Mystery Dash Rattle

[carrots]

Another place to consider is that back plastic cover of the rear-view mirror. That was randomly making noises at random times...I had to remove it, add some sound deadener to make it heavier and more solid.

 

[VDubberinDE]

Another place to consider is that back plastic cover of the rear-view mirror. That was randomly making noises at random times...I had to remove it, add some sound deadener to make it heavier and more solid.

Yes this also is a big time culprit in Golfs. Everyone ignores it thinking it can't be this. It is basically the edge of the plastic trim barely touching the windshield and vibrating. I little cloth tape around edge and its gone.
Rattles are cause by 2 pieces rubbing together/moving. They don't have to be loose, its a common misconception.

 

[Saschke]

Another place to consider is that back plastic cover of the rear-view mirror. That was randomly making noises at random times...I had to remove it, add some sound deadener to make it heavier and more solid.

Yes this also is a big time culprit in Golfs. Everyone ignores it thinking it can't be this. It is basically the edge of the plastic trim barely touching the windshield and vibrating. I little cloth tape around edge and its gone.
Rattles are cause by 2 pieces rubbing together/moving. They don't have to be loose, its a common misconception.

The housing has been replaced but I will check it again to make sure that it isn't rubbing on another piece.

I will also check:

- where the fuel lines come into the engine bay (this is taped to the wheel well under the coolant reservoir)
- under the passenger seat, there is some kind of module which could also generate a similar rattle.

 

[Maiden69]

I have the same noise as on the last video on my 2020 GTI... most of the time on slow decel around 2500-3500 rpms. Can't pinpoint it, and I refuse to take it to the dealer to get a "we can not replicate the problem" as they tend to do with this rattles.

 

[Saschke]

I have the same noise as on the last video on my 2020 GTI... most of the time on slow decel around 2500-3500 rpms. Can't pinpoint it, and I refuse to take it to the dealer to get a "we can not replicate the problem" as they tend to do with this rattles.

I hear you.

Mine comes on when going above 90 km/h and accelerate a bit more lively or driving on uneven road surfaces.

 

[PRRGG1]

If I take my fingertips and rest them on the edge of the top of the dash perhaps 6" to the right of the center stack and pull hard toward me, the random buzz I hear on certain rough road surfaces stops. It's not super loud, but I have an ear for noises and wish I could fix it. Gaining entry to the area above the glove box cabin air filter is a mystery. Alternately, I could try removing the trim in the center stack to look around that area, but I'd end up breaking something no doubt.

I agree with Maiden69 that requesting that the Dealer take a look is a wasted effort.

 

[PerceivedShift]

I had a bad strut bearing that was driving me nuts, made a clicking noise...that sounded almost like it was coming from inside the dash.

 

[What13]

I've been suspecting the rear view mirror housing, but myself or a passenger have held/pressed it while driving and the noise was still there. Are there any wires inside there that could be loose? I haven't tried taking it off because I haven't found good instructions on how to do so without damaging something.

 

[carrots]

I've been suspecting the rear view mirror housing, but myself or a passenger have held/pressed it while driving and the noise was still there. Are there any wires inside there that could be loose? I haven't tried taking it off because I haven't found good instructions on how to do so without damaging something.

I know for sure if you have autodimming rearview mirrors it will have wires there. I hardwired my dashcam through it. It's actually real simple to remove. on the sides just use a thin flathead or trim tool and it should pop off easily.

 

[What13]

I know for sure if you have autodimming rearview mirrors it will have wires there. I hardwired my dashcam through it. It's actually real simple to remove. on the sides just use a thin flathead or trim tool and it should pop off easily.

Ah very good. I'll give that a try!

 

[PRRGG1]

I'm thinking my occasional buzz (it's not constant, not loud, depends on road surface and comes and goes) could be my my A Pillar. About two weeks ago I stuck several business cards in the area as shown and it's greatly reduced the noise. The A Pillar fix looks like something that I'd fail at, probably getting frustrated and breaking something. Maybe I can find a way to stick something in this area of equal thickness that won't be noticeable. I'm going to give it a few more weeks, then remove the cards to see if the noise returns. I wonder if I can access this area by removing the flat dash panel that abuts the door?

 

[Snoozam]

Came across this thread via Google and just had to create an account to try to help, I know how frustrating these rattles can be

Anyway, the rattle you have sounds like a rattle I had on my MK7 GTD - it was actually coming from the glove box.

So when you open the glove box, inside is a little plastic part on the upper right for coins and business cards, this thing (number 3 in the image):

That part moves up and down in its housing while driving, and it caused my rattle. Its pretty snug, but I managed to squeeze some soft fabric in between the orange lines so it was more firm in it's housing... and voila! That solved the rattle for me.

 

[golfer2019]

Hey, how did you get it removed?
I feel like mine might have a rock or a bolt under windshield and dashboard that makes noise.
Would you have any pics? TIA

 

[slipperywhenwet]

Wondering if the OP ever figured out what the issue was. My car just started making the exact same noise last week. Sounds almost like a loose screw bouncing against the firewall on the passenger side. So far I have:

- Dropped the passenger fender liner and cleaned it.
- Removed the passenger strut and checked everything.
- Pulled the trim around the underside of the windshield out and checked it.
- Removed the plastic guard around the A/C intake.
- Checked the windshield wiper hardware.
- Pulled the glovebox.
- Checked the mirror surround,
- Checked the center console and the lid.

Absolutely nothing has worked yet, and it's driving me nuts. The only thing that I can think of next is to try putting more spacers around all of the metal lines running against the firewall.

 

[Saschke]

Came across this thread via Google and just had to create an account to try to help, I know how frustrating these rattles can be

Anyway, the rattle you have sounds like a rattle I had on my MK7 GTD - it was actually coming from the glove box.

So when you open the glove box, inside is a little plastic part on the upper right for coins and business cards, this thing (number 3 in the image):

View attachment 231043

That part moves up and down in its housing while driving, and it caused my rattle. Its pretty snug, but I managed to squeeze some soft fabric in between the orange lines so it was more firm in it's housing... and voila! That solved the rattle for me.

I even removed that piece but it was still there. Just found someone that said to check the connector with the wheel attached that holds the glovebox when open (this could be detached) but no luck.

Anybody else has an idea or found a solution? I just checked all my floor panels and the fuel lines but they were solid.