# Noisy X-Trail: Squeaks, Rattles, Etc



## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

Hi all,

I have a noisy, rattly X-Trail. 

It makes me forget all of the things I liked about my X-Trail when I bought it, and I'm starting to hate this vehicle.

*1. I have a loud plastic rubbing sound coming from the right (passenger) side of my X-Trail's dash.*

To simulate the noise, take your thumbnail and flick the edge of your computer monitor. Now, do it over and over and over and over and over and over and... well, you get the point.

It happens every time I hit a sharpish bump in the road. I had posted a message a while back indicating I thought I had pinpointed the cause as being the tweeter grille. After removing it and driving for a short while, it seemed to be quiet. 

But then it came back. I had a friend take the wheel of my X-Trail so I could sit in the passenger seat and feel the various dash pieces move around as we drove. It now seemed to be coming from where the A-pillar trim piece meets the dash. I could feel quite a bit of movement in there, and when I held the pieces apart, it was quiet. But you never really know, unless you're driving over a course where you know where each bump is. Maybe we happened to be on a smoother stretch of road.

I bought a tube of lithium grease and lubed the joint, but to no avail.

My repeated attempts to fix the rattle myself eventually broke the clips on the tweeter grille, so I gave up and brought it in to the dealer.

The service manager took me on the test drive, and wouldn't you know it, the stupid thing quieted right down. Silent as a freakin' S-Class Mercedes. Just when we were returning to the dealership, it started to do it again, but just a bit.

"AHA!" I said, "Do you hear that?"

He did, thank goodness.

Anyway, they took it in to put the new grille on and tried to fix the rattle. I think they glued in some foam. Their fix seemed to work, at least for the first 3km or so. Then it started up again, louder than ever. It's worst in the cold, but it's always there.

_Flick. Flick. Flick._

It's driving me nuts.



*2. The blower motor whistles loudly when the vehicle is cold.*
Not extreme cold, just Toronto cold. It goes back to sounding normal when the vehicle's warm, but by then my 7km commute is over.

_HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSssssssssssssss_



*3. The glove box rattles.*

No, not the contents, the box itself rattles. In this case, it's only when it's cold, but lately that's every day. I think I can fix this with some foam myself.

_Clicketyclicketyclicketyclick._



*4. The cargo floor squeaks.*

This is mostly audible when it's cold. My plan is to buy a cargo liner to keep the floor still and hopefully muffle any noise.

_eeee eee ieee eeee eee_


Am I the only one with such a poorly-built X-Trail? Was it "Free Sapporo Friday" :cheers: at the Kyushu plant when mine was built? Has anyone else had such noises that were successfully repaired?

I hope I won't have to prematurely sell my X-Trail to keep from going insane. :crazy:


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## wal (Jun 17, 2004)

ecrase2500 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I have a noisy, rattly X-Trail.
> 
> ...



No, U not the only one :waving: 

Here is the history of this (rattling noise) I copied from this forum in hope to show this to the dealer

*voila:*

*Also I have been getting this annoying rattle from the center dash anyone else having rattle from panels?

ValBoo. mont


As for the annoying rattle: I will be going to Metro Nissan this week for my 6000 KM inspection and will ask them to have a look at this center panel, (see, the thing is, the rattle is getting worse and it does not go away when the car warms up)
Montrealer


Rattle; I have problem "not that bad," it goes away when the cabin is in normal temp....
Toronto

Yaa.. I have annoying rattle from the center dash.. actually in my case it looks like airbag compartment, passenger side. I've removed all stuff from all compartments that may coz that rattle and nothing helps .. really annoying

Wal, Vanc

Hi Guys,

I noticed this rattle after I've driven off-road for a couple of times and yes it's coming from near the passenger side airbag compartment.

I have isolated the rattle to be in the passenger side tweeter compartment just under the cloth grill.

There is a plastic air tube (I think it's the windscreen defrost) that was banging against the plastic base, so I stuck in there a small piece of rubber and the rattle was gone.

I will mention this to Nissan at my next service, so they can fix it permanently.

Sydney Aussie

I'm experiencing both a hiss from the ventilation system from that area, and a knocking/clicking/rubbing sound. Driving with the tweeter cover removed silenced the knocking/clicking/rubbing, so I'll be talking to my dealer (again) now that I've located the problem, and confirmed it thanks to your message.

It's been driving me nuts.
No location Pierre

Hi Pierre,

I'm glad you have isolated the problem. It drove me nuts as well and kept mentioning it to my wife all the way through our off-road trip and was stopping many times trying to find where the hell it was coming from 
Aussie

Hi Al and welcome to this forum.

You could remove the cloth grill yourself, it's easy to remove (well, sort of easy) just lift the front part of it which is facing you at the edge of the dash and pull towards you. Put a small piece of rubber or something soft and see if the rattle goes away, if it does, mention it to your dealer

Aussie*


And of coz if go to dealer to complain about this rattle, there will be no freaking noise at that time hehe.. aah...


we have to do something with this :banhump:


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

Hi there ecrase2500,

I like your sound animations and I couldn't have described it better myself 

I can relate to all of the rattles you're having and I was successful in isolating some of them:

1. The passenger side rattle happens not because of the tweeter grille, but from the plastic air-tube, which is located under the grille rubbing on a plastic base. Since I have jammed the damn thing with a piece of foam, it went away.

2. The hiss of the air-con fan is normal and is more evident when I turn-on my heating fan (it doesn't do it when you have the setting set on cold air output) I have checked about 10 xtrails and they all have this hissing sound. So I just left it at that.


3. No glove box rattles here, try to tighten the screws. It could be the plastic guard under the glove box (just above passengers foot space) that has a broken clip. I've seen one being replaced by the dealer and a guy was complaining about the rattly noise coming from there.

4. No cargo floor squeaks here either. But I have the cargo carpet on mine.

I think most of the squeaks you're hearing are caused by the plastic expanding or shrinking in the cold weather conditions that you have over there in Canada. The whole internal structure of the plastic internal parts of the xtrail is less than practical.


My latest solution involved adding MORE rattly bits to the inside of the car (like a mobile phone holder..etc) and now when anything rattles, I just blame the shitty mobile phone holder 

So, the sound animation that I can best describe when driving is:

Click, clack, clap and snap and every other noise you can think of. I just learnt to ignore them all.


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

aussietrail said:


> 1. The passenger side rattle happens not because of the tweeter grille, but from the plastic air-tube, which is located under the grille rubbing on a plastic base. Since I have jammed the damn thing with a piece of foam, it went away.


Thanks for the feedback, folks. Aussietrail, yours was one of the posts I had read while I was fiddling around under the speaker grille, and I tried foam in a couple of different places. One was around the part of the speaker grille that has the vent for the duct. I wrapped it with thicker adhesive foam to make it seal better than the flimsy foam already there. I thought this might help the hissing too, but it didn't. I also tried a piece of foam under the plastic duct itself, where it seemed to sit. I had no luck in silencing the noise, but I'm glad I ruled that out - I might not have thought of it otherwise.

In my case it's less of a rattle per se than the sound of two pieces of plastic rubbing together hard and releasing suddenly with a "flick". I should have described it better. Sometimes I wonder if it's the windshield shifting about in its seal.

I guess I'll get used to the hissing noise, if that's standard fare in X-Trails. I'm less obsessive about stuff that bugs me if there's no fixing to be done. But that wouldn't qualify me as a satisfied customer...


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## mfreedman (Jun 13, 2004)

ecrase2500 said:


> Thanks for the feedback, folks. Aussietrail, yours was one of the posts I had read while I was fiddling around under the speaker grille, and I tried foam in a couple of different places. One was around the part of the speaker grille that has the vent for the duct. I wrapped it with thicker adhesive foam to make it seal better than the flimsy foam already there. I thought this might help the hissing too, but it didn't. I also tried a piece of foam under the plastic duct itself, where it seemed to sit. I had no luck in silencing the noise, but I'm glad I ruled that out - I might not have thought of it otherwise.
> 
> In my case it's less of a rattle per se than the sound of two pieces of plastic rubbing together hard and releasing suddenly with a "flick". I should have described it better. Sometimes I wonder if it's the windshield shifting about in its seal.
> 
> I guess I'll get used to the hissing noise, if that's standard fare in X-Trails. I'm less obsessive about stuff that bugs me if there's no fixing to be done. But that wouldn't qualify me as a satisfied customer...


