Post by
JPS48 »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/jps48-u151832.html
Tue Feb 02, 2010 11:32 am
I realize much has been written on this topic previously but I thought I'd share one fix I've discovered thus far. It isn't new and has been recommended before but in slightly different ways.
It relates to the perceived 'dash rattling against the windshield,' a noise that drives one crazy and which you'd swear is coming from just about every other place but there.
Following other posters' advice, I tried small squares of foam on a temporary basis and achieved some relief but discovered in one location, it actually made things worse. I then experimented by placing foam every few inches all the while doing a tap test on the dash's surface. In some locations, the foam in place caused new or increased rattles and in others it silenced them entirely.
Also, I think I discovered is that in my case, it wasn't so much the windshield contacting the dash as it was the dash not fully seating tightly down on items below it and that causing some rattling.
I ended up using 3/8" x 3/8" closed cell sponge rubber tape generally used for home weatherstripping. Fortunately it comes in a very dark grey shade virtually identical to the dash. I left the peel off paper which is white on it and simply ran two continuous strips, one on top of the other, from the rightmost passenger side over to the right side of the VIN viewing window.I inserted one strip at a timewith the backing paper pointed towards the dash tucking it into the crevice with a thin wooden shim. Even with two layers, you cannot see the foam at any point nor the edge of the white backing paper.
As for the section from the VIN window to the leftmost point of the dash, I initially did the same there but discovered doing so produced even louder rattles so I removed it.
Is this a long term fix? We'll see what happens in warmer weather when I suspect all the other rattles eminating from the dash will go silent, just as many, but not all of them do today, once the interior is sufficiently warmed up.