MetalMan55

I have an intermittent dashboard rattle coming from the area in front of the driver. Most noticeable at highway speeds and over rough pavement. Took it into dealership last week and couldn't reproduce (of course) on short drive with the service tech. Caught the rattle this morning and have audio file which I sent to the dealership this morning; it's a .m4a file and can't be uploaded to the forum. Sounds like loose HUD module. Anyone else experiencing rattle in this area? Car is very quiet otherwise and this rattle is quite evident and irritating when it occurs.

thetrev68

Yes, my advance has the same rattle. If you push down on the plastic around the HUD it will go away. I haven't taken it in but i assume they can stuff some felt up in there to fix it. Just waiting for something more serious before I bother taking it in.

dblwishbone

I had the same issue with my 2019 Advance; it comes and goes, though I had always assumed it was in the roof.

leomio85

... the wind deflector for the pano sunroof rattles around quite a bit over rough pavement. I narrowed it down to that and removed it (very easy and doesn't require any tools). Eliminated that rattle point. If you're hearing it from your roof, it's 100% that. Most people just probably don't notice it, but every single wind deflector rattles on these cars due to poor design/engineering. If you really want, you can actually shove your hand past the seal and feel how much it vibrates over rough pavement. Acura didn't put strong enough springs to keep it snugly in place while the sunroof is closed, or didn't put insulation in the right places which allows the hard surfaces to bounce off each other and creates an audible rattle. I wonder if they even took this car out over an NVH course before selling them. The amount of rattles, creaks and other misc noises from the interior on the 3G RDX is unacceptable IMO.

dblwishbone

That darn roof; maybe it's because I live in a sunny state but the panoramic roof is so ridiculous. Too much heat/noise intrusion into the cabin and a potential rollover hazard. I'd have been happy with a simple moonroof.

leomio85

Take it off, it's incredibly easy. Open the sunroof and get a step ladder or simply step up onto the sidesills of the doors. Once up there, press the deflector down a little and start undoing the metal wire that holds it down by pushing them out of their plastic molded housings. Once you have the wire completely free, swivel the whole assembly back until you're able to slide it out of the hinges along the rails. It takes 5mins, if not less, and its entirely reversible if you want to. Mine took longer because I removed the plastic hinges thinking you needed to, but you don't. If you were closer, I'd do it for you.

If you hear clicking/clunking from the rear cargo area, it's either the cargo floor rattling or the seats rattling against the side anchors ... or both. Remedied both those in mine. The floor is more of a click, seats are more of a clunk. Did I mention how unhappy I was with the build quality of this car?

MetalMan55

Yes...I've narrowed this issue to the HUD. When I tap on the dashboard cowling in front of the driver, I can create a vibration. But when I push down on the right side of the HUD and tap, the vibration is gone. Agree that some felt between the cowling and HUD should help to remedy this.

Fortunately, I do not appear to experiencing the other seat or pano-roof rattles in my vehicle....yet!

NooYawkuh

I have always had this. Clunky rattle near the HUD. There have been several complaints about this from Advance owners. Someone else on the forum had them open the dash and fix it.

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g.../#post16451412

I've been reluctant to complain about it because I'm not sure it's worth tearing the dash apart to fix a rattle and possibly introduce three new rattles. I'll try messing with the cowling and see if that does anything but it sounds like it's coming from deep inside the dash.

MetalMan55

Mine's a "clunky" rattle as week; almost like the whole module bouncing around within the cowling.

I spoke with Service Dept and have appointment for next Tuesday. They did indicate that this may involve tearing out the dash but that the job would be assigned to one of their "Master" Technicians.

We'll see....

MetalMan55

I just dropped off my vehicle at the dealership to repair the dashboard rattle. It's clearly coming from the HUD.

What's interesting is that the rattle is evident when the car is cool.

Car is normally parked in my garage overnight. While driving to lunch yesterday, I could hear the rattle over uneven surfaces along the entire route. It was a sunny day and I parked outside. On the way home - same route - can was dead silent, no rattles.

On the way to the dealership this morning, I was able to make several additional audio files of the rattle, clear as day.

