Hey guys,
I read earlier about someone's problem with a rear-deck rattle...about how they took the seat apart and all. Well, unfortunately, I have a rear-deck rattle as well. It's been bothering me for quite a while, and today, I brought it into my dealer. They checked it out...and said that a couple cars had that problem...the technician said he would order a new strut and shock for me cause he said the padding was probably bad. However, I came home and I tapped my rear deck...left-hand rear deck speaker...and I was able to cause the sound to come back...then I opened the trunk lid...tapped it...and it was gone...so I figured it was the trunk...and I found the same noise when I tapped the carpet covering on the lid b/c on the other side of the carpet is hard plastic...hitting the steel of the trunk lid. So, I used double-faced tape around the entire lining of the carpet covering for the trunk lid. I went for a drive, and the rattling's still there. I was so disappointed, but I really think it's something with the trunk lid. I love the car though...I figured that my previous car, the RSX had rattles as well...but it was just too loud and noisy for me to hear any.

 

I did the EXACT same thing, I put foam tape on the hard plastic piece that meets the trunk, my rattle was much more noticeable with trunk closed. If it was open, I didn't hear it as much. A few people had problems with the senter seat belt actuator. You can get to it through the trunk but you can't really get at it enough to see where you can put some foam, you have to take out the back seat to get to it.

Try this: get in the back seat and pull the center seat belt all the way out until you can't pull it anymore. Make sure you pull it until it "locks". Now hold the seat belt tight and then tap on your rear deck, see if you can hear the rattle then. In my case when I did that, the rattle was gone, I still heard some vibration from the rear deck but that RATTLE was gone. Every now and then that rattle somes back but all I do is pull on the seat belt and let it retract and it seems to go away. Try what I mentioned here and let us know what happens.

 

Thanks man...I'll try that and let u know.

 

http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showt...ar+deck+rattle

It could be much more complicated than what you think. The tin can sound you hear when you knock on the trunk lid may have nothing to do with the real problem.

 

Goldglv, I did what u said...and I could tell that the rattle was definitely coming from the seatbelt mechanism. However, I kept on pulling it tight and everything, but the rattle still persisted. My dealer said it was the shock or the strut, so they ordered a new one for me...however, I think it's the seatbelt. Is it easy to replace the seatbelt? Did you consult your dealer? Thanks.

 

Novice,

I have the same rattle and I am getting ready to take it in to the shop, which dealer did you use? Service advisor?

greg

 

Greg: I went to Chevy Chase Acura mainly because Rosenthal claimed that they did not hear anything. I talked to a nice guy named JD at Chevy Chase (he is super nice and very helpful). Make sure you test drive your car with him so that he can hear it. There is a very good chance that a tech will scratch your car (mainly interior) if ends up removing the back seat. You may want to cover up any plastics and your seat.

Good luck!

 

Novice, did they eventually make the rattle go away? And, was it from the seatbelt? Thanks.

 

rsxbond:

Yes! You have no idea how nice it is not hearing that annoying sound from the trunk area. It was a major deal for the tech to figure out where the noise was coming from. I had to clean up the mess around the back seat and seat belts (oil prints), but I think it was definately worth it. It was not the seatbelt-rather it was rear deck assembly hitting the metal frame. Please read the description of the job they did in the below thread.

http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/show...ear+deck+rattle

 

Got my Rear Deck Rattle fixed today @ Rick Case Acura! It took about 3 hours, and this was the Techinician's diagnosis: "Rattle noise from rear, had to remove deck and bottom cover, re-attached speakers and seat belt retractor properly and insulate with foam." So far, the rattle is gone. Hope this helps anyone w/the same problem.

 

Novice,

Thanks for the referall to JD, the car goes in Tuesday morning. How bad did they scratch the panels? Did they fix that yet? He said it was an unfortunate side effect but they were ordering the peices to fix it.

 

criss: You're welcome. It's not a huge deal at all. They scratched around the plastic pannel near the rearseat. Actually, I was going to let it go, but JD insisted that he would replace it. Fortunately, they have not scratched any metal parts which will be a big deal. Overall, they did a good job. You will know what I mean-driving without clicking noise!

Rsx: Sounds good! I am glad that it was not as complicated as the problem my car had.