top of dash near the window, getting worse every day. makes noise when hitting any type of bump, or pothole

I've got a simmilar rattle that makes iteslf know when driving on slightly less than perfectly maintained roads. I'm working on a more elegant solution, but for now, I folded up a napkin and stuffed it between the windshield and the dash. Works pretty well!

Careful, I've seen posts that suggest the rattle could be related to cracked windshields. Get thee to thy dealer.

I know a lot of people have put out threads for this problem, but my rattle sounds like it's coming from the driver side vent. It's espcially noticible when you go over bumps or any uneven surface. It sounds like something is loose inside the dash?

On mine, the noise has steadily grown more frequent, and I've read loads of theories about loose tweeters, loose a pillar covers, even loose bits under the hood. Yesterday I slid a folded piece of duct tape between the dash-top and driver side A pillar, near the windscreen where the plastic dash top panel feels loosest, and the rattling almost stopped. In fact I hadn't realized just how intrusive the rattling had become until without it I could hear everything else!!

Hi, I have an annoying rattle but is in console or passenger side. Will let dealer deal with this!

bselement, let me know what they find. My rattle moves from the passenger side of the dash one day to the driver's side the next! :shock:

Burnt-o I would strongly suspect you got something in your airduct. That tube runs to both sides of the dash. When your rattle goes to the pax side, try taking off the dash garnish and fish around in the air duct.

It would seem that the windshield issue is due to an uneven flange that causes the glass to rub against the panel... maybe that's what people are hearing?

Drew

[quote:7ea8e2f924="Drew"]It would seem that the windshield issue is due to an uneven flange that causes the glass to rub against the panel... maybe that's what people are hearing?

Drew[/quote:7ea8e2f924]

Doesn't seem to be this in my case - the duct tape inserted between the pillar and dash-top wouldn't have made any difference if it was. But I recall it being mentioned a couple of times as a possible, and it would make for a neat solution if dealing with the rattle cured with windshiled issue too!

I brought up the rattling to my dealership and they showed me the tsb on the winshield and said this is the problem and are fixing it now.

I "thought" that I had a rattle, but it turns out I was a complete retard, and it was the crap I had in the ceiling storage area, right above teh rearview mirror. I forgot what I had in there, but it made a rattle every time I hit a bump, and since I always have my stereo up, I wasn't able to hone in on where it was coming from.

Maybe stupid, but make sure that's not what's rattling for you... :shock:

I have this strange rattle/tick...I have only heard it a few times, and oddly enough only when driving by a police car with a radar gun in use.....at first we didn't put the two together, but on a 5 1/2 hour car trip we picked up on it...so it must some how be electrically connected or just an erie coinsidence?!?

Over the weekend I started to notice a sqeaking coming from the drivers side dash. If it persists thru the week I will take it in to the dealer. Will let everyone know if they find anything.

Here's a quick temporary repair for a squeaking dash. Just sprinkle any kind of talcum powder (baby powder works fine) in the dash seams and wipe away the excess. The powder acts a lubricant thus stopping the squeak temporarily. makes your car smell clean baby fresh also!!

thanks, I think I might try that. I will let you know if it works.

I've had my Element since late April. I have an annoying "rattle" coming from the dashboard when driving at freeway speeds over pavement irregularities - every concrete pad that doesn't match the next. It is so loud that I can hear it over the radio or CD. This is so annoying that I took it back to my dealer to complain. The dealer had the car for two days last week, the first day "we couldn't hear the same problem" so they did nothing. I insisted that there is a noise so they kept it another day and said they put some foam insulation between some plastic panels in the dash. This didn't work, rattle sound was still there a couple of days later when I took the freeway again. I had showed the dealer that by placing my hand and pressing slightly on the dash at the left forward corner, the sound disappears. Well the E is back at the dealer today for them to address this noise issue. I will let you know what they did and if they were successful. There only comment so far has been "there is a lot of plastic in the dash, more than other Hondas" (I find that pretty hard to believe, most of the cars these days have a lot of plastic in the dash and everywhere else you look).

Anyone else have this problem with their E? Was it solved? What was done?

Like my E, but disappointed with this noise issue.
Thanks...

same noise , same place left side of dash, place your hand and it disapears, or after the car warms up.

haven't check it out with the dealer yet.

let me know how it turns out...

i know there was a thread on rattles on the poll topic... seams this problem is not unique.


BMOblue

i had the same rattle and wedged a piece of plastic (designed to level tables) between the seem between the dash and the a pillar and the rattle has gone away on my E. i figure that my solution is the least invasive (and least dangerous) and the piece of plastic is so small that it doesn't even bother me.

I finally got my E back Friday after work. I had left it with my dealer
Tuesday evening - they had it for 3 full days. Here is the story:

Wednesday: said they could hear the problem, didn't do anything. I went to the dealer, they apologized and offerred me a loaner - so I ended up driving a Hybrid Civic. The service writer casually mentioned that he would be driving it home that evening to see if he could replicate the rattle - I asked how far that was round trip, he said about 55 miles - I said "I don't think so" - and that was that.

Thursday, they said they had (finally) replicated the sound, but weren't sure if they had fixed it and wanted to mention that they might have to remove the windshield to get to the spot they felt the noise was coming from! They were going to order a replacement windshield just in case mine was damaged in the process and that the replacement wouldn't be in until next Tuesday - and maybe I could just leave the E with them until then? I said no, I would take it home. They said that since they weren't sure it was fixed they wanted to drive it in the morning and check it out.

Friday AM, after driving the E some more they said it wasn't making the rattle any longer and that I could pick it up, which I did at the end of the day - turning in the Civic Hybrid. Here is what they told me:
- they had pulled the instrument cluster and the left A pillar cover, not the top dash panel (apparently held in place by the windshield).
- they put in a piece of foam insullation between the bottom edge of that dash panel and a metal cross member - which I think a firewall support member. The foam piece was 1/2 to 3/4" thick. They noted that the dash could move against this metal section and felt it was the cause of the rattle - which came at 70 mph, which is about 3500 rpm on my 5 spd 2wd E.
- they said they have reported all of this to Honda and felt that if Honda received a few more reports that they would send out a service bulletin - we'll see.

Conclusion:
- I have to give the dealer an A for persistence and hopefully for fixing this really annoying rattle. I also get an A for patience!
- The dealer gets a D for giving me timely calls (I was calling them to find out what was going on), the length of time they had the E (it was in the prior week for two days for the same problem - so they had it a total of 5 full days), for stupid comments like: "...and I'll be driving it home tonight" and "...we may have to remove the windshield..." and for spending more time trying to replicate the problem that I described to them on day 1, than it took repair the problem.
- The dealer didn't give me a copy of the repair order when I left yesterday, but promised to mail it to me. While I'm not sure, i think they put close to 100 miles driving my E around to replicate the rattle - I'll see what their repair order says the mileage was when I dropped it off when I finally get it.
- The dealer will get an honest "customer satisfaction" report - if I ever get one to complete on all of this.

...so if anyone else has this issue, give your dealer a few clues and maybe your E won't be in the shop anywhere near as long as mine. I am still listening for the rattle to reoccur, I told the dealer I would report back to them next week on whether they have really fixed it.

...heavy sigh!!!! The Blue Box is Back!

wow...i was just looking around for a thread about this because i have the same exact rattle and its driving me up the wall...thanks for telling us what the fix is, i can just take care of it myself instead of having downtime with the dealership.

...well this morning taking the same route as always to work - freeway, 65 to 70 mph over expansion strips, tires thuding over every strip & sending a shock through the chassis and a rattle from the dash. I think I now can hear one from the right side too. Good grief! I'll check it out for another day and then report back to the dealer. They haven't given me the: "...there just isn't anything that we can do about this" - yet.

Don't be too much in a hurry to tear into yours with the thought that you can get this gremlin. I now also hear creaks from the right side B pillar and maybe the righ side C, ...heavy sigh!

I think this thing may be just a rattle BOX... Over smooth pavement, there are very few sounds, but smooth pavement is far and few between around here - I guess if I wanted quiet, I should have gotten an Accord or something else from Honda... They do make great cars, perhaps this is because it is the first year model and pretty unconventional in its design that this is happening. I wonder if their chassis/body isn't quite as stiff without the B pillar as they thought it would be?

Love my Element, but I had to take it in this morning because of a rattle I thought was coming from my windshield. Turns out it was coming from my dash. My Honda service center says that I need to leave it with them so they can figure out where the rattle is coming from. BUT - they say that because it's a new model, they have no idea how to fix it.
Now here comes my dilemma: Do I just deal with the rattle, or give it up to a crap shoot? Thoughts?

Do the crap shot - the best that can happen is they fix the rattle........the worst, well you don't want to know.
Seriously, you shouldn't have to "put-up" with a rattle
Hopefully it all works out.


ORANGEE
:D :D :D

Lovin Life in my E

Well, after two days of driving the E back and forth to work, I reported to the dealer yesterday that the rattle from the dashboard remains and that now I can hear a similar rattle from the right side of the dash that wasn't there before. In addition, I noted noises from the area where the two doors join on the right and the C pillar area on the right.

The dealer has suggested that they order a spare windshield and that I bring the E back in and that they remove the windshield in order to get to the top dash panel to do some further insulation. I asked the service writer to advise his service manager that the problem is still not resolved and to tell him that I would like to discuss this issue with Honda before they pop the windshield out and make further attempts at repair. With regards to the noises from the nonexistent B pillar and the C pillar, the service rep said "...they all do that right from when they come off the truck" - great comment! So the next step is to contact Honda and see if they agree with the dealer's route to fixing the rattle... I will keep you posted - I believe they may be moving into the phase of "outlasting the customer". ...sigh!

Consumer's Reports had some interesting comments on the Element in the June '03 edition, I think I will provide them with some further insights on my experiences with the E.

[quote:1573ef0d00="H20"]With regards to the noises from the nonexistent B pillar and the C pillar, the service rep said "...they all do that right from when they come off the truck" - great comment! [/quote:1573ef0d00]

Standard dealer B.S. answer. Don't accept it.

[quote:f2a6f65688="reedpc"][quote:f2a6f65688="H20"]With regards to the noises from the nonexistent B pillar and the C pillar, the service rep said "...they all do that right from when they come off the truck" - great comment! [/quote:f2a6f65688]

Standard dealer B.S. answer. Don't accept it.[/quote:f2a6f65688]

If this is true then you should go after your dealer for not disclosing it as a defect up front.

Mine squeaks too. I'm beginning to think my car was assembled by a 5 year old.

Well talking to the dealer again this morning about the persistent rattles from the dash of the E has been unproductive. The service manager has not contacted the Honda Dealer in Groton Conn to see what they did to resolve the same problem for an E owner there, but has told me he has contacted the Honda Tech Line who have no knowledge of this issue at all. The service manager has gone so far to say, "it is an SUV afterall" - i.e. like what do you expect from this thing? I reminded him that they have had the E for 5 days looking for this problem, that their service writer confirmed that he sure heard it and even have made two attempts at fixing it - but didn't. And I reminded him that I was a customer and one that has owned 5 other Hondas before and that this was unacceptable... I think it is time for another call to the Honda Customer Service line... What a bunch of BOZOS - The dealer is Honda of Mentor of Mentor, Ohio - oh, what a dealer!

You do know that every time the dash is invaded, the potential for rattles becomes even higher, don't you? Long ago, on my father's car lot, a customer kept coming in with this complaint, and although our mechanic was very diligent, his efforts to remedy the problem created more factors for human error. Finally, he took a low tech approach, and would wedge in a tiny sliver of cloth, foam or cork on every possible place he could find a visible seam, until it was all quite tight. I believe that worked.

I've had no rattling at all from my car, over interstate highways of dubious merit and over east Dallas's Swiss cheese streets.

Good luck.

Well, I took the problem into my own hands the other day. Took a little bit of cardstock, folded it several times, and slid it between the dash and the A pillar on the left side. Ah, blessed silence at last...

I know it looks like crap, but I'll do something more aesthetically pleasing later.

[quote:e04dca3c42="TheLusciousHellcat"]had no rattling at all from my car, over interstate highways of dubious merit and over east Dallas's Swiss cheese streets.

Good luck.[/quote:e04dca3c42]
Careful! :) After just over 2,000 miles, my E's dash is starting to make sounds too. My friends say I'm being too anal, but if it didn't make any sound for the first month, I don't think it should now. I'm going to let it go until my first oil change and then bring it up with the dealer. Hopefully that's at least a month-and-a-half away and some new info will come up by then.

I just acquired a new rattle in my dash........I don't think it was there before.
Today was a nasty rainy day and I had this major chill so I cranked up the heater and the Element was just an oven for about 10 minutes. It sure felt good but after I did that is when I noticed the new noise in the dashboard. I hope I didn't cook something in there :? My roomate told me that plastic dashboards contract and expand with temperature and that probably did cause the rattle I hear. Bummer, I hate to think I caused the problem. Now what do I do, crank up the air conditioner till ice forms on the glass to reverse the problem ? Only I would turn the heater that high in the middle of June. :cry:

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

I just noticed a kind of rattle in the dash yesterday. I have been running the ac, not the heater, most of the time. It did rain recently tho. Maybe that's the connection. It may have been there all along, but I only recently turned down the stereo enough to hear it. Couldn't pinpoint it, but sounded like maybe the dash plastic rubbing up against the windsheild molding on the passenger side, especially when I go over bumps, etc. Either that or it's down inside somewhere.

[quote:4e462d1276="E-Rich"]I just noticed a kind of rattle in the dash yesterday. I have been running the ac, not the heater, most of the time. It did rain recently tho. Maybe that's the connection. It may have been there all along, but I only recently turned down the stereo enough to hear it. Couldn't pinpoint it, but sounded like maybe the dash plastic rubbing up against the windsheild molding on the passenger side, especially when I go over bumps, etc. Either that or it's down inside somewhere.[/quote:4e462d1276]

The problem with dash rattles and such is that it probably will never be found ( unless of course we tear up the whole dash and that could make things even worse.) I sort of expected to get noises eventually but not so soon. I don't even have 700 miles on it yet. I find myself listening to the radio all the time now so I won't hear it. It isn't bad but it's THERE !
I probably won't even bother to mention to service when I take it in for the accessories to be put on for fear they may make the rattle worse.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

You're right. I have just over 2000 on mine already. I'm sure the stiff suspension contributes to the rattle. Good thing the ex comes with that 270 watt stereo.

i was hearing a rattling that i could not figure were it was coming from , i was pretty sure it was on the right side of the car but were i didnt know. i fiddled with everything i could get my hands on and the only loose thing i could find was the front driver side roof rack mounting. i noticed that some of you with rattles have roof racks , might want to check that out. i dont know how to tighten it , you can only see the screw if you use a mirror and look up underneath that thing closet to the side , might need an allen wrench thing or a socket driver with phillips screwdriver bit , but i'm not even sure if its a standard phillips head , kinda looks like one of those special star shaped things

Thanks for the tip. I checked and all the rack connections are solid. You need a torx driver to tighten those screws. Check out the installation guides. I think you remove the cover to get to them.

You do know that every time the dash is invaded, the potential for rattles becomes even higher, don't you? Long ago, on my father's car lot, a customer kept coming in with this complaint, and although our mechanic was very diligent, his efforts to remedy the problem created more factors for human error. Finally, he took a low tech approach, and would wedge in a tiny sliver of cloth, foam or cork on every possible place he could find a visible seam, until it was all quite tight. I believe that worked.
I've had no rattling at all from my car, over interstate highways of dubious merit and over east Dallas's Swiss cheese streets.

