Creaking doors? Mystery solved

[golfie1225]

I use blue dawn dish soap and wet a white cotton cloth. Don't use microfiber or it will leave behind a bunch of fluff. I then wipe down all the rubber and felt areas so they're fairly wet and then buff them dry gently. Usually the cloth turns pretty black, even after just 5-6k miles of driving. At this point 90% of the noise is gone. Adding the lube to the door seal (don't forget to lift it to clean it and add lube to all areas), doors, and the harder rubber bits around the window area helps kind of "fluff" the rubber. Hard to explain but it just feels a bit more plush. Then I dry lube the felt area (I use a 3m Teflon variety that's a dropper) as I clean directly behind it with a cotton cloth. This seems to work and noise is gone for 3-4 months, where I wipe it down again with just water and a cotton cloth and it's noise free again for another 3-4 months. Rinse and repeat.

Maybe others have had longer term luck, but that's what has worked for me. Also chassis bracing seems to help the noise when going over uneven road surfaces or driveway curb entry.

Thanks! That’s really comprehensive. I’ll give it a go. I currently only have the dry lube—do you have any recommendations for a wet lube that I could pick up in store somewhere? When I looked for Krytox I could only find it online, and I’m impatient lol (but I’ll order online if it is actually the best product for the job).

 

[victorofhavoc]

I've tried the gummipfledge one and the aeromotive. Both seemed to work fine. I'd guess any other similar fluid will work just fine.

 

[Broe]

I seem to be experiencing a similar issue, however, the noise that I hear is not really a creak. It’s more of a light knock/click/rattle sound that sounds like it’s coming from the driver side door. The noise can be heard when driving over rough and uneven roads, or when sharply cornering.

I cannot hear the noise when the windows are down or partly down, and I can’t hear it when it is raining or has rained recently. Does this sound like the same issue experienced by many in this thread, or does it seem different?

I tried using WD40 dry lube on the top felt, but it did not seem to help. Is Sailkote significantly different from WD40 dry lube?

 

[golfie1225]

I seem to be experiencing a similar issue, however, the noise that I hear is not really a creak. It’s more of a light knock/click/rattle sound that sounds like it’s coming from the driver side door. The noise can be heard when driving over rough and uneven roads, or when sharply cornering.

I cannot hear the noise when the windows are down or partly down, and I can’t hear it when it is raining or has rained recently. Does this sound like the same issue experienced by many in this thread, or does it seem different?

I tried using WD40 dry lube on the top felt, but it did not seem to help. Is Sailkote significantly different from WD40 dry lube?

Sounds like my issue! Mine seems to affect all windows though, definitely a rattle sound. I don't see rain often enough to confirm the rain behavior but the last time it rained, I recall thinking it stopped in the rain too.

 

[victorofhavoc]

Yep that sounds exactly like mine. At one point I tore out all the outside plastic on the driver's door and felt taped every single contact point. That didn't do it.

It's just the rubber with its dual layer + felt design that causes some gunk to trap which causes the stick/unstick noise. If you press on the black plastic on the b pillar from outside or by the rear window on the rear doors, you can likely replicate the sound as the door moves back and forth with the gasket.

Yes like you it seems to go away for me in wet weather and right after I've washed my car. When people overapply the lube it also makes more noise. This is why I think it's related to just dirt getting trapped and causing a tacky area for the rubber.

Adding any suspension stiffness without adding a lot of chassis stiffness will make the noise a lot worse ime. Like topmounts, monotube coils, beefier sway bars, poly bushings, etc all will transmit more flex and movement to the chassis which causes more noises to creep in.

 

[Broe]

Sounds like my issue! Mine seems to affect all windows though, definitely a rattle sound. I don't see rain often enough to confirm the rain behavior but the last time it rained, I recall thinking it stopped in the rain too.

Glad I’m not the only one! I also notice that after washing my car the noise goes away as well. I wonder if the felt in the door seal being wet acts as a temporary “lubricant”

 

[Broe]

Yep that sounds exactly like mine. At one point I tore out all the outside plastic on the driver's door and felt taped every single contact point. That didn't do it.

It's just the rubber with its dual layer + felt design that causes some gunk to trap which causes the stick/unstick noise. If you press on the black plastic on the b pillar from outside or by the rear window on the rear doors, you can likely replicate the sound as the door moves back and forth with the gasket.

Yes like you it seems to go away for me in wet weather and right after I've washed my car. When people overapply the lube it also makes more noise. This is why I think it's related to just dirt getting trapped and causing a tacky area for the rubber.

Adding any suspension stiffness without adding a lot of chassis stiffness will make the noise a lot worse ime. Like topmounts, monotube coils, beefier sway bars, poly bushings, etc all will transmit more flex and movement to the chassis which causes more noises to creep in.

Thanks for the comprehensive reply! That definitely sounds like it could be the case. I pressed on the B pillar and I could hear a squeak and a click when it returned to position. Did you find any remedy for it?

 

[The Fed]

Don't use WD40, terrible stuff, it'll attract moisture among other things. Try to locate the product I mentioned above, failing that use some sort of silicon-based product.

WD-40 makes a silicone spray under their professional line. If anyone wants the exact part, PM me and I'll take a photo of the can.

 

[victorofhavoc]

WD-40 makes a silicone spray under their professional line. If anyone wants the exact part, PM me and I'll take a photo of the can.

Do you know if it's basically the same stuff as the pb blaster branded silicon spray?

 

[victorofhavoc]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply! That definitely sounds like it could be the case. I pressed on the B pillar and I could hear a squeak and a click when it returned to position. Did you find any remedy for it?

Clean it super well . The lube helps keep things a bit slick, but really it just needs to be as clean as possible with the gasket being lubricated just enough to be plush, but not so much to weep fluid.

Just getting under every crevice to clean every 3-4 months helps tremendously.

 

[Broe]

Just in case this helps anyone else having this issue:

I attempted to use dry lube on the felt portion of the window/door seal area, as well as cleaning the rubber seals. This did not seem to help reduce the noise in my case.

I then applied white lithium grease to the door latch mechanism, let it sit for a few minutes, and wiped away the excess. The door has been quiet ever since

 

[Tom Brohanks]

Just in case this helps anyone else having this issue:

I attempted to use dry lube on the felt portion of the window/door seal area, as well as cleaning the rubber seals. This did not seem to help reduce the noise in my case.

I then applied white lithium grease to the door latch mechanism, let it sit for a few minutes, and wiped away the excess. The door has been quiet ever since

Apologies for bumping this, but applying lithium grease to your door latch stopped your doors from making that awful squeaking noise when the body shifts?