So far my luck's been pretty good and I can't complain too much about the rattles , noises, clicks, pop, crackles and snaps - but then again it's been so freakin' cold that all I care about it getting to where I gots to go and , honestly , I don't care if there's a full symphony of noise going on. I just want to be warm and play golf. But there is this little click noicse that comes and goes and now that you mention this...aw man you got me started. Now I'll never be able to go into the car again without thinking about all this stuff....BTW I've found that if it's broke, break it more. Then when the thing is completely destroyed you relly don't care any more.


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

ecrase2500 said:


> Thanks for the feedback, folks. Aussietrail, yours was one of the posts I had read while I was fiddling around under the speaker grille, and I tried foam in a couple of different places. One was around the part of the speaker grille that has the vent for the duct. I wrapped it with thicker adhesive foam to make it seal better than the flimsy foam already there. I thought this might help the hissing too, but it didn't. I also tried a piece of foam under the plastic duct itself, where it seemed to sit. I had no luck in silencing the noise, but I'm glad I ruled that out - I might not have thought of it otherwise.
> 
> In my case it's less of a rattle per se than the sound of two pieces of plastic rubbing together hard and releasing suddenly with a "flick". I should have described it better. Sometimes I wonder if it's the windshield shifting about in its seal.
> 
> I guess I'll get used to the hissing noise, if that's standard fare in X-Trails. I'm less obsessive about stuff that bugs me if there's no fixing to be done. But that wouldn't qualify me as a satisfied customer...


Do you have a tweeter speaker in there? That could be another potential source of this noise. If you do have a tweeter in there, try to take it off and see if that would would lead to the noise going away.

Best of luck.


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## Avery Slickride (Jan 6, 2005)

I thought I was in for big noise problems the first week after I picked up my X-Trail. There's a road with very pronounced expansion joints on the way to my fish camp, and every time I took that road the dash would chirp like a chorus of crickets. Just on that road, nowhere else. But it was the coldest week of the winter, -30 or worse all week. Since then, the weather has returned to normal, and the car is as silent as the tomb. If it gets extremely cold again, I'll put on earmuffs, crank up the radio, or avoid that road.


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

aussietrail said:


> Do you have a tweeter speaker in there? That could be another potential source of this noise. If you do have a tweeter in there, try to take it off and see if that would would lead to the noise going away.
> 
> Best of luck.


Yeah, but it's very solidly mounted with a fairly heavy steel bracket and two screws and locating pins. I took it out at one point so I could feel around below, and refastened it good and tight. That thing ain't moving. 

I took a good close look today in the sunlight and noticed that the dealership indeed stuck in a thin piece of foam rubber at the joint between the A-pillar trim and the dash. I wonder if it had been glued to both sides but broke loose (since it was quiet for the first 3 km after the fix). Maybe when I go in for my first oil change I'll ask them to somehow rivet, bolt or otherwise clamp the two plastic pieces together so they don't rub at all. 

But why would my X-Trail be noisy when others are quiet? Perhaps the whole dashboard wasn't bolted in right? Maybe the body's flexing more than it should when it hits a bump? I'd like to solve the root cause if I can.

*grumble*


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

ecrase2500 said:


> Yeah, but it's very solidly mounted with a fairly heavy steel bracket and two screws and locating pins. I took it out at one point so I could feel around below, and refastened it good and tight. That thing ain't moving.
> 
> I took a good close look today in the sunlight and noticed that the dealership indeed stuck in a thin piece of foam rubber at the joint between the A-pillar trim and the dash. I wonder if it had been glued to both sides but broke loose (since it was quiet for the first 3 km after the fix). Maybe when I go in for my first oil change I'll ask them to somehow rivet, bolt or otherwise clamp the two plastic pieces together so they don't rub at all.
> 
> ...


What tyre pressure do you have in your ride? the reason I ask this is that having too much air pressure in your tyres could turn your ride in the xtrail to something really unbearable. I got my exy back from the service and the guys over there inflated the tyres to probably about 40psi. I was driving it and I fealt that everything is car was shaking and squeeking (including myself) so I stoped at the nearest tyre place and de-flated them to 34psi. The ride was much smoother after that. Just a thought


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*Noise*

Hi everyone,

I have had the opputunity to drive my X-trail many miles this week.. mostly highway, between Pointe-Claire and Sainte-Hyacinthe, which is about one and half hour drive each way.. longer if in Montreal Traffic. With the death of my Mother-in-law... it has meanty a lot of travel... and let me tell you, I am more than happy with the X-Trail..

I have also have one problem noise coming from the front passenger side near the tweeter area, but have not had any time to look into it. I will but it is only there at - degrees....and goes way once the X-Trail is warmed up.

The X-Trail so far with (9000K) has been great.. and I still swear by the Motomaster Reflex wipers... they have been tested to the extreme this week and there are great. I purchased several bottles of Rain-X -35 windshield washer fluid and love the stuff... nothing sticks and everything slides off. I use Rain-X all year, both applied to all my windows and lights but also as an additive to the fluid in spring, summer and fall. I also recommend this.

When I have the chance to figure out the noise I will let you know the solution, other than that.. the car is exprememly quiet.

I have also noticed that with the car fully covered with Sound Dampening material - Second Skin Audio, Damplifier... that my heating system is barely on high... once the care is at a proper temperature I have the dial set about 18-20... it was funny... my airconditioning actually started up... not only does the care sound quieter... but it keeps it warmer as well... can't wait to see what summer is like.

Stephen


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## ejm (Nov 14, 2004)

*Dash Noise*

Hi everyone

I have been following the"Canadian X-Trail" since June 2004 when I got my Silver SE AWD AT. Since then I have put on 9200 kms and I enjoy it very much- especially AWD in the snow and ice. Although this is my first post here, I felt that I had written the first post in this thread because I also have "clicks" coming from the dash that didn't appear when at the service dept. where I had bought it. And I too broke clips on the tweeter cover and removed the speaker while try to find the cause. The glove box lid also rattled.
My "clicks" however were at the base of the A-pillar on the driver's side and from the left side of the center instrument cover near the base of the windshield. The two noises alternated and harmonized when ever I went over harsh bumps. It irritated me !! I took it to my local dealer ( I did not buy it them) and they tried to fix it but were unsucessful. However since then I discovered I could create the sound by pushing down on the plastic between the defroster outlet and the center base of the windshield. I stuffed some foam between the dash and glass and there was improvement. I bought some 1/2" square grey foam, moved the adhesive cover 1/16" over and cut off the expose 1/16" of cover from the opposite side. I did this because I didn't want the foam to stick to the top of the dash and the white cover edge to show. Starting at the edge of the plastic A-pillar cover and with the adhesive cover side down, I pushed the foam into the angle between the dash and windshield until it felt firmly positioned and continued across the dash to the opposite A-pillar cover. This eliminated all the noise from the left side and about 95% from the middle and what is there is much softer.
As for the noise from the glove box lid, I put some 3/8" thick foam on the inside of the lid, vertically, beside the the box. This seem to have solved this noise.
I have not noticed any hiss from the heater outlets.
I hope this info will help anyone who has these problems. 
However I feel that when you pay $30,000.+ for a vehicle there should't be this many squeaks and rattles. You would think that these problems would have been solved by Nissan since this truck has been sold elsewhere for several years.


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

Wow, ejm, it sounds like you may have gotten it. I want to make sure I understand this part of your description, though, so I can try it myself without screwing up:



ejm said:


> I bought some 1/2" square grey foam, moved the adhesive cover 1/16" over and cut off the expose 1/16" of cover from the opposite side. I did this because I didn't want the foam to stick to the top of the dash and the white cover edge to show. Starting at the edge of the plastic A-pillar cover and with the adhesive cover side down, I pushed the foam into the angle between the dash and windshield until it felt firmly positioned and continued across the dash to the opposite A-pillar cover.


The foam you bought, is it a roll of square cross-section self-adhesive foam? (i.e., it looks square when you look at the end of it, but it's a long strip, right?) Is it the weather-stripping foam you can buy in the automotive section at Canadian Tire?

You peeled off the white backing for the sticky side and stuck it back on, offset by 1/16", and cut off the excess backing, so that you had only 1/16" of adhesive exposed, right?

Then you applied it between the windshield and the front edge of the dash, all the way across?

When you stuffed it in there, what was the 1/16" adhesive part sticking to? Can you see the white backing through the windshield on the other side?

If I get this right, your idea is to press down on the top edge of the dash using the windshield as bracing, to minimize the movement of the dash?

You've given me new hope... 

Aussietrail - yes, i just checked my tire pressure on the weekend: 32 PSI.