So, as the noise disappears when the dashboard is "hot", there evidently some sort of clearance issue between the cowling and the HUD that needs to be addressed.

I purchased this car on July 6, temp in the 90's for several days; so, no wonder that I didn't hear the rattle on my extended test drive.

As an aside, I was given another 2020 Advance with 6/20 build date (mine is 3/20). Outside temp this morning is 63degF. While not as bad as mine, the HUD in this car also rattled on uneven road surfaces.

MetalMan55

OK...got the car back from the dealership today...3 days in the shop.

Technician found a broken wiring harness clip which appears to be the cause of the rattle.

Wiring harness was replaced and additional foam insulation added in several locations in the area behind the instrument cluster.

Drove home from the shop - 5.2miles - over roads that normally had normally caused the rattle. Silence.....

BUT....temps are in the mid-80's and rattle was more persistent when dashboard was cold. Driving over the next few days will be the test.

Fingers crossed.......

dhunt72

I had the same noise, mostly occurring over rough roads. Finally found out it was the State Farm tracker attached to my rear view mirror. Two plastic pieces were rubbing together. Sounded like it was coming from the dashboard. I taped the tracker so the pieces could not move and the sound disappeared.

comanche250

Any update on the rattle. I have a 2020 advance and have a rattle coming from the area between the drivers a pillar and the beginning of the dash.

lrudnick1

Had the same issue on my 2020 Advance. Took it into the dealer last July. Here is what was written on my invoice:

Isolated the noise to the heads up unit and and the windshield defrost vent assembly.
There is insufficient clearance between the the HUD unit and the support ribs of the defrost vent.
Removed all necessary components to gain access to the HUD/Defrost unit.
Isolated the noise by inserting strips of foam tape.
Reinstalled all components and road tests.

I can say that since then, I have had no rattles from the HUD/dash since then and it's been over 6 months. Hope this helps.

comanche250

Thanks...that's helpful!

MetalMan55

Mine's been quiet since the repair. The only niggling rattle remaining appears to be coming from the sunglass holder when driving over irregular surfaces.

Getting ready to trade this one for a 2022 Advance; build date hasn't moved - still 2/9-13. So I'm hoping to take delivery shortly thereafter.

FlopMeister

I have this noise too. It’s not over one bump, but when driving over a chain of bumps (yay Michigan !). But the noise isn’t a clunk, but sounds like crumpling sheets of plastic. I am waiting to go in for my maintenance appt to say something.

dblwishbone

I've had occasional rattle over rough roads too; seems to be coming from the HUD

NooYawkuh

I have mine in the shop right now to have the MOST bus harnesses replaced. They will have to gut much of the interior, including the dash.

Tech I spoke to yesterday said that they've had a number of complaints about this and it seems to be something internal to the HUD itself which they can't service. (The same ol' "Oh, that's normal" reply.) But I said I've heard of some owners having it resolved by opening the dash. He said we'll take a look at it. I also asked that they not introduce any new rattles.

NooYawkuh

Service invoice says they fixed it with felt tape. No more rattle and no more crackling, popping or dropouts from the audio. At least for now. I just hope things stay that way.

rbbcpa

I bought a 2021 RDX Advance in October and noticed the same rattle on a cold day. Returned it to the dealer, and purchased a 2022 RDX A-Spec Advance. Perfectly quiet ride.

DomChav

I had the exact same issue. Bought a 2020 RDX about three months ago. Didn't hear the HUD rattle when I test drove (around noon) but by the time I got home at the end of the day it was apparent and has been rattling ever since. Finally decided to schedule it for its first service and have the HUD inspected at the same time. Of course, the dealer couldn't recreate the sound and refused to pull off the dash (it's been exceptionally hot this week so not rattling as much but still....). Finally after three days of back and forth and also refusing to return the loaner they decided to go ahead and foam tape the HUD as a "customer satisfaction" repair. I sent in multiple screenshots of forum complaints and I think your description was especially helpful in fascilitating a response from the dealer. Thank you for adding your detailed invoice. So far it's been a week and no more rattling!