't be so difficult to stop the noise.

Silicon or vaseline or foam or something?

today i have got ridden another part of rattle - folded one of the back seat that sounded rattly when i knocked on its back metal so i folded it down and the rattle disappeared and later back to its normal position and the sound is not there anymore

that's what i say all the time - silly stupid noises easily fixed if only we always knew how to find them

does anyone know how to get into the airbag compartment? I wish i could get inside and see what is rattling there

Great news if anyone cares at all.

Now all rattle is tracked down or already solved.

The horrible rattle of passenger airbag lid completely stopped when I tried to heat up the cabin to the max. The plastic prolly expands and stops hitting the rim. Is there a way how to expand the plastic or compensate other than heat up the cabin?

The plastic-like rattle from the rear disappeared when I stuck a pillow between the rear seat rest and the - I ran out of English - the part you sit on and the part you lean against - so the gap between these two was filled with a bit of pillow and no more rattle.

The door knocking at accelerating and braking stopped when I opened the door. Also when I only half close the door. Could it be the metal part where the door clicks shut? Should I spray it with oil?

Thanks for tips.

Compared to my neighbours 08 Ford Ka, my Panda is rattle free.
Only thing that annoys me is driving with the windows open causes the seat belt to vibrate at speed. That is a pain (need to work out a solution for that one before summer).