Thanks a lot, guys.


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## ejm (Nov 14, 2004)

*Dash Noise*

Hi everyone 

The foam tape that I used was bought at Home Depot. It is 1/2" square X 10' long. It is a closed cell sponge foam tape made by Tago (Pt. # 426-142). I moved the white backing over just as you decribed and installed it across the whole dash with the backing down and exposed adhesive towards the back of the vehicle. I did this because I didn't want all of the tape to stick to the dash, I didn't want to see the white backing from inside the vehicle and it would have been impossible to push it into place with the adhesive exposed. The little bit of adhesive that is exposed,touches the dash but dosen't stop movement of the foam. The pressure on the dash seem to stop the movement that caused the noise. From the outside you see very little of the foam because it is under the black coating on the bottom of the windshield. Hope this answers any questions. Let me know if it works.


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

*YEAH!*

:thumbup: 

That did the trick!

I varied the technique a bit by peeling the stickiness right off of the self-adhesive foam I had. It's basically a piece of double-sided tape that peels off pretty cleanly. I wedged a strip in between the dash and windshield at the problem area. I didn't go all the way across- I just went from the A-pillar joint to the heating duct. The foam I have is black, and stuffs in so far you can hardly see it.

I also got around to fixing the glovebox rattle with the same foam stuff.

But it worked. This morning, I had my first flick and rattle free drive to work in two months.

There's still the HVAC fan _Hissssss_, and the squeaking cargo floor, but these weren't driving me quite as insane.

Thank you so much! I'm starting to love my X-Trail again.


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## ejm (Nov 14, 2004)

ecrase2500 said:


> :thumbup:
> 
> That did the trick!
> 
> ...


Your welcome. I am happy it solved your problem.


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## thumbtoe (Feb 4, 2005)

mfreedman said:


> So far my luck's been pretty good and I can't complain too much about the rattles , noises, clicks, pop, crackles and snaps - but then again it's been so freakin' cold that all I care about it getting to where I gots to go and , honestly , I don't care if there's a full symphony of noise going on. I just want to be warm and play golf. But there is this little click noicse that comes and goes and now that you mention this...aw man you got me started. Now I'll never be able to go into the car again without thinking about all this stuff....BTW I've found that if it's broke, break it more. Then when the thing is completely destroyed you relly don't care any more.


Speaking of golf......does the xtrail have ample room for four players and clubs????


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## mfreedman (Jun 13, 2004)

thumbtoe said:


> Speaking of golf......does the xtrail have ample room for four players and clubs????


I would say yes but not with room to spare. The most I have had in there is three sets of clubs and three passengers. A fourth would fit but the rear view would likely be blocked to a great extent.

But I've also had hockey bags, sticks, snowshoes, ski poles and skis, a snowbaord with boots, various other golf clubs , a portable bicycle (www.giatex.ca), the carry bag, a 36" wide bin filled with 'stuff', my dog, some framed pictures, computer stuff from Gnet (www.gnet.ca), other assorted junk of sorts............... :thumbup:


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## thumbtoe (Feb 4, 2005)

mfreedman said:


> I would say yes but not with room to spare. The most I have had in there is three sets of clubs and three passengers. A fourth would fit but the rear view would likely be blocked to a great extent.
> 
> But I've also had hockey bags, sticks, snowshoes, ski poles and skis, a snowbaord with boots, various other golf clubs , a portable bicycle (www.giatex.ca), the carry bag, a 36" wide bin filled with 'stuff', my dog, some framed pictures, computer stuff from Gnet (www.gnet.ca), other assorted junk of sorts............... :thumbup:


Thanks, i think i'm going to go buy one


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## thumbtoe (Feb 4, 2005)

thumbtoe said:


> Thanks, i think i'm going to go buy one


ok so i went and bought the redline se awd auto pick it up thursday!!!!!! now we just need to get rid of this crappy weather so we can golf


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## mfreedman (Jun 13, 2004)

thumbtoe said:


> ok so i went and bought the redline se awd auto pick it up thursday!!!!!! now we just need to get rid of this crappy weather so we can golf


First of all congrats on the ve-hicle. All the best. Second of all are we talking Ontario bad weather ? Or Alberta, BC, Quebec ?


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## HarryXT (Feb 12, 2005)

*X Trail Rattle*



ecrase2500 said:


> :thumbup:
> 
> That did the trick!
> 
> ...


Good (in a way) to hear that someone has exactly the same problem i do. Ive had my X Trail around 4 weeks and have had the exact same problem you describe since the day after purchase. My X Trail is with the dealers right now - for the 3rd time! I just popped in to let him know the suggested cure for under the tweeter cover whatever that is but if that doesnt do it i'll try the "foam wedge" fix described so well here.

Thanks for the posts it made good reading.

I like my X Trail but it is unacceptable to have rattles in a car which is ment to be good quality and cost me £19000.

Bye


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## ViperZ (Feb 9, 2005)

OK, you guys are scaring me..... :jawdrop:


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## wal (Jun 17, 2004)

*rattling noise*

Well, first attempt to fix rattling noise by dealer - failed :balls: :crazy: 
I guess I have to try few more times :crazy: maybe try another dealer .. hehe..


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## HarryXT (Feb 12, 2005)

*Rattling X Trail*



wal said:


> Well, first attempt to fix rattling noise by dealer - failed :balls: :crazy:
> I guess I have to try few more times :crazy: maybe try another dealer .. hehe..



I had the rattle described by ecrase2500 at start of this thread (the flick flick fkick one) and has since mamanged to fix it myself with a piece of foam from the end of a kitchen mop of all things - wedged between dash and windscreen from passenger A post to start of windscreen vent.

In my experience dealers are absolutely shit and this sort of thing and dont give a toss.

The dealer tried to fix my rattle 4 times and like i said in ended up fixing it myself

Harry


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## wal (Jun 17, 2004)

HarryXT said:


> I had the rattle described by ecrase2500 at start of this thread (the flick flick fkick one) and has since mamanged to fix it myself with a piece of foam from the end of a kitchen mop of all things - wedged between dash and windscreen from passenger A post to start of windscreen vent.
> 
> In my experience dealers are absolutely shit and this sort of thing and dont give a toss.
> 
> ...





Hehe... :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:


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## wal (Jun 17, 2004)

*plastic rubbing sound coming from the right (passenger) side*

Hey Guys.
Is there anyone here, whose plastic rubbing sound (rattle noise) has been fixed by dealer. :topic: And if there is one, can U guys give me dealer info that can be reached by my dealer so they can learn how to fix this freacking hating noise :banhump:


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## GoldenCupChamp (Dec 21, 2004)

I've solved the plasting "cracking" noise on my X-Trail's dash. I hope this solution works for others...

My Problem:
The noise was coming from the driver side speaker cover area on the dash and was driving me insane. I was worried about trying to remove the cover section piece after reading how others had broken the tabs trying to remove it themselves.

My Solution:
The speaker cover is located on the left side of the dash, directly in front of the driver side cup holder and it is covered in a dark grey fabric. The cover slides somewhat if you push it forward and pull it back...

1. If you pull it back using your fingertips so the piece arches a little in the center you'll get a slight space between where the cover's front side meets the dash.
2. Slide in a piece of foam tape (or other object, thick enough that the speaker cover piece no longer slides forward and back) in the gap at the front of the cover piece where it meets the dash.
3. It might take an attempt or two because of the proximity of the front windshield and the limited space you have.

At first I used an old parking garage ticket folded upon itself to wedge into the gap. This solved it. Black foam tape will probably work (and look better), but you'll need a thicker piece and it might be harder to wedge a piece in the gap. Wedge a decent thickness in there so the cover almost bends upward in the center.

I haven't had a "cracking" sound since. 

GCC


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## XTrail1 (Feb 24, 2005)

any pics of this procedure?


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## wal (Jun 17, 2004)

*Noisy X-Trail*

Soo.. nobody complane aboout noise anymore? :asleep: he he

The plasting "cracking" noise on my X-Trail's dash - still here :thumbdwn: 
Last time, one month ago the dealer at Nissan Morrey has tried to fix it by replacing a: 
VB14AA RPL one front pillar garnish.. or something 
The noise comes on the next day.. I give up (put it on hold) 
But every morning the noise brings me to the edge of mental breakedown :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: he he...


