Concerns - Popping/Creaking Noise from Sunroof

[Grump]

Aaaaah I'm sorry for mis-culturing you!

Yeah the rubber matting I used is adhesive-backed, so it's really easy to lay down and stick in place. I can't post external links, but if you google 'Moroday 450 x 450 x 3mm Black Self Adhesive Holed Mat', you'll see the product I used

I'm sure you could find an equivalent on Amazon (or at... Tim Hortons Hardware section?) if you're ever looking to re-do yours

Was your roof rattling in all positions, or just tilted?

 

[Marc Collins]

Was your roof rattling in all positions, or just tilted?

FYI, mine rattled only when closed, which is why this solution works. If there is rattling when open, even the tiniest crack, then it could be the arms or other parts of the mechanism rattling and this process will be less likely to make a difference.

 

[ghodge]

Would this kind of tape work? It’s an ultra low friction tape that I have used on drawers for smooth silent slide:

Nylo-Tape Friction-Free Drawer Slide Tape

George

 

[my19rattler]

George, I can't quite make out the thickness of that tape, but it looks like it might be a little too thin.

The point isn't just to cover the rails, it's to provide a (slight) barrier between the glass railings and the frame railings so they don't clatter together when the roof is closed. I'd say my rubber matting is about 5mm thick and that provides enough cushioning.

Pretty much any rubber/foam strip would do as long as:

- It's not too thin (IE regular electrical tape wouldn't provide enough cushioning)

- It's not too thick (IE a thick strip of adhesive door seal could impede roof properly closing)

 

[djerickd]

Is the rattle still gone with this fix? Does the rubber tape need to be at least 6mm thick to work?

 

[my19rattler]

Is the rattle still gone with this fix? Does the rubber tape need to be at least 6mm thick to work?

The rattle is still gone with this fix. I'm not sure how thick my tape is, I just used the adhesive one I mentioned in my post and video.

Doing this fix + greasing up the weather seals with Gummi Pflege rubber care completely eliminated the rattle for me. Six months and still quiet even in winter.

 

[djerickd]

awesome!

this is the only remaining annoyance i have with this car!

 

[SKStinger]

I watched the video. Instead of putting rubber on the rails, can you just loosen the bolts, lift the roof up slightly and re-tighten? Wouldn't that create more of a gap between the rail and the body, eliminating any rub? Or does the glass still suck down too tight?

 

[my19rattler]

I watched the video. Instead of putting rubber on the rails, can you just loosen the bolts, lift the roof up slightly and re-tighten? Wouldn't that create more of a gap between the rail and the body, eliminating any rub? Or does the glass still suck down too tight?

It doesn't work I'm afraid. Lifting the glass up and fixing it in place higher creates a constant wind noise in the car, and you can't re-fasten it high enough to get rid of all points of separation. It's a really bad design.

Your mileage may vary, but this is the only permanent fix I've found. After I made this video, I reversed the fix as the dealer accepted my warranty claim. I had my entire sunroof assembly replaced by Kia - rattle came back. Then they replaced all rubber seals replaced after that, rattle was now accompanied by a squeak.

This method + using Gummi Pflege on the weather seals of the sunroof are the only fixes that I've found actually work.

 

[Marc Collins]

It doesn't work I'm afraid. Lifting the glass up and fixing it in place higher creates a constant wind noise in the car, and you can't re-fasten it high enough to get rid of all points of separation. It's a really bad design.

Your mileage may vary, but this is the only permanent fix I've found. After I made this video, I reversed the fix as the dealer accepted my warranty claim. I had my entire sunroof assembly replaced by Kia - rattle came back. Then they replaced all rubber seals replaced after that, rattle was now accompanied by a squeak.

This method + using Gummi Pflege on the weather seals of the sunroof are the only fixes that I've found actually work.

This is the most important message in this entire thread!

Replacing the entire unit dies nothing because the problem is in the design itself, not the assembly or individual defects. It is precisely this that guaranteed KIA would not do anything officially about the problem (that would cost a small fortune on a orphan vehicle) and lets the dealers waste their own money trying to keep their hopefully repeat customers happy. Given that it's KIA customer service, that might represent 5% of dealers. The other 95% are happy to throw up their hands and do nothing. We discusses all this years ago.

It was also obvious from the outset that metal contacting metal was the source of the problem, since it varies with expansion/contraction cycles. The fix here, or something very, very similar, is the only way to fix it.

 

[djerickd]

I ended up using this product (I have a ton left!) and then lubed up the seals with krytox GPL-106 lube and my rattles are gone! thank you for this fix!

https://a.co/d/0YbiKw1

 

[CeramicGT001]

Did the same thing over the weekend but it made it worse, more popping and clattering noises. I just took the foam stripping I added off and it’s quieter now. I’ll just have to deal with the slight ticking noises it makes on hot days.

I used the linked foam stripping, looked like a good idea but not the solution for my noises I guess. I also took off the bug/wind deflector thing and no difference, not sure where my noise is coming from.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNWQ6N7Q?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_ZCR34G7VKXWTH694KN6N&ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_ZCR34G7VKXWTH694KN6N&social_share=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_ZCR34G7VKXWTH694KN6N&skipTwisterOG=1&tag=salsbloofnot-20

 

[LordKOTL]

I did it this weekend. Biggest pain was making sure the foam stayed out while putting the sunroof back since my foam was not adhesive. Get the adhesive foam.

Also, I got something like this to get the torx screws that are hard to get...
Amazon.com

So far works good for me.

 

[Fecker]

I did the fix as per video, it was ok for a while but now there is a knocking sound/metallic knock coming from passenger rear side of the roof while cornering left/right. If I open the roof / tilt it, no problem.

Any ideas ?

 

[my19rattler]

Apart from burning sage and invoking the holy spirits of creaking, I only have one idea.

If this was my car I would be adjust the torx screw height, as it may be slightly uneven. Go for a drive, check for noise, try again. The factory may have screwed it in at the wrong height (your guide circles for the screws may be wrong). The quality control on these roofs are terrible.

Trial and error I'm afraid.

 

[turboAWD]

I've recorded a video on the fix:

Thanks so much - finally got around to watching the video. Turns out it's much simpler than I thought, and my rattle when closed has gotten so much worse, I need to try this soon..

 

[ivoyan]

I did the suggestions as per my19rattler's video last week, but it had no effect on my rattle issue - a clicking/bending rattle from the passenger/right back side of the sunroof on every small bump on the road. But thanks for the suggestions. Will disassemble it again soon to check further.

 

[Marc Collins]

I did the suggestions as per my19rattler's video last week, but it had no effect on my rattle issue - a clicking/bending rattle from the passenger/right back side of the sunroof on every small bump on the road. But thanks for the suggestions. Will disassemble it again soon to check further.

This fix is for the very common popping/creaking issues, not rattles.

 

[ivoyan]

Guys, this could be it? Even a gentle touch/push on that plastic cover makes loud creaking noise. I'll look further what can be done.

 

[killinghall]

I suppose this issue affects a small number of cars?

I've just hit 40,000km and my car is still dead silent while on the move - no creaks, ticks or tales - just like new.