Hey Lus, I agree with you 100%, but it is amazing how the Honda dealer has not handled this issue. Another member has mentioned using small wedges meant to level a chair or table and wedging them between the dash and the A pillar to quiet the noise - I just may end up following the same route. But can you believe that the dealer was suggesting the removal of the windshield to access the flat top dash panel to get to the source of the rattle? While imaginative, how insane! Which by the way, may not be the area the rattle is in at all - another member said their dealer pinpointed the trouble spot as beneath the windshield wiper cowling where something is rattling (Cardinal Honda in Groton, Conn - fixed this problem handily for that member!). My C pillar is also making some unearthly creaks and groans now - but the dashboard rattles come first!

I am working through Honda Customer Service to encourage the dealer to address this issue - dealer continues to be unresponsive, not calling back when they tell me they will and just generally giving me the cold shoulder. So much for being a CUSTOMER once the dealer has your money.

More later...

I don't get the cold-shoulder treatment? Don't the dealers make the most of thier money from their service centers? Why would they treat a customer that way? <grumble>

Well, my dealer finally called me back on Wednesday about my dashboard rattle. They had contacted Cardinal Honda in Groton Conn about the rattle fix they did for a customer of theirs - my dealer says Cardinal felt this really did not fix the problem completely and that they felt they needed to do something more. When I asked the dealer if they had contacted the Honda Tech Line, they said they had and that they concurred that removing the windshield was the way to access the dash area and get rid of the rattle. The dealer had earlier told me that the Tech Line had no record of customer complaints about dashboard rattles - if so, they sure aren't reading this forum. Soooo, while having the dealer pull the windshield sends chills up my spine, I may end up letting them do it. The dealer is ordering a spare windshield (I suppose just in case they drop mine). Oh yea, the dealer said they were not aware of the Tech Service Bulletin issued on the windshield cracking problem that some early Elements had - I sent them a webpage reference from the elementownersclub so they could read what we are reading here - no further word back from the dealer. Honda Customer Service has not called me back in the "3 to 5 business days" that I was told that they would on this issue - so I will call them (again) - I want to make sure that they agree that poping the windshield out is the way to take care of this.

At this point, the dealer gets a C for follow-up eventhough it was not timely, Honda Customer Service gets a D for not getting back to me like they told me they would! Amazing, one could make a full time job out of crap like this...

I'll keep you all posted on the next chapter...

Thanks for the update. My dash rattle is getting louder and louder every day, so I'm definately interested in following this thread.

I must admit that my E also suffers from the dash rattle problem. It DOES drive me crazy in the mornings -- but seems to disappear on the drive home, after the dash heats up (apparently). I have noticed that in the morning and whenever its cool-ish out, the rattle is in full force.

I find myself trying to locate the point on the dash where pressure would cause it to cease. I'll try the forward left corner -- I bet its the same thing for me as well. I often confuse my rattle with the sound a pair of loose sunglasses makes when left in the overhead bin off balanced. I sometimes feel like the sounds it coming from the overhead area or slightly right of that, but it might just be the dashboard as mentioned in this thread.

I am starting to AGREE that the car is just a rattle box and that maybe I need to chill a bit. But I swear, if I could just eliminate that dash rattle, it would be bliss. Its not overly noisly, but it grates on my nerves -- esp. in the morning.

One week after driving off the lot, a rubbing noise was coming from the passenger airbag area in the dash. It got worse until i could even hear it with the AC and low radio volume. I took it back to the dealer and told them I would not drive the car off the lot again until they fixed it. It took 4 technicians and a real team effort. They drove my car 50 miles, each time taking a new component off of the dash. They finally pinpointed it to two factory installed parts rubbing together. They put in insulation to the area and the noise completely disappeared and has not come back. Unfortunately another noise, a metallic clicking or ticking, right above the driver's head has developed and am searching for answers before I have to take it to the dealer. It takes a really dedicated dealership to help fix rattles and noises because most just look at you like you are crazy.

All of a sudden I get a rattle sounding as though the passenger side doors aren't closed. it's a little better when the door is locked and i KNOW they are closed tightly. Has anyone else experienced this? It only happens on my windy, bumpy, mountain road. Now I am getting a rattle in my dash from the passenger side...HELP!

I had a rattle in the dash just above the steering wheel. When I described it to the service writer, he knew just what it was and explained the fix. It's fixed and hasn't come back. The fix was similar to what jcmorrison36 described.

I have noticed that when I press on the dash, right where it meets the windshield, the entire top section has at least 1/8" of movement. So, I took rubber bushings, trimmed them down to wedge-like shims, and shoved them down between the windshield and the dash cap. Voila - movement and noise eliminated.

Doesn't mean this will work for everyone, but it worked in this case.

I noticed on our road trip from Texas to Nashville, TN and then to VA over horrible roads (no taxes at work in TN and VA) that my dash rattled off and on. Will check it out more as time goes by but we had so much "stuff" like our IPOD, power adapter, sunglasses, etc. all over the dash so not sure what was rattling.

I have to say honestly I dread hearing about the results of the windshield removal to fix the dash rattle. I'd bet a billion bucks the car will come back with more rattles, if not actual outright massive problems caused by these 'corrective' measures.

This does not sound like it's being done by anyone remotely confident of what they're doing, and as I've said before, the multiple human error factor of working and working and working a problem to death is just going to make this worse.

At this point, I would almost advise: give up on the rattle or give up on the car. Everything that can be done well and safely has done, and I'd bet my soul that the rattle is coming from a small part that nobody can see, or even tell if it will rattle when the car isn't in motion. Therefore, they can't be blamed for not fixing it. And the rattle will go on. And the frustration will go on. Sell the car and try again.

TheLusciousHellcat, I know I might get a swipe of the claw for saying this, but I don't agree at all.

I don't think that Honda engineered the E to rattle.

For the first 2,000 miles, mine didn't rattle at all. About two weeks ago, it started, and it's been progressively getting louder ever since.

To me, this sounds like something is coming loose. Granted, I'm a computer geek, .. not a gear head, but I don't think that presumption is totally off.

I agree with you that the service centers are not approaching this with very much confidence, and are actually probably making this worse, but I don't think that calls for "giving up the rattle or giving up the car".

I think that if Honda takes some of the E's engineers and plays around a little, they could find a solution to this.

Until Honda itself takes at least a look, I won't consider that "everything that can be done well and safely" has actually been done.

If Jeep can build a Wrangler that doesn't creak after 75,000 miles, I don't think I'm holding Honda to a higher standard.

No swipe of the claws, at all. It's a different opinion. You're entitled. Your points are well thought out and well presented.

My feeling on this comes from the actual procedure of windshield removal and my strong sense that this is a desperate, radical measure, performed by people who have no experience with what they are doing.

This is not Honda engineers working on this particular dash problem, these are plain old service mechanics. All respect to them for the hardworking guys that they are, but they're not engineers. If the problem is engineering - as in how the Element was put together - that's where the real correction must take place. If the problem is that someone didn't quite tighten something up on the assembly line one day, then perhaps that can be fixed.

I hope that everything comes out okay, but I just , in my very layman, uh, laywoman, uh, laycat, opinion, think that this is one of those things that the cure is worse than the disease.

I dont' think i have ever heard a rattle but reading this worries me and maybe i did hear a rattle.... hmm..

Well the rattles in the dash continue - it is more noticeable in a cool morning vs after the E has sat in the sun all day and really warmed up the inside.

I got a call back from the case manager at Honda Customer Service. He had spoken to the Service Manager at the dealer - who lead him to believe that I had an appointment scheduled for this week for their next efforts at solving the rattle. Well that isn't exactly right, dealer is waiting for the windshield to come in, I'm waiting for the dealer to tell me and then I can set-up the appointment for them to remove the windshield and resolve the rattles (which incidentially are now coming from both sides of the dash - which wasn't the case before they began working on this problem). The Cust Svc rep said they have no report on rattle issues with the Element's dash... hmmm

...and to LusciousHellcat - there is no way I'm bailing out of the E by selling it - too big of a depreciation hit for me, can't imagine that Honda would buy it back from me at a reasonable price either - so forget that noise. Anyway, I like the E, it is overall a good vehicle - it just rattles and creaks more than any other Honda that I've owned (we've had 6 Accords or Civics over the years).

And to those of you that don't have the rattles in the dash, you are lucky - so don't listen very hard or turn up the CD's so you can't hear it. And if you do hear a dashboard rattle that can be stopped by pressing your hand on the dashboard - try using some plastic wedges between the dash and the A pillars to stop the rattles - this worked for one member that contacted me - if you can't find these wedges at the local Lowe's or Home Depot, contact the Wobble Wedge people directly, they'll send you some for a few bucks (http://www.wobblewedge.com/home-office.html). I've ordered some from them just in case the windshield extraction method that my dealer is planning on using doesn't work.

This is a long running saga and I think it is typical when there is problem that the manufacturer doesn't recognize and the dealer is less than enthuastic about trying to fix - they hope you just go away and live with it - I haven't gotten to that stage yet...

h20:

I really do hope everything comes out okay for you. I feel for you that you don't have the quality of car that you wanted, and paid for, and that these cures seem to be pretty radical and probably come with their own problems.

I was cleaning out my E yesterday and noticed that the plastic covering between the floor and the door wasn't snapped down all the way. When I pulled it up I found 6 black plastic clips used to fasten the plastic to the floor. Even though the clips holding that particular piece of plastic down were white. Took care of some of the rattles I was getting...

Amy
Galapagos Green AWD EX

i had the rattle to i took it to the dealer and they took the whole dash apart and added foam and got a few new parts and now it doesnt rattle anymore in the center near the stereo but now it rattles on both sides back to the drawing board :cry:

Mine had a rattle on the drivers side air vent to the top air vent. It took 3 tries on the 3rd they called American Honda. It was the outside panel rattling on the metal. Tell them to call AH, apparently all these noises aren't in our heads afterall....

Some people have been told that the rattles are a fact of life with the element. Not so, I have no rattles and Seemo's sop had a rattle that the dealer fixed. No car should rattle. Shopping for the girlfriends car a few years ago, (ended up with a crv) we looked at the sunfire. New and used. I think those things are designed so that after 3 years, every screw in the interior losens a 1/4 turn.

Well I tried those plastic Wobble Wedges on the dash and they didn't do a thing to stop the rattles. ...and the noise from the right side "C" pillar has gotten steadily worse.

Am scheduled for the dealer to pull out the windshield to insulate the dash panel and check out the "C" pillar too - next week on 7/15. So we'll see after they've had it for a few days if they are able to make these noises go away.

Honda Customer Support has had a hard time contacting the Service Manager at this dealership - very interesting that they are having the same experience as I have had (and that they were honest enough to say something to me in our last conversation!).

I'll keep you posted!

I would describe the noise more as a popping sound and the dealer (South Tacoma Honda) has been working their butts off to address this annoyance. Low speed, high speed. Warm temps (yeah, like we get those in Tacoma) and cool temps. Attribute this to first year of model production; live with the nuisance and enjoy having a hell cool car or .....

I choose to live with the hell cool car at this point since anything comparable is near twice the price. It tows, it carries huge items, it's fuel efficient, it's easy on the eyes, it's AWD, etc.

Attribute this to first year of model production; live with the nuisance and enjoy having a hell cool car or .....


No car should ever rattle no matter what. If I wanted rattles I would have bought a FORD or GM. Do not tolerate the dealer doing anything except fixing it.

H20: I can relate to you. In fact I'm pretty much in the same situation. I noticed the noise on the right hand side in the corner of my dash. Was driving me crazy! On my first appt. they said "We couldn't duplicate noise". Second appt. they told me it was that the windshield was not properly seaded in the rubber gasket. So, they had to order another windshield in case the original cracked coming out...so I had to wait a couple days. Then they took my windshield out and told me that the gasket was installed incorrectly and "fixed" it. A mechanic drove it and said he couldn't hear the noise. The minute I drove away, the noise persisted. Furious, I brought the E back this AM and at 2:30 in the PM, they tell me that a piece of the dash is too long and must come out and be cut and resized! They also told me that they needed to keep my E for 3 days! By the way...I also had the infamous "seat rock" which they fixed. I was able to get 3 free oil changes and will be getting fog lights installed for $195. Hopefully they will fix it right this time! I'll let you know what the outcome is.

I dropped the E off late on 7/15 for the dealer to remove the windshield, insulate between the dash and the firewall and wherever they could think of insulating. I picked-up the car yesterday (7/21) after work - the insulating seems to have resolved the clicking/rattle on the right side but not the left side of the dash. The dealer acknowledged this and said they are at a loss at what to do next (nice that they are honest!). Their local area Honda rep has not heard of any complaints like this (he should read this website!). The dealer says he will contact Honda's tech line to see what to do next, he mentioned perhaps they well be sending out a Honda engineer - which is what the Honda Cust Svc Rep mentioned on one of the times I've spoken with him.

So, next step is for the dealer to investigate further w/Honda and me to continue to follow-up with them - not leave them off the hook. I will again contact Honda Cust Svc to let them know that the windshield attempt didn't resolve the problem. It is interesting that the dealer told me that he has another E with the same complaint - however, they won't be removing its windshield just yet though.

At this point, I have to say the dealer seems now be interested and is giving it their best efforts - although I think they initially hoped I would just go away and turn up the radio! The E has been at their shop three times for a total of 9 working days and it looks like it is headed for another visit.

While the E was there, they also seem to have taken care of a popping/creaking sound from the right side C pilar - they didn't insulate the pilar but adjusted the right side door which apparently was causing the noise. We'll see if the sound returns...

The saga continues...

For anyone with an E that has that dashboard rattle/clicking sound that might be driving you nuts - read through the saga on "Ask the Dealer" under "Annoying Dashboard Rattle Noise". I started that thread to find a solution for this, but so far, I haven't been able to get it resolved. If you have this problem, mention it to your dealer the next time your in his shop - I don't think Honda is aware that this is an issue with this vehicle. I am encouraged that my dealer has another E owner with the same complaint - I think he starting to take this serious!

I will continue to talk to both my dealer and the Honda Cust Svc Rep in CA and am determined to get this resolved! Watch the other thread for progress (I hope).

Sorry for this separate thread, it was suppose to be added to the "Dash rattles" thread...

...all thumbs (but a good grip on the wheel!)

H20: I just got my E back from the dealer tonight. They have had my E since last Friday. Here is what has happened: Took windshield out and resealed it which wasn't the problem. They have taken the whole dashboard out 2 times, put insulation and still hadn't fix the noise. They called the techline twicwe and on the 3rd time taking dash out, they had found "the rattle to be coming from body seam at firewall on the inside near right corner and resealed body seam with seam sealer." Glad to say that the noise is gone...They even went as far as taking digital pictures and emailed them to the techline for further cases.

I took my car in a few weeks ago for a rattle in the right dash. They ended up trying to flatten the flanges to stop the rattle, and cracked my windshield. Maybe it was going to happen anyway :shock: They kept the car for another day to install a new windshield. My car came back to me with a new rattle on the left side of the dash. Back to the shop Friday! Lets hope some of the information here can help them "fix" it....

H20: ...They have taken the whole dashboard out 2 times, put insulation and still hadn't fix the noise. They called the techline twice and on the 3rd time taking dash out, they had found "the rattle to be coming from body seam at firewall on the inside near right corner and resealed body seam with seam sealer." Glad to say that the noise is gone...They even went as far as taking digital pictures and emailed them to the techline for further cases.

Thanks for the info, this is good news! Late yesterday both the dealer and Honda Customer Service called and asked me to come to the dealer on Friday (7/25) so that a Honda district(?) rep could hear the clicking sound and try to figure out what to do next - it sounds like the tech line should have the story by now - but my dealer has said they have contacted them twice and appear to be pretty dumb about the issue. I guess I will contact Honda Customer Service again today. Can you email me or post the name of the Honda dealer that has addressed this issue and when this took place - I want to pass it along to Honda Cust Svc, thanks...