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## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

Nah, the noise is still here as well, but I've learnt to live with it, so I either pump-up the volume of my stereo or get the kids to fight at the back  muffles all kinds of noises when they do that LOL



wal said:


> Soo.. nobody complane aboout noise anymore? :asleep: he he
> 
> The plasting "cracking" noise on my X-Trail's dash - still here :thumbdwn:
> Last time, one month ago the dealer at Nissan Morrey has tried to fix it by replacing a:
> ...


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## sherpy (Feb 9, 2005)

GoldenCupChamp said:


> I've solved the plasting "cracking" noise on my X-Trail's dash. I hope this solution works for others...
> 
> My Problem:
> The noise was coming from the driver side speaker cover area on the dash and was driving me insane. I was worried about trying to remove the cover section piece after reading how others had broken the tabs trying to remove it themselves.
> ...



Well Golden Cup, I'm going to give that a try. My crackle is on the passenger side, but what I've noticed is that when the weather is warmer, it doesn't crackle...still, needs to be fixed, because it too, drives me nuts....


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## Avery Slickride (Jan 6, 2005)

I had a bit of squeaky noise from the dash for one week in January when the weather was stuck in the -30 range. Since then, not a peep.


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## sherpy (Feb 9, 2005)

I also had a 20 lb bag of sand that I bought and put in the back for the drive home. As I was driving home, the sound of the back floor panel, moving back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, over and over and over again, because of the weight of the sand moving the panel, resulted in my pulling over, and moving the sand from the back to the floor behind the front seat....now, isn't that what cargo areas are for????? I'm beginning to think that Nissan is about 1 cm off on a few things...waiting for the weather to warm up, to check that one out...sigh...for us noise sensitive people, this is a big deal...


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## ecrase2500 (Dec 31, 2004)

wal said:


> Soo.. nobody complane aboout noise anymore? :asleep: he he
> 
> The plasting "cracking" noise on my X-Trail's dash - still here :thumbdwn:
> Last time, one month ago the dealer at Nissan Morrey has tried to fix it by replacing a:
> ...


Wal, did you try the foam fix first described by EJM above? I showed it to my dealer hoping he could do better, but he didn't want to attempt it. "You fixed it good," he said.

Sometime later, the cracking came back for a while, and I suspect it's because the foam became too stiff to do its job of holding the front edge of the dash down. I replaced the foam strip with fresh stuff (and this time went all the way across the dash for appearances' sake). That made it go quiet once more.


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## wal (Jun 17, 2004)

ecrase2500 said:


> Wal, did you try the foam fix first described by EJM above? I showed it to my dealer hoping he could do better, but he didn't want to attempt it. "You fixed it good," he said.
> 
> Sometime later, the cracking came back for a while, and I suspect it's because the foam became too stiff to do its job of holding the front edge of the dash down. I replaced the foam strip with fresh stuff (and this time went all the way across the dash for appearances' sake). That made it go quiet once more.


No,  I was afraid to brake something.. I always do  
But thanks for remaining, I guess eventually I have to do it by my own


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*Second Skin Audio Damplifier*

Well I went nuts this weekend again....Valboo (Marc) and I noticed last year after our initial install, that the X-Trail under the rear seats have exposed metal with some sound dampening material...but not much... Well we purchased more last year but I only got together with Marc last Friday to split the package of Damplifier.

So I lifted the seats and went nuts again. It is not completely coated and Just this alone has made a huge difference in road noise!! Now I have again more bass in my system. When I have more time... I am going to strip all of the carpeting in the floor and do this as well.

Now that I have the ESM the one place I realy want to do is the rear inside of the wheels. I am going to remove the coverings and do this area as well.

This investment of money for the Damplifier and my time and yes more blood and blisters from the install.. is worth it.

I also received my Amp which along with my HD Tuner, Ipod Adapter have to still be installed...sigh.. I wish I had more time.

Stephen


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## GoldenCupChamp (Dec 21, 2004)

I had a vibration sound coming from what sounded like the middle of the dash where it meets the front windshield. It sounded like the windshield wasn't seated properly and was vibrating against the dash, or maybe the glass shield over the instruments was loose. The sound was bad when I was accellerating or at moderate speed on rougher pavement.

I had my passenger press down along the dash along the windshield while we were driving to see if we could eliminate the vibration, but it didn't help.

However, when I was adjusting my rear view mirror yesterday, the sound went away.

It turned out that the plastic piece (square flat piece) that holds the rear view mirror onto the roof of the car was not "clipped" or "seated" into place (it looked seated, but wasn't). All I had to do was push up on it to secure it. It "clicked" into place. Problem solved!


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*Second Skin Audio Damplifier Install*

Here are my images for my install which is applied to all my doors as well as many other areas in my X-Trail. For the doors I applied two layers.. one on the inside outer panel and the second on the inside inner panel.

Stephen


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*Folow up*

Well it has been a while since anyone has posted here... BUT I thought I would bring up an interesting point that I mentioned to Valboo yesterday. Remember that famous dash squeek some of us had when it was cold outside... I did nothing about it and well this winter the X-Trail is quiet.... not a peep.... guess it was growing pains! LOL


hehehehe


Stephen


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## wal (Jun 17, 2004)

SCHESBH said:


> Well it has been a while since anyone has posted here... BUT I thought I would bring up an interesting point that I mentioned to Valboo yesterday. Remember that famous dash squeek some of us had when it was cold outside... I did nothing about it and well this winter the X-Trail is quiet.... not a peep.... guess it was growing pains! LOL
> 
> 
> hehehehe
> ...


Well I still have it, maybe less annoing or less squeeky


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## X-Traction (Dec 21, 2004)

Looking at Shesbh's pictures of the sound insulation in his doors....

I did this to our Pathfinder and our car, but only put scraps on the inside of the outer panels. I figured that would be sufficient to dampen the panels from resonating, but probably more would be even better.

I also left the access holes open, knowing they must be there for a reason, and knowing this would limit the effectiveness of the insulation. But since then I've decided if I do this again, I'd cover the holes. The reason being that I could always cut them open if needed, and they don't serve any other purpose normally. I see that in tuner cars, the kids always cover the holes.


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## SCHESBH (May 25, 2004)

*Re insulation*

There was a member on this forum... not an X-Trail member who noticed my images and told me that the proper method to install was to cover all the openings... so after placing a layer on the inside of the outside panel, a layer on the inside panelas you can see in the picture.. I loved the difference in sound... 

Then came his suggestion.. and I contacted my manufacturer (secondskinaudio.com) to ask him as well, so off came all the door panels and the rear hatch panel and I proceeded to cover all the open holes. I also used Aluminum tape to seal all the seams for a clean install.

What a difference it made not only in sound but in the fealing of airconditioner in Summer and heating in Winter.. As I was speaking to Roger on the phone yesterdat about this... Nissan Airconditioners are lousy.. my Altima was lousy...and so is the X-Trail... they are not as strong as other manufacturers.... BUT they do work...!!!! With the insulation the car gets and stays cooler faster and longer.. as for Winter.... I keep my car at the bottom which is 18 even in deep freeze since it is hot in the car very fast and stays warmer...

For sound and my Infinity Kappas... wow... I just love the system and the only road noise I hear now is the Damn Sunroof Reflector... but heck that's life!

Stephen





X-Traction said:


> Looking at Shesbh's pictures of the sound insulation in his doors....
> 
> I did this to our Pathfinder and our car, but only put scraps on the inside of the outer panels. I figured that would be sufficient to dampen the panels from resonating, but probably more would be even better.
> 
> I also left the access holes open, knowing they must be there for a reason, and knowing this would limit the effectiveness of the insulation. But since then I've decided if I do this again, I'd cover the holes. The reason being that I could always cut them open if needed, and they don't serve any other purpose normally. I see that in tuner cars, the kids always cover the holes.


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## bas (Oct 12, 2005)

I might take this chance to jump on the 'Noisy X-trail' bandwagon.

Recently my exee has developed a 'rattle', on the side of the engine bay near the belts. (my drivers side) I did the trusty thing and sprayed some WD40 onto the various pulleys, with it 'apearing' to stop when I got to the auto tensioner pulley. But after 1 day, it was back. I sat there and watched this tensioner pulley and its movement appeared to correspond with the rattle ?? Should this pulley move or not.

It does appear worse when the a/c is turned on and just when the a/c fans start, so does the rattle. i have disconnected each fan, but the nosie continues.

The noise is similar to a light metal on metal rattle.

