Door Frame Ticking / Squeaking Elimination

[D.J.]

Thank you @Bat_Dad

 

[Marc Collins]

The Stinger has been out for 3 years and you would think Kia would have all the problems ironed out by now.

I’ve had my 2020 GT for 6 weeks now and have a list of issues. Kia customer service is almost non existent so I have started trouble shooting myself and have found a solution for some of these problems which may help others.

1) Wind noise from drivers door/B pillar above 60kmh (identical to CFL Stingers video above).
2) Intermittent rattle from HUD.
3) Scratches on gloss black roof rail from delivery.
4) Spark plugs replaced at 2500km.
5) Transmission slipping, feels like your riding a wild bucking horse at times. Initially Kia tried to tell me there’s nothing wrong until I took them for a drive myself. Booked in in a couple of days to have this looked at.

Dealer tried to tell me it was the sunroof rattle and wanted to pull the whole roof lining out. I went exploring further the myself and found that it was the chrome trim at the top of the door. I could replicate the sound by tapping gently on this piece.

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You can very gently pry a small gap between the rubber at the top and bottom of this chrome trim. Be careful as the chrome will scratch very easily. I initially used a butter knife wrapped in a soft cloth.

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I then inserted small strips of 1mm thick double sided stick on foam. I was able too gently push a few of these in along the top and bottom of the chrome strip using a small screwdriver. Once tucked in it cannot be seen at all and the rubber strip sits back normally.

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For me this has fixed the wind noise problem 100%


For the HUD rattle I used the same tape cut to size but left the backing on one side of the tape. Again I used the same butter knife wrapped in a soft cloth, gently pry up one of the corners of the HUD and the 3 clips with pop out.

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Again this has eliminated the HUD rattle for me 100%

This was my spark plugs after 2500km. With socket extensions and the 3/8 and 1/4 elbows they weren’t too bad to change out.

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Fantastic info about common rattles and aggravations and real-world solutions.

What's the deal with the spark plugs and transmission, though? Those are very serious mechanical issues for a brand new car. I would demand an unlimited warranty extension or get them to give you a different vehicle. Did the car have close to zero km on it when you got it? It was either abused or you got a lemon from the factory.

 

[Bat_Dad]

Fantastic info about common rattles and aggravations and real-world solutions.

What's the deal with the spark plugs and transmission, though? Those are very serious mechanical issues for a brand new car. I would demand an unlimited warranty extension or get them to give you a different vehicle. Did the car have close to zero km on it when you got it? It was either abused or you got a lemon from the factory.

They’re trying to tell me I had water in my fuel which is why the spark plugs have gone like that. They have sent the fuel away to be analysed which will take a couple more weeks to come back.

It is going in tomorrow for the transmission problem so hopefully they will have an answer soon.

The car only had 23km on it when I picked it up and was running perfectly up until about 2500km. All stock, no tunes.

I will keep you posted.

 

[UWMad]

They’re trying to tell me I had water in my fuel which is why the spark plugs have gone like that. They have sent the fuel away to be analysed which will take a couple more weeks to come back.

It is going in tomorrow for the transmission problem so hopefully they will have an answer soon.

The car only had 23km on it when I picked it up and was running perfectly up until about 2500km. All stock, no tunes.

I will keep you posted.

What was your transmission doing? I've been trying to figure out what my issue is and now that you mentioned this...that might be mine as well. After sitting over night or during the day at work...when I start it up and start to drive/turn...it feels like tires have flat spots or something is jerking. Once I get going, it goes away. Was going to let the dealer have it overnight and let them figure it out.

 

[Bat_Dad]

What was your transmission doing? I've been trying to figure out what my issue is and now that you mentioned this...that might be mine as well. After sitting over night or during the day at work...when I start it up and start to drive/turn...it feels like tires have flat spots or something is jerking. Once I get going, it goes away. Was going to let the dealer have it overnight and let them figure it out.

Unfortunately mines not isolated to cold starts, it is constant. It feels like something is slipping in the transmission. It happens in all drive modes and at all levels of acceleration, but is more noticeable with moderate to heavy acceleration. At its worst it feels like it drops down a gear, the revs hit the red line, but you don’t go anywhere, then something kicks in and it takes off. At the same time it started making a clunk when changing from park to reverse to drive and any combination of that. It also now takes a couple of seconds to go into drive. It’s not throwing any codes either so to the new age mechanic if there’s no code there’s no problem started doing it at about 2500km and it progressively getting worse.

 

[UWMad]

Unfortunately mines not isolated to cold starts, it is constant. It feels like something is slipping in the transmission. It happens in all drive modes and at all levels of acceleration, but is more noticeable with moderate to heavy acceleration. At its worst it feels like it drops down a gear, the revs hit the red line, but you don’t go anywhere, then something kicks in and it takes off. At the same time it started making a clunk when changing from park to reverse to drive and any combination of that. It also now takes a couple of seconds to go into drive. It’s not throwing any codes either so to the new age mechanic if there’s no code there’s no problem started doing it at about 2500km and it progressively getting worse.

Nope...that's not the same. thanks!

 

[Ozstung]

Unfortunately mines not isolated to cold starts, it is constant. It feels like something is slipping in the transmission. It happens in all drive modes and at all levels of acceleration, but is more noticeable with moderate to heavy acceleration. At its worst it feels like it drops down a gear, the revs hit the red line, but you don’t go anywhere, then something kicks in and it takes off. At the same time it started making a clunk when changing from park to reverse to drive and any combination of that. It also now takes a couple of seconds to go into drive. It’s not throwing any codes either so to the new age mechanic if there’s no code there’s no problem started doing it at about 2500km and it progressively getting worse.