Well, I can't say I'm truly surprised that the removal of the windshield and all that didn't take care of the problem. I mean - how do you fix something that is still when the problem only manifests itself when it's in motion? :?:

It's not that I don't *want* the car to be fixed for you, H20, not that at all. I do hope very much for a positive outcome for you. It's just that all this assembly and disassembly just seems like it can't cure the problem and might cause more. :(

I don't suppose anyone has considered shipping your car to East Liberty to have the people who built it and Honda's highest level technicians figure out the rattle? :idea:

This is all a darned shame. :cry:

It is interesting that the dealer techs noted that they could see where the noise is coming from at least on the left side of the dash. They could observe some transfer marks from the dash panel against the firewall and padded that area. They used 1" x 1" foam strips, no adhesive. This seems to have fixed the left side noise, but the right continues to click away. The techs said it is harder to resolve theright side because of the airbag. At least the removal of the windshield and reinstallation doesn't seem to have caused any new problems (although time will tell) and it doesn't seem to be leaking anywhere either. So observant techs can resolve these type of issues it is just that it isn't deemed as critical of an issue vs a mechanical or safety related problem.

I am expecting that after Friday's visit to the dealer, that Honda may send out an engineer to resolve this problem or take a lesson from the repair that "minihumv" had done to his E (see above posting) and do the same to mine and anyone else that has this problem. We just need to be persistent, patient and relatively calm...

I still think the E is one heck of a neat little box and I enjoy driving it around...

I also have the annoying squeekie sound from the dashboard. If you want to find out if you have the rattle sound, crank the volume up in your radio and the sub-woofer will do the work, the rattle will stay with you for like 2-3 days until it goes away. The thing I noticed is that when is really hot and dry here in South Florida, the dashboard starts to rattle; if it's kind of humid, there is no sound at all; unless I crank up the volume in my radio.

This morning at my dealer, I met the District Parts & Service Manager for dealers in my area. We took a test ride with this Manager in the passenger seat and the dealer Service Manager in the back. The Honda District Mgr heard the clicking sound as we drove around and by wedging his fingers in various places between the windshield and the dashboard could make the sound stop or return when he removed his fingers. I recapped for him what the dealer has done so far, he feels they'll be able to eliminate the clicking sound, but the real proof will be if it returns as time goes along or when the temperatures get cold it comes back or some new sounds emerge. We took a second test ride with the dealer service writer asssigned to this problem, so if he had any questions, he could ask them...same results, sound left with finger wedges and returned when removed.

Soooooo, the E will be back in on Tues 7/29 for some additional attention - I believe they will be popping out the windshield again but don't know for sure. I will try to find out exactly what they ended up doing and will report back...

This Honda Manager certainly took a lot of time, treated the problem as a real one and definitely wants to have satisfied customers. He & Honda gets an A for saying and doing the right things for customer satisfaction. I am optomistic that with this next visit they will find a solution to this issue. I passed along to him a number of member comments from this website on this problem, he read them all carefully - I wanted him to understand this is not an isolated problem with one vehicle. The story continues...

I was somewhat relieved to come across this thread to see that I was not alone in having the near-madness inducing dashboard rattle. To make my story short...

1st time taking E in...
Me:
My dash is rattling, but it is very sporadic.

Service Person:
Lets take a look...

Service Person (Later):
Sorry, couldn't hear anything, bring it by when it is making the noise and we will take care of it.

2nd time taking E in...
Me:
My dash is rattling!

Service Person:
Do you have an appointment?

Me:
No, I was told to just bring it in.

Service Person:
I can schedule you in for tomorrow.

Me:
Whatever...

...Next morning, of course no rattle.

Service Person:
We can't hear anything.

4th time bringing E in...

Me:
Listen, this rattling is starting to drive me crazy, can't you do anything?

Service Person:
We will take a look.

Service Person (Later):
The problem is fixed, we tightened things up.

Element Dash (on the way home):
Rattle Rattle Rattle Rattle!

5th time bringing E in...

Me:
Still not fixed...

Service Person:
Yeah, we are starting to see this in other Elements, we will have to order some parts.

6th time bringing E in after receiving call...

Me:
Here is my Element.

Service Person:
Oh, Hi, did the rattle go away?

Me:
Um No, Isn't that what you ordered parts for?

Service Person:
No, that was for the steering column. (unrelated issue to rattle)

Me:
Ok, well, no the rattle is still there.

Service Person (Later):
The problem is fixed, we tightened things up. (deja vu)

Me:
Ok, thanks.

Element Dash (on the way home):
RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE!!!

7th time bringing the E in (after I found this thread)...

Me:
My patience is wearing thin. Here is 3 pages of a newsgroup posting of people having the same problem I am having, you should read it, perhaps it will help? Can I just get a loaner until my the problem is fixed? How about that S2000 over there?

Service Person:
I'm sorry, we are out of Honda loaners, but you can have this stinky Dodge Neon.

Me:
Gee, thanks. (actually I would've rather ridden piggyback on a Asimo robot)

One day later....
I picked up my E and have not heard any rattles so far, but I am not going to get my hopes up just yet. I have to give the Honda people credit for being sincere and apologetic and having nice cookies for me to eat, and I have to give the Element credit for being a pretty cool car, it has to be for me to still love it after all the rattling issues I have had to deal with.

I hope the rattle goes away, or at least this thread keeps growing so the next time I can print off more pages to bring them and maybe Honda HQ will get the point that there might be an issue here.

hey guys.

i have read a couple of post on a ratle on the left side of dash.

i had the same problem, took it to the dealer.

the problem... was the throtle cable not being properly secured after a/c was installed by their tech.

hope this helps.

I got my right-side dash rattle just after I hit 1k miles... :cry:

I scheduled an appointment next week to have 'em look at it. To be honest, its not so bothersome that I stopped loving my E (in fact, even if the rattle remains I love it!), but I really expect better from a Honda.

Hopefully they will get this fixed on the first try here.

well, everyone seems to be having the same persistant problem, including me!! The E has been in twice for this same problem, and they couldn't get it to replicate the noise. I'll be bringing in a copy of this thread next wednesday and see what they think about it!!

Well, I picked up my E late yesterday afternoon (7/31) and after driving it home and to work this morning (maybe only about 40 miles) it looks like they might have resolved the dashboard rattle/clicking sound. I had dropped off my E late on Monday (7/28), so they had it another 3 days - yea, they gave me a loaner Accord to drive around.

So here is what they did & didn't do, this time they did not pop out the windshield, but had several discussions with the Honda Tech Line where there are several people that are Honda's Element experts - they ended up instructing the dealer on locating a seam under the right corner of the windshield wiper cowling where a seam between the firewall and the inner right fender/strut tower are spot welded together - there apparently is a small gap in this seam where there isn't and shouldn't be a spot weld - they were instructed to put a screwdriver blade into the gap and slightly spread the seam further apart. After doing this, they also filled the gap with a "seam sealer". Now before they did this they may have also added some additional foam insulation to the dash, but I'm not sure.

Here is a summary of the repair efforts:

May 29 & 30 - stuffed a small piece of foam between dash panel & left A pilar. "Yep, we think that should take care of it" ...result: no change, clicking from the left corner remained.

June 4-6 - removed the instrument cluster and stuffed foam insulation between some adjoining panels under the dash, "I think we got it this time!" ...result: the clicking in the left corner remained and was joined by the clicking in the right side of the dash which was even more annoying.

July 16-21 - removed the windshield and placed foam strips between the dash panel and firewall wherever possible, they also removed the windshield cowling under the wipers to gain further access to the dash panel and the firewall, "Well I think this should do it now" ...result: the clicking from the left side of the dash seemed to disappear, the right side clicked even more than before.

July 29-31 - removed the windshield cowling and spread apart the seam beteen the firewall and right inner fender/strut tower, filled gap w/ seam sealer, "I feel pretty confident that this should do it!" ...result: they might be right this time!

I have to give Honda a lot of credit for being persistent - both the dealer's service writer who followed through, Honda's District Manager and Honda's Customer Support organization. But I don't think the dealership (in particular the service manager) took this issue serious until I called Honda's Customer Support line in CA, and even they didn't take it serious until I had called twice and just didn't fade away and give up. It is interesting that this solution of spreading the gap between the seams was passed along to me by another member (sorry I didn't keep his email) several weeks ago and I mentioned it to the service manager who dismissed it as baloney.

The real proof that this clicking noise has been eliminated will be if it stays away over time and with temperature changes - so we'll see. Those of you that still have this problem, make sure to call Honda Customer Support right away and when you bring it in to the dealer make sure they call the Honda Tech Line - and maybe your E won't need to spend as much time as mine did in their shop - a total of 12 work days (not including one weekend that it was kept there). Good Luck!

P.S. The dealer also repaired/replaced all of the other damage caused by their repair efforts: replaced scratched up right windshield wiper arm, replaced center dash surround that somehow got scratched, touched up very small paint scratch on fender from windshield removal process and fixed the outside right A pilar plastic shroud that wasn't reinstalled correctly - keep an eye on your dealer, some of them have more thumbs that you do!

Well after putting some 400 miles on since the E was repaired - the clicking/rattle noise from the dash seems to be gone. Talked with a QA expert at work, he said that the proof will be when the weather gets cold, the polymer based materials get stiffer and if it is still quiet, then you know for sure the problem has been resolved.

Enjoying the (relative) quiet of my E...

I got my Ele about a month ago, and just turned over 1600 miles (done a lot of driving the last month). After driving from Denver to Vail (Eagle County, home of the new TV hit, the Kobe Trial) this past weekend, the dash rattle appeared. Mine is on the passenger side, and sounds like it's coming from the pillar/window area. I tried jamming a piece of paper in there, and that did nothing.

I called my Honda dealer (Ralph Shompf Honda, in Littleton), and they have an Element in their service bay right now for the same problem. I'd really rather not go through what H2O when through to get this resolved. It seems like this is a common enough problem, is there any chance that Honda will release a TSB on it? Is there anything we can do, as a community, to make Honda aware that this is a pretty widespread problem?

For further assistance, feel free to contact Honda Automobile Customer Service. Our business hours are Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific Time.

By Phone
At our toll-free number: (800) 999-1009

...

I guess if we all called and opened up a case, they'd become aware of it pretty quickly. :)

Hey ElementCyclist, that advice from AristoBrat is right on the money. Contact Honda Customer Service and register this issue (they will ask if you've had it back to your dealer to be fixed, so you may have to do that first), make an appointment with your dealer to have it fixed. Make sure the dealer talks to the Element experts at Honda's Tech Line (only dealers call these guys) - they are well aware of this issue. You could have your service manager call the dealer I went to: Honda of Mentor (OH), 440-974-9500 and talk to Kevin Sweeney (ext 131) - he stayed with this problem from the beginning and should be able to explain exactly what they did to address this problem in my E. I doubt that stuffing cardboard, wedges or foam strips between the dash panel and the A pilars will resolve the clicking sound. Make sure your dealer takes this problem serious from your first visit (good idea to take them for a test drive and have them hear is right away or you'll get a service report from the dealer that says: "could not duplicate customer's problem, stuck gum in dashboard seam", otherwise you'll be bringing it back again and again and again until they figure out you aren't going to fade away.

The E has been on the road only since January, so issues like this with a first year vehicle are not all that uncommon. But this can be fixed and Honda is commited to customer satisfaction.

Well, just picked up my E last night after its two problems had been "fixed". On the first issue (grinding sound from the back when I turn or hit a bump), there solution was to "shimmy the back tailgate", and it appears to have worked fine.

On the rattle, they said they took off the dash and added some additional insulation -- five minutes on the road, it was back again :(

I already called them, but given I commute into the city, I practically have to take another 1/2 day from work to get it there. I'm getting really bummed over this, I expected better from a Honda.

H2O, is there a case number or something like that with the Honda Tech Line that I could tell my Service Center about? When I take it back over today or tomorrow I'd love to be able to reference something like that.

Thanks,

Steve

With my first call to Honda Customer Support they provided me with a case number, but I had to ask for it on my first call. They also asked for the VIN number of my E - so you need to have that handy. On all subsequent calls I referenced my case number. But, until I called a second time I don't think the Customer Support line really did anything other than to advise me to return to my dealer to tell them their fix didn't work. So all I have is my case number at Customer Support and a phone number to the person that was assigned to my case. This guy did call the dealer on several occasions to see what was happening. Insist that the dealer call the Honda Tech Line (I don't know if the Tech Line assigned some sort of case number to this issue or not), this is important, these are the guys that instructed my dealer how to fix this problem. I don't know if the foam insulation that the dealer put under my dash panel contributed to the fix or did nothing, not sure... With return visits for the same problem, it is not out of the question to get a loaner car from the dealer. Honda genuinely wants satisfied customers.

I think it is important to remain very patient, I did my best to never raise my voice or use my Marine vocabulary. Actually the dealer's service writer was always courteous and persistent too - he really took this problem in hand and worked on it with the mechanics. If you take it to my dealer, he knows exactly what to do now (although it did take many days of my E in his shop to get to that point!).

They gave me a loaner on my first visit, and I fully expect they will give me one on the second. And yeah, you are going to get a lot further with sugar than vinegar - I'm on my best behavior there! :D As long as they are working to solve the problem (and let's face it, there are going to be minor things like this with a version 1.0), I'm comfortable.

OK, now I'm REALLY confused.

I just drove it home from the train station. Not a single bit of rattle. OK, a very rare occasional one, but as much as I would expect from any car going over a bump.

Did the insulation need time to settle or something???

Anyways, I'm giving it a few days to see if it was just an anomaly... if it doesn't come back I need to call the Service Department and let them know the current issue isnt the dash, but a loose nut behind the steering wheel. :wink:

FWIW, I only get the passenger-side dash rattle on cooler, less humid days.

Hangetsu, if the dash was rattling after you last picked up the E from the dealer and the next day it wasn't it is probably a function of temperature/humidity and the roads you were on. Give it another few days and most likely it will return. My problems started back in early May when the temps were much cooler in the early morning (low 50's) when I go to work. With every pavement seam I drove over (70mph on expressway) the dash would click. I could hear it over the radio! This started on the left, after the dealer added some foam under the dash panel somewhere, the right side chimed in and continued until their last fix which had to do with the firewall & right fender/strut seam. Since they made their last fix there hasn't been a peep from the dash panel, but it's only been a week. There are still occasional sounds from other places but nothing like that dash panel one. As the temps cool down over the next couple of months, we'll see if their fix lasts...

Anybody got any updates on this? I'm new to the dashboard rattle club. I took mine in today and, needless to say, it was not fixed. I even went in with this thread in hand and they pretty much just laughed.

Also, is this something that I might be able to do myself? I had a bad experience today, and I really don't want to go back to the same dealer (not just them laughing at my info, but a bunch of other normal dealer stuff that I'm tired of having to deal with [I also own a ford focus :roll: ]). I realize this may be more difficult than it sounds, but for someone with a little mechanical experience, is it doable?

Jeff

Humphrey, I don't doubt that this problem is fixable by someone with average mechanical skills, however if you damage something else doing this, it could end up costing you instead of the dealer. I would place a call to Honda's Customer Service line right away and open up a case with them. No doubt they will advise you to take it back to the dealer and have them look at the problem. When you make an appointment with the dealer you need to ask them to take a drive with you so that they can hear what you are hearing - otherwise you never know if they just never took it out for a test drive or not, so this is a way to get them on the same page that you are on. Don't be afraid to tell Honda Customer Support of the experience you had with the dealer. Make sure that the dealer calls the Honda Tech Line and talks to the right people, have them call my dealer if you want (name, number and service writer are in an earlier message). You have to be persistent and get past the dealer service organization's initial reaction - just get the customer out of here - hoping that you'll give up and not come back for this problem. Don't give up because of inconsiderate treatment on your first visit, keep escalating the problem. Talk to the service manager and if they are not responsive talk to the dealership manager, if they are not responsive escalate to the Honda District Manager - but keep pinging the Honda Customer Support people in CA, you can get this fixed and all without raising your voice or telling them what you really think of them.
My E is still quiet and here it is about 1,000 miles later...hoping it continues. Don't give up!