I intend telling Nissan about it at my 30,000km service, but any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks


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## FATFACE (Sep 23, 2006)

*Does Your dashboard rattle & squeak??*

I currently drive a 2005 Fat Face X-T DCi 2.2

One thing is driving me nuts - the dashboard centre console rattles and squeaks like mad around the speedo area. Has anyone else had this problem? Also offside speaker housing on front rattles also. Any possible solutions please.
Previously owned a 2004 model with no squeaks!?


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## Ice512 (Oct 16, 2006)

My dash rattles like crazy when i drive..even on slightly bumped highways....the sound is like im shaking a paint can everytime i go thru bumpy roads.

It has been driving me nuts. Ive made an appt. on monday 8am to have the car checked throughly, then i will give u an update of how can they fix it.


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## Xtrailguy (Mar 9, 2006)

Never had any squeeks or rattles in my dash.


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## MARKTHEEVILDUDE (Nov 23, 2006)

HEY, First time post been veiwing forum for a while, dealer manager told me to come here so i stop harassing him in order to solve my problems, have had a 01 xtrail se+ 2.0l for 8 months.

In car noises have to be my pet hate, had a look thru and i can't see the ones that plague my x-trail journeys. Can anyone offer any advice for the following 'sounds' that drive me mad, i have been back to the dealership several times, they either can't find the problem, or make them worse.

1) sunroof rattle, wasn't so bad, then i asked dealership to take a look, and since then.....****, drives me mad, been back, gets even worse, they keep saying they've tightens some screws to fix it, do these screws exist! can i 'tghten' them myself? car does'nt look so good with tissues shoved in the sunroof!

2) If i use the climate control at some point(usually after a sharp turn) it makes an awful noise, sounds like a fan is catching something, again they never hear the noise so can never fix it (there best try was changing the pollen filter???) an austrian nissan employee did here it, but didn't have time to do it whilst i was there and due to my poor german i could only make out that it was something to do with something behind the glovebox.

3) a scraping noise when i reverse or am at biting point on a hill, sounds like it comes from the rear right wheel, family can here it from in the house sometimes, usually hapens wen it cold and wet, have spent hours driving with nissan mechanics to try and simulate the noise with no luck.

If anyone can help with any of these then i will replace the noises with the sound of me singing ur praises!


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## BrianJ (Nov 3, 2006)

This is also in the 100,000km thread, but there is a Canadian tech bulletin issued at the end of September, some vehicles are missing felt padding where 3 guide pins attatch the dash to the firewall. I thought all the plastic panels on top of the dash were squeaking together, but that wasn't it. Kudos to my dealer, they knew about it and they nailed it on the first try. Had to leave the car overnight, entire dashboard has to be removed.


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## MARKTHEEVILDUDE (Nov 23, 2006)

*problem noises*

HEY, First time post been veiwing forum for a while, dealer manager told me to come here so i stop harassing him in order to solve my problems, have had a 01 xtrail se+ 2.0l for 8 months. Tried asking these questions on another xtrail thread, but had no luck so i'm hoping that if i give it more publicity someone may be able to help me.

In car noises have to be my pet hate, had a look thru and i can't see the ones that plague my x-trail journeys. Can anyone offer any advice for the following 'sounds' that drive me mad, i have been back to the dealership several times, they either can't find the problem, or make them worse.

1) sunroof rattle, wasn't so bad, then i asked dealership to take a look, and since then.....****, drives me mad, been back, gets even worse, they keep saying they've tightens some screws to fix it, do these screws exist! can i 'tghten' them myself? car does'nt look so good with tissues shoved in the sunroof!

2) If i use the climate control at some point(usually after a sharp turn) it makes an awful noise, sounds like a fan is catching something, again they never hear the noise so can never fix it (there best try was changing the pollen filter???) an austrian nissan employee did hear it, but didn't have time to do it whilst i was there and due to my poor german i could only make out that it was something to do with something behind the glovebox. If i usually have to turn it off, if i leave it be it gets worse and sometimes starts to make a bit of a burning smell.

3) a scraping noise when i reverse or am at biting point on a hill, sounds like it comes from the rear right wheel, family can here it from in the house sometimes, usually hapens wen it cold and wet, have spent hours driving with nissan mechanics to try and simulate the noise with no luck.

If anyone can help with any of these then i will replace the noises with the sound of me singing ur praises!

Also, living in a area with a reasonable climate i only have to, at worst, scrape ice off windows in the morning during winter months, but i may be moving to an area with much worse climate, snow, high altitude, freezing, will there be anything anyone things worth doing to make the life of my xtrail easier whilst staying here? cheers:


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## ValBoo (May 19, 2003)

MARKTHEEVILDUDE said:


> HEY, *First time post* been veiwing forum for a while...


hum? no, no, no, you mean *second* time post


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## Ice512 (Oct 16, 2006)

*I'm one "lucky" dude....(help needed actually, please come in)*

ok..after two times to the dealership, my dash board rattle finally got fixed. *knock on wood* at least for now...here is the exact wording from the report, which MAY help some of you here if you encounter the same problem.

3307 Noise from Dash over bumps, lack of insulation war took for roadtest, heard noice from dash removed dash and all trim compnoents insulated the dash pins and the pin seats Reinstalled dash and trim components took for roadtest with shop foreman noise is now gone.

HERE comes ANOTHER noise problem after fixing the dash rattle, Clunking noise keeps comming out from the B-Pillar area when i close doors, drive over bumps or even when im IDLING !!!!!  
I thoought it has something to do with the windows, but turned out i was wrong. My gf suggested it was the Sunroof, so i opened it (tilt), closed it, the sounds was GONE. - - > for a while. Then it came back out, then idid the same thing, noise gone. Cycle repeats. 
Now i knowfor sure, the Sunroof rattle problem has struck me. Goshh is my x-trail problematic. Horrible fit and finish. 

So my question is..is there anyone out there who can help me with this sunroof rattle problem ? Can it be fixed ? if so, how ? I aint doing it myself unless its like 1+1 easy...I bought the car fair and square and im gonna let my dealer do the work. But at least when i deal with them, i dont sound like another ignorant customer.

thanks a million.


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## Gforce99 (May 3, 2005)

When i bought my 05 X-Trail LE in March 05, the passenger side dash rattle started within the first week of ownership. It would go away once the vehicle was warmed up and once spring time came and warmer weather started, the noise never came back, UNTIL FALL. Then every cold morning, tick tick tick. It would go away once the vehicle was warmed up, but the colder it was outside, the longer it took for the noise to disappear. Well, now that the weather has gotten cold here again, the noise was back and getting worse, and never goes away. I brought it in for it's 48k service (trans flush, coolant flush, diff oil change) and had the shop foreman go for a roadtest. I didn't even have to drive off the dealer lot and he heard it plan as day. 

The wife picked it up yesterday and the fawkers had the gull to charge me $3.65 for some foam to fix the problem!! At first i laughed, but then i thought... are they on crack? Charging me for foam to fix a defect in their vehicle? Hmmmm... kudo's Nissan, your a class act!!


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## BC X-Trail (Jul 26, 2006)

My sunroof rattles too. At the back passenger-side. Open or closed it doesn't matter. The guys at my Nissan dealership claim they spent about 2 hrs tightening everything they could, but it still rattles. This rattle of course just happened after the warranty had run out.


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## Eric2008 (May 3, 2008)

I own a 2003 2.2 diesel sport and have had it for 2 years with little or no problems. However in the last couple of month I have noticed a hell of a lot of thick balck smoke coming from the exhaust when I accelerate, it embarrassing to be honest. Can someone tell me what would be the possible cause or is this just normal? I would like to get some advice here before I spend a lot of money bringing it in for a service, by the way it was only serviced 2 months ago and the issue started happening shortly after that.
Thanks in advance for any assistance given,

Regards,

Eric


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## Do Bamboo (May 3, 2010)

Thank god I found this thread. I bought my Xtrail in May and the dash started making noise at the driver side & then the passenger side when the weather got colder in the fall. Going to try EJM's foam technique.


