We been hearing a noise when pulling into our driveway at a slight angle from the street when we go over a rain gutter that runs past the driveway. It's a decent bumping sound like something is moving around in the back storage space -- but nothing seems to be doing so. I was looking closely at the back of the car the other day and noticed that there is a hairlline crack to the right side -- from the top of the bumber down maybe 6 inches or so. I'm assuming that the noise I'm hearing when the body flexes a bit going over the gulley. I don't see any evidence that the car was hit (parking lot?). I assume a "fender bender" is the only explanation, but just wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar, and if this might be some sort of defect. (Again, I doubt it, but you never know. I bet it will not be cheap to replace that rear panel.)

 

well, show pics of the crack.

 

It's the panoramic sunroof. It's an extremely common issue ... heck, perhaps it might simply be a standard feature. I lubricated mine with some 3-in-One Silicone oil down in the frame (squirted it down past the rubber seals) and it's remedied the issue since I did it back in April. The damn thing would click and rattle even going down fairly smooth roads. I was about ready to burn the goddamn car to the ground. I guess Acura doesn't believe in lubricating them from the factory. Oddly enough, got the idea from a Porsche service YouTuber that did it as part of a major service on a Macan.

 

 

Of course the crack in the panel might be an issue, but the common issue from what you describe is from the sun roof on most with the noise. I know....trust me....

 

Very interesting. So the answer is to lube the rails to the sunroof? Will the dealer do that? Or is it a DIY?

 

The dealer will not do this for you. They will likely do the TSB for a replacement of the frame. I did this myself because I didn't want the entire interior being torn apart which is necessary to replace the panoramic sunroof rails. My interior has enough rattles as it is without things being taken apart. I did it as a last ditch effort before bringing it to the dealer. So far, it has had very positive results. I'm sure I'll need to re-lubricate it at some point, but seeing as Porsche does it as a semi-regular thing, it's not something I'll quip about. Another member tried using the Shitzhu grease (or whatever it's called) that's a paste and they didn't have much success. I used an oil which I squirted down into the rails so it was likely able to get into places where the paste couldn't. I haven't heard other people doing it, so mine might simply be an isolated case.

As for your crack, perhaps you inadvertently bumped into it while loading or dropped something rather heavy into the cargo area and it cracked? Or somebody bumped you in the parking lot and then left?

 

I’m having a hard time visualizing where this crack is - is it a trim piece? It looks minor but I’d wonder what caused it. If you can get under it and see what might have caused it, that might give you peace of mind…or reveal a bigger problem.

As to the noise, yes that sounds like sunroof creak which is common.