Concerns - Popping/Creaking Noise from Sunroof

[Ghaze32]

Marc, I tried this already and what you describe will not fix the problem I am having. I was able to find another Stinger owner on FB who is getting this exact problem fixed at the dealership now. I am waiting to see what their solution is. This is a dealer in Hawaii.

 

[Marc Collins]

Marc, I tried this already and what you describe will not fix the problem I am having. I was able to find another Stinger owner on FB who is getting this exact problem fixed at the dealership now. I am waiting to see what their solution is. This is a dealer in Hawaii.

Please give us the details of what you tried. I've never said I was sure what I described would work--just that it seemed more plausible to me than a lot of the other things being tried.

Please also follow-up on the Hawaii fix so we know whether it works or not!!

Just in the car yesterday with the damned ticking and creaking annoying me....hope to hell someone eventually finds the source(s) and fix(es)!!!!!!!

 

[Ghaze32]

Thanks Marc, for many months I swore it was something in the sunroof making the noise. However, you will note the loud ticking noise (not a metal to metal sound) will continue no matter what position your sunroof is in. If that sounds like you, then join the club. I will update here after I get word from the owner in Hawaii.

 

[Marc Collins]

Thanks Marc, for many months I swore it was something in the sunroof making the noise. However, you will note the loud ticking noise (not a metal to metal sound) will continue no matter what position your sunroof is in. If that sounds like you, then join the club. I will update here after I get word from the owner in Hawaii.

No. my ticking sometimes stops if I open the roof even the tiniest amount. Same with the creaking. Both seem to be very noticeable when temperature changes are occurring (e.g., the most obvious is when car has been out in the sun and then A/C cools the interior while outside remains sun-exposed and hot; the other common example is when it is very cold outside and heater warms interior of the car).

But is not 100% predictable, which is why it should have been designed with maximum care to ensure expansion/contraction does not affect things.

N.B.: some of these two noises (ticking and creaking) may be coming from the passenger grab handle and/or the interior perimeter of the sunroof area. Maybe they are all coming from there, or a combination? Who knows? There is no sure fix for any of them that I have read about yet.

Also, a new expansion/contraction rattle/problem has begun in my car this past season--something in the instrument cluster (sounds like it is behind the speedometer) rattles over small bumps while the car arming-up from very cold conditions. Does not appear to happen on warmer days.

 

[Ghaze32]

Thanks Marc, my experience is near identical with yours with regards to the ticking noise occurring most often during the heat or when it is setting in the sun due to thermal expansion causing the contact to happen somewhere. Mine happens over small bumps while driving and is independent of the sunroof position. You can clearly hear the noise over bumps, coming from the headliner area even when the sunroof is open. Also, the condition is worsening. It was very faint behind the drivers side ear for a while and now it occurs in various places in the headliner area surrounding the sunroof.

 

[Marc Collins]

Thanks Marc, my experience is near identical with yours with regards to the ticking noise occurring most often during the heat or when it is setting in the sun due to thermal expansion causing the contact to happen somewhere. Mine happens over small bumps while driving and is independent of the sunroof position. You can clearly hear the noise over bumps, coming from the headliner area even when the sunroof is open. Also, the condition is worsening. It was very faint behind the drivers side ear for a while and now it occurs in various places in the headliner area surrounding the sunroof.

Yes, have read about that from others. Mercifully, I don't have that issue (yet) in my car.

 

[Marc Collins]

SOLVED?? FINALLY?!?!?!?!?

Well, I cannot be fully sure until I leave the car out in the baking sun on a hot day, but I am 99% sure I have finally solved the popping/creaking sunroof plague that has ben driving me crazy since about 6 months after acquiring the car. And like the hatch rattle, as I predicted, the solution costs about $1 in parts and not much labour, though this is too much for all the great minds at KIA dealerships and KIA HQ to figure-out after what is now more than three years of widespread complaints from owners of Stingers and every other model of Genesis, KIA and Hyundai that uses the panoramic sunroof.

If you read back to my many whinging comments in this thread and others, you will see that I said from day one the problem was metal on metal contact exacerbated by expansion-contraction cycles, which is why the problem is always worse after the car has been in the sun and then the A/C in the car cools the interior causing that temp to drop while it is still hot outside.