Update from me:

After calling the dealership (Conicelli Honda, PA) back last week to tell them the problem isnt fixed, I was told to bring it back "at my convenience" and they would have a mechanic drive with me to identify the sound (read: They think I'm nuts since they obviously fixed it the first time).

I arrived this morning to be told that their words were I could schedule an appointment "at my convenience". Umm, isn't it convenient for me anytime I call? Anyway, I set something up for Thursday. So far I've taken a day off and now I'll have two days I need to come in late for work. Frankly, I expect this from a Hyundai, not a Honda.

I'll have it in Thursday and I'll let you all know how it goes. If its not fixed this time, I start throwing the "L" word at em (Lemon). PA has a very liberal Lemon Law, they get three shots to fix the problem then I'm in my right to ask for a new car or my money back. I don't think I want to do that since I love my E, but this morning got me a bit frustrated.

Another newbie to the dashboard rattle club. Mine is on the right side of the dash. Usually don't hear it with the radio on, but it's there all the time. I thought it maybe something with the ventilation ducting? After reading all the pro's con's of taking it to the dealership I'm inclined to not take it and perform some kind of 'fix' myself if possible. I'm scared of having some technician rip out my dash trying a fix. You know things never go back together quite like the factory install. That is what worries me.
What the consensus, should I live with it, try and fix myself or bring to the dealership?

Thanks,

I guess my concern with DYI is possibly invalidating the car's warranty. I bought a brand new car, I expect it perfect and if it's not, that the dealer will fix what is broken.

I figured it would be a little too much for me to handle :? . Anyways, the tech at the dealership did hear the sound, and they did try to fix it, they just didn't have a clue as to how to fix it. I will give Honda a call, but I WILL NOT go back to the same dealership. I didn't like the way I was treated there at all. There are plenty of other dealerships around where I live, so it won't be hard to find another one. Thanks for the info.

Jeff

You're not going to believe this one!

I took the car over this morning, and picked it up tonight. Rattle is still there of course. Here is their description:
C STATES MIDDLE DASH NOISE
REMOVED WINDOW MOLDING INSTALLED
FELT TAPE
INSTALLED INSULATION TO FRT MOLDING
HEARD MINOR SQUEAK CONSIDER NORMAL BY HONDA STANDARDS

All I have to say is WOW. If this is normal by Honda standards, then apparently Ford, Hyundai, even Kia have higher quality standards than Honda.

Here are my next steps:
1) Logging a case with Honda Customer Service (should have done this to begin with)
2) My wife is setting up an appointment for next week at a different dealership
3) I'm writing an email to the dealership explaining my disagreement and dissatisfaction with their findings, what I'm doing above in 1 and 2, what has been suggested here, and informing them that should the issue be resolved at another dealerhip I will be in contact with the district manager.

I'm thoroughly disgusted right now. My '96 Ford with 129k miles didnt make a sound like this ever. Neither did my 96 Saturn. Neither does my '98 Toyota Corolla.

H2O? I can't seem to find the Honda Customer Service number you called, can you post it here?

Thanks!

http://www.hondacars.com/info/customer_relations.asp

(800) 999-1009

Go get 'em!

Thanks!

Hangetsu - looks like you are heading down the same path that I have been - all I can tell you stay cool and calm and they will address the problem. My E has been quiet for two weeks now (no guarantees, but it is great). Stick with it, it will get resolved. The Honda Customer Support rep that I had was named Ron (no last names, of course). Tell the rep you get that this is the same problem that the customer with Honda of Mentor (Ohio) had for two months. You are at the stage in the process, where they are hoping you will just fade away and never come back for this problem.

I just got two surveys in the mail the other day one on my dealer visit(s) and the other on my experience with Customer Support - I gave them my frank and honest thoughts on how this was handled.

Best of luck - post us on how this goes. It can be fixed!

Here's a copy of the letter I've sent to Conicelli Honda (PA):
Please feel free to forward this email to anyone on
your staff you with to read this.

On the 15th of July, I purchased a 2003 Honda Element
from Conicelli Honda. During the sales process, the
Honda level of quality was impressed upon me often.
The Element is fun to drive, and extremely functional,
and my wife and I made our decision that night, rather
than try the other, lower-cost alternative we were
considering (Hyundai Santa Fe).

After two weeks, my new car had problems.

At the end of July, a rattling sound started in the
right side of the dashboard, and the rear of the car
groaned on turns. It continued and would occur more
often, to the point that I decided to have it fixed as
part of my warranty. On this visit, the rear was
"shimmied" and additional insulation was put in under
the dash. When I picked up the car, the rear was
fixed but the dash rattle was still there.

I brought the car in again this past Thursday (14th of
July), and after the service not only is the rattle
still here, but the paperwork described this as:
"HEARD MINOR SQUEAK CONSIDER NORMAL BY HONDA
STANDARDS"

Normal by Honda standards? This is a
almost-continuous rattle that can be heard over the
radio. This is the first car of any brand I've owned
that had such a sound, and I'm shocked that Honda
would find this acceptable in a 1 month old car. I
would be happy to arrange a visit on a future evening
to drive anyone from Conicelli's management around a
bit, as I would like to hear from them how this rattle
is acceptable in a new vehicle.

I belong to an Element Owner's Club, and found that I
am not the only owner to experience this rattle, not
by a long shot. Apparently a fix was found by a
dealer in Ohio (Honda of Mentor's Kevin Sweeney - and
the Honda Tech Line is aware of this), with the fix
being as follows:

-- they ended up instructing the dealer on locating a
seam under the right corner of the windshield wiper
cowling where a seam between the firewall and the
inner right fender/strut tower are spot welded
together - there apparently is a small gap in this
seam where there isn't and shouldn't be a spot weld -
they were instructed to put a screwdriver blade into
the gap and slightly spread the seam further apart.
After doing this, they also filled the gap with a
"seam sealer". Now before they did this they may have
also added some additional foam insulation to the
dash, but I'm not sure.

1,000 miles later, this gentleman has not experienced
the rattling noise since.

Now, I am not a mechanic, so whether this is valid for
my vehicle or not I cannot say for sure (the Honda
Tech Line may be able to confirm this however). At
the same time, I do completely disagree with the
assessment your Service Department provided stating
this rattle is normal.

I will be logging a case tonight with Honda Customer
Service, and I plan to bring the vehicle to another
dealership in the near future to have them inspect it.
If they resolve the problem with this information (or
on their own), I will be concerned that perhaps my
issue was not taken seriously - until then I will not
make such a claim.

I love my Honda Element, and my sales experience with
your organization was top-notch (I'm appreciative of
Greg's work). And this problem admittedly is minor
overall - I even expected the possibility of such
things with a first year car. As long as Honda would
back up their cars and fix the problems found, I had
no reason to be concerned with minor rattles.

This last visit has me concerned.

Sincerely,



I'll be in contact with the customer service line tonight.

Hangetsu, any updates yet? That was a great letter.

Jeff

I spoke with the Honda Support Line tonight, and Chavonne (sp?) suggested I get a second opinion with a different dealership before logging a case. I asked why they didnt just log one, to which she replied that it would be connected with my original dealership, and since I want to go to another to have it looked at (which is true), it would be better to work through them when the case is opened.

Once I confirmed my call and information would be documented, I was ok with that. So now its just a matter of setting up that appointment and seeing what they can do.

Stay tuned!

In regards to my windshield being cracked (and the first dealer saying there was a chip, even though nobody else could see it), the Honda Support folks told me the same thing -- take it to a second dealer.

Honestly, I didn't expect that dealer to be any different, but I couldn't have been more wrong. The dealer took the issue seriously, agreed that there was no chip, and will replace it under warranty (as soon as windshields aren't backordered -- it's been 2+ weeks!).

Hope your next dealer can do better for you -- my "2nd dealer" completely saved my image of Honda.

I have found the wedges work, but just for awhile. :( :o :(

Developed similar rattle in the right dash. My dealer armed with info from this thread will attempt to isolate and correct problem. They seemed most concerned and optimistic of a fix. Will let you know how this turns out.
Rattle developed with 550 miles on the clock.

Keep on Truckin'

Don

On Wednesday I got a call from the Service Manager at my Honda dealer, he wanted to talk about the Cutomer Survey I had completed from Honda. I was very blunt on what I thought of their attempts to fix my dash rattle.

So the guy says: "I thought that we were able to address the problem that your were having in your dash?"

me: "yea it seems to be fixed, I've been driving it for a month and put another 1500 or 2000 miles on it and it seems ok."

him: "so your happy with the results?"

me: "yes, however this started at in May and between the end of May and the end of July you had it in your shop on four different times for a total of 14 days, that just isn't what I would call good customer service. Your service writer Jason did a great job of doggedly pursuing this problem, he is really good. I tried to call you on any number of occasions at the beginning of this ordeal and you were unavailable or didn't know what what going on, so I stopped calling you and got in touch with Honda Customer Support. They were reasonably responsive, stayed on top of the problem. You ignored my calls, didn't believe the clues I was getting from the Element Owners website and just were not uninterested, you were busy doing other things."

him: "So but your problem is resolved and other than the length of time it took, it is ok."

me: "yea, that's right, this isn't what I would call a customer success story."

him: " OK, thanks for calling back, bye."

And so this guy will just never get what is meant by good customer service, he should go and work for GM or Ford, he would fit right in to their model. This guy is just like teflon, nothing stick to him - I can see him now telling the dealer manager how happy I was with the results and never mentioning what an ordeal it was.

So, how is everyone else doing with this problem? Is anyone else getting it resolved, or are you living with it?

Maybe its just coincidence but my e did not rattle. Had windshield replaced (pebble hit), all of a sudden I have the same annoying rattle described here.

Have you had windshield replaced? The glass folks did great job, very reputable shop. Could they have forced a tab/button/fastner? I may never find out.

I think I solved problem by using foam pipe insulation cut into 3/4" 4" strips placed between glass and dash. I shoved them into space (void) until they were hidden.

No rattle for now.

My one month old Element EX 4WD makes a noise from what seems like the right side of the top of the dash. It actually started doing this pretty soon after I bought it.

The noise is more like a groan than a rattle. Like the low pitched sound of plastic rubbing against plastic, not like a loose cable or part. It seems to happen when the vehicle flexes rather than just when I hit a bump. So, for example, it makes the noise when I brake or accellerate or hit a dip in the road.

The fit of the moldings on the right of the dash and windshield are completely different from those on the left and they look more sloppy. I tried wedging some paper in the gaps on the right side of the dash, but this had no effect on the noise. I also tried some silicone spray but to no effect.

Is this the same problem others here are experiencing? Any recommended procedure for addressing this problem yet? I haven't talked to the dealer about this. Not having any recent experience with Honda service, I am afraid of playing the "we can't reproduce the problem" shuffle.

It is interesting that you ask about my windshield being replaced. During the third visit to my dealer to eliminate the rattle sound, they brought in a local auto glass co. to remove and a couple of days later reinstall the windshield (the dealer had a replacement windshield on hand just in case they broke mine during this effort). By removing the windshield I guess that gave them better access to beneath the windshield to insert some strips of foam insulation. This didn't resolve the rattle issue. The rattle I had was heard each and every time the front tires hit an expansion joint in the pavement - this was most noticeable at freeway speeds and was easily heard above the radio. The sound first exhibited from the left corner of the dash and could be stopped by pressing my hand somewhere near the vent. After the dealer started his efforts to fix this, the sound on the left was joined by a similar but the same but more persistent sound from the right side. When the Honda District manager took a ride in my E to hear the sound he was able to make the sound come and go at will by wedging his fingers between the windshield and the dashboard in the right corner area. In my fourth and last visit to the dealer for this problem, they learned from the Honda Tech Line that there is a seam where the firewall joins the right inner fender/shock tower that has a gap in it - they wedged a flat screwdriver in it, widened the gap and filled it with seam sealer and WA-LA the sound disappeared. They may have also done some other foam insulating during this visit.

Now subsequent to this fix at the end of July, I took a stone missle in the windshield and just a week or so ago had the windshield replaced. The glass company did a great job, didn't disturb the dash and the sound has still stayed away after they replaced the windshield. While the windshield was out I took a good look at each corner of the windshield area to see if I could see the raised sheetmetal that has been causing cracked windshields for other E owners (there is a tech bulletin on this problem) - it looks like the dealer may have hammered down some of the metal in this area when my windshield was out, to prevent this from happening to mine lateron (my E is within the serial numbers noted on the tech bulletin). I doubt that the windshield shop has done anything to cause a rattle (Sir Element). As far as getting the dreaded "could not reproduce the noise", take the service writer and make them go for a ride with you or without a doubt they'll feed you that line and you'll be back again. Make them hear it, it is not your imagination!

Good Luck!

Hmmm. I just got my windshield replaced Thursday. Before that, the only rattle I had was on cooler, less humid days. Now I have it every time I'm int the E. I'm going to print out your post and hopefully that will give them something to work off of. :: sigh ::

At 2000 miles I too got "the rattle". I stuff a sponge visor hat we got at the state fair between the side of the dash and the door and it relieves the rattle (same solution as an earlier poster). I will report it at my "minor" maintenance visit coming up and will refer them to this site/thread as evidence it's becoming a common complaint.

Thanks for the input regarding this problem.

Carrie

Golden silence once more...

was 2 flanges rubbing together.
Solution: Removed cowl and right wiper arm, crimped flanges together and installed insulation.

Five stars to Dave Mungenast's St. Louis Honda.

Keep on Truckin'

Don

I also have encountered the "rattle", or in my case a popping noise, coming from the right corner of the dash. I took it in today and they put some foam in between a couple of plastic pieces that were apparently not situated right. it seems quiet. They left a bit sticking out of the dash though, so I tucked it in. Hopefully leaving the foam sticking out of the dash wasn't part of the fix.

After reading all these posts about sqweeks in the dash Im not sure what is the greater problem, the dash or the dealers incompetence to address our situations. Time and Time again I have read about people getting these unbelievable one liners from the dealers that just blows my mind. We dumped 25 grand (can) into these cars and for doing that we get arrogant incompetent answers, not to mention the fact that we are not being called back by the dealers when we should be (Honda Ile Perrot in Montreal could learn a few lessons by picking up the phone). Sorry all but after reading these posts the dealers need a good kick in the a--!

i had a dash board/windshield rattle, passenger side, just barely noticeable. i took it in for the first service and they took care of it. no hassle. no trouble.

http://www.hondaelement.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2970

I haven't heard a rattle for about 3 weeks now!

Since the day we bought our Element, it has had a rattling dashboard--on both sides. It's worst in the AM, especially when driving on quiet streets and I can have a little time alone with my rattles. Have had the Element in six times for this issue. They've removed the windshield three times, replaced a crack windshield once, removed the dash four times, and determined that there is a problem with the spot welds on the frame piece that cradles the dash. But the rattle persists. In addition, since the windshield has been removed, the plastic molding pieces on the exterior of the windshield make creaking noises, particularly at freeway speeds. This saga is unacceptable from a Honda, and I'm frankly amazed that my 160,000 mile Toyota made no such noises. I've had my Element for five months, and it's spent 5 weeks in the shop. Extremely frustrating!

Boa2 - I hope that you've contacted Honda Customer Support by now - they need to assist you in getting this problem resolved. Their 800 number is in your manual. Your dealer needs to contact the Honda Tech Line and talk to their Element experts - they know how to fix this issue.
Good Luck

Yippee! A TSB on the dash rattle! Just in time, as I'm taking my E in for service on Thursday, and I'll have the TSB clutched in my hand. They can't pull the "Bring it in when it's making the noise" again, as the TSB specifies that the rattle occurs when driving on a rough or bumpy road. (I had told the dealer that they'd need to build a dirt road behind the service department to hear the rattle.)

