Well I think I have finally cured the 'creak' from my center console.

I did the felt application between the metallic shifter plate and the console trim piece that surrounds it. But no go. I still had the death creak.

The creak was typical to sound off on acceleration from a stop, or the reverse, when braking to a stop and on the most bumpy roads. CL6 made mention of an unresoved creak from the 'Not an Ashtray' bin just forward of the shifter plate. I believe that was the source on my RL's death creak.

Try this to see if you experience the same (NavyDoc...take notes).

Open the 'Not an Ashtray' bin. Pop out the felt lined bin. Press a few finges into the bin cavity and press side to side. If you hear the death creak...we are on the same page.

This was my cure:

Move the shifter into neutral (I did not remove the shift knob). And yes, I did apply the parking brake.

Pop the trim piece that surrounds the metallic shifter plate. I did not disconnect the power leads. It just needs to be lifted enough to allow the 'Not an Ashtray' assembly to be removed.

Pop out the 'Not an Ashtray' felt lined bin.

After the 'Not an Ashtray' bin is removed, you will see two screws at the bottom of the cavity. Remove the screws and pull out the bin assembly. It too has a power lead, but I did not disconnect. With the console trim piece popped and shifter back in Neutral, you should be able to get it out and aside enough to work inside.

I cut a 1/2 inch packing foam sheet into 3 pieces. One rectangle for the bottom of the bin cavity, one for each sidewall of the bin cavity.

Replace the 'Not an Ashtray' assembly. It does not snap into place, but fits snuggly enough to compress the foam.

Replace screws, replace felt lined bin, replace console trim panel, shift into Park & remove Parking brake.

Test drive to no more death creak! YAY!

Now, time to fire up the mega grille, get the steaks, salmon and chicken ready.

Oh yeah...I earned a cold brew too. (um...well, several).

 

Ok, now for that moon roof creak

 

sunroof creek, teflon tape.
or silicone on the rubber gasket.
the teflon tape has been the factory fix for all honda/acura sunroofs since I can remember.

 

Good post! But Alas... I did that one already. I'm attacking my creaks in stages. This week I took apart the plastic around the Speedometer/Tach..and felted it up... and I took off the silver bars on either side of the center radio stack... felted the crap out of those... then I pulled off the wood trim on the dash... a lot harder to felt in there.. so I settled for some silicone lube. Not creak free... but most ALL of the 'stop/go' creaks are gone... now I just have the occational creek when my dash is hot from sitting in the sun all day... or over certain bumps.

Better but not gone.

My sunroof one was easy... just put some lube on the plastic weatherstripping. I've had to do it twice...so it's a temp fix...but lasts a long time. Just use your vinyl protectant on it everytime you do your dash.

Interestingly.. Now that I'm using my AC... I've noticed that when it cools the vents down, the plastic must contract some, because I've heard some creaks from them when things get cold in hot weather. But it's short lived as soon as they get used to the cold.

 

Yikes! Doc you must have gotten a creakmonster. Have you already unassembled and reassembled your RL? Any leftover parts?

My RL has again retuned to silent. I intentionally drove a washboard road to test it out. I am very pleased.

We'll see if it holds up. But still lightyears ahead of my TL experience.

 

are you referring to

??

I took that baby out and silicon glued the 2 pieces that actually made the bin. I still have some creaks, and mostly they are from the silver shifter trim, which I have yet taken apart....

 

Yep. After removing that assembly, I put foam pieces on the bottom and side of the cavity. Then placed the assembly back in, replaces the screws and the felt lined bin. That did it for me. Now when I press in the bin, and side to side there are no more creaks. Hopefully it will remain creakless.

 

Thank heaven I have a creak-free RL at 8,000 miles.

My otherwise-delightful 2004 TL was a squeaky little devil. One big reason for upgrading was the cacophony of creaks and squeaks in that (unfortunately) US-made vehicle. The Japanese-made RL is vastly superior in build quality. Sorry to see that a few members have less satisfactory experiences. "Monday" cars?

 

Good post guys. I will have to look into this. After applying felt to the silver shifter trim area I noticed a slight creak from that ashtray also when I put my hand in it and push on the edges.

 

I've had to attack 2 creaks.

The first was solved by wedging a fine silken-like cloth behind the passenger-side silver bar where it touched the dash material.

The second was solved by pulling the center console and putting felt under the leading edge of the console (on the rear of the not-an-ashtray.

So far, these have worked pretty well.

I've been impressed with the relative absence of noises in the RL.

Rob144

 

Just thought I post a update. Applied felt to the area Mike noted. Also applied it to backside of the felt lined bin. No more noise now when I stop and go now . One thing I did do was unhook the bin light from the back (simple 90degree twist and it comes out). This allows you to fully remove the bin and apply the felt more precisely.

Now that I'm rattle free I was thinking it's amazing how quiet the RL is until you step into another car.

 

Actually, I just re-read your first post and you actually removed the utility pocket that houses the felt inner case. You did not remove the pocket housing that is depicted in the photo. The photo shows the housing completely removed after you remove the utility pocket.

What's making noises in many RL's is the pocket housing. It is actually made from 2 pieces screwed together. Any 2 pieces of plastic screwed together will make noises. That's why I silicone glued the pieces, so they became 1 piece.

 

Hey, Sam, what kind of felt tape did you use? And where did you get it? I couldn't find one from Home Depot.

 

UW RL,

I believe you are correct. I see you removed the metallic look trim pieces from the center stact. Was that necessary to remove the utility pocket? If so, I did not remove the utility pocket, just one step beforehand with the "Not an Ashtray' assembly.....which is what I foam packed.

If my death creak returns, I will go NavyDoc on it and get all the guts out. But for now it is silent.

 

Nelson, the felt I bought from home depot comes in a rectangle shape about 8"x14". It's used to line the draws in furniture. You can easily cut it and then just unstick the backing and it bonds to anything. Looks very similar to the stuff acura uses, but is green in color

 

ok, I remember seeing those. They are actually dark green felt pads for the furnitures like chair legs or something. They are actually pretty stiff and not condensable. I was actually looking for foam pads or tape that provide some give upon pressing.

 

Once you actually cut it into strips it's quite compressible. I think it was only $1.89, so worth a try .