The solution is ridiculously simple, though I tried many other things before finally getting frustrated enough to do this. I took some kitchen cabinet shelf liner material that is rubber and spongy (here is a link to a well-known brand from Amazon, but all hardware stores sell it and the stuff even from the dollar store is usually fine) and cut two very thin strips (about half a centimetre/1/4 of an inch) the full width of the roll (every one I have seen is 12" wide). I am showing a picture of a light colour to better illustrate the texture of it, but used black for my own car as the rails and other sunroof mechanics are already black.

https://www.amazon.ca/Duck-283310-Non-Adhesive-12-Inch-10-Feet/dp/B00PY3IA4Q/ref=asc_df_B00PY3IA4Q/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292872459303&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12511178655377628000&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9000976&hvtargid=pla-316242249798&th=1

These strips are going to be sandwiched between the rails attached to the sunroof and the rails attached to the car body. There are basically irregularly shaped bracket/rails made of steel that connect and hold the sunroof in place. I used a very tiny amount of super glue to hold the rubber lining strip in place while I was working on the reinstallation. The weight of the roof will hold it in place, but not while you are manually shifting and shimmying the roof into place.

I had adjusted the sunroof innumerable times (trying to get of the creaking) by loosening the three (on each side) interior bolts and playing with the adjustments (to no avail). What I did not realize is that there is a fourth bolt on the outside of the car that is the last remaining connection of the roof to its brackets. Once you remove all eight bolts, the roof simply lifts off the car!

However, there is no need to remove the roof completely. If you remove the bolts on one side of the car, you can lift that side of the roof sufficiently to insert the rubber liner material onto the top of the rail and then let the roof rest on top of that. Replace and tighten all the bolts, starting with the exterior one and then the three interior ones. Repeat for the second side of the roof after the first side is bolted back on.

Important notes:

• It may help to loosen but not remove the bolts on the opposite side while manoeuvring the liner material into place
• The sunroof needs to be opened just enough so that it is level, but not so far as the rear-most interior attachment bolt becomes inaccessible from the inside of the car
• Only one tool is needed--a T25 (TORX) driver
• The rear/exterior bolt will undoubtedly have a mark from where it was attached at the factory--tighten it back in that same exact spot to ensure the roof is aligned when done
  • I tightened the interior bolts in the position with the roof just resting on the liner material and made no further alignment (up or down) adjustment
• If you cannot find these eight bolts (they are very obviously visible), then I suggest not attempting this mod

I'll post again if this fails to work, but so far it has been blissfully free of popping and creaking and just generally quieter because of the rubber bushing.

 

[Ghaze32]

That's great to hear Marc. I am glad it worked for solving your problem. Nice of you to detail your solution to a problem that is so common on these Stingers with sunroofs.
The noise coming from my roof area has also been fixed! Hallelujah! Except the route that I took to get it fixed was much different than yours. I didn't feel that I should have to spend any of my time on fixing this issue, so I left it to the dealership. As noted previously, they tried once and failed. I used the advice of another poster above. I called and opened a case with Kia Customer Support. They reached out to me, gave me a case number and coordinated with the dealership for a drop off time. I took it back to the dealership and the dealership opened up a case with Kia's internal Techline support team. I gave the dealership a copy of the work order that the dealership in Hawaii did for another Stinger owner. In the end they said is was a sunroof issue, not a headliner issue and that they needed to order parts for the sunroof, which were in stock in Chicago. They installed these new 'sunroof mounts'. I wish I had further details on what the exact part was that was replaced, I will work on that. The noises from the roof are gone. I drove on a 8 hour drive for work, quiet as a mouse. My wife is now upset that I want to drive it again.

 

[Snowwhite]

out of curiosity, how hard is it to line the sunroof back up? any wind noise at highway speeds after you did this?

 

[G-492110]

out of curiosity, how hard is it to line the sunroof back up? any wind noise at highway speeds after you did this?

I am sorry I don’t understand your question or how it pertains to this thread in any way. Wind noise is not pertinent to this thread. Thanks.

 

[Marc Collins]

out of curiosity, how hard is it to line the sunroof back up? any wind noise at highway speeds after you did this?

Very easy and no change to anything regarding wind noise. The roof is so heavy that it is being raised net less than 1 mm by the liner material (i.e., indistinguishable). The roof is quieter over bumps with no change to wind noise at higher speeds. You can also manually adjust the roof position with the bolts to whatever you prefer. I left the roof to gravity to rest on the liner, but you don't have to do that.

It hasn't eliminated the problem...I suspect there is still expansion-contraction happening in the sunroof itself with the glass and its frame making some noises. But on my car, this relatively small effort produced good results that are immediately noticeable.

My thought process was it can't hurt. Every one of these surfaces and connections should be lined with a sound-deadening bushing that also prevents ticking an popping and rattling. Car company doesn't ant to do it because it is a source of future problems and maintenance. I don't mind replacing the liner every 5 years if necessary, if it shuts the damned noises down that are almost constant with this roof.

