Removing passenger dash panel to uncover rattle?

[kts760]

I had my Macan 4S in at the service center in Princeton, NJ for about 8 days for a number of random issues and the only item on the list they were able to tackle over the 8 days was the software update for the camera recall.

I've had this awful rattling that (after a ton of driving with me sitting in every seat in the car) is coming from the passenger side somewhere under the dash or behind the blank glossy piece.

Service center shockingly said this was normal because another Macan they had made the same noise... I'll be bringing it back in but thought I'd try something DIY in the meantime as it drives me absolutely nuts.

Wondering if anyone has any advice on removing this glossy trim piece to see it's a clip or something else not in place behind it? Attaching a video for reference..

Sponsored

 

[Petzi]

are you sure this is not coming from the passenger seat belt?
it is not "normal" as my turbo has no rattle anywhere (/except the seat belt) and I never heard of anybody to have this problem.

 

[kts760]

are you sure this is not coming from the passenger seat belt?
it is not "normal" as my turbo has no rattle anywhere (/except the seat belt) and I never heard of anybody to have this problem.

I wish it was… :-/
It’s very distinctly from the dashboard and occurs even while someone else is driving and I’m sitting in the passenger seat

 

[alxman]

I wish it was… :-/
It’s very distinctly from the dashboard and occurs even while someone else is driving and I’m sitting in the passenger seat

Some of us had a rattle coming from the passenger door which I suppose could be confused as coming from the right segment of the dashboard. Next time try pushing on the lower panel of the passenger door to see if the rattle goes away. If so, there is a thread here with a potential fix using insulating foam.

 

[Petzi]

OK. But this is clearly a warranty issue. To say that this is "normal" is really annoying. May be you should mention the word "lawyer" ?

 

[kts760]

Some of us had a rattle coming from the passenger door which I suppose could be confused as coming from the right segment of the dashboard. Next time try pushing on the lower panel of the passenger door to see if the rattle goes away. If so, there is a thread here with a potential fix using insulating foam.

Tried this too.. I can replicate it by doing a gentle pound on the top of the dash while the door is opened and it still very clearly comes from the dash area

 

[kts760]

OK. But this is clearly a warranty issue. To say that this is "normal" is really annoying. May be you should mention the word "lawyer" ?

This is my next step if they can’t remediate next appointment! How nonchalant they are about it drives me almost more insane than the constant rattling

 

[jwatte]

May be you should mention the word "lawyer" ?

A word of advice, that has served me well: Do not mention the word "lawyer" if you are actually at all interested in a friendly resolution. Ever.

Most well run businesses will *immediately* stop talking to you, and say that your lawyer should talk to their lawyer, and that's the only way they will communicate. This is a necessary and sane precaution that American businesses need to take, because of the way our civil justice system works.

And if you think what you're seeing is so bad that a lawyer should be involved, then consider that a typical Porsche dealership has a lot of money invested in their business, and they have representation and business insurance to match. How deep are your pockets, and are they worth it? I would expect no Macan to be worth a civil suit against a well insured opponent, from a money point of view. If you have a liquid net worth to keep it going just for the sake of it, that's another matter, but it's still a way to bring a lot of strife in your life.

I don't quite get why your service advisor would say it's "normal" just because another one has the problem -- the fact that two cars have a problem doesn't make it standard, and any Porsche dealer should understand this. If you bring this argument to the service advisor, and say that you do not consider it normal because the test drive vehicle didn't have that rattle, and they still refuse warranty service, then your next step should be calling Porsche corporate, not a lawyer. Or just take it to another service department, if there are multiple to choose from. (The dealer should actually *want* to do the work, because they get paid by Porsche to do it.)

 

[krissrock]

Make sure it's not something in the glove box too... But don't take anything apart either

 

[Philip_1]

I had my Macan 4S in at the service center in Princeton, NJ for about 8 days for a number of random issues and the only item on the list they were able to tackle over the 8 days was the software update for the camera recall.

I've had this awful rattling that (after a ton of driving with me sitting in every seat in the car) is coming from the passenger side somewhere under the dash or behind the blank glossy piece.

Service center shockingly said this was normal because another Macan they had made the same noise... I'll be bringing it back in but thought I'd try something DIY in the meantime as it drives me absolutely nuts.

Wondering if anyone has any advice on removing this glossy trim piece to see it's a clip or something else not in place behind it? Attaching a video for reference..

Hi there! The rattle if I'm not mistaken is coming from the speaker grill on top of your dash board, nearby the connection between the hard black plastic with brown plastic and the leather. All macans having same issue more or less, just some people they cannot listen because of the road quality in their countries. Try hitting with 2-3 fingers with high frequency the top of your dashboard nearby the speaker until the middle where the clock is located. if you can replicate then we are talking about the same rattle which I fixed by pushing some insulation material. If there is another rattle, again you can replicate by hitting your screen with 2-3 fingers to listen it but I doubt it's the screen.. I guess a permanent fix will be to remove the speaker grill and insulated, which I will try to do later on...It is okay for temp and until verify that 100% was that. Let me know if it worked.

