I HEAR BY DEEM THIS THE Travis Voorhies METHOD! MODS YOU MIGHT STICKY THIS ONE!!!

My g/f and I were tired of seeing the TC go in the shop time after time after time.....For the same problem. The sunroof rattle. Each time they worked on it, they would say they didn't hear any more rattle after driving it. I even had them perform the TSB for the sunroof rattle. And sure enough, after a day, the tick seemed to creep right back in there.

That annoying *tick..tick.....tickticktick* when you drive over subtle changes in the road. Even turning the radio up to 45 wouldn't even drown it out. I was feed up. Seems as if taking it to the dealer to fix, made it seem worse and worse each time we got it back. So, I created my own FIX! This fix solved 100% of my sunroof rattle problem. And now I'm going to share it with you.

Now, the way that I found the focus point of the rattle was by getting out of the car and closing the door to listen for that *twaaannng* sound (metal tapping against glass sound). It was for sure coming from the wind deflector, and probably about 95% of you with the sunroof rattle problem, this is where it's coming from for you too.

So, upon further observation, I deemed that the sunroof was NOT constructed in such a manner that things would fit SNUG TIGHT like a hand in a glove. There is absolutely to much PLAY in the fitment of the wind deflector when it is in the closed position. Illustrated by the image below.....







As you can see, the factory rubber linning under the wind deflector is not THICK enough to provide tension on it. By pushing it down, and providing force, the *twaaaannnggg* from me shutting the door was eliminated. Well, since there is nothing you can do about applying force to the outside of the deflector, what has to be done is provide the force from the inside.

So, with that in mind, what needed to be applied to the deflector was some TENSION on it, to limit/eradicate the possibility of it vibrating. TENSION is what the wind deflector and it's rods lack. So, if you follow these simple steps, I can assure you that you will no longer experience wind deflector rattle again.


Step 1: Pick up a RUBBER foam insulation piping from Lowes/Home Depot. $3.00+ (Found in the Plumbing section).





The foam insulation has double sided tape on the ends. This tape is pretty sticky, so do not remove it until you are absolutely sure on your position. If you are picky like me, try to find one that has the product PRINTING on or near where it splits.




Step 2: I measured the acutall length of the factory rubber lining. I came out to 38 1/2 inches. (You can skip this step obviously).




Step 3: Measure out 38 1/2 inches from the end of the tubbing, and make your cut.




Step 4: To promote good adhesion, you will need to clean the lining. I used just plain soap and water, and then dried it good with a towel.




Step 5: The circumference of the rubber foam is to large to fit underneath the wind deflector properly. Therefore you will need to cut it to a smaller diameter, so as not to oppose to much strain on the deflector and still allow it to close. I just so happen to have a tree branch lying in the garage that was perfect to keep the tubbing steady while I cut away. I'm sure a broom stick handle will suffice in the event you can't find something.

NOTE this is the part where you need a good steady hand so that your piece dosen't end up looking like a HACK job. A steady even cutt is crucial to maintaining that FACTORY look.






Yes, you should only have ONE sticky side. The NON-Sticky side is going to be facing forward.


Step 6: Position the tubbing accordingly. Do not try to stick it in between the two factory rubber linings. It needs to be position in the Middle if not rather Forward of the most middle part of the FIRST lining.



NOTE! To test wether or not you have the rubber foam TO FAR foward, you should try closing your sunroof. There is a Fail safe system to where if something is jammed in the sunroof, it will not close, and re-open. This Fail safe system is governed by the sunroof glass(big part that slides backwards) and not the deflector. So, if the sunroof glass finds it to thick, it will trip the Fail safe and not close until you remove/reposition the rubber foam. ATTENTION! the adheasive tape is still not attached at this point. The protected strip should still be on the the rubber foam as indicated in the pick above.


Step 7: Now that you have tested your positioning by closing and opening the sunroof a couple of times, it's now time to remove the film covering the adhesive tape and apply your rubber foam padding.

FYI I stood up on my seats INSIDE the sunroof. The best position in my opinion when lining everything up. Otherwise, you will have to keep walking back and forth from one side of the car to the other.




If you have followed these proper steps, then you should be able to successfully close your sunroof, and provide enough tension to the wind deflector to ELIMINATE the vibration(rattle) when going over road inconsistencies.






Side Notes: Now, the whole reason for finding the right tubbing that has the product print near where the tubbing splits, is so you don't have any numbers showing visible to the passerbyer or when you take it to shows(Open or Closed). This is all good and dandy, IF you can remember WHICH STICKY SIDE to cutt off. I accidently cutt off the wrong sticky side, therefore the product print is showing on the wrong side. It should be showing toward the deflector not away from it, being hidden from eyes by the covering of the deflector. HERE IS WHAT YOU DON'T WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE




So, I'm going to be redoing it again later, and this time cutt the correct sticky side off, so no product printing is visible. To further test your new mod, you should take a ride and witness your new found Peace and Quiet. Also, you are going to want to open and close your sunroof fully to test the ability to close the sunroof while in motion.

NOW, here is the potential CON to this method. I have not tested the rubber foam material under HEAVY Water loads yet. It is not a sponge, and it has a rubber compound element in it, so I assume it should hold up good over the constant abuse of water in the event that it rains or you wash your car 5 times a week. If is should soak some water in it, I don't believe there are any possible damages that might happen, given its position. You should still be protected from water possibly entering the cabin of the vehicle. Should the rubber foam start to degrade over time, repeat these steps again, it only cost $3 dollars and some change.

