Any of you have a headliner/sunroof noise issue?

[Bourbonncigars]

I'll take it to the dealer as a last resort, but I'd much prefer to try and identify and fix the problem myself. I feel like they're going to at least be attempting the same things as me, namely poking and prodding and stuffing things in places. Maybe they'd take steps to drop the headliner and get into it a little more, but I hate the idea of a bunch of greasy-handed techs manhandling my suede headliner.

Your comments gave me an interesting idea, though: foam. I took some ridged packing foam from my office and will try stuffing it some places.

As an obsessed fellow rattle hunter, I'll say that neoprene works well too. Basically cheap mouse pad material from Amazon is my weapon of choice. And I totally agree about doing it yourself rather than going to a dealer whose techs don't give a rat's ass about anything but picking up their paycheck until they get fired. Had my oil changed yesterday at the dealer and nearly had a come-apart over the amount of oil on my paint that I had just handwashed. In several spots. Going to a dealership for a rattle or really anything that can possibly be a DIY fix is truly the last thing I try.

 

[Beefer]

As an obsessed fellow rattle hunter, I'll say that neoprene works well too. Basically cheap mouse pad material from Amazon is my weapon of choice. And I totally agree about doing it yourself rather than going to a dealer whose techs don't give a rat's ass about anything but picking up their paycheck until they get fired. Had my oil changed yesterday at the dealer and nearly had a come-apart over the amount of oil on my paint that I had just handwashed. In several spots. Going to a dealership for a rattle or really anything that can possibly be a DIY fix is truly the last thing I try.

Completely disagree. You are messing around in the airbag area. You want to be responsible for a life if something doesn’t deploy?

And as previously mentioned...you could mess something up and the dealer can refuse to cover under warranty. You have a warranty...use it. Since this seems to be a common issue...I am sure it is now documented.

Most techs care about cars...not sure why all the hate towards these people. I’ve had nothing but good experiences all my life...with techs from all brands.

 

[Bourbonncigars]

Completely disagree. You are messing around in the airbag area. You want to be responsible for a life if something doesn’t deploy?

And as previously mentioned...you could mess something up and the dealer can refuse to cover under warranty. You have a warranty...use it. Since this seems to be a common issue...I am sure it is now documented.

Most techs care about cars...not sure why all the hate towards these people. I’ve had nothing but good experiences all my life...with techs from all brands.

I didn't tell him where to go digging. I simply said neoprene material is good for stopping rattles.

 

[Bourbonncigars]

Most techs care about cars...not sure why all the hate towards these people. I’ve had nothing but good experiences all my life...with techs from all brands.

All I can say is lucky you. I wish I could say the same but I can't.

 

[3.3t_Siberian_Ice]

Completely disagree. You are messing around in the airbag area. You want to be responsible for a life if something doesn’t deploy?

And as previously mentioned...you could mess something up and the dealer can refuse to cover under warranty. You have a warranty...use it. Since this seems to be a common issue...I am sure it is now documented.

Most techs care about cars...not sure why all the hate towards these people. I’ve had nothing but good experiences all my life...with techs from all brands.

This guy knows. Techs are held responsible for bad work by their respective dealers... It isn't a free for all like you guys are making it sound like

 

[Bourbonncigars]

This guy knows. Techs are held responsible for bad work by their respective dealers... It isn't a free for all like you guys are making it sound like

Went to have my steering wheel lined up the other day and my oil changed. $160 later and the wheel wasn't straight and there was oil on the hood, front fender, drivers door, driver's window, driver's rear door, and driver's side rear quarter panel. They also tried to reprogram a faulty key fob, and in the process screwed up the primary one I drove in with. They handed me the keys and said, "good to go". Whoever drove it around front had to have started it with the actual key because the fob wasn't recognized.

Quality work.

Needless to say I expressed my displeasure, but was hardly shocked. More like expecting it. I'm sure these things vary from region to region and dealer to dealer. No different than any other business. This just happens to be the only Hyundai dealer near me.

 

[danygenesis]

I've been dealing with Hyundai/Genesis brand for around 10 years. Their cars are very good, their quality is awesome, the value for the money is spectacular and that's the reason why I'm still owning two cars from them BUT the dealer network is AWFUL to say the least. I've tried 5 different dealers during this time and everytime I have to go to the dealer I cross my fingers for what could happen. They are disrespectful, liars, uneducated, and with an amazing lack of knowledge about car engineering. Sometimes they have only one certified Hyundai mechanic at the shop and the rest of the staff are $10.00/hour people changing oil and rotating tires. I only take my car there when I know there is no chance I could fix the problem by myself or with a third party mechanic shop. That's my 2 cents.

