How to remove creaking in the cabin: causes and troubleshooting
Content
A car creaking like an old cart is at least unpleasant. An obsessive creak causes irritation, sometimes even rage, and, of course, it is embarrassing in front of passengers. Meanwhile, dealing with squeaks can be very difficult. There are a lot of reasons for the appearance of creaking sounds. The main difficulty lies in localizing the source and determining the culprit.
"Crickets" in the cabin
Crickets are experienced by at least three-quarters of drivers. The sounds are usually not loud and usually do not indicate a serious problem.
In most cases, plastic parts creak or rattle, which rub or beat against other parts made of plastic, metal, glass.
The source of unpleasant sounds can be upholstery, seat and back fasteners, wires that have flown off fasteners, a control console, door cards, locks, and much more. The problem appears or worsens in winter when cold plastic loses its elasticity. Finding a specific cause can take a lot of time and is not always successful.
To begin with, you should check simple and obvious things and fix everything that has become loose over time, tighten the screws and self-tapping screws. To secure moving elements and reduce gaps, you can use double-sided tape, anti-creak tape, Velcro, or a variation of it - a mushroom fastener that can withstand significant loads.
Dashboard
This is a very common source of squeaks in the cabin. The panel must be disassembled and glued with anti-creak. The same should be done with the glove compartment, ashtray and other attachments. Antiskrip is available in different colors, so that it can be selected in accordance with the interior trim. Vibration of some elements, such as the glove box lid, can be reduced by using a rubber seal for home windows.
Doors
Squeaking in the doors often occurs due to friction of the upholstery and mounting clips on the metal or door card. Anti-creak tape can also be used here. The looseness of the clips is eliminated with the help of rubber washers.
Annoying sounds often come from locks. In this case, any silicone lubricant in an aerosol can or the well-known WD-40 will help.
You should also ask for the door seals. Remember to cover the glass with paper so that silicone does not get on it.
The power window mechanism may rattle. It should also be lubricated and the mounting bolts tightened. It will not be superfluous to process the door hinges.
If the rubber window seal creaks, most likely dirt has got under it. Wipe it thoroughly with a paper towel.
Worse, when the "cricket" is hiding somewhere inside. Then you have to remove the upholstery, door cards and other elements and install vibration isolation. Such work is best done in the warm season, since in the cold the plastic becomes harder and more brittle, which means that the risk of breaking it increases.
Armchairs
To eliminate creaking in the driver's seat, you need to remove it and grease all places of possible friction with silicone grease. If there are airbags in the car, disconnect the battery before disassembling the seat.
Pay special attention to areas where there are scuffs and peeling paint. While cleaning the seat lift mechanism, raise and lower the micro-lift to allow the lubricant to penetrate into hidden places.
Often the source of the squeak is the fastening of the seat belt buckle, which is located to the right of the driver's seat. And many at first think that the seat itself creaks.
You can check by holding the lock with your hand while driving. If that's the case, the creaking should stop. To fix the problem, you need to move the chair as far forward or backward as possible so that it is easier to get to the mount, and spray grease on the junction of the plate on which the lock is installed with the base of the chair.
It often happens that the seat creaks in one position and a small shift back and forth / up and down solves the problem.
squealing wipers
If the wipers begin to squeak, first make sure that the fasteners are securely latched and the brushes fit snugly against the glass.
Check if the glass is clean, if dirt has stuck to the rubber bands, which, when rubbed against the glass, can make a squeal.
If everything is in order with this, and the wipers continue to creak on wet glass, then it is time for them to go on a well-deserved rest and give way to new ones. The squeaking of the brushes when moving on a dry surface is quite normal.
It could also be the windshield itself. If there are microcracks, dirt accumulates in them, when rubbed against which the brushes creak.
The most troublesome option is the creaking wiper drive. Then you have to get to the mechanism, clean and lubricate. In most cases, this procedure is sufficient.
squeaky brakes
Sometimes the brakes creak so that they can be heard for several hundred meters. In this case, braking efficiency, as a rule, does not suffer, but such sounds are very annoying.
Brake pads have wear indicators, popularly referred to as "squeakers". When the pad is worn down to a certain level, a special metal plate begins to rub against the brake disc, which causes a sharp squeak or squeal. If the pads have been installed for a long time, they may have exhausted their resource and it is time to change them. If the squeaks appear shortly after installation, improper installation may be the culprit.
New pads can also creak for the first few days. If the nasty sound persists, you may have bought poor-quality pads or the friction coating is not compatible with the brake disc. In this case, the pads need to be replaced. Do not skimp on safety, purchase pads of normal quality and preferably from the same manufacturer that made the disc - this will ensure the compatibility of the coatings.
To eliminate whistling, cuts are often made in brake pads that divide the friction lining into parts. The slot can be single or double.
If there is no slot on the purchased block, you can make it yourself. You need to saw through the friction lining. The cutting width is about 2 mm, the depth is about 4 mm.
A warped brake disc can also cause the pads to squeal. The way out in this situation is to groove or replace the disk.
Screeching brakes can be caused by worn parts of the brake mechanism (piston, caliper) and appear not only during braking.
Sometimes, to solve the problem, it is enough to sort out and lubricate the mechanism, and replace worn parts if necessary.
The cause of the squeak can also be banal dirt or sand that has fallen on the pads. In this case, cleaning the brake mechanisms will help get rid of the problem.
Creaking noises in suspension
Extraneous sounds in the suspension are always very disturbing for motorists. Often they indicate a serious problem. Although it happens that the reason is not in the technical condition of the car, but in a bad road. Due to uneven road surfaces, the front suspension is unbalanced, which causes uncharacteristic noise. This is especially noticeable when driving at moderate speeds and in corners. If there is no such noise on a flat road, then there is nothing to worry about.
If a creak occurs in the suspension, one of the pivot joints is most often the culprit. These can be ball joints, silent blocks of levers, tie rod ends, shock absorber bushings. First of all, you should pay attention to parts that have external signs of damage, although elements that look quite safe can also make noise.
The reason usually lies in the loss of lubricant, it dries out or is washed out when the anther is damaged. The sand that enters the hinge also contributes. If it does not come to damage, then thorough cleaning and lubrication will extend the life of such parts.
The rattle often comes from a damaged shock absorber spring, which rubs against the support with its broken end. This spring needs to be replaced.
A worn wheel bearing is also capable of whistling and grinding. To avoid a serious accident, it is best to replace this part as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Obviously, it is simply impossible to describe all the possible causes of creaking sounds in a car. Many situations are very non-standard and even unique. In such cases, it is better to contact specialists or look for an answer on thematic forums on the Internet. And of course, your own ingenuity and skillful hands are never superfluous when it comes to car repair and maintenance.
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