That's bloody awful I'd be screaming new car from them if they don't get to the bottom of it pretty damn quick. Good luck

 

[CDv6]

This was my spark plugs after 2500km. With socket extensions and the 3/8 and 1/4 elbows they weren’t too bad to change out.

Aww, man, I was waiting for the double-sided foam fix for this too.

 

[Snatchell]

I have seen a few members mention Shin Etsu silicone grease to fix squeaks. I gotta say it did wonders for my sunroof noises. All I did was slather it on my rubber seals for sunroof and all other rubber seals I could find on the Stinger and it's very quiet now everywhere. No creaks, squeaks, rattles or any other noises... except wind...

I think Shin Etsu is the answer vs the thinner sprays. Shin Etsu was designed for the weather seals for the Honda Del Sol (we have a Silver 1996 Del Sol) to stop leaks that were common around the targa top. This stuff is great. It also works well on all rubber trim. Softens it up and makes it swell back to original plumpness. Our Del Sol has zero leaks.

Here's the link. Use it on all rubber... within reason.
https://www.amazon.com/Honda-Genuine-Shin-Etsu-Grease/dp/B006Z9TZ9M

 

[Bat_Dad]

Aww, man, I was waiting for the double-sided foam fix for this too.

Haha, if only it was that simple. Although wouldn’t put it past my local dealer to try it.

Vehicle is currently with the dealer and they have finally admitted to seeing this problem before with the early Stinger and it was a solenoid valve. They replaced the solenoid valve and haven’t seen any problems since.

They have sent the flight graph data from my car to Kia and are awaiting a response from them, but that’s what they are thinking.

 

[TJH]

It appears to be a space filler - just to maintain distance of headliner to the roof . Yes, perhaps a safer thing to do would be to have taped over it where it touches the metal. The bottom is glued to the softer foam so probably over the top would have sufficed. If this is the true cause and the ticking stays away, I may tape it up and put it back.
I have no idea if Kia shouldn't have put it there in the first place. I assume it must have some purpose (maybe just at manufacturing stage to help fitting the seal?).

BarryT, is your fix still working?

 

[BarryT]

BarryT, is your fix still working?

Yes, I have been tickless for over a week now! So, for me it was that little bit of foam causing the grief!

 

[Marc Collins]

Yes, I have been tickless for over a week now! So, for me it was that little bit of foam causing the grief!

Wow....just like the 59-cent washers for the rear hatch. Please let us know if you perceive any problems due to the absence of the foam piece. We can then decide to either rip it out and remove like you did or to remove it, put the special tape on it and replace. Of course, I am suspicious that it has no value to be in there...I don't think KIA is that incompetent, but I am willing to be surprised

 

[TJH]

Yes, I have been tickless for over a week now! So, for me it was that little bit of foam causing the grief!

Glad to hear that! Please keep us posted.

 

[BarryT]

Wow....just like the 59-cent washers for the rear hatch. Please let us know if you perceive any problems due to the absence of the foam piece.

I really can't see a point to it. Unless over time the headliner shifts up by itself. When I can be bothered I might take a peek on the driver side to see if it exists there. The foam looks like a piece of packing foam, nothing special, rather cheap actually.

 

[Marc Collins]

I really can't see a point to it. Unless over time the headliner shifts up by itself. When I can be bothered I might take a peek on the driver side to see if it exists there. The foam looks like a piece of packing foam, nothing special, rather cheap actually.

I thought you said way back at the outset that it did not exist on the driver's side?

This is of course interesting for those of us who drive on the other side. I can only say that with a left-hand drive vehicle I perceive the ticking coming from the sunroof and/or the passenger-side grip handle area...which is your driver's side unless the two variations have different headliners and associated bits and pieces...?

 

[BarryT]

I thought you said way back at the outset that it did not exist on the driver's side?..?

Yeah, sorry for confusion. There is no noise on driver (right) side. I was just curious as to whether the piece of foam is on both sides or not.
So i was same as you, ticking on the passenger side, my left, where the grab handle is.

 

[Marc Collins]

Yeah, sorry for confusion. There is no noise on driver (right) side. I was just curious as to whether the piece of foam is on both sides or not.
So i was same as you, ticking on the passenger side, my left, where the grab handle is.

Except mine is on the right. So in both cases it is on the passenger side, though...

My current biggest problem is that the constant ticking I now get is related to the sunroof fabric panel cover. If the cover is closed, silence. If it is open, constant ticking from what seems like all around the perimeter of the roof opening. I am willing to try to figure-out if some of the noise is coming from the grab handle area, but there is definitely ticking all around. I believe that I have had a separate noise coming from the grab handle area--but that is affected by temperature change after the car has been out in the sun and everything is hot. Since it is winter here, I haven't heard that one for a while.

 

[BarryT]

....... When I can be bothered I might take a peek on the driver side to see if it exists there. ..

Driver side picture showing a gap betwen foam and body which explains why no tick from driver side.!

 

[Marc Collins]

Driver side picture showing a gap betwen foam and body which explains why no tick from driver side.!

Interesting. So maybe taping the side that rubs would do the trick?