 

[OMG70]

I feel like the bad rep for techs is warranted. They're often trying to pump as much volume as possible so they can get paid more. I don't necessarily blame them for wanting to boost their income, but pride/quality of your work should be the first consideration.

 

[Bourbonncigars]

but pride/quality of your work should be the first consideration.

True, but there's a lot to be said for proper training too. I know when I hire someone and don't show them exactly what needs to be done, it won't be done right. Not their fault I was a bad teacher.

 

[OMG70]

True, but there's a lot to be said for proper training too. I know when I hire someone and don't show them exactly what needs to be done, it won't be done right. Not their fault I was a bad teacher.

Some things are pretty intuitive though. Plus there are manuals that could be referenced. Considering everything is electronic these days, those manuals are probably pretty easily searched too!

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[Bourbonncigars]

Some things are pretty intuitive though. Plus there are manuals that could be referenced. Considering everything is electronic these days, those manuals are probably pretty easily searched too!

I fully agree. Sadly, pride seems to be a thing of the past with many. My opinion is that it takes a special type of worker to actual care about what they're doing as well as show initiative if the problem isn't easily solved. Having seen enough shops/maintenance areas in dealerships, another guess is that there's very little in the way of teaching with regard to process and procedures. If there was, there's no way I'd have had the experience the other day that I posted about above. The Japanese call it "Poka Yoke". Mistake proof procedures so they can't be screwed up. I don't think that sort of thing is big in American dealerships that I've frequented. To me it looks like they hire the cheapest help they can find then throw them in the shop.

I know the "techs" at my local dealership(s) would never be seen by the public if they worked for me. And I don't mean appearance as much as I mean the behavior they display while visible to customers. If you openly act like a buffoon, you work like a buffoon.

 

[sethsquire]

If I had a major mechanical or electrical problem, or something which required expensive parts I would take it to the dealer, and I haven't had my car serviced so I have nothing positive or negative to say about them. This is a rattle. I'm not doing anything irreversible in poking some felt and foam in some accessible areas try to make it quiet down, and I'm not messing with the airbag other than playing around next to it. If it works that's great because I identified the issue and I didn't have to be without my car which I otherwise absolutely love. If it doesn't work, I'll happily let the dealer take a crack at it.

 

[Bourbonncigars]

If I had a major mechanical or electrical problem, or something which required expensive parts I would take it to the dealer, and I haven't had my car serviced so I have nothing positive or negative to say about them. This is a rattle. I'm not doing anything irreversible in poking some felt and foam in some accessible areas try to make it quiet down, and I'm not messing with the airbag other than playing around next to it. If it works that's great because I identified the issue and I didn't have to be without my car which I otherwise absolutely love. If it doesn't work, I'll happily let the dealer take a crack at it.

I agree, and anything I've ever done in any vehicle with regards to stopping an unwanted noise has been a fairly superficial fix. In other words, if you looked hard enough you could see what I did. I've only removed panels in older vehicles out of warranty.

 

[sethsquire]

I agree, and anything I've ever done in any vehicle with regards to stopping an unwanted noise has been a fairly superficial fix. In other words, if you looked hard enough you could see what I did. I've only removed panels in older vehicles out of warranty.

Yup. The only mildly invasive thing I did here was pull down the weatherstripping around the passenger door, and it slides right back into it's groove with no fuss.

 

[sethsquire]

Okay, so new development, as all my creak reduction efforts have ultimately been unsuccessful. At this point I would take it to the dealership, but I'm getting married in exactly a week and don't have time to mess around with the dealership until after the wedding and honeymoon are over.

As I've mentioned, this sound appears only when it's hot out. I had previously realized that I could make the sound go away by tugging the headliner down from the leading edge by the windshield, the passenger grab handle, etc. In other words, by relieving the pressure of the headliner on the roof. I haven't been able to rig anything to keep the pressure relieved, however.

Anyway, it's hot today and the thing was creaking away, so I pulled down the weatherstripping and tried to get a hand in there where the sound is coming from. I also peeked up in the headliner, and noticed a black gooey substance in the limited area I could see, and I think I've realized what the sound is and why it only happens when it's hot.

I believe when the weather gets hot enough, the adhesive attached to parts of the headliner semi-melts and gets gooey (kind of like tar). I further believe that the sound I'm hearing is actually the contour in the headliner couple of inches in front of the grab handle sticking and unsticking to the gooey headliner adhesive as the car twists, goes over bumps, etc. When the weather cools down, the adhesive re-solidifies and presto, no more noise.

Anyway, I didn't have much more time for troubleshooting, as I should have been at work this whole time, but I'm going to redouble my efforts once I get out of here for the day.