I'll post again on Thursday with results.

Will we all recieve this TBS ?

Where can I find a copy of this so I can bring it in when I get my oil changed? Thanks in advance

T Mac posted a copy in the Recalls, TSBs, and Notices forum last Tuesday:

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4690

I took my Element in for the dash rattle and they performed the work that the service bulletin ( TSB) recommended. They said they worked on the dash all day but to their dismay and mine their efforts did no good. The rattle is still alive and well. Don't know what to do at this point. He wanted me to leave it overnite but I told him I needed the E and would have to return it another time. Wish I could figure this problem out myself and make the rattle go away. Now it almost sounds as if it is coming from somewhere behind the heat vents. The problem with rattles is that they can sound like they are coming from everywhere. I guess they will have to tear the whole dash apart and look for loose wires or whatever to see what is causing the problem.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

It took two trips to O'Donnell Honda in Ellicott City to fix mine. Mine was definitely coming from the passenger's corner, but I am pretty sure they only insulated the driver's side the first time. The second time was a charm though - thank goodness!

Good luck!

>The problem with rattles is that they can sound like they are coming from everywhere.

A-MEN! :shock:

And sometimes it requires just the right combination of road, speed, temperature and weather conditions to reproduce them. Dealer mechanics dread few things more than seeing "customer reports dash rattle" on a work order.

It can take weeks (sometimes years!) to find a rattle. I had one car with a little rattle that was driving me bananas... I lost track of how many times I took the dashboard apart looking for it. It turned out to be the shift diagram insert in the shift knob!!!

:roll:

[quote:b8ea2f2a69="foxtail"]T Mac posted a copy in the Recalls, TSBs, and Notices forum last Tuesday:

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4690[/quote:b8ea2f2a69]

I am so frustrated :? I took my E in and the people who serviced it removed the dash and performed the TSB on both sides of the dash. I thought for sure that would be the end of it but the dealer called and informed me that he could still hear the rattle. I almost think it is louder. It still is the same rattle for sure but now it is getting confusing to where it's coming from. Before I was certain that is was the far right corner. Now it sounds like it is coming from behind the heater vents over the radio. This is driving me nuts :roll: I guess I will be taking it back but this looks like it is going to be a long painful process to nail down where it is coming from. It sounds so close like I could put my hand right on it.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

H20, Hope you're still reading this board. What does the rattle you had which was fixed by the seam filler sound like? Does it sound like fingernails tapping on the dashboard? Could it be heard through the vents? I'm obviously describing the sounds my Element makes. I've had it in four times.
First they tightened the headliner.
Second they decided it was the center vents and ordered them.
Third they replaced the center vents and found a broken hazard light button. Ordered button.
Fourth they replaced button and performed TSB for A pillar fix on both sides.

Noise still occurs. I'm taking it back to the dealer in which I purchased from, but I'm tired of driving 35 miles one way.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Ken

Konaken - still reading this thread, although it has gone quiet for quite a while. The sound that my E was making sounded like long finger nails clicking on a very hard surface. It is the sound that two surfaces make when the they move against each other because of slight flex in the body. If you go back and read what the dealer did to my E - it fixed the problem. It has been noise free (at least this particular noise) since the end of July and I now have about 9K on the box and it still is quiet (and the weather is getting colder too!)

The noise started on the left and ended up on the right side and could be stopped by placing a hand in the left corner of the dash and pressing down and on the right by wedging finger tips between the windshield and the dash panel on the right. Make sure your dealer is calling the Honda Tech Line and I'd suggest you call Honda Customer Support, your dealer isn't getting it right yet. There is a TSB out for noise coming from the A pillars, but that is not where the noise was coming from on in my box.

Persist because this problem can be resolved, you just need to stay on top of them. Have them take a test ride with you so that you can make sure that they hear the sounds that your E is making, otherwise you get the dreaded - "Could not duplicate the noise customer describes" - because some tin-eared service writer drove it around the block and "couldn't hear it". Insist on bringing your E in when the dealer's District Manager is in the shop and take him for a test ride.

Good luck!

SOP box goes in tomorrow to hopefully get quiet! My Dealer, Crown Honda of Greensboro has been excellent. They have really given great customer service. I'm going to take in your post for them to read. They don't give loaner cars, but after being in four times, they've decided to pay for a rental for me. I'm very impressed with their service. Hopefully they get it taken care of soon. I really enjoy the vehicle and don't want this rattle business to influence my decision as to how long I keep it!

Thanks for all of your help,

Ken

Finally a quiet ride!!!
Had the dash noises taken care of by Honda North in Fresno, Cali.
A Pillar TSB fix good for the left side but not the right side. They had to call Hond for advise on quiting the right side. Seems like the pinch welds at the firewall and dash mounts were joined when they should have been seperated...so they removed the windshield trim underneath the right wiper arm, spread the joints apart and presto chango-- noises off!!!.
Also had the rocking driver's seat unrocked and the upper tailgate hinges detorqued.
Did you know that (in California at least) for every day your E is unavailable to you to drive because it is in the shop for warranty coved repairs, that your original factory warranty is extended by that many days? It is at least something and better than a kick in the head :wink:

My "rattle" was more of a light ticking noise coming from the bottom of the windshield just off center to the right, bumps or jolts in the road would set it off. I went in for my 10k checkup and they took care of it no questions asked. It's gone now and so is my "brake clunk". I could not be happier with my E.

I've had it from day one last May but due to travel and other busyness I hadn't gotten around to taking it in to the dealer until last Wednesday at 5300 miles.

"Yes, we hear it clearly!" they said. "Can you leave it with us until tomorrow?"

Thursday came and went, and then Friday. They needed more time so they kept it over the weekend and then again Monday night. This afternoon (Tuesday) they phoned to say, "You're Element's ready!"

Dubious but hopeful, I went to pick it up on day 7. "What did you do, exactly?" I asked.

"We completely removed the dash and steering column, replaced the entire ductwork/defrost system and reassembled. This seemed to partially cure the problem but not entirely. We phoned American Honday Tech Line and they advised us to removed the A-Pillar covers and spread some metal areas apart that were contacting one another- which we did. That seems to have solved it entirely. And oh, by the way, we found your horn only worked intermittently so we replaced that wiring, switch and relay while we were at it."

I drove it the 10 or 12 miles home, choosing rough backroads. Deadly silence- beautiful, lovely, peaceful silence for the first time since day one!!

I think they've done it. I've never heard it go 15 seconds without making noise before- let alone 15 minutes!!

Was the dash removal and vent replacement necessary? I doubt it. Was the problem solved with the Tech Line advice at the A-Pillars? Probably. But either way... it appears to be resolved.

The dealer was focused, professional, concerned, courteous and communicated regularly throughout the 7-day process to let me know what they were doing next. Time will tell whether they have permanently solved the problem but at this point I'd be very surprised if it returns.

Just a note to let others know not to give up.

Steve

I just picked up my new "E" 3 days ago. :P Yesterday, with fewer than 80 miles on it, I began to notice the mysterious creaking, tapping noise from the far right edge of the dash/windshield area. :( How embarassing that I've got to take it in for a defect already. I would have accepeted it from my old Plymouth minivan, but I hoped Honda would be a more solid vehicle.

I had the annoying noise on the passenger side from day one but did not want to take it to the dealer and have it made worse by a ham fisted 'technician' taking everything apart. So, I read every post on this site about the problem and tried some of the reasonable suggestions. My noise was very obviously a metallic sound reverberating through the windshield. One day I took the A pillar cover off once again and looked closely into the lower corner of the windshield. I noticed a gap right in the corner with no rubber and much less sealant than elsewhere. I jammed a piece of felt in there and now the noise is gone! :D

I just wanted to give an update on my dash rattle. I brought it to my dealer (Ralph Schomp, in Littleton, CO) for the 5000 mile service. I printed out the TSB for the left pillar rattle, and also printed out this thread, and asked them to look into the right pillar rattle.

They performed the TSB work on the left pillar, and, alas, the noise appears to be gone! Unfortunately, they spent some time on the right side (and tried some of the fixes that have been posted here), but the rattle still exists. I'm going to bring it in again this Friday, and have them keep it for the whole day in an attempt to fix it.

As a note: So far I'm very pleased with how Honda, and Ralph Schomp, are dealing with this problem. Yeah, it'd be nice if the problem wasn't there, but hey, no one's perfect, and how you deal with a problem is often more important than the problem itself.

Hopefully the right side will be noise-free very soon!

It's been a week. The vehicle has several hundred miles on it in temps as low as 38 and as high as 80 degrees over a wide variety of roads and conditions. Not a peep from the dashboard.

By george- I think they've DONE IT!!!

Happily,

Steve

THE PROBLEM IS IN THE CASTING OF THE LEFT PILLAR . THE METAL BY THE FIREWALL BEHIND THE DASH IS RUBBING. THE ONLY WAY TO FIX IT IS PULL THE DASH AND SEPERATE WHERE THE SEAM IS. IF THE WINDOW CRACKS IT'S FROM SPURS IN THE WINDOW CHANNEL. FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME I'VE DEALT WITH THIS PROBLEM AT MY DEALERSHIP

Hangetsu,

I'm really surprised you're having problems with Coniccelli. I've dealt numerous times with Coniccelli Mitsubishi (I'm assuming the same owner) in Philadelphia and they are great to deal with. Their tech guys are always full of info and very friendly, even when dealing with aftermarket tuning of my Eclipse.

Thanks to all for the great info. Printed the service bulletin and took it in with my E today. No discussion, just the facts maam...(Joe Friday rides again). Called and had to order one the the TSB items but hopefully we'll have quieter days ahead. (Problem was on passenger side dash/post)

Honda (Conyers, GA) called today. They did the TSB felt fix, but still had rattle. They called the Honda Tech Service hotline and got some more suggestions, but will need car 2 more days. In the meantime, have to drive our rattle free Camry.

If your needs aren't met to your satisfaction, and SOON, I personally know at least two Element owners in your state (I'm surprised they haven't come to your aid already) who are good sources of real world solutions to your problem. Waiting for a dealership to solve your problems may prove futile, but let's hope not!

I bought an Element that doesn't rattle. Must be a Rockdale County option. It's probably an EX option and I just don't know what I'm missing. Kinda like the crappy Honda radio.
At least you got a Camry. I went in for Warranty work a couple months back and they saddled me with a Buick LeSabre rental car. Who in their right mind would buy a buick LeSabre anyway? What a piece of crap car that thing is.

Well the car is in Rockdale Co., so maybe the non-rattle will be contageous. Friday apparently is now the big day for the brain trust to decide.

Picked up car Friday, rattle fixed (yeah). It was only when I was away from the dealership that I noticed that the airbag light was now on constantly. Stopped by the nearest dealer and they said that Conyers Honda had left a wire unplugged when they apparently did work on the dash.

Fixed it and now hopefully no more posts on this subject.

Would you please let us know what they've done to fix your E? I had my dealer to perform the TSB and it didn't work. The rattle is driving me crazy here...

Thanks

I can't unfortunately tell you exactly what they did during the 4 days they had my car. I can tell you that, like you, I found out that the TSB "solution" didn't work. They called and told me that and that they had spoken to the Honda folks on their "techline" and had been offered several solutions. As I understand it, they would try something, drive the car, try something else, drive the car, etc. What finally worked, I don't know.

You can call my service guy at Conyers Honda (Matt) at 770-922-5292 and ask him what they ended up doing. They are VERY FAMILIAR with the orange E, as I think I was their first "rattle" case.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the respond, jtgeorgia! :) I am going to give them a call tomorrow. Wish me luck! :lol:

Thank you

Let me know if you need anymore help with the Conyers folks.

I called Matt at the # above and he kinda explained what the solution was. He said they had to use a crowbar and break the seal on the body seam under the cowl on the passenger side and re-seal it. He said the Honda Tech Line will be able to fax your dealer info on what to do. Good Luck All!

So they used a crowbar on my E? Glad I didn't ask them what the "final solution" was....

I have had my Element since late June and my rattle (sounds like static from the right post speaker) has been present since early July. I had to have my E in twice to 'fix' a water leak that drained into the drver side. I'm now about to try to have the rattle fixed. This is NOT what I expected from Honda. This is certainly the last Honda that I will ever own. I'll keep an update as to my experience with my repairs.

I took in my E (4500 mile, Black 2WD EX) for the 'annoying dashboard rattle' on the passenger side, and had terrible luck! It's actually been in three times. First time, they greatly reduced the noise. I was happy for a few days, but it came back. I took all the info I'd gathered from this forum, and they stated that they would take another look. I was told that they had done all they could do, and that the fixes listed in this forum were not believed to be a fix for this issue. I talked to the Service Manager, and asked if they could just do the work in the fixes, per my request. She stated she needed to get approval from the Regional Honda rep, and would get back with me. Never heard back. A week later, I finally get hold of her again, and she stated that all was well. I took it in, and waited two days. Day 1 I was told that they were waiting for help from Honda, and would let me know. Day 2 I was told that Honda stated that the fixes listed in the forum were not recommended repairs. And that they should not be done! So I still get the rattle (passenger side, near windshield wiper arm), and I hate my dealership. Any ideas on my next course of action? Can I call Honda? If so, what do I need to do? I just want this damn thing fixed!!

This is the second time my Element has been in for the rattle. It goes in tomorrow for another stab at it. I don't feel very optimistic about it after reading what everyone has gone through here. My rattle has actually gottem much worse. At least it drowns out the noise of the popping sound the doors make. After a while it's going to sound like a can full of penny's being shaken. They performed the TSB with the felt lining etc. I will take what else I have learned here and relay it to the service dept. Any last minute info. would be greatly appreciated.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

I'm beginning to feel guilty owning a perfectly quiet one! Haven't had any windshield issues, either. (And I'm content with my gas mileage too.) But I seem to recall reading a thread about a "flange" that should be bent so that it doesn't touch something where the dash and windshield meet. The best I can suggest is some kind of search for that thread topic before you take yours in. And then, it's worth every penny of your time to stay there and see what the "trained" Honda "automotive service technicians" actually DO to get to the root of your problem. Another suggestion is to query MRFOGGER here in the registry. He is a Honda technician, but he actually seems to care about you and your Element. I'd PM him if I were you. He's been quite helpful so far.

[quote:e8eb90b58a=" "]After a while it's going to sound like a can full of penny's being shaken. They performed the TSB with the felt lining etc. I will take what else I have learned here and relay it to the service dept. Any last minute info. would be greatly appreciated.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.[/quote:e8eb90b58a]

Ugh! Pennies, eh? Maybe the change pocket is beginning to leak coins into the dash?

What I want to know is: what dealership have you been taking it to? I want to avoid their service department! [I bought mine at Brown's Arlington Honda.]

-brendan

PS - FYI, I just got the 2003-2004 Honda Element Service Manual in the mail today. Good stuff: the section on the RTAWD is really interesting! Anyway, if you get beyond hope of them fixing it, feel free to borrow the manual if you need to start taking things apart yourself. :)

It is true I guess. The more you have you dash invaded the more chance you have of making things worse. The rattle I had is getting much worse. It is almost to the point I don't want to drive it anymore. I have to crank up the radio so loud in order to drown it out. I can't believe I have actually had thoughts of selling my Element. They said they couldn't fix it and I probably would have to bring it back a THIRD TIME :shock: I wish I could ignore it but I haven't been able to. They seem clueless there. I had heard such good things about their service department and that is why I bought my Honda there in the first place. I am getting so depressed about this and I just don't know what to do. :cry:

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Virginia

[quote:f0a1c49075=" "]I can't unfortunately tell you exactly what they did during the 4 days they had my car. I can tell you that, like you, I found out that the TSB "solution" didn't work. They called and told me that and that they had spoken to the Honda folks on their "techline" and had been offered several solutions. As I understand it, they would try something, drive the car, try something else, drive the car, etc. What finally worked, I don't know.