Toyota should take note of this and re-think the diameter of the stock rubber sunroof lining. I think I should recieve some type of reward for my efforts...lol After doing this, when I took the TC out, there was total silence from the sunroof. No more rattle. However, with that one gone, it did make apparent all the other rattles coming from other crevices of the car. BUT, those creaks ands rattles are to far away to be heard over the radio, and in our car, I can only hear them when going over big bumps. The wind deflector rattle is the ONLY rattle I can hear over the radio, and with that gone, My g/f and I are at peace with our TC.

Thank you for reading such a long DIY, but it is well worth the effort.

Have a good day, think outside the box and keep modding.

***LOOK BELOW FOR REVISION TO THE FIX***

 

Or maybe you can use some sort of rubber damper... maybe like one of those round rubber pieces commonly found under different appliances/machines to avoid slipping on or scratching surfaces...

I can imagine two of those with good size and placement should be sufficient to dampen the squeaks from the deflector.

 

OK, got the First CON to my method of rattle freedom. Today temperatures reached 85+ degrees in TN. It seems the rubber foam will not hold it's concistency under such a temperature and you will end up cleaning off the left over residue. The melt down didn't do any damage except waste my time. So, Advice would be to find something that is more RUBBER than it is FOAM, that should take care of those pesky temp. spikes.

 

**REVISION**


Well, since the rubber foam will not hold up under extreme temperatures, I went back to Lowes to find something that can handle temperatures better. Did a little more digging around the store, and Lo & Behold I came across this....



This one in particular is 5/16" thick and it will handle temperatures of -40F up to 140F.. There might be one thicker that this one, but I couldn't find any. This is 1000000Times better than what I was using in the previous DIY. It's about $3 MORE expensive than the rubber foam, but it looks better IMO. It also has an adhesive backing. The adhesive on this piece is a lot easier to remove and re-apply in the event that you are off in the alignment.

Can you see it?




Now, be sure that you position the strip far FORWARD on the factory stripping, because when the sunroof is closed, the wind deflector will rest at this angle. If you place the new strip directly on top of the factory one, you will not provide any Tension on the wind deflector. So, it must be placed forward



If you still experience a little rattle, then you can either see if you can locate a Thicker rubber strip, or you can just Double Up on the stripping that you already have. My g/f tested it out, and said it was a lot better, but you can still slightly hear a little rattle. So, I'm going to double up on the strip when I get home, and take another pic.

 

nice post. i havent experienced the rattles yet (knock on wood) but im sure all the other ppl will greatly appreciate this simple DIY.

 

Moved to General for a larger audience.

 

cool..thanks bro. You can delete the other thread if you wish.

 

Way to take some initiative on this!



You said you deserve a reward?

Careful... might have some other deep south owners tryin to kiss you (and there's guys that own tC's too) hehe

 

my rattle hits when my sunroof is open so I dont think this will work for my purposes. Great job on your fix!!!

 

If I tap hard on my deflector when it is closed I can produce a small rattle, but it was easily located. The push washers that hold the arms which raise the deflector do not keep the arms under pressure when it is closed. If you raise prop up the deflector a bit it pulls up on the arms and prevents this. This sounds like what your fix is doing. I reccomend first applying a bit of grease to both sides on the pins (the grease will prevent them from being sloppy loose and rattling) and I will bet your rattle dissapears. Even better, pop off the two push washers and find some thin felt to create a spacer washer with, then put them back on. Mine has been fine driving, only when I slam the door hard by accident do I hear it. Just a thought. Good work on your fix though!

 

Shutting the door was the way I found and pin-pointed where the potential problem was coming from. After this fix, shutting the door yeilds nothing but silence. The effect of this fix does sound to provide the same functionality of the fix you described. So, good feedback.

 

 

Very good writeup.. will be trying it sometime this week.

 

where'd the pictures go? they were there, now just nothing in place of them..

 

Well, i must put in my deal. i have my sunroof creek & rattle fixed. they supposively tightened the brackets that hold the deflector and lubed the elbows.

Now as for the hatch im still trying to get that issue fixed. they replace the shocks and it seemed to make it good/bad... good that it lessen the rattle when more weight sits on it but bad that they just dont seem to be the right one need, so they say it was just a bad shock, but whatever the new shocks are ordered. they dont even hold up the hatch and you dont even relize how freaking heavy that thing is until you dont get any support from the shocks. if i remember correctly, i read that the rattle comes from the latch. id have a lot of researching if i did look it up, but i think it was just a little more cushion that was need in between. tell me if im wrong or right.

 

Somethings wrong with your browser then. Cause the pics are still there (never touched them).

 

man i never knew where the rattle is coming from ....all i know was that when it's in the tilt position, it rattles like hell on bumpier road...sounded like it was about to fly off. GREAT JOB!!!!!!!! BIG BIG BIG PROPS FOR YOU

 

Thanks bro.. Glad to be of some help for those of you with this problem. My g/f was getting frustrated as well as I. Up until this point, the TC had been in the dealer 4 times (up to a week in length for each visit) before I spawned this thought. I have to credit the birth of this idea, from the Injen CAI install.

See, we actually lost the little rubber fitment that is suppose to go around the lining in the fender hole where the CAI feeds through, to keep it from vibrating on the fender. And it was vibrating pretty good whenever you started to car. So, I went to Lowes and grabbed some of that rubber foam (what I used in the first DIY) and I used it to create some support between the CAI and the fender. Problem solved.

Then when I pin-pointed the sunroof rattle, I got the idea to try that stuff on it. Which started this whole DIY for you guys/gals.

 

Awesome! Just came across this thread today. This will be my backup if the dealership can't fix my rattle.

 

Good job, let us know how it goes. Sad to see this still happening on a 2006 RS 2.0..