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## GX-Trailer (May 31, 2015)

Fellow X-Trailers,

In my T30 2007 2.5 GX model I have a strange noise from the engine bay when I am on a rough road surface, e.g. cobblestones. It appears to come from the engine bay - a dull clopping noise, really just like a horse's hooves, that does not seem to come from the engine itself and has a rythmn that is fast and out of sync with the suspension movement, although, obviously, bad road surfaces bring it on. It seems to be something loose, swinging like a pendulum, but I can't see anything. I also don't suspect the engine mounts, as, on silky smooth tarmac, I can jerkily accelerate and decelerate without causing the noise. I'd be very grateful for any ideas on this mystery. 
Cheers, 
BRIAN


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## jovig (Oct 8, 2009)

GX-Trailer said:


> Fellow X-Trailers,
> 
> In my T30 2007 2.5 GX model I have a strange noise from the engine bay when I am on a rough road surface, e.g. cobblestones. It appears to come from the engine bay - a dull clopping noise, really just like a horse's hooves, that does not seem to come from the engine itself and has a rythmn that is fast and out of sync with the suspension movement, although, obviously, bad road surfaces bring it on. It seems to be something loose, swinging like a pendulum, but I can't see anything. I also don't suspect the engine mounts, as, on silky smooth tarmac, I can jerkily accelerate and decelerate without causing the noise. I'd be very grateful for any ideas on this mystery.
> Cheers,
> BRIAN


Several noises from my T30, 2006 editon.
Most of the noises are coming from the heat shields located on the exhaust line.
ther eis one in the engine bay, another up front directly under the engine and the a couple under the truck.
some I have removed, others I have solidified using clamps (same one you find to attach the air vent of a dryer).
Lately, another rattling noise coming from the muffler where one of the hooks has broken.

Oh, not to mention the sun roof track. Even after a complete change of the tracks after 16 months they started rattling again.... thank god this work was done under a recall.

hope this helps.
Joel..


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## GX-Trailer (May 31, 2015)

*Hi Jovig,*

Very many thanks for your prompt reply with good pointers as to what I should check to trace the mysterious clop-clopping noise. I had been wondering if I would have to mount a GoPro cam inside the engine bay in different positions to spot this.

OTHER NOISES 
1) My cabin air blower, as it had never had a filter, once had a cardboard-on-bike-spoke noise, due to a leaf stalk/vein that had managed to get past the outside air inlet holes. It went away on its own, but had at first scared me into thinking it was the camshaft chain. Before installing a filter, I'll back-blow the air system via one of the A/C outlets on the dash to see if I can dislodge any stuff accumulated over its 8-year lifespan, particularly from the internal A/C unit (like a little fine-mesh radiator - ideal for collecting dust +all sorts of foreign bodies). 
2) My sunroof doesn't rattle (at least, not yet), but the sliding opaque panel keeps edging back when I come home up my 3-in-1 cobblestoned access road, which is not surprising given that there seems to be no latch or lock.
3) Inside the rear, if I don't carry any substantial load, the stiff springing shakes everything that's not battoned down or held with elastic grips.
4) Outside the rear, I found that the reg. plate was rattling (here in Brazil 2 of the 4 screws are used), so I put bigger washers around the 2 screws to prevent metal tear, tightened well and stuck on 2 little rubber squares about 3mm thick to take up the space between the door and the plate.
5) Another rattler was a removable plastic plate in the middle of the rear bumper, so I put an adhesive rubber strip over the whole bumper. 
6) Rear door rattle can presumably be solved by adjustment. 
7) My dash has a slight vibration at low revs, but it's not bad enough to disassemble and investigate. 
I hope this will help you and our fellow Xyers.
Cheers,
BRIAN


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## jovig (Oct 8, 2009)

Hi Brian,

No need for a Go Pro, simply open the hood and try to shake the shields by hand. Make sure engine is cold.
Next, crawl under the front and do the same with the other shields.
If they move by hand, this is a cause for noise.

Next, I forgot to mention that you may have a used/loose link/stabilizer bar and/or loose ball joint.
To check, jack the front of the truck so both wheels are not touching the ground.
Place one hand on the tire at 12 o'clock and the other at 6 o'clock.
Push at 12 and pull at 6, then do the opposite.
If the wheel moves, it is an indication that the link is loose.
As for the ball joint, it cannot be changed, you need to replace the entire table. 
Easy to do but the bolts can be hard to remove, you will need a good impact gun.
To check the ball joint, you will need to make a search as I do not remember how I checked it.
Changing the links requires you to get front wheels alignment. 
I had to change both links and doing so have taken the opportunity to change both tables as well and pay only once for the alignement.

Hope this helps and thanks for the tips.
Joel.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Hi Guys, just to correct some mistaken information-- you do not need an alignment after replacing sway bar end links. Nor do you really need one after replacing the control arms. Other than the tie rod ends which adjust toe in and out,there is not a whole lot of adjustments that are possible, as the geometry of it all is pretty fixed. Now granted bad control arm ball joints or even a bad end link will affect your steering, but what throws it off is the broken or worn part. Replacing it with a good one returns things to the way they were supposed to be. Unless something feels off after the repair, I would not rush to have an alignment done. And word to the wise, not every place can do an alignment on the X trail as some do not have the equipment to reset the steering to center.
In my opinion the odd clunking could also be linked to a bad strut mount, and the springs should be examined carefully as some do break. 
Last thought there is a heat shield over the muffler that is held in place by four bolts. Any of these can rust and you will then have corner or two primed to vibrate and to even hit the muffler when going over a bump. Just get your hand on it and see if there is any movement. If so do the same thing you did for your license plate, and get a couple of big washers that you can use to secure the spot were the bolt is no longer securing anything.
Not sure why Jovig is calling the control arms the entire table, but if you are still running the original ones, odds are the ball joint is quite worn and the rubber bushings have seen better days. You will be most impressed by how tight the steering feels if you replace them.
Last note re heat shields-- sadly you cannot buy replacements-- but I just had some success using metal duct tape to cover the rot of the front one at the bottom. Applied 3 layers to the affected section and yeah its not making noise when I reverse anymore. Also used it to cover holes in shield section under the car, that like Jovic I used wire clamps on the ends to stop vibration. Not sure how long it will last as a repair, but its cheap and is holding after two weeks


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## GX-Trailer (May 31, 2015)

*CLOP-CLOP NOISE from FRONT SUSPENSION*

Hi QUAD.,

I hope all is well with you and yours. I've finally traced and temporarily solved that strange clop-clop noise from the front suspension on e.g. cobblestones. Worn anti-roll / sway bar bushes. All other suspension parts, both front and rear, were perfect despite the 82,000 km. The bar could slide sideways instead of being laterally fixed. It should only be allowed to twist, right? The only Nissan dealer in Rio with new ones wanted to charge me the equivalent of US$ 240 for the pair !!! The mechanic wedged in a piece of hose, which temporarily fixed the problem. I decided to order parts from abroad. I tried that firm you recommended - Rockauto (?), but no joy. I 've ended up ordering via EBAY UK. Price with postage: equivalent of US$ 18. MASSIVE SAVING even with punitive import tax. I'm still really enjoying this car. What a pity Nissan in Brazil has discontinued its sales. 
All the Best, BRIAN


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## RobertMarius (Oct 30, 2018)

Hi guys, I have a question regarding ventilation (noise): My T31 from 2014 2l dci runs the ventilation under the hood all the time when engine is running (this is supposed to work only when Ac is on or when water is overheated, as far as I know). 
Thanks,
Robert


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## blogmarkz (Dec 7, 2018)

I got this same issue and fixing it right now using a service manual I bought.


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## RobertMarius (Oct 30, 2018)

Hi, good luck! Maybe you could help us out with a feedback when it is done?


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

Soooo.... Took LSB 2.0 (Little Silver Bus) out today on gravel for the first time. Now I had noticed a faint rattle inside the driver side door when I first got it and it seemed to go away after awhile. This rattle got annoyingly loud and did not go away, unless I rolled the window down about half way. It seems that a similar sound is coming form the passenger side although Hubby, being rather deaf, did not notice anything. The glass in my door seems rigid; it seems like it is coming from inside the door frame? Any ideas at all? It does go back down to a very faint level once hitting pavement again.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

molly said:


> Soooo.... Took LSB 2.0 (Little Silver Bus) out today on gravel for the first time. Now I had noticed a faint rattle inside the driver side door when I first got it and it seemed to go away after awhile. This rattle got annoyingly loud and did not go away, unless I rolled the window down about half way. It seems that a similar sound is coming form the passenger side although Hubby, being rather deaf, did not notice anything. The glass in my door seems rigid; it seems like it is coming from inside the door frame? Any ideas at all? It does go back down to a very faint level once hitting pavement again.


