Window Rattles

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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 03:22 PM
  #1  
TL_BLUE's Avatar
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Window Rattles

So I gave my TL in today for service, part of which included annoying rattles coming from both sides of the inner cabin.

I was told that they can't fix the rattles because its due to the windows and that is a known problem with the TLs and there is no fix yet.

There are a number of ways I feel like responding to this, but I thought I would get the feedback of my fellow TL'ers on this before I did so.

How do you think I can resolve this situation? I mean it is just unacceptable to have to drive around with rattles coming from my windows.

What do u guys suggest my options are?
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 03:55 PM
  #2  
AMIC's Avatar
Fightin' Texas Aggie
 
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From: The ATX
I had rattles from the upper part of the windows on both sides also. I took it in and they said they fixed it. I haven't heard it yet. So maybe they did. Then again I probably need to go on my favorite bumpy road and turn the music down to really tell if it's fixed or not.
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 05:55 PM
  #3  
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From: Fog City
Mine also rattles on both sides, and if I open the driver side about 1 1/2 inches down, it rattles like it's about to pop out of the frame. This and the soft brakes, squeaking noise from the heat shield will give them a hand full the next time I bring it in.
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Old Feb 25, 2006 | 01:49 AM
  #4  
Republican TL's Avatar
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From: LI, NY
Honda engineers did a horrible job in their design and QA when it comes to these window frame issues. So many people have this problem. It's too bad they don't own up to the mess and get us a permanent fix.
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Old Feb 26, 2006 | 09:21 AM
  #5  
ry317's Avatar
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When my drivers door window is down, and I close the door there is a very obvious rattle. Is this what you are referring too? Because I'm thinking about getting it checked out.
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Old Feb 26, 2006 | 07:50 PM
  #6  
KawBoy's Avatar
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From: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Someone posted here a fix with pictures and everything, but I just cant find it. I also took my car twice to the dealer because of did and the damn noise is still there.
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Old Feb 26, 2006 | 09:20 PM
  #7  
ry317's Avatar
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I've looked everywhere on the board for it also. It's nice to see another South Floridian on the board. Saw an awesome black a-spec in Sawgrass last week... made me want to order the rims that day!
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Old Mar 2, 2006 | 11:27 PM
  #8  
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Folks,

Newbie here, but I've been a-lurking for a while. My version of the "seventh generation Accord-based rattle trap" is a 2004 Accord EX-L coupe, and I've got many of the same problems you folks do. I've made some progress, thanks to some of the posts here, so I thought I'd return the favor with some stories of my successes.

So, let's talk about "window rattles." With the windows all the way up, my Accord's windows rattled CONSTANTLY. I couldn't go one minute, not one mile, without stereo window jiggling, and it drove me absolutely nuts! I've tried all kinds of different things, and I've learned quite a bit about what works and what doesn't, but this is what ultimately silenced the dang windows for me:

To a certain extent, this thread helped a bit:

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-parts-sale-361/%2A%2Amsd-window-switch%2A%2A-126626/

But, just squirting in some lubricant never worked well enough, or long enough. I had more success with stuffing EPDM rubber weatherstripping up at the top of the window channels. Like this stuff:



But, still, that didn't work well enough. But, the above thread got me thinking about getting "underneath" the main window weatherstripping. Again, simple lubricant didn't get the job done, but then I hit on the idea of getting some of my EPDM weatherstripping UNDERNEATH the Accord weatherstripping, so I gave that a try.

Here's the "main window weatherstripping:"



I've added red lines to the part I'm talking about. Here's a closer look:



I've seen a picture, I believe from this forum, which shows someone pulling this weatherstripping out a little bit, so you might look for that. But, at the back upper corner of the window frame (with the window down, of course!), you can pick into that very corner, and pull out the corner of this weatherstripping, and then continue to pull it out all the way to the front of the window frame, so that it lies outside the outer part of the window frame. You're not really pulling the weatherstripping out of the window frame -- you're just pulling that "outer lip" of it so that you can get underneath it. I used the back end of a pair of tweezers to pry out that first corner, and then it was easy, again with the back end of the tweezers, to zip towards the front of the window and get the whole section of weatherstripping to pull out above the outside lip that the window fits beneath.

So, I did that, then got some alcohol to clean out all of the various lubricants I'd shot up there in the past. Then, I installed a strip of my smallest EDPM weatherstripping directly to the metal window frame, so it would lie directly underneath the OEM weatherstripping. This was the white weatherstripping in the picture above -- "P-shaped" -- with the round, open part of the "P" installed at the top of the window frame, so that the "stick" part of the "P" essentially pointed straight downward.

Since you're just sticking the weatherstripping up to the top of the side of the window frame, it goes in there very easily, and it only took a few minutes to get my EPDM weatherstripping up in there, and then to push the OEM weatherstripping back in place -- now with my white EPDM weatherstripping "underneath" it.

Oh, and the "box" for my white weatherstripping is the middle box in the first picture, right above the bit of white stripping.

So, my white weatherstripping provides a bit of "cushion" beneath the OEM weatherstripping, and that tends to help the whole window / window frame / weatherstripping combination stay locked tightly together, so nothing will move. And, it also "decouples" the OEM weatherstripping from the metal window frame, getting in between the OEM stuff and the window frame. And, it's this dynamic -- the OEM weatherstripping, under pressure from the closed window -- that seems to be moving around against the metal window frame, and thus making the "jiggle" noise that I was hearing, constantly.

And, yes, this solution really worked for me. It has done so for a good month or more. Best of all, any few and far between noises that DO show up get muffled to a VERY substantial degree -- so much that they are barely perceptible, and I can live with that.

So, you might give this a shot. You can get the weatherstripping from any Lowes or Home Depot for about six bucks or so. Popping out the OEM weatherstripping only takes a few minutes, as does installing the EPDM weatherstripping, and then it's another minute to put the OEM weatherstripping back in position. And, it's not the kind of thing you're going to get the dealer to do, nor will you find, I expect, that the dealer can do much of ANYTHING to silence these window jiggles. So, give it a shot, and I hope this helps!
----
thoots
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Old Mar 3, 2006 | 12:48 AM
  #9  
Republican TL's Avatar
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From: LI, NY
Thoots...thanks for this write up. I am going to try this when it gets warmer outside.
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Old Apr 6, 2006 | 02:41 AM
  #10  
PDX3.2TL's Avatar
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Whoa. This write-up deserves a bump! Thanks for the info thoots!
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Old Apr 6, 2006 | 02:57 AM
  #11  
JS + XES's Avatar
I drive a Subata.
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From: Socal
It'll go away someday.. I had the same problem a while ago, but it went away in a couple of weeks.
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Old Apr 6, 2006 | 08:46 AM
  #12  
SilverUA5's Avatar
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From: Fog City
I took it in last week for this problem and it was fine for about a day, but now it's starting to rattle again.
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Old Apr 7, 2006 | 09:33 PM
  #13  
hondafan's Avatar
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From: Indiana
I've had mine in three times and still no fix.
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Old Apr 8, 2006 | 12:30 PM
  #14  
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silicon spray

Hi,
I noticed window rattles coming from the drivers side window. When I took the car in for the first service, they sprayed the window seals (rubber) with a silicon spray, rubbed it in, and I have not heard the rattles since. Try it - cheap fix...
The service advisor suggested I spray the rubber once every 3 months to keep them from drying out.
Hope this helps
MG
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