corradoMR2
Active Member
If you hear a small ticking by your ear as you drive, it can be due to a combination of one or all of the three sources:
1. The slight motion of the door frame's plastic trim hitting against the door's metal frame beneath it. This is because the trim is not tightly assembled on the door's frame and its plastic moving on metal makes the ticking.
2. Part of the sound is also from the motion against the rubber door seal - plastic moving on rubber.
3. The slight motion of the entire door over irregular roads thanks to the door latch not being as tight as it should. You can tell if your door is "loose" by lightly placing your fingers in between the plastic trim and rubber at the top portion of the frame. You will feel the door moving up/down if you have this issue.
This DIY is to address points 1 + 2, the plastic trim and rubber, to eliminate the majority of the ticking. The latch tightening should be addressed by the dealer, although at the time of this writing, I have not yet pursued this.
Here is the trim in question, shown for the passenger door. (All steps equally apply for the driver's door)
Fully roll down the window. Carefully insert a prying tool with light to moderate force to snap away the trim from the frame.
Pry along the entire trim, and lift up the bottom section to free it .
Apply felt tape along the inside, in particular over protrusions (contact points)
Apply felt tape along the metal door frame lip beneath the rubber
Snap the trim back on. It will feel tight.
Apply a silicone spray along the rubber seals found on the door frame and the car's frame (not shown).
DONE!
1. The slight motion of the door frame's plastic trim hitting against the door's metal frame beneath it. This is because the trim is not tightly assembled on the door's frame and its plastic moving on metal makes the ticking.
2. Part of the sound is also from the motion against the rubber door seal - plastic moving on rubber.
3. The slight motion of the entire door over irregular roads thanks to the door latch not being as tight as it should. You can tell if your door is "loose" by lightly placing your fingers in between the plastic trim and rubber at the top portion of the frame. You will feel the door moving up/down if you have this issue.
This DIY is to address points 1 + 2, the plastic trim and rubber, to eliminate the majority of the ticking. The latch tightening should be addressed by the dealer, although at the time of this writing, I have not yet pursued this.
Here is the trim in question, shown for the passenger door. (All steps equally apply for the driver's door)
Fully roll down the window. Carefully insert a prying tool with light to moderate force to snap away the trim from the frame.
Pry along the entire trim, and lift up the bottom section to free it .
Apply felt tape along the inside, in particular over protrusions (contact points)
Apply felt tape along the metal door frame lip beneath the rubber
Snap the trim back on. It will feel tight.
Apply a silicone spray along the rubber seals found on the door frame and the car's frame (not shown).
DONE!
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Lots of felt/fabric options at craft stores and so on. In this application though it would be too thick and interfere with the clipping back-on of the trim.