 You may have to remove your door panel for a further , more intense inspection. Sometimes things get vibrated loose such as window motor/regulator mounting brackets and bolts/screws need to just simply be re-tightened . Or the door handle and lock mechanisms are having issues that can only be looked at and repaired once the door panel is removed. Or maybe it is just a simple thing such as a loose speaker screws. Actually , my bad. BEFORE you ( or a technician) remove any door panels, go over the door panel first and look for anything that may have come loose ( arm rest? you got junk in the map pockets rattling around? ) ....open the door (s) and give it a few fast shakes with the glass fully up/fully down/ half way up, without latching it shut and just carefully listen for any odd sounds just from shaking or swinging the door rapidly.


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

Thanks, Tony...I'll try the door shaking thing when it stops raining! Nothing in my map pockets and arm rest feels fine.
Update: Shook the door but couldn't hear anything rattle inside...


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

I forgot to update on this thread! I ended up getting the dealer in Lethbridge to diagnose and fix the door rattles, which ended up being in both front doors. They fixed it by putting extra foam inside the doors. That was a couple months ago and still good, although now there have been more noises developing, such as the rear hatch is rattling almost constantly (I rode back there yesterday to pinpoint that it seems to be inside the door), rattling heat shield(s), and another rattle which at first I thought was in the rear passenger door but while riding in the cargo area I decided it was actually coming from above, for when I pressed the roof above my head, it stopped. I am booked to go in to Nissan this Monday. so I am hoping they can solve these highly annoying noises. Oh, and my sunroof cover squeaks like a SOB, about 75% of the time. ARGHH! I am hoping they can also figure out a mystery noise from the rear that happens when I put it in drive. Stay tuned.


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## X-hale (Apr 17, 2017)

You'd go insane with the cacophony of noises in my money pit of an X-Trail. I can't keep it in good shape mechanically long enough to sell it. I've been trying for about 2 months and something keeps messing up as soon as I fix the first problem.
Fixed the brakes...the front struts started clunking.
Fixed the struts...the electronic throttle body died.
Fixed the throttle body...the left front ABS sensor died, waiting for the part from Ireland. $33 all in, $178 plus tax at the dealer.


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

X-hale, it appears many Exxie owners enjoy a litany of creaks and squeaks and rattles and thumps. My hearing is too good, says my deaf hubby, haha... What is annoying is that my last one made less noise at more than double the kms...oh well, it will be improved Monday, I am sure! I wonder why most of these noises started after I bought it?


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

X-hale said:


> You'd go insane with the cacophony of noises in my money pit of an X-Trail. I can't keep it in good shape mechanically long enough to sell it. I've been trying for about 2 months and something keeps messing up as soon as I fix the first problem.
> Fixed the brakes...the front struts started clunking.
> Fixed the struts...the electronic throttle body died.
> Fixed the throttle body...the left front ABS sensor died, waiting for the part from Ireland. $33 all in, $178 plus tax at the dealer.


There are four X trails at Kenny U Pull Gatineau for a source of parts. Mind you I remember ordering parking brake cables from England for the very same cost-saving reasons. Not seeing as many X trails on the road anymore but most that I still see seem to be in nice shape and are being looked after. 
I am hoping Molly's rear issue is not rear differential related or the rear subframe bushings. Also whatever happened to your local mechanics? I would have been scared to take it to the dealer for that kind of fishing expedition


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

quadraria10 said:


> I am hoping Molly's rear issue is not rear differential related or the rear subframe bushings. Also whatever happened to your local mechanics? I would have been scared to take it to the dealer for that kind of fishing expedition


I had the local shop look at it trying to figure the mystery noise out. I mentioned it on another thread, and they could find nothing although they heard the sound. They topped up some PTU fluid and greased some bushings on the exhaust, but it was still there and cost me 3/4 an hour labour. The service guy at Nissan is one of the best I've met amongst dealers so far, and I am hoping because they know Nissans, that they may figure it out very quickly as it does it ALL the time, as soon as it is put in drive. May be nothing serious, or with my luck, it will be!! I'll let you know when I get back Monday afternoon! As for the other squeaks and rattles, I have those pretty much pinpointed now so they just have to get in there and try and dampen the sounds. Hopefully.


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

UPDATE: So, I took it in to Nissan. They thought the noise was some kind of harmonic thing coming from a loose heat shield , reverberating down the pipe to the muffler. They found a clamp missing on the front heat shield, so they fixed that. They thought the noise was gone, and signed off and when I got in, the noise was still there, haha! Hubby wanted to go home as he had enough waiting around and since the service guy was on lunch, I went home and called him about it. He felt very bad and said to bring it back next time I was in town...which happened to be yesterday. I also gave them some new headlight bulbs to put in. The head mechanic who is very nice, eventually came out and asked me to come back in to the shop to see. He again felt it was some kind of weird harmonic vibration which seemed to go away if he pressed on certain areas, like the flange thingy that goes into the muffler on the right side. He said someone had done some after market repairs on it and they weren't equipped to repair it there and suggested a muffler shop. Again, nothing unsafe was seen, just annoying. So, I got in at the local Fountain Tire which also does muffler work. The mechanic spent about 40 minutes listening and fiddling, and ended up saying about the same thing... a harmonic vibration that may POSSIBLY be coming from inside the muffler, and may even be partly due to older exhaust hangers. He didn't want to suggest a drastic "fix", as replacing the muffler and hangers, etc. is a pretty big job money wise, and thought just keep driving it and if it gets louder, it may be easier to diagnose later on. He said he did try to adjust the hangers a bit, and it actually is not as obvious a noise now. I got a quote from them to replace the muffler, etc. and it came to $976.00!!!! I think he quoted Nissan parts.... Anyway, that is my rather wordy update on the matter!!! 

PS. Nissan didn't charge me any labour to replace my headlights...thought that was nice of them!


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

molly said:


> UPDATE: So, I took it in to Nissan. They thought the noise was some kind of harmonic thing coming from a loose heat shield , reverberating down the pipe to the muffler. They found a clamp missing on the front heat shield, so they fixed that. They thought the noise was gone, and signed off and when I got in, the noise was still there, haha! Hubby wanted to go home as he had enough waiting around and since the service guy was on lunch, I went home and called him about it. He felt very bad and said to bring it back next time I was in town...which happened to be yesterday. I also gave them some new headlight bulbs to put in. The head mechanic who is very nice, eventually came out and asked me to come back in to the shop to see. He again felt it was some kind of weird harmonic vibration which seemed to go away if he pressed on certain areas, like the flange thingy that goes into the muffler on the right side. He said someone had done some after market repairs on it and they weren't equipped to repair it there and suggested a muffler shop. Again, nothing unsafe was seen, just annoying. So, I got in at the local Fountain Tire which also does muffler work. The mechanic spent about 40 minutes listening and fiddling, and ended up saying about the same thing... a harmonic vibration that may POSSIBLY be coming from inside the muffler, and may even be partly due to older exhaust hangers. He didn't want to suggest a drastic "fix", as replacing the muffler and hangers, etc. is a pretty big job money wise, and thought just keep driving it and if it gets louder, it may be easier to diagnose later on. He said he did try to adjust the hangers a bit, and it actually is not as obvious a noise now. I got a quote from them to replace the muffler, etc. and it came to $976.00!!!! I think he quoted Nissan parts.... Anyway, that is my rather wordy update on the matter!!!
> 
> PS. Nissan didn't charge me any labour to replace my headlights...thought that was nice of them!


 I got a quote from them to replace the muffler, etc. and it came to $976.00!!!! ----that's nuts. I would not let that shop do it for that price. Anyways, did he give you many muffler options? A while back i was asking on here what options do we have on our Xtrails. Seems mostly the stock nissan muffler Bosal or maybe a Walker brand. Earlier on i thought i hads to replace my muffler, but it turned out it was a resonator pipe. Had that replaced and now back to a quiet, factory like sound. At the time i was interested in getting something a bit louder/sportier sounding just to break up the quietness (if i really needed a new muffler) but now my truck is 14 years old and running very nicely, i do not want to spend any unnecessary money , only to keep it running safely to get me to were i need to go. 
Eventually i will need something ''newer''.....like a ten year old Outlander or Rav4. I gots the ''small suv'' bug , they so handy that i don't think i want to go back to a sedan or hatchback unless it's something super special and brings a smile to my face.


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

Ya, there is no way I would ever spend that kinda dough on a muffler. The brands you mentioned are around $220.00 or so on Rock Auto! I might drop in top an actual muffler shop one day for an opinion. I recall replacing the muffler and the whole long pipe thing on my other Exxie, and it wasn't anywhere near that much.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

molly said:


> Ya, there is no way I would ever spend that kinda dough on a muffler. The brands you mentioned are around $220.00 or so on Rock Auto! I might drop in top an actual muffler shop one day for an opinion. I recall replacing the muffler and the whole long pipe thing on my other Exxie, and it wasn't anywhere near that much.