So no solution yet, but I think I'm getting close, and I think that if I were to take off the A- and B-pillar trim, I could fix this relatively easily.

 

[Beefer]

Okay, so new development, as all my creak reduction efforts have ultimately been unsuccessful. At this point I would take it to the dealership, but I'm getting married in exactly a week and don't have time to mess around with the dealership until after the wedding and honeymoon are over.

As I've mentioned, this sound appears only when it's hot out. I had previously realized that I could make the sound go away by tugging the headliner down from the leading edge by the windshield, the passenger grab handle, etc. In other words, by relieving the pressure of the headliner on the roof. I haven't been able to rig anything to keep the pressure relieved, however.

Anyway, it's hot today and the thing was creaking away, so I pulled down the weatherstripping and tried to get a hand in there where the sound is coming from. I also peeked up in the headliner, and noticed a black gooey substance in the limited area I could see, and I think I've realized what the sound is and why it only happens when it's hot.

I believe when the weather gets hot enough, the adhesive attached to parts of the headliner semi-melts and gets gooey (kind of like tar). I further believe that the sound I'm hearing is actually the contour in the headliner couple of inches in front of the grab handle sticking and unsticking to the gooey headliner adhesive as the car twists, goes over bumps, etc. When the weather cools down, the adhesive re-solidifies and presto, no more noise.

Anyway, I didn't have much more time for troubleshooting, as I should have been at work this whole time, but I'm going to redouble my efforts once I get out of here for the day.

So no solution yet, but I think I'm getting close, and I think that if I were to take off the A- and B-pillar trim, I could fix this relatively easily.

Congrats...on both counts

 

[sethsquire]

Congrats...on both counts

Thanks, Beef. Hopefully there will be happy endings all around.

 

[lopedogg]

Okay, so new development, as all my creak reduction efforts have ultimately been unsuccessful. At this point I would take it to the dealership, but I'm getting married in exactly a week and don't have time to mess around with the dealership until after the wedding and honeymoon are over.

As I've mentioned, this sound appears only when it's hot out. I had previously realized that I could make the sound go away by tugging the headliner down from the leading edge by the windshield, the passenger grab handle, etc. In other words, by relieving the pressure of the headliner on the roof. I haven't been able to rig anything to keep the pressure relieved, however.

Anyway, it's hot today and the thing was creaking away, so I pulled down the weatherstripping and tried to get a hand in there where the sound is coming from. I also peeked up in the headliner, and noticed a black gooey substance in the limited area I could see, and I think I've realized what the sound is and why it only happens when it's hot.

I believe when the weather gets hot enough, the adhesive attached to parts of the headliner semi-melts and gets gooey (kind of like tar). I further believe that the sound I'm hearing is actually the contour in the headliner couple of inches in front of the grab handle sticking and unsticking to the gooey headliner adhesive as the car twists, goes over bumps, etc. When the weather cools down, the adhesive re-solidifies and presto, no more noise.

Anyway, I didn't have much more time for troubleshooting, as I should have been at work this whole time, but I'm going to redouble my efforts once I get out of here for the day.

So no solution yet, but I think I'm getting close, and I think that if I were to take off the A- and B-pillar trim, I could fix this relatively easily.

Very good to know, I have pretty much the same sound in the same area when it is hot in my '15 3.8. Might do some poking around myself.. I don't have to worry about warranty.

 

[sethsquire]

Very good to know, I have pretty much the same sound in the same area when it is hot in my '15 3.8. Might do some poking around myself.. I don't have to worry about warranty.

Good luck! I believe to drop the edge of the headliner, you'd need to remove the weatherstripping, grab handle, and A- and B-pillar trim. It'd be a lot easier if the airbag wasn't stuffed in the headliner, but oh well.

 

[sethsquire]

It appears the creak is gone...

To follow up on my last post, I had come to believe that the creak was the result of the headliner adhesive becoming gooey in the heat and then sticking and unsticking to the headliner over bumps.

I wish I had a better idea of the procedure, but long story short, after making that discovery, I took down the weather stripping and inelegantly jammed my hand up into the headliner and under the airbag until I could get my index finger on the place the rattle was coming from. I could feel a lump of sticky adhesive binding that spot to the roof. With my finger, I separated the adhesive from the area that was making the noise. I resolved that I would go back later and try and add some felt or something.

I never got the chance. It cooled down overnight but the next day it was hot as hell, but the rattle didn't appear. The last couple of days have been the same... and no rattle!

So in summary, I believe that I correctly identified the problem in the end, and now that the sticky area is no longer making contact with the headliner, the creak has been banished to the land of wind and ghosts.

Fingers crossed that this remains the case.