I am usually not too picky but it has been getting on my nerves and I am wondering if anyone has had the same problem and had it fixed...

When going at a speed of 45mph+ on a semi bumpy closer to smooth road do you hear a rattle behind you dash. Sounds like its coming form behind the Tachometer. (Its not my keys I checked)

Anyway, does anyone else have this problem and have you gotten it fixed yet?

I've got one coming from the same area, but mine will rattle even at low speeds, don't know what's causing it though.

Yup, I have it, too. It seems that mine is coming from the steering column.

Had it in the shop today for oil change, and told the tech about it.

Typical lazy-ass tech..."I don't hear no rattle."

i've only noticed this in the early morning while the whole car is still warming up, then it goes away...that or the ambient los angeles noise totally covers it up during the day...

no rattles at all

I got no rattle but my 8 sounds like belts are rubbing or squeaking on and off sometimes

I had a rattle that I could have sworn was coming from the dash. When I took it in to be checked they found that it wasn't coming from the dash at all, but from the big black plastic piece on the outside of the car by the wipers. I would check that out.

I have the same rattle....seems like it was coming from under the large center dash plastic piece (no nav) or from the long piece of plastic and metal covering the wire from the rear-view mirror (possibly rattling against the windshield). I also have rattling in both doors, dunno if it the rear or front, it sound like it is right in the seam...has anybody heard these?

My rattle is intermitten on my door/window area. More over bumpy roads.. Nothing up front. --yet---

I have a squealing (that I find really hard to exactly describe) right behind the center vents. Could this be the same as the "belts rubbing"-like sound that someone else described?

I havent taken it in cuz I know they won't find anything (plus, I also "know" they'll put a huge ding in the side of my car - that's my paranoia).

It'd be great for someone from here to figure this out!

I have kind of a rattle too. Sounds like it's coming from right in front of the steering wheel. But I try not to worry about rattles here and there. It's easy to get anxious because your shiny new car has a rattle, but I realized a while ago that all cars are going to make rattles sooner or later. My last car was a IS300 and that was the only car I ever rode in that had absolutely no discernable rattles for the first 2 years. Lexus really knows how to make their cars quiet. But after getting spoiled by the Lexus for 3 years, every other car I ever rode in sounded very rattley - even my new RX-8 the first time I drove it. I guess my ears just became sensitive to any sort of unusual car noise.

One suggestion I would make is to make sure nothing is rattling in your glove box. I just got startled today when I heard a really bad rattling, then later found out it was the flashlight in my glove box.

I think I know the rattle you're talking about. I've had my car off the road and at the service department for 5 days in 3 months so far just for the rattles and they still haven't fixed them all! There is an issue with the rattle in the dash, what I suggest (I did this) is find a spot of road near the dealer which brings out the rattle (mine seemed to do it worse on rougher surfaced roads) and insist the mechanic comes with you, as soon as you hear it, point it out.

I still have door rattles on both sides... but it's costing me a fortune in time off work and getting lifts with friends, so I'm saving up the issues for the 10,000km service and get them to fix it then.

It seems the rattle that was coming from the center of the dash was actually my mirror (the one with the home-link and auto-dim). If I grab the mirror while I hear the rattle, it goes away...let it go and it's back. It seems that their is a seem that goes around the perimeter of the mirror and this seems very loose. I plan on putting a rubber band around it for now, but will probably try some crazy glue or something else to hold the two halves together better when looking at the rubber band drives me crazy.

I am still getting rattles in both doors and they are getting worse....it sounds like it is coming from the area between the front and rear door. Has anyone taken the door panels off yet to see what is back their that can be causing it?

I have a rattle by the side vents where they meet the doors after like 45+ mph, i figured out its because they are so tight when the door is closed that the engine vibration make them rub against eachother and causes rattle, all i did was put a little vinyl conditioner/ moisturizer and it went away

Yeap! I also have the rattle noise coming from the cockpit near the steering wheel area. Mime only comes on over bumps but only intermittent.:o

I have the same thing and I'm ready to pull the entire freakin dash off to find it.

I have noticed a SQEEKING noise coming from my doors. I wouldn't say that it is a rattle but it is irritating. The sqeekiness seems to be a lot worse when it is cold outside. Here in Spokane, WA. we have had temps as low as 10f overnight. It may be the seal around the doors and I think I might try the vinyl conditioner. If that works I will let you all know.

Mine had that rattle when I test drove it. I don't know about the rest of you but those types of rattles and squeaks drive me nuts. I asked the dealer to fix it before I bought it. He did and I bought it. Your dealer should be able to fix it also I would think.

I too have a rattle in both doors. Almost sounds like aluminum foil "crinkling" on the underside of the doors. Seems most apparent when its cold out. I'm going in to have the first oil change done and will have them take a look at this issue. Whatever they find, I will pass it on....

I have the same annoying dash rattle somewhere around the tach...I can push on the top of the dash and it stops...I have also tried wedging rubber under the gap and it still does it...just on rough roads...I am ready to pull the dash out myself!!

My rattle was coming from the steering wheel...I even stuffed a cloth in between the top and the base and it went away.

Had the dealership look at it, and they found a problem with the air bag deployment area, fixed it, and rattle is gone.