You can call my service guy at Conyers Honda (Matt) at 770-922-5292 and ask him what they ended up doing. They are VERY FAMILIAR with the orange E, as I think I was their first "rattle" case.

Hope this helps.[/quote:f0a1c49075]

Took mine in for the second time. Rattle is worse after they worked on it. Told me they didn't know what to do about it. They said I would have to bring it back a 3rd time after they make some inquiries as to what to do. I am hating this so much I have thought of selling the E.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

Which dealership?

[quote:8c686c62f9=" "][quote:8c686c62f9=" "]After a while it's going to sound like a can full of penny's being shaken. They performed the TSB with the felt lining etc. I will take what else I have learned here and relay it to the service dept. Any last minute info. would be greatly appreciated.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.[/quote:8c686c62f9]

Ugh! Pennies, eh? Maybe the change pocket is beginning to leak coins into the dash?

What I want to know is: what dealership have you been taking it to? I want to avoid their service department! [I bought mine at Brown's Arlington Honda.]

-brendan

PS - FYI, I just got the 2003-2004 Honda Element Service Manual in the mail today. Good stuff: the section on the RTAWD is really interesting! Anyway, if you get beyond hope of them fixing it, feel free to borrow the manual if you need to start taking things apart yourself. :)[/quote:8c686c62f9]

I took my bought my Element and Bill Page Honda. The reason I purchased it there was because I had heard such good things about their service dept. Now I am beginning to wonder.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

Beginning to wonder about what?

I honestly doubt that Service Department has any problems handling the things they do the most of -- regular Honda maintenance and repairs.

I can't think of any service department that would claim to be "great" at fixing issues on cars that haven't been out for a year where Honda themselves hasn't already found a solution.

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this but the other day when I had my windshield wipers on I noticed something VERY different. NO DASH RATTLE :shock: !!

I listened as hard as I could. I turned the heater off and left the wipers on so I could hear. Still no rattle. I then turned the wipers off to hear if the rattle came back and it did not. That doesn't mean it won't return, in fact I expect it to. But this certainly means something I think and I will investigate further. Has anyone else noticed this with their Element ? I have had mine in twice for the noisy demon and they have not corrected it yet . I thought this would however be worth mentioning.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

I have ~700 miles on my 2WD EX M/Trans.
The dashboard rattle came on in the first week of ownership.
I've been reading the boards and am really worried that the windshield glass will crack, but it hasn't yet.
Dashboard rattle has gotten a little worse, maybe coming from multiple locations. I haven't taken it in as I don't think they can/will do anything about it. I just turn up the stereo. It's annoying but I think I'd have more noises from an American branded car.
It hasn't been intermittent, it's there all the time (at least on bumpy roads)
Do you all recommend me taking it in?
I just sold by 2002 C-RV to my mom, never had a dashboard noise with that car.

[quote:6d55c0b5c6=" "]I have ~700 miles on my 2WD EX M/Trans.
The dashboard rattle came on in the first week of ownership.
I've been reading the boards and am really worried that the windshield glass will crack, but it hasn't yet.
Dashboard rattle has gotten a little worse, maybe coming from multiple locations. I haven't taken it in as I don't think they can/will do anything about it. I just turn up the stereo. It's annoying but I think I'd have more noises from an American branded car.
It hasn't been intermittent, it's there all the time (at least on bumpy roads)
Do you all recommend me taking it in?
I just sold by 2002 C-RV to my mom, never had a dashboard noise with that car.[/quote:6d55c0b5c6]

I have taken mine in twice and plan on taking it in again. ( still rattles )... I think it depends on how much it bothers you.
Some noises don't bother me but the frequency and persistence of this particular rattle which happens to be in my face by coming from the dash has been intolerable. I can even hear it with the radio turned on. I don't always want to listen to the radio. I like the sound of a nice solid car and since mine is only 7 months old with only 4500 miles on it I shouldn't have to put up with such an annoyance. I remember this everytime I mail Honda my car payment. I have heard of at least one member here that has taken their Element in as many as 7 or 9 times I believe. This is a very frustrating problem. I wish I could find it and fix it myself. If I knew of someone else in the Northern Virginia area who knew what to do I would go there, my dealer is clueless it seems. :roll:

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Virginia

Check out the RECALL section on this site, Honda just posted a FIX on the dashboard rattle most E owners deal with, apparently some more 'felt' does the trick, it is two plastic components rubbing... I'm going to print it out and bring it to my dealer so he does not say HUH?

[quote:3d33fae738=" "]Check out the RECALL section on this site, Honda just posted a FIX on the dashboard rattle most E owners deal with, apparently some more 'felt' does the trick, it is two plastic components rubbing... I'm going to print it out and bring it to my dealer so he does not say HUH?[/quote:3d33fae738]

Actually I had the TSB done about 2 months ago. It didn't help at all. I don't see a recent posts on RECALLS about adding any extra felt in addition to what they added. Did I miss something? So far after 2 trips to Honda the RATTLE is still very alive and well. :cry:
Honda hasn't a clue as to what to do about it. I would like to find out if anyone here thinks the windshield wiper area is involved in some way and if so what luck they have had in remedying the problem.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

Is this the TSB you had done?

---------------------------

TSB 05_056 Rattle From the A-Pillar Trim or Corners of the Dashboard

September 9, 2003

Applies to All 2003 Honda Elements

SYMPTOM
Rattle from the A-pillar trim or the dashboard corner area when driving over a rough or bumpy road.

PROBABLE CAUSE
The A-pillar trim is contacting the dashboard.

CORRECTIVE ACTION
Apply wool felt and EPT 10T sealer to the A-pillar trim and the dashboard.

CUSTOMER INFORMATION:
The information in this bulletin is intended for use only by skilled technicians who have the proper tools, equipment, and training to correctly and safely maintain your vehicle. These procedures should not be attempted by “do-it-yourselfers,” and you should not assume this bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle has the condition described. To determine whether this information applies, contact an
authorized Honda automobile dealer.

---------------------------

I read another post that said this did not help but a crow bar to the 'cowl' (whatever that means) and reseal solved the problem...

I wanted to post a note of thanks for the excellent information posted in this thread.

My new E started developing a creak/rattle with less than 200 miles on it. The first time I took it back to the dealer, they were unsuccessful in repairing the noise.

The second time, I came armed with the first 3 pages of this thread printed out (worked out to about 28 printed pages), and I highlighted the sections that talked about the fix where they: "removed the windshield cowling and spread apart the seam beteen the firewall and right inner fender/strut tower, filled gap w/ seam sealer."

This TOTALLY did the trick for me. The noise was loud and annoying. Now I only hear silence. The Service Manager at my Honda dealership was out of the office when I had the E in for the first visit. He was present when I took it in the second time, and he personally saw that it was attended to. It was not the first E that he had performed this fix on. Why on earth this is not a TSB yet is beyond me (and the Service Mgr didn't get it either).

Thanks again for all of this great information.

Very awesome -- nice to see that the windshield cowling solution worked again. :)

Maybe we should all fax the 28 pages over to Honda's Customer Care center, ATTN: ELEMENT DESIGN ENGINEERS? ;)

[quote:6d57ec9bef=" "]Very awesome -- nice to see that the windshield cowling solution worked again. :)

Maybe we should all fax the 28 pages over to Honda's Customer Care center, ATTN: ELEMENT DESIGN ENGINEERS? ;)[/quote:6d57ec9bef]

That is wonderful. Too bad the service dept. did not listen to me when I tried to explain about the cowling area. I think they just quit on me. Such a waste of my time and theirs. I will do EXACTLY what you did next time. This will be the third time now and this time it better be rattle free.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

I started this thread at the beginning of June and it took three months with my dealer to get it resolved. Over the last month or so, a dash rattle(s) has returned - as the weather has gotten colder. The rattle is either from the left pillar or the left side of the dash and only seems to occur at freeway speeds over a particular section of the road that has pronounced and jarring pavement seams.

At this point, I may just live with it and see if it goes away with the warmer weather (only 3 or 4 months away!). This problem with the Element has soured me on this Honda as has the relatively poor fuel mileage (but I did know this before I bought it) and the flighty handling in cross winds (hold on Martha!). Overall I think this vehicle has a little too many compromises to keep me in it for 100 to 150 thousand miles like my previous Honda's have. But we'll see...

Thanks for everyone's posts regarding this issue! I bought my SOP 4wd 2 months ago and noticed the rattle in the first week.

I took it into the dealership for it's first oil change, Monday, and started the "fix the rattle" process then. Three days in the shop and I still gotta rattle.

Thanks to this site, I came equiped with the printed TSB and 20 highlighted pages of message board text.

They called this afternoon and said "*Whew*...it's fixed!" Within 10 yards of the dealership I heard the "vinyl against vinyl" sound coming from the right of the steering wheel. How the dumb$&#$* didn't hear it is beyond me. They said "3 people have driven it and no one has heard it since we added the felt and removed the windshield cowling and spread apart the seam...".

ANYONE have suggestions as to what my next move should be? Crazy idea, but....it is possible to actually yell loud enough about this and force Honda to give me a new one (that doesn't rattle/squeak/pop like a popcorn popper)?

I plan to drive it "as is" until immediately after New Year's, then bring it back in (they know this). I hope they have a plan of action. I know I will.

Lord of the Rattles - Memphis

Many years ago I read an article somewhere about what day of the week an American car was built on. Since Honda Elements are built in the U.S., it may apply! Don't buy a car built on a Monday or a Friday, or the day before or following a holiday. I may be the luckiest SOB on-site here, because mine appears to have been built on a Wednesday! I have no facts to back that notion up, but mine is perfect! And some Elements apparently are not. That's beginning to bother me a lot on a personal level. And it bothers me even more if it speaks to the quality and capability of American workmanship. Any employees or managers from the factory in Ohio, U.S.A. care to comment on that?

Too many buyers are having the same problems (in bunches or sporadically) that, to me suggests that certain shifts at the factory are not "on the same page" as others! Regular readers of this site may recognize me as a "happy camper", but there are too many unhappy campers with the same problems for me to remain comfortable any longer. What's up, Honda? I'm not even close to being unhappy, but I think the people with these common and legitimate problems deserve at least some kind of an answer. And I haven't heard squat yet from you (Honda).

[quote:e244e211d6=" "]Thanks for everyone's posts regarding this issue! I bought my SOP 4wd 2 months ago and noticed the rattle in the first week.

I took it into the dealership for it's first oil change, Monday, and started the "fix the rattle" process then. Three days in the shop and I still gotta rattle.

Thanks to this site, I came equiped with the printed TSB and 20 highlighted pages of message board text.

They called this afternoon and said "*Whew*...it's fixed!" Within 10 yards of the dealership I heard the "vinyl against vinyl" sound coming from the right of the steering wheel. How the dumb$&#$* didn't hear it is beyond me. They said "3 people have driven it and no one has heard it since we added the felt and removed the windshield cowling and spread apart the seam...".

ANYONE have suggestions as to what my next move should be? Crazy idea, but....it is possible to actually yell loud enough about this and force Honda to give me a new one (that doesn't rattle/squeak/pop like a popcorn popper)?

I plan to drive it "as is" until immediately after New Year's, then bring it back in (they know this). I hope they have a plan of action. I know I will.

Lord of the Rattles - Memphis[/quote:e244e211d6]

This is very discouraging since my only hope left was the cowling fix. I already had the TSB with the felt strips etc. That didn't work. I kind of wished I had waited a couple of years before buying the Element until all the nuisance problems had been eliminated. I would like to think that after the hoards of Element owners taking their E's in for this problem that they should have a remedy for this problem by now.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

I'd think that the 'felt strips' TSB would take care of any vinyl-on-vinyl sounds, ... the cowling fix would work for the rattle up where the dashboard meets the windshield...

My E has both rattles, but only every now and then, so I haven't looked into getting it looked at yet.

However, now that it's getting colder out here, I hear my windshield make weird crack/pop sounds on the way in to work. :shock:

On my way to work this AM, my E rattled like never before. I promptly called the dealership and put them on alert that I would bring it in, Monday (today is Friday).

However, at lunch, there was not a peep from my E as I purposely drove on the same streets that had, just a few hours earlier, caused my E to pop like a popcorn machine. I proceded to drive 20 miles or more on rough city streets and NO sounds were heard! I happily called the dealership and cancelled my Monday date with them.

Sadly, I got back into my E after dark, tonight, and it once again popped/squeaked as annoyingly as ever.

My new plan is to keep a log of when it rattles and when it does not (day? night? temp., road conditions) to see if I can spot a trend. I'm anal ok!

Also, I've checked out the Lemon Law in my state of Tennessee. It seems 4 times in the shop without a fix and I qualify to file with the Department of Consumer Affairs. For those folks out there at their wits end, do a search online for your state's Lemon Law (apparently every State has them) and consider filing a claim. Hey...I bet THAT would get Honda's attention!

Lord of the Rattles - Memphis

Is there anyone here that lives in Northern Virginia that has had success with a Honda dealership in fixing their dash rattle? I am looking for a mechanic who has worked specifically with this problem and has had success in locating and eliminating the dash rattle. There has to be a lot of rattle boxes here in Northern Virginia or Maryland. I would travel to Maryland as well. The TSB I had done did not work the first time I took it in and they were unable to fix it the second time as well. I haven't even addressed the popping doors yet. The dash rattle is so overwhelming I can't concentrate on where all the other noises are coming from. Elly only has 4500 miles on it and sounds as if it has a 100,000 on it. What a shame. I love it to peices otherwise. PLEASE, PLEASE, if anyone knows of a good service center please e-mail me privately, I would greatly appreciate it.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

It is quite conceivable that your rattle comes and goes with the temperature. In the morning, the vehicle is cold, components have shrunk a little causing them to come in contact with or move slightly apart from another surface. With the movement of the vehicle and the slight twisting, shudders and vibration of parts - we hear clicks, rattles, ticks, etc. In warmer times of the year or perhaps when the car simply sits in the sun for a number of hours these sounds go away.

My E had dashboard rattles and they were eliminated - but that was in July, now with the much colder weather the sounds return from the dash, pillars or whereever (there are sounds coming from the rear area too). I've decided to live with these rattles for now and see if they go away with warmer weather in Spring. I've already written a letter to Consumers Reports on the E and will give then another update soon. Disappointing, I expected better from Honda.

I recently had an annoying sound fixed at O'Donnell Honda in Ellicott City. Their service department labored for days trying to find the source of my noise by removing dash pieces one at a time. In the end, they found it, fixed it, and explained the entire process to me. It was way out of the realm of a simple TSB, and I give them credit for taking the time to thoroughly explore the problem. Check out: http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5891 for more details. I will be going back to them for all my repairs. Give them a call, if it is not too far, and ask for Jerry Fur Service Manager. Tell'em Chris sent you.

H2O...thanks for tine input. I'm coming to the same conclusion about the "warm dash" syndrome.

When my dash is in the sun and warm to the touch (even if it's in the 20's outside), the rattle does not occur. When the dash is cold to the touch (in the shade or in covered parking or when the sun goes down), the rattle returns.

For example, I drove around Memphis all afternoon one sunny afternoon with the outside temps in the 30's and 40's. No rattle. I parked my E for one hour at sunset. After that hour, my dash was cold to the touch. When I drove off, the rattle returned for the rest of the evening (even with the heat in my E turned up.

It's cloudy outside today. If my E is making the rattle, I'm keeping my morning apppointment at the dealership tomorrow. If no rattle, I'll cancel the appointment and keep monitoring these message boards for potential remedies.