 

[ghodge]

Ghaze32,

I'm glad things worked out for you. Would you be willing to provide your case number in case others go the dealership route?

Thanks,

George

 

[Snowwhite]

Very easy and no change to anything regarding wind noise. The roof is so heavy that it is being raised net less than 1 mm by the liner material (i.e., indistinguishable). The roof is quieter over bumps with no change to wind noise at higher speeds. You can also manually adjust the roof position with the bolts to whatever you prefer. I left the roof to gravity to rest on the liner, but you don't have to do that.

It hasn't eliminated the problem...I suspect there is still expansion-contraction happening in the sunroof itself with the glass and its frame making some noises. But on my car, this relatively small effort produced good results that are immediately noticeable.

My thought process was it can't hurt. Every one of these surfaces and connections should be lined with a sound-deadening bushing that also prevents ticking an popping and rattling. Car company doesn't ant to do it because it is a source of future problems and maintenance. I don't mind replacing the liner every 5 years if necessary, if it shuts the damned noises down that are almost constant with this roof.

Have you considered lubricating the 8 screw contact points with grease?

 

[Marc Collins]

Have you considered lubricating the 8 screw contact points with grease?

Mine already were/still are lubricated from the factory.

 

[Joey.Eaker]

Thanks Marc, my experience is near identical with yours with regards to the ticking noise occurring most often during the heat or when it is setting in the sun due to thermal expansion causing the contact to happen somewhere. Mine happens over small bumps while driving and is independent of the sunroof position. You can clearly hear the noise over bumps, coming from the headliner area even when the sunroof is open. Also, the condition is worsening. It was very faint behind the drivers side ear for a while and now it occurs in various places in the headliner area surrounding the sunroof.

I have this EXACT experience in my 2019 GT2. Hot and cold contractions, bumps, etc with the sunroof closed cause constant ticking, popping, and other stupid noises. You’re certainly not alone. Love to hear if you make forward progress on the situation.

 

[Snowwhite]

I am sorry I don’t understand your question or how it pertains to this thread in any way. Wind noise is not pertinent to this thread. Thanks.

If you remove the sunroof panel to apply this fix and it does not line up properly afterwards, you can get wind noise from the roof at speed if it doesn't seal properly against the body and seals. I was verifying to make sure I didn't fix one problem and create another.

 

[Marc Collins]

If you remove the sunroof panel to apply this fix and it does not line up properly afterwards, you can get wind noise from the roof at speed if it doesn't seal properly against the body and seals. I was verifying to make sure I didn't fix one problem and create another.

It's not difficult to realign the sunroof. It basically rests on the frame (now with some padding in between). No issues with water leakage or wind noise.

Most of the noises are gone from my roof. The car keeps surprising me how solid and quiet it now seems.

However, I still think there is some contraction/expansion noise coming from the roof itself (the glass in its frame that we cannot influence in any manner). Will confirm next time the car is sitting in the sun on a very hot day (rare as mine sits in the garage 98% of the time).

 

[CDv6]

They installed these new 'sunroof mounts'. I wish I had further details on what the exact part was that was replaced, I will work on that.

Any updates? Were you able to identify the part?

 

[Marc Collins]

I can report that my technique (described above) has solved all "rattles" from the sunroof. It is so quiet while driving over rough roads now I can hardly believe it. What it has not done is completely resolve the expansion/contraction issues that are worst when the car has been sitting out in the sun and then the A/C cools the interior causing a rapid mismatch in temperatures. That means there is some other area that the glass is attached to metal or in a metal frame of sorts that is not affected by the cushioning of the rails. The rails are the source of bump-related noises. The creaking/popping from the expansion/contraction is still there...albeit a bit less prominent.

The new/different sunroof mounts that @Ghaze32 got sound promising...hopefully he will come back on here with the details so we can all harass our dealers about finally doing something to resolve this. Of course, unless your car is less than a year old, the dealers will tell you to go whistle in terms of warranty as it out of the zone for minor annoyance/adjustments of this sort. How convenient...to get us to pay for the fix.

 

[FishwaterDawg]

@Marc Collins

I just returned from my local dealership for the rattle coming from my sunroof (this was my 3rd visit for this issue) on my 2019 Stinger GT2 AWD. I had printed off your original post on what you did to fix the issue and showed it to the Service Specialist and he wanted me to ask you if you ever posted pictures. Specifically...where did you put the cabinet shelf material in relation to the rails? On top, the sides, below...?

Do you have any pictures I could see?

Thank you in advance for your assistance.