There must be a honest and affordable Exhaust shop that has generic, universal mufflers for about $75-100 . Or are we once again, stuck with just the dreaded standard automotive shop reply '' You said Xtrail?? not Xterra? ...oh not many parts available for your vehicle. Only one part for your vehicle and not in stock!''.
That's a big reason why in due time i will return to a much more mainstream japanese suv. That and the winter freeze door locks issue. Lol.....i don't mean to rant. My Xtrail has been very good to me with the maintenance and upkeep i've done . But it's at the 14 year mark and eventually will need to get something a bit newer, with heated seats, cold AC in the summer and a broad choice of parts and service .


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

I thought the Rock Auto prices were good compared to $678.00 for the one quoted! Well, I will leave it for now....I have other rattles that piss me off even more than that one, like the freakin' sunroof! I agree with maybe getting into something else Next Time... Still keen to try a Subaru. As far as the Exxie, I have never had issues with the heated seats, or the AC, or doors freezing. But parts can be a challenge...thank goodness for this forum. Saved me a ton of money!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## X-hale (Apr 17, 2017)

The Wrench Monkey has the Bosal muffler for $304 and the mid-pipe/resonator for $195 and free shipping, $525 all in. Rock Auto is at $640 with their new insanely high shipping rates.
Subarus are fantastic. I've owned 6 and have no complaints.


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

X-hale said:


> The Wrench Monkey has the Bosal muffler for $304 and the mid-pipe/resonator for $195 and free shipping, $525 all in. Rock Auto is at $640 with their new insanely high shipping rates.
> Subarus are fantastic. I've owned 6 and have no complaints.


Wow, the shipping is really high for Rock Auto!! So much for using them for a while! May I ask which Subarus you had/have? I was thinking if we get one later, 2012 is supposed to be when they stopped having head gasket issues, unless you can find one that has had it repaired. We like the SUV style, as opposed to the wagon.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

The 1 Subaru Forester Year You Should Avoid | MotorBiscuit (2014)


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

seems all the Foresters from the start had issues with excessive oil consumption and the blown head gaskets. Plus the early ones had issues with rubber belt timing chains..? 2015 and up apparently much better but then they went to the cvt transmissions......hit and miss with problems with that. Not to diss Subaru as some owners really love the reliability with theirs, but i think i'd go for either a 2014-15 Rav4, 4 cyl, awd, auto. But what i'd really like is a 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander GT V-6. ...only thing i dislike about it is that it drinks premium fuel. 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander GT


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## X-hale (Apr 17, 2017)

We had two 1997 and a 2012 Outback , two '92 SVX, and I still have a '97 SVX with close to 300K kilometers. All but the 2012 were in the high 200k. The 2012 we traded in on our BMW.
Never had a head gasket issue on any of them. None ever used any oil. Timing belts are important though because they are interference engines. If the belt goes, the valves get mashed by the pistons.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Tonyvancity you are making a rule out of the exceptions. Head gaskets have not really been an issue since 2008, and 2011 and up Foresters have a different engine that was redesigned and does not have the head gasket issues that affected some. The 2011 like I bought was the first to get the FB25 engine with the timing chain, a change in design that will not allow the coolant to mix with the oil, and the 2014s were the first year of a new generation and saw the intro of the CVT transmission, whereas the 09-13 used a super reliable 4EAT w sport and manual modes. Mine does consume oil to the tune of roughly half a quart per 1000 km, but otherwise runs great and it has 260,000 km on it. Basically, you just need to check your oil with every fill-up and not let it run super low. Almost a year with it now. I replaced the radiator, a front cv axle, front, and rear brake pads and rotors because I like new brakes though the ones on the car had life in them yet, spark plugs filters, and fluids. Should be good for a number of years, and I find it easier to work on than the Nissan.
Happy to report no squeaking or creaking anywhere. In my opinion, they are really well built. I was even able to buy a set of Crosstrek XV rims on Kijiji for $200 for the summer tires I used to use on the X trail.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone and I hope you are all staying healthy.


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## X-hale (Apr 17, 2017)

Those wheels look better on your Forester than they do on a Crosstrek. Very nice!


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

Well, I am still annoyed with this weird sound from the exhaust area...it is as bad as ever, and something will have to be done or who would ever buy it? It is pissing me off! I guess I can try to get a couple more free opinions from some other shops. I personally don't think it is the actual muffler. Maybe I can try and record it on my phone and upload it here.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Of course, I am speaking from memory, but the main support hanger for the exhaust just after the muffler tends to rust off. I had Speedy Muffler weld on 3 new hangers. Otherwise, the aluminum heat shield over the muffler tends to rot out where the bolts secure it. I just removed mine but it was noisy prior to that.
Weird thought, has anyone inspected your rear wheel wells? I have seen some shots of rust rotting those out. Otherwise, I would have to guess its suspension related, and you have some bad bushings.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

X-hale said:


> Those wheels look better on your Forester than they do on a Crosstrek. Very nice!


Yup, I know. The proportion is better. They don't dominate the looks of the car the same way they do on the smaller Crosstrek. I was just happy to find a set of OE Suby wheels for a good price. What was almost even better was that I was able to sell the old 17'' 2003 Maxima rims I used for summer for $160, and keep the two-year-old Continentals I had on them.
Its zero out right now, I guess winter tires aren't that far away...


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

quadraria10 said:


> Of course, I am speaking from memory, but the main support hanger for the exhaust just after the muffler tends to rust off. I had Speedy Muffler weld on 3 new hangers. Otherwise, the aluminum heat shield over the muffler tends to rot out where the bolts secure it. I just removed mine but it was noisy prior to that.
> Weird thought, has anyone inspected your rear wheel wells? I have seen some shots of rust rotting those out. Otherwise, I would have to guess its suspension related, and you have some bad bushings.


I recall Nissan and Fountain Tire saying the exhaust hangers looked tight on the frame side, but Fountain Tire said sometimes the insulators can dry out over time. I am wondering maybe I should get those replaced as it wouldn't cost that much. As I mentioned earlier, there was a missing clamp on the heat shield at the front and Nissan put one in. There seems to be no rust issues around the wheel wells. 

Update: I just called Fountain Tire and was told it would be about an hour labour and their price on insulators is about $28.00 EACH! I think I can get them cheaper than that somewhere. But he did say there was no guarantee that would fix the issue, which I get. He said often, there is a broken baffle in the muffler causing the noise...


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

I forgot to update re my weird exhaust sound.... Remember, I said that Nissan pinpointed the sound to the area around the flange and that I should see a muffler shop. So, I eventually checked the shops in Lethbridge in January and chose Minute Muffler as they had super reviews. I should have gone there to begin with! Great owner, very fair, had the issue figured out in five minutes and fixed it by removing the flange entirely and welding it as he said it had not been done properly and was a common problem area. Cost me $112.00 and I was out in 40 minutes. No more annoying noise...from that area anyway.


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

As for other annoying sounds..... the rear hatch rattle/squeak is still there and is obviously worse on rougher roads. The sunroof is an ongoing random annoyance, either the squeak from the sliding cover or another rattle from the metal frame or track, whatever.... I'll have Nissan check the rear hatch when I am back there for an oil service. I am afraid to open it up for fear of breaking a latch or worse, haha.... As I mentioned before, this SUV is noisier than my previous Ex at less than half the kms.


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## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

i do not have the power moonroof, so one less thing to worry about and no overhead noisy parts to piss me off.

Where i do get the ocasional , small rattle is from all the junk i have in the dashboard gloveboxes. Not really the truck's fault, more from me stuffing the glove boxes and center console with all sorts of small items such as flashlights, tape measures, pens, notepads, cds...emergency snicker bars! Sometimes i toss in a folded paper towel or zip lock bags to muffle the noises somewhat.
These Xtrails were built in the mid 2000s for a certain price point. The interiors are full of hard plastics, so it's to be expected we will get all sorts of interior rattles and squeaks . Ever notice if you read or watch a profession new vehicle roadtest review, they always yap about the interior ''soft touch materials''? Or panel gaps, quality of the plastics, etc.
Nowadays, one can buy a new( or a 2-5 year old used ) econobox like a toyota Yaris or Hyundai Accent, kia Rio, Chevy Spark etc that have much much nicer interior materials , even on the base trim level.


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

Ya, I guess it is 15 years old after all.... still think it is funny my other one made less noise!


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