Lord of the Rattles

This is the third time my Element has been in for the dash rattle. This time I printed out all 40 plus pages of this thread, put it in a binder and presented it to the service dept. I got a call tonite from them telling me the rattle was still there by the end of the day and they wanted to work on it another day. I hate to leave it overnight but I had no choice if I want it fixed. I am beginning to wonder if it will ever get fixed. I highlighted the thread on the problem under the windshield wiper cowling where they have to spread apart some metal and put a wedge between it and use sealer. I don't know if they have done this yet and whether or not it worked. I certainly made them aware of everything we have mentioned here. They certainly have a good nights read should the technician decide to take it home and go through it. I hope he does. I will let you know what happens tomorrow. Wish me luck. :?

LittleDogBox
Arlington,Va.

Good luck!

-brendan

Just picked up the Element a little while ago. Dash rattled all the way home even though they said they had fixed it. Major BUMMER :cry:
I never thought I would consider selling the Element over a rattle but I am considering it. It just plain makes me miserable to have to listen to it. I can even hear it with the radio on. It feels very hopeless now because I was told they put their very best mechanic on it and he labored over it for hours. I had the initial TSB done and they did the separation of metal under the cowling as listed here, at least that seems to be the way it reads on the receipt. I will talk with someone about it tomorrow to be sure. Honestly the love affair between me an Elly has certainly chilled. I just don't know what to do now. It is either live with it or let it go I suppose.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

This sucks. Two questions

Have you gone the "regional manager" route?

Can this be considered a lemon issue?

-brendan

[quote:ca57f1a225=" "]This sucks. Two questions

Have you gone the "regional manager" route?

Can this be considered a lemon issue?

No, I haven't called the regional manager yet. Actually I kept trying to have faith that my service dept. would nail this thing. I realize rattles are difficult to find and evidently a mechanics worst nightmare. I suppose I should take this route now for sure. I had hoped it wouldn't come to something like this. The rattle is the only lemon part of the vehicle, otherwise I really like most everything about it. I would imagine this could get ugly if I tried to get another new vehicle out of them, and even if I did who's to say that wouldn't rattle too!
I think your suggestion is wise and I will make some calls tomorrow.....sigh :roll:
Perhaps I should call the service dept. in Ellicott City, Maryland that someone suggested here. It is a 2-3 hour drive from here depending on traffic but from what I understand these people fixed one of our EOC members rattle. Far as I know the rattle hasn't returned. Or has it ???
I wish I could get over being so very unhappy about this. Goodness we have had some members here take the E's in up to 7 times I believe. The person seemed to be able to keep a good humor about it as I recall. :)
I am trying, really I am. My car payment is coming up in a few days and all I can think when I am putting the stamp on the envelope is rattle, rattle, rattle. Arrrrrrg. I am going back to the dealer tomorrow and actually have one of the service techs ride with me. I haven't had a chance to do this before because of my hectic work schedule. But I will make time tomorrow. I will also call the regional manager. Thanks for your support on this guys, I appreciate it and will trudge forward.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.


-brendan[/quote:ca57f1a225]

When I picked my Element up last night from the service dept. they had performed the new TSB under the wiper cowling to separate a seam, etc.
This was in addition to the first TSB done with the felt applications. On the way home in rattled like it's old self as if in defiance of what I was trying to do." I am starting to think some sort of alien lives under my dash :?

Anyway I got off early from work today just so I could go by and let the service advisor ride with me so he could hear the rattle. He definitely heard it and I am sure it wasn't music to his ears. I got to speak with the mechanic at length about the rattle also. Honda had put out an advisory that this new thing going on under the wiper cowling was a potential fix for the rattle as of Dec. 23 I believe. Sadly this did not work if he did do exactly what was required. He certainly seemed sincere in his efforts and explained in detail what had been involved thus far and what would probably ensue on round #4. Round #4 involves complete removal of the dash and access to where he needs to be to try to eliminate the rattle sounds pretty tough going and very time consuming. He seems willing though and so the Element will be back in the shop on Tuesday, Jan. 6th. I truly hate all this but I just can't let it go. It is so in your face and persistant that it is impossible to ignore for anyone who ride in the vehicle. I told the mechanic I probably will drive him to drink this New Years eve. He laughed and I really at one point considered buying him a bottle of something nice just to show that I appreciate his efforts. Maybe cookies would be a better route. Don't want to incapacitate him before the big job on my Element. :lol: I plan on making some calls on Monday to Honda Customer Service and also the regional manager just to let them know what is going on. The whole thing just seems to have snowballed to something bigger than I had hoped. I just hope the Element doesn't have any new problems pop up. This dash thing certainly is enough. I also left the 47 pages of the "Annoying Dash Rattle" thread and pleaded with them to go over it before my next appointment.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

So, I have owned my Element for one month as of yesterday.

It is in the shop for the third time for the same problem.

First time: no improvement in the rattle.

Second time: I printed the info from this thread, they 'spread the seam' and the rattle was gone temporarily.

Rattle came back within one week.

Third time: Day one: dealer says "we don't hear anything." I drive back to the dealership in my rented (they paid for it) PIECE OF CRAP Hyundai to drive the Element with the service manager. Guess what....we both hear a rattle. I was ready to punch someone.

Day two: They drive it cold in the morning. Everyone and their mother can hear it.

They TELL me that there has been a new TSB issued by Honday as of TODAY (12/31/03) regarding this issue. I am due to pick the car up by 5pm today (Pacific), and I will post the results here, and I will also get any relevant information I can regarding a new TSB.

The dealership hates me. I told the service manager that I would bring it back everyday, forever until they fixed it. And the 'child' that wrote up the ticket at first said that he couldn't give me a rental. Believe me, I set him straight. I'm the kind of guy that they would buy the car back from...because I can be a relentless a-hole when I want to.

I just picked up my Element from being repaired (for the third time) for this rattle.

They performed TSB 03-090 which is what you described.

Keep your fingers crossed. So far, mine is quiet.

TSB 03-090 was performed on my Element today.

It involved removing the wiper cowling and 'spreading the seam.' Which is what they were supposed to do the last time, but we'll see if this one works.

Again, good luck guys!

-brendan

Wouldn't you know it.

I'll read the TSB - hopefully it's posted somewhere - and fix it myself.

The dealer techs had the dash apart the day I bought it to fix the heater mode servo. True to form, I found a stray panel clip. I have grown quite tired of taking cars to dealerships for service (of any kind) and having them come back with missing fasteners.

:evil:

Since my repair is Ellicott City, my E has been nothing but a quiet satisfying ride! :)

Maybe you should hook-up with Emass to design some kind of sound system for you car that will cancel out the rattle...maybe play some type of music that uses rattles (or "sounds of the rattlesnake")...or maybe hum really loud?

Seriously, that sucks...Maybe mine rattles but I don't notice it?

>...'spreading the seam.'

Spreading what seam? The seam between the two plastic cowl halves?

My rattle may or may not be the "classic" E dash rattle - slightly right of the center of the dashboard, towards the front, mostly happens on bumps from the left front. Is this similar to what everyone else is reporting?

I know that mine is not the cowling. I removed it completely along with the wipers, and the rattle was still there.

It's not the cowling itself, but two arms underneath in that area that meet together with some sort of goo.

There are pictures of this (from a few months ago) on here or the other Element forum -- I'll see if I can find them.

I was hoping that the new TSB is what dealt with.

[quote:9b180058e5=" "]It's not the cowling itself, but two arms underneath in that area that meet together with some sort of goo.

There are pictures of this (from a few months ago) on here or the other Element forum -- I'll see if I can find them.

I was hoping that the new TSB is what dealt with.[/quote:9b180058e5]

I would like to see those pics too. The service dept. said they performed this TSB on my dash but it did not work either. They are at a loss as to what to do at this point. I have called the toll free # of Honda Customer Service and listed my complaint on this problem. I asked them what would happen if my service dept could never fix the rattle. They said there should be no reason that they should not be able to find the problem eventually. This will be the fourth time I have left it to be worked on.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

I have the right side rattle too now and have to bring it in. I tried stuffing stuf between the dash and window but does nothing. The sound is under the dash or down under window somewhere.. I guess the cowl thing needs to be adjusted. Ill report back. Im going to record the sound it makes and post it up/

What a turn of events in my 4-month saga to fix my dashboard rattle!!

My 74 year old mother was riding shotgun in my forever-rattling E yesterday when she said "your rattle is not coming from the right side of your steering column, it's coming from the extreme right area of the dashboard where the windshield meet the dash....right HERE"!

BINGO!

The rattle stopped!

She promptly took off her scarf and shoved it deep within the area between the windshield and the dashboard on the far right.

For all of you struggling with the rattle, stop what you're doing, grab a friend and run out to your E for a test drive and try this!

Now, my mother won't stop talking about what all she is going to buy with all the money she's going to get from Honda for finding the fix!

I can't wait to take my E into the dealership and tell them the story...now I wonder how Honda is going to fix it once I remove my mother's scarf??!?!

Lord of the Rattles - Memphis

[quote:787df461d1=" "]I can't wait to take my E into the dealership and tell them the story...now I wonder how Honda is going to fix it once I remove my mother's scarf??!?!
[/quote:787df461d1]

Maybe save yourself a trip to the dealership by poking in a felt square or business card in the right spot. Or find a scarf that matches your car's interior...

Bill

that is what i did. well, i used a little piece of plastic (designed as a level for a wobbly table), but the idea is the same and it works great (plus i didn't have to spend any time at the dealership)

Hi Folks,

I've been getting sick and tired of listening to my passenger side dashboard creek and 'pop'. Hell, it's even been to the dealer a few times for the damn sound and every time I pick it up it's creek-free.. for about 15 miles!!! Then it's back to 'normal' again... Creeeeeeeeeeeeeek!

I found this TSB - FINALLY - on the other Element website. I'm gonna give it a whirl tonight when I get home - looks simple enough. I even called my dealer and told them I found the TSB they never seem to get around to doing and that I'd do it myself. If it works, I'm sending 'em a bill for my time :twisted:

http://www.hondaelement.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4019

With all the windshield issues out there - I thought I'd try and breathe a little more life into this old - but very informative - thread.

Boat Drinks!

-DJ

Are everyone's dashboard rattling/creeking issues being resolved? I don't all that many threads on the issues any more and was just curious.

Haven't performed the TSB yet to split the seam under the wiper cowling. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll do the trick.

-D

Danawj,
Read my post to this thread dated Dec 22 - it is now mid March and there has been no change in the last 3 months - my E is still a rattle box. I am hoping that warmer weather stops the rattles, creaks and clicks coming from the dash area and elsewhere.

On the rare warm day during the winter the sounds have diminished - I am hoping that Spring & Summer will do the trick to fix what Honda & the dealer network is incapable of doing.

Perhaps, why you haven't seen many posts to this thread is that it found its way to the back of "Problems & Issues" items and people either post a new thread or think their E is the only one with this problem and accept it.

Good Luck!

H2O,

have you tried my fix for the dash rattle? i took a small plastic wedge and jammed it in the seam where the a-pillar meets the dash. i did this on the drivers side and the rattle went away. i realize that this is not a perfect solution, but the piece of plastic is really quite small (in 17k miles noone has ever noticed it there or asked me why it was there) and it really seems to have fixed the rattle. i would have liked honda to fix the rattle, but i am more affraid of the damage they will do if they try to repair it...

mborkow,
I tried the wedges method and it didn't make a difference, noises persisted. The problem appeared to be resolved at the end of last July after 3 months of off and on visits to the dealer that I've detailed earlier in this thread. With the onset of winter, a host of dash creaks, rattles, clicks, etc returned - primarily noticeable at highway speeds (60-70 mph) and over roads that have sharp expansion joints or simply rough pavement, on perfectly smooth roads the sounds are minimized. Again, I hope that with the return of warmer weather all these sounds go away.

I think what we have here is a vehicle with a lot of plastic, a compromised design because of flex in the vehicle introduced by not having a pillars between the doors and a vehicle that was built to a price. We've relied on Honda to make a quality vehicle and they have, they just didn't get this area right. Not sure my next vehicle will be a Honda after this experience...

So, good luck with all of the rattle boxes out there...

H20,
I apologize for not reading the entire thread, but did you have TSB-090 performed? This is the one that splits/caulks the seam under the cowl. If you did not, I would have it done. If you already had it done, I would take it back and have them add more caulk. The reason I mention this is because when I took my car in for this TSB, the service writer told me that they made sure that they added enough caulk. He also said that some dealerships don’t add enough. From other posts I have read, it took two times back to the dealership to get it right.

Hi Folks,

My dash creeking is gone.. period. Per an earlier post I made, I finally got some free time and performed TSB 03-090. I had tried the foam/plastic/cardboard/felt solution many other times with little result - so I felt I had nothing to lose! And after asking my dealership twice to do it - and twice they neglected my request - it was time to get dirty under the hood. Boy... what an EASY fix!

After getting in there and spreading the joints - BEARLY spreading the joints - I was thinking that if this worked, it's probably NOT a solution for the rattling sound that many have encountered. There's NOTHING under the wiper cowling that's loose or looks like would vibrate. But low and behold, this seems to have done the trick for the creek! < knock on wood! >

Just thought I'd share my good news in my ongoing struggle for a quiet E :D

Boat Drinks!

how long did it take you to do perform the tsb?

Mornin',

Not as long as I originally thought. The tough part (for me) was figuring out how to remove the cowling once the wiper arms were off. After that, all that was needed was a flat-head screwdriver and a little elbow grease. From a visual perspective, it looks like I didn't separate a thing - but the end result says otherwise. Total time - including a good test drive - maybe 30 minutes.

Please note that I also scrapped off that damn putty while I was in there as outlined in the DIY Fix procedures on Hondaelement.org:

http://www.hondaelement.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4019

Perhaps the combination of the DIY Fix AND TSB 03-090 did the trick. Hope this helps!

danawj,

i don't see any mention of scraping any putty...is it in that thread?

God, I'm sorry about that... Here's the thread for the DIY fix that involves a little scraping & bending:

http://www.hondaelement.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2970&perpage=15&pagenumber=2

Good luck!

[quote:c13ae30aaa=" "]Are everyone's dashboard rattling/creeking issues being resolved? I don't all that many threads on the issues any more and was just curious.

Haven't performed the TSB yet to split the seam under the wiper cowling. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll do the trick.

-D[/quote:c13ae30aaa]


I still have my dash rattle even after 4-5 trips to the service dept. I think I may have given up on it. I just don't have the time or energy to deal with it anymore. I hate the rattle and it shouldn't be there but I hate going to the dealer and leaving it for days. Maybe I will hang some windchimes from the rearview mirror. At least that will sound pretty. I have had every TSB in the book done and it hasn't helped at all.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

LittleDogBox:
I think your experience may be typical of many owners of this vehicle and others. Hopefully warmer weather will give many of them some relief from all of the noises that are generated by the E.

Are there any other owners who have had similar experiences that LittleDogBox and H20 have w/regards to noises that the local Honda dealer has been unsuccessful at eliminating? We hope that Honda monitors this site and would actually do something to eliminate this problem, but that may be a little too much to hope for.

Rattling on down the road...

Last thread I saw from H20 on this topic was in 2003 and he thought that maybe his problem was finally fixed but was waiting for the cold weather to confirm. Have not seen any follow-up posts so am wondering if the caulking ended up being the real final solution as I am having the same problem with my EX that I bought at 2003 year end.

Also have noise on the back passenger side around the doors somewhere. Had my husband sit in the back seat to try to locate the noise but darn it, the noise did not appear while he was back there! These coming and going noises really drive me whacky.