 

[Petzi]

i disagree that "most" or even a significant number of macan have this problem. and no i do not think that our streets are that bad that no body except you has noticed this rattle.

and i am absolutely sure that this is a warranty issue that has to be fixed by porsche (if you can replicate it at the pc).

 

[Philip_1]

i disagree that "most" or even a significant number if macan have this problem. and no i do not think that our streets are that bad that no body except you has noticed this rattle.

and i am absolutely sure that this is a warranty issue that has to be fixed by porsche (if you can replicate it at the pc).

You are free to disagree and follow your ideas.I didn't say that your roads are bad to listen the opposite infact...read and understand before you disagree. Furthermore, because I experienced the Nightmare of dismantling the dashboard in a brand new Mini few years ago for a rattle....I wouldn't go this way again... especially if the rattle is from the speaker cover which is so easy accessable for Porsche service engineer!So all I say . As it is difficult to replicate every rattle in presence of the SE, due to road conditions and other, such as temperature, load etc,. Instead of leaving your car 1-2 weeks in the service station.. LOCATE your rattle before you go to be ready.

 

[Petzi]

You are free to disagree and follow your ideas.I didn't say that your roads are bad to listen the opposite infact...read and understand before you disagree. Furthermore, because I experienced the Nightmare of dismantling the dashboard in a brand new Mini few years ago for a rattle....I wouldn't go this way again... especially if the rattle is from the speaker cover which is so easy accessable for Porsche service engineer!So all I say . As it is difficult to replicate every rattle in presence of the SE, due to road conditions and other, such as temperature, load etc,. Instead of leaving your car 1-2 weeks in the service station.. LOCATE your rattle before you go to be ready.

you wrote: "All macans having same issue more or less, just some people they cannot listen because of the road quality in their countries. " (haha)
i did answer: "i disagree that "most" or even a significant number of macan have this problem. And no, i do not think that our streets are that bad that no body except you has noticed this rattle. "

now you write: "I didn't say that your roads are bad to listen the opposite infact...read and understand before you disagree" (wtf ?)

so I have to disagree with you again. my answer is a statement of facts and not an "idea".

it is not true that "all macans have the same issue". it is absurd to say that we do not hear the rattle due to the condition of roads. most of macans have just no rattle. if they have rattle it is a warranty issue. if you have to leave your car at a pc you will get an loaner.

my advice: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REPAIR YOUR CAR YOURSELF YOU MIGHT VOID YOUR WARRANTY

 

[alxman]

You are free to disagree and follow your ideas.I didn't say that your roads are bad to listen the opposite infact...read and understand before you disagree. Furthermore, because I experienced the Nightmare of dismantling the dashboard in a brand new Mini few years ago for a rattle....I wouldn't go this way again... especially if the rattle is from the speaker cover which is so easy accessable for Porsche service engineer!So all I say . As it is difficult to replicate every rattle in presence of the SE, due to road conditions and other, such as temperature, load etc,. Instead of leaving your car 1-2 weeks in the service station.. LOCATE your rattle before you go to be ready.

I found it interesting that your rattle came from the interaction between the plastic speaker grille and the leather dashboard (if I understood correctly), because mine seemed to come from the junction between the leather-covered armrest and the plastic panel underneath. I managed to fix it by squeezing some insulation foam between the panels.

I also agree it’s important to try and pinpoint the source of a rattle before bringing the car to Porsche. I once left mine with them for a software update and a passenger-side door rattle. The car sat there for 10 days, but they didn’t fix it because they couldn’t reproduce the sound. The service advisor heard it when I dropped the car off, but no one followed up with him afterward.

Later, I drove with the mechanic to demonstrate it. At first, he struggled to hear the rattle—even though it was obvious to me, just not as loud as it sometimes is. He eventually caught it briefly, but still couldn’t identify the cause. To make matters more complicated, the rattle varies with temperature and road conditions (and maybe a little with the mechanic’s hearing loss after years in loud workshops, lol.)

He suggested I schedule another appointment so they could dig deeper, but I didn’t want to be without my car again or have them disassemble the door without knowing exactly what they were fixing. So I decided to troubleshoot it myself. So far, the insulation foam solution is working—and I’m pretty happy with it .

 

[Philip_1]

you wrote: "All macans having same issue more or less, just some people they cannot listen because of the road quality in their countries. " (haha)
i did answer: "i disagree that "most" or even a significant number of macan have this problem. And no, i do not think that our streets are that bad that no body except you has noticed this rattle. "

now you write: "I didn't say that your roads are bad to listen the opposite infact...read and understand before you disagree" (wtf ?)

so I have to disagree with you again. my answer is a statement of facts and not an "idea".

it is not true that "all macans have the same issue". it is absurd to say that we do not hear the rattle due to the condition of roads. most of macans have just no rattle. if they have rattle it is a warranty issue. if you have to leave your car at a pc you will get an loaner.

my advice: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REPAIR YOUR CAR YOURSELF YOU MIGHT VOID YOUR WARRANTY

Replying to you is a complete waste of time, you got it all wrong.Take care.

Sponsored