All in all, this car has had a bunch of rattles for a car with about 16K miles, but any of my friends would LOVE to have this rattletrap!!!

There's another thread around here (i think in the tech section) about rattles. I've had 3 fixed, and there are what sounds like 2-3 more remaining. The two most annoying are the damn mirror rattle (same as the other guy's problem) and the rear passenger door seems to rattle nicely. I love driving the car, but sometimes it feels like a damn kia when it comes to NVH.

omg...i have that same rattle and its really starting to bugg me...the rattle is coming from the steering wheel area.

I thought i had one in the steering wheel area but it was really comming from the rear view mirror. I readjusted the mirror and its all good now.

I found giving a good hit to the top of the tach display console gets it to go away for a while. It only comes bk if I get on a really bumpy road.

I had the dealer look for the rattle when I took it in for the recall fixes. Naturally they didn't find anything. It rattled all the way home...

I did find that if I placed my hand on the top of the steering column, it went away.

I folded up a black piece of cloth and wedged it between the steering column and the dash (under the intruments). While it has only been 1 day, I haven't hear the rattle. The fix is also invisible.

Maybe you've got too many coins in the coin holder :) I thought I had a rattle near the left vent, then I remembered I dumped a bunch of change into the coin holder.

Originally posted by PoLaK
I found giving a good hit to the top of the tach display console gets it to go away for a while. It only comes bk if I get on a really bumpy road.

Just use a bigger hammer:p

During the winter, my dash rattle just like described above. I recently received the service manual and took a look at how the dash is put together. Going from memory here, the instrument pod has I think three clips in the back (toward the front of the car). So I thought that maybe the instrument pod had moved slightly toward me away from good contact with the clips. The next time I got in the car, I put both hands on the instrument pod and pushed it hard to reseat it in the clips.

The rattles have disappeared. Give it a shot.

As Boozehound stated, there is another thread with more 'fixes' in it. I also stated in that thread that my husbands 8 got a rattle in what sounded like the dash, but to the left, so I could have been the instrument cluster. It occured on bumps and made the car sound like it was 20 years old. It would drive him crazy if he didn't turn the radio up. He took it to the dealer and they said it was in the dash. They put more insulation in the dash and VOILA, no more rattle/squeek. My 8 has been fine... NO squeaks or rattles. Mine is an earlier build than his (he has the Dunlops and I have the Bridgestone tires).

Rattles here too : steering column + b-pillars + rear right speaker + recently front right tweeter area.

Originally posted by Meowloud
As Boozehound stated, there is another thread with more 'fixes' in it. I also stated in that thread that my husbands 8 got a rattle in what sounded like the dash, but to the left, so I could have been the instrument cluster. It occured on bumps and made the car sound like it was 20 years old. It would drive him crazy if he didn't turn the radio up. He took it to the dealer and they said it was in the dash. They put more insulation in the dash and VOILA, no more rattle/squeek. My 8 has been fine... NO squeaks or rattles. Mine is an earlier build than his (he has the Dunlops and I have the Bridgestone tires).

wha, u guys got an 8 each? u guys must have alot set aside for petrol costs :p but u're the first household (assuming u guys are in 1 household) that i know of that has 2 8's.


neway, back to the rattle... no rattles here yet.... but i've had the car for less than a week. i'd be disappointed if i get the rattles anytime in the near future

Originally posted by Yanje
wha, u guys got an 8 each? u guys must have alot set aside for petrol costs :p but u're the first household (assuming u guys are in 1 household) that i know of that has 2 8's.
Our 8s - https://babylon5.millerind.com/~eclypse/stuff/rx8/
We still have a Prelude if gas is an issue.

Question: Our dealership is SUPER friendly and will try to help in any way. For those of you who have squeaks, is it the dealership that won't help? Can you simply request extra insulation be added to the dash? Is there any way to go to another dealership?
It only took our dealership about an hour to add the insulation and give a general check-up.

i found one rattle. the air vent outlet that sits on top on the dash.
it is not the a/c adjustable outlet that faces you, but the one that blow on the door window(far left on top of dash). it is poorly glued in. grap it when you are driving and see if the vibration/rattle stops. it drove me nuts. but i glued it better and it stopped. joe

Only rattle I found annoying was from the Homelink Mirror which goes away after I push it together. Inititally, I thought it was from the front dash/center console/navi area but my girlfriend found it and fixed it. Since then, no rattles at all.

i found one rattle. the air vent outlet that sits on top on the dash.
it is not the a/c adjustable outlet that faces you, but the one that blow on the door window(far left on top of dash). it is poorly glued in. grap it when you are driving and see if the vibration/rattle stops. it drove me nuts. but i glued it better and it stopped. joe
I think I have the same darn rattle. But I am not certain that it is the vent itself- there doesn't seem to be any play in it when I try to move it around. The rattle does stop when I push on the vent, though. I was starting to think that it was something else in the dash that was rattling, and the pressure stopped it. Is your glue fix still holding up after 6 months?

My rattle comes from the coin tray. The one under the dashboard dimmer and DSC Off button. When I press against it, the rattle stops. Once I let go, I hear rattle again. To many coins.

GUYS CMON if your getting a rattle from the gauge cluster/steering column/ anything in that vicinity.
I would suggest visiting my diy on removing the