Euphonium,
If you read back a little on a post I made to this thread back on Dec 16, Dec 22 '03 and Mar 17 '04 the rattles continue in my E. Others have experienced this same thing (LittleDogBox, LordOfTheRattles, and perhaps others). There is a lot of reading to this thread, but I think the conclusion I reached in my post of Mar 19 '04 may be correct.

It is interesting that Consumer Reports recommends the Element as a good vehicle to buy - perhaps as far as price goes, but you'll have to love its quirks and its rattles...

Good luck eliminating the noises, there are many to pursue.

I'm convinced now that there's a direct correlation between the creeking behind the dash and the windshield cracking.

Okay - so I'm about a week into my 4th windshield when I decide that the time is right to perform TSB 03-090 to spread the seam under the wiper cowling. I do so - and with wonderful results I might add. No more annoying creek! So life is good for about a week when all of the sudden... ssssSSSSNAAAAAP! The windshild cracks AGAIN!

Just to add insult to injury, the creeking has returned too. My thought is that by spreading the seam, it added a little more pressure to the windshield - perhaps causing it to crack with less outside strain. Ugh... can't I have my cake AND eat it too???

Anyone else in my boat, or am I sailing alone these days?

Fins Up!

-D

Five stress-cracked windshields would make your E a lemon under the law, yes?

-brendan

One would assume so, yes. However each time it's cracked, the dealer has chalked it up to an impact and such. But you know what? Anyone who's got half a brain in their head would agree that four replacement jobs - and five windshields - in a three month period has got to be attributed to something MORE than just crappy luck on the road.

This is the last time I go through the insurance company for a windshield replacement. Next time it cracks... and believe me, it WILL, I'm going to take a couple days off and camp out at the damn dealership and get this taken care of once and for all!

Hey - at least this one cracked a little differently than the last ones. It came up the center - more towards the driver's side - and then did this funky 'Y' split. It's the worst one by far - but hey, it's different. Gotta love variety :wink: Just trying to keep a positive attiture here...

By the way folks - I've had OEM Honda Windshields installed every time. Maybe next time I'll go for aftermarket and see what happens.

-Fins Up!

-D

so, today i brought in my E for the dash rattle, and i gave the service rep the two tsbs...he just called me and told me that the tech who was working on my car said that the problem was something else and that he needed some more time to fix it...not sure yet what it is, but i will post details when i get more info

[quote:1a1264b73c=" "]By the way folks - I've had OEM Honda Windshields installed every time. Maybe next time I'll go for aftermarket and see what happens.
[/quote:1a1264b73c]

Maybe we can find a Lexan replacement...

Bill

here is what they did to my E and i think it is helping. they removed the gage cluster (driver side) and insulated the area between the body and dash with foam.

I'm convinced now that there's a direct correlation between the creeking behind the dash and the windshield cracking.
i have spoken to two techs at glass repair shops (who work on a lot of hondas) and they really didn't think that it was possible that the windshield could be moving/wiggling around and causing a rattle. they both said that once the windshield was seated there was no way it could move around.

[quote:e1ba3b5717=" "]Maybe we can find a Lexan replacement...[/quote:e1ba3b5717]

Lexan is tough, but when it does break...well, I wouldn't want to be sitting there...

-brendan

It seems as though as soon as I get one problem resolved, another one springs up. With my latest windshield in, the creeking is almost gone... but now I have this obnoxious 'tapping' sound coming from behind the glove compartment! Funny thing is.. I only hear it when I'm at highway speeds.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

-D

[quote:b14b574cfb=" "]It seems as though as soon as I get one problem resolved, another one springs up. With my latest windshield in, the creeking is almost gone... but now I have this obnoxious 'tapping' sound coming from behind the glove compartment! Funny thing is.. I only hear it when I'm at highway speeds.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?[/quote:b14b574cfb]

Perhaps one of the mechanics is still wedged behind the dashboard, holding the loose bits in place. and he's trying to get you to slow down a bit?

-brendan

[quote:e09d51a15f=" "][quote:e09d51a15f=" "]It seems as though as soon as I get one problem resolved, another one springs up. With my latest windshield in, the creeking is almost gone... but now I have this obnoxious 'tapping' sound coming from behind the glove compartment! Funny thing is.. I only hear it when I'm at highway speeds.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?[/quote:e09d51a15f]

Perhaps one of the mechanics is still wedged behind the dashboard, holding the loose bits in place. and he's trying to get you to slow down a bit?

-brendan[/quote:e09d51a15f]


Now is the time for me to start selling my rearview mirrow windchimes to the
"DASH RATTLE" crowd. :lol:
After every TSB in the book done to my dash the rattle is still there and I don't expect it to EVER go away after taking it in 4 times already. SOooooo,
who wants to sign up for those pretty sounding rearview mirror windchimes to drown out that nasty dash rattle ????

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

[quote:b805f274c9=" "]Now is the time for me to start selling my rearview mirrow windchimes to the "DASH RATTLE" crowd. :lol: [/quote:b805f274c9]

:)

I already have 'em! Well, sorta...I keep all my spare change in the overhead storage area...

:)

-brendan

[quote:aba8440e39=" "][quote:aba8440e39=" "]Now is the time for me to start selling my rearview mirrow windchimes to the "DASH RATTLE" crowd. :lol: [/quote:aba8440e39]

:)

I already have 'em! Well, sorta...I keep all my spare change in the overhead storage area...

:)

-brendan[/quote:aba8440e39]

I have an even better idea than the windchimes! My dog has a "Wiggley Giggley Ball" and everytime it rolls it giggles. Now if I just let this ball roll around the back of the Element and let it giggle I can't help but just giggle along with it. :) All I will hear is giggles and no more dash rattle. On the other hand I might end up having the thing wack me in the back of the head when I have to slam on my brakes. I definitely wouldn't hear anything after that because I would be knocked out, it's pretty solid ball. :roll:

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

I have an appointment to get my dash rattle fixed at the dealer. Do they have to remove parts to fix the problem per the TSB? How much time should the "fix" take?

This site has been very helpful!!! Love my hamshack on wheels! Bob

I have the same thing going on. When I told the dealer, they said, "There was a TSB, we fixed it" and then it started again.

Mine sounds like you are carrying a gas grill behind the left drivers side dash, and the cooking grid is rattling around. It is pretty bad sometimes.

It's enough to really annoy me, as one of the reasons I have always bought Hondas is that they don't rattle like all American cars I have owned.

I too have the rattle that comes and goes and have had the E in the shop for it 3 times. The last time I thought they got it because I didn't hear it for a day, but its back now. Basically I have given up on it. Someday Ill try to find it but right now I would rather just enjoy the car rather than have everything else damged from workers tearing the dashboard apart. The first time they got in there they broke this little plastic panel on the outside of the car. Luckily they owned up to it and ordered a new one.

[quote:5c99c7d84a=" "]I too have the rattle that comes and goes and have had the E in the shop for it 3 times. The last time I thought they got it because I didn't hear it for a day, but its back now. Basically I have given up on it. Someday Ill try to find it but right now I would rather just enjoy the car rather than have everything else damged from workers tearing the dashboard apart. The first time they got in there they broke this little plastic panel on the outside of the car. Luckily they owned up to it and ordered a new one.[/quote:5c99c7d84a]


I had my dash taken apart 4 times and thankfully only ended up with some small scratches around the dash trim. Now is the time to by a dash trim kit. :lol: It could have been worse for as long as they had it. The rattle like yours was never fixed and is just as loud as it ever. I have given up for the time being as well. There is just more to life than worrying about the stupid dash rattle. If I have to take it in for something else like another oil change I might have them take another stab at it. But I feel if they haven't been able to locate it after 4 times I think they are just wishing I will go away. No one likes a dash rattle, they are annoying but so is running back and forth to the dealer and worrying about the other possible damage that could be done while it is being worked on. It would be soooooo nice if I could fix it myself. Too bad, it sounds so close like I could be my hand right on it.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

Well as somewhat expected, the noises coming from my dash are currently in hibrination with the onset of warmer weather here in Northern Ohio. However there still seems to be an assortment of other noises to keep me company on all but the smoothest of roads.

So anyone with noises from the dash or front pillars take note, if you get your dealer to address your dash noises successfully, those noises or others will return with colder weather. The build quality of the Element is just not up to Honda's usual standards - and it doesn't matter that Consumer Reports recommends this little piggy or not, they don't read this website.

got mine fixed and its totally rattle free .... all they did was pull off the wiper and adjust the metal seem by the corner of the windshield. ahhhhh now i can listen to music quietly and not get annoyed by rattles :wink:

Free at last no more rattle :lol: Had the TSB-090 done and everything is as quite as a church mouse. Had the other TSB done earlier but didn't work, this one did it.
Itchy

I'm sorry if this topic has already been covered. I've noticed a squeaking sound in my steering wheel whenever I turn the wheel to the left or right. Does anyone else have this problem? What did you do about it?

I had the right hand side creaking sound (like fingernails on the windshield). Took it into the dealer here in Fort Collins, CO and told them about TSB-090. They did the TSB and told me the problem was fixed. Got in the Element and the first speed bump in their parking lot I hit the noise was back.

I took it back a couple months later for an oil change and printed out a few of the posts here. One of which said to put caulk between the seam as well. They did this and the problem is gone. They also stuck some extra metal in there as well. I'm not sure exactly what they did but the TSB-090 is not good enough to fix the problem.

My machine is the first one that they have seen with this problem and they said they would make a note of it. I'll have to say that they treated me very well considering I was there telling them how to fix their product. When I brought the Element in this time it was raining so it was not even possible to take them for a test drive to listen to the noise.
They actually listened to me and fixed the problem. This is so much better than dealing with a Ford dealership.

If you need your Element fixed I would suggest dealing with Steve Palmer at Markley Motors (970)-226-2214.

Thanks again to everyone who has contributed to this thread. There seems to be many folks who have had their noises fixed.

I guess people have grown tired of posting their pesky dash rattle noises. Haven't seen any posts on this subject for weeks. I did notice, however, that the rattling/creaking noises appear at colder temps. This must be why we don't see any posts from E owners living in the South and none after the month of March. That's interesting! Also, I wonder if the rattling was more of a problem for 2003 Es. I have a 2004 with 2000 miles on it and no noises...yet. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I just found the actual TSB (03-090) myself (on the other forum), and after reading it thought I would give it a try. I have endured the creaking from the passenger side dash for too long (and taken it to the dealer 4 times with no success on any of them).

Unbelievably, it took me less than 30 minutes to perform the TSB, and it appears (still holding my breath) the creak is gone...!!! Now, I am only hoping that I didn't do anything to aggrevate the windshield....

My problem-an annoying rattle-click-scratching noise from the lower passenger side window area at all driving speeds.

1st vist to Honda-got the car back with the noise still there (I think all they did was add the extra pieces of foam under the plastic dash pieces)

2nd visit-they did the TSB fix that gets at the body panels from under the outside plastic pieces coverning the windshield and injects RTV in spaces and openings. It almost worked - all the noises went away-EXCEPT above 60MPH-still had an annoying clidking sctratching noise.

3 visit to Honda-they couldnt figure out what else to do-having exhausted the TSB soluitons.

My solution-First I redid the what Honda did on the second visit-it didnt help.

Second-Dont do this-I injected the expanable foam that you can buy in a spay can into the body pillar underneath the inside plastic trim covering the passenger front window pillar. At first I thought all was well-until after about 3 hours when I started to get foam coming out of every crevice there was. Luckily I didnt cause any damage by the time all the foam stopped expanding. Bottom line-It didnt make the above 60MPH noise go away

THE SOLUTION!!! I first taped down the external plastic trim that covers the Passenger side front window Pillar-LO and behold the noises went all away. Second I removed the external plastic trim (this is tricky-you can break the plastic if you dont know how to remove it). No noise with the plastic removed also. I havent done this yet, but I plan to install the plastic trim back using a bunch of RTV. It appears that at high sppeds wind turbulence moves some of the platic around enough to cause the noises.

In any case it looks like thre were 2 sources of the noise-One fix alone will not get rid of the noise (at least in my case). I can sleep soundly tonight

Just figured I'd let you all know that I may have come up with a fix for the notorious dash rattle. Mine started after I had my windshield replaced due to the usual cracking as stated in the Windshield Issues forum.

If you paid attention to the original windshield before replacing it, you would have noticed that there is a layer of foam in between the glass and the dash that has miracuously disappeared upon replacement. I was told by the dealership I purchased the car from that it is "Purely Cosmetic". Yeah right!

The FIX: go to an auto parts store or grocery store and buy a foam sponge. Stuff the sponge in between the dash and windshield, and WAH-LAH, problem solved!

Its seems a bit idiotic, but its taken two dealerships and a lot of frustration, but in the end I figured it out. Kind of sad really.

Please let me know if it works for you! And good luck to you all!!!!!!!!

I love solutions, but I hate it when people think there's a word like "wah-lah"!

It just so happens, that there's a French word (viola) which is pronounced "wah-lah". It means (the American equvialent of): "Oh, Duh!"

Rats, I wish I hadn't made that comment about name calling, Colin!

It's voila, not viola. The latter being a string instrument played with a bow (among other things).

And back on topic: that's an excellent find Lucky Monkey! Now, how do we educate all the dealers, esp. the ones that farm out the windshield repairs to 3rd parties (e.g. almost all of them) about this fix? :)

-brendan

[quote:a663e44431="Brendan"]...It's voila, not viola. The latter being a string instrument played with a bow...[/quote:a663e44431]

"OWNED"!!!! ;)

ROFLMAO!!!! :D

Seriously though, Thanks Monkey (and WELCOME to EOC!!) :) For what it's worth, I've not had a problem with dash rattling, but I must've missed that piece of foam when I had my (original) windshield replaced... I didn't see one present. Anyhow, I found it helpful to take pictures of the whole process, start to finish (which, by the way Brendan, is the BEST way to ensure that a third party installer does what they are supposed to! I had to remind my installer to paint over the scratch marks he left in the paint when he cut out the seals! If I hadn't, rust would've surely formed in those locations.). Here are some of my photos for your viewing pleasure :) (Warning: These pictures have been rated "E");

http://homepage.mac.com/jasonraynow/PhotoAlbum3.html

LEGO

[quote:312de512e5=" "]I love solutions, but I hate it when people think there's a word like "wah-lah"!

It just so happens, that there's a French word (viola) which is pronounced "wah-lah". It means (the American equvialent of): "Oh, Duh!"[/quote:312de512e5]

The french version is actually pronounced, "vwah-lah"!, but whatever!

Congrats and welcome Lucky Monkey! Now that that pesky rattle's gone think of the possibilities! For example, take the rear seats out and voila, you can haul a whole gaggle(?) of violas! :wink:


8)

How many of you still have a dash rattle that hasn't been eliminated by the current TSB's ?

Unfortunately I still have mine after several trips to the Dealer.

my dash doesnt rattle, yet, but the dr side window does. first noticed this winter. very annoying. when i pull window switch up, it stops for a few minutes, and then rattles again. very disappointed in honda.

i fixed the a-pillar rattle by taking the a-pillar trim off and super glueing a small piece of rubber band on the side of the dash where the a-pillar was hitting it....works great and you can't even see the rubberband

i fixed the a-pillar rattle by taking the a-pillar trim off and super glueing a small piece of rubber band on the side of the dash where the a-pillar was hitting it....works great and you can't even see the rubberband


Any chance you can take some photos of what you did? Would love to get rid of my rattle.

LittleDogBox
Arlington, Va.

go to www.hondasuv.com there is an illustration there....you just grab the top of the a-pillar trim and pull and it pops off...then you can just do what you think is best...if it doesn't work you can take it off and try again :lol: the hardest part is getting the black rubber back on top of the a-pillar trim as you're snapping it back in place.....it's not that bad though...i just used a pen and worked it over the trim as i put it back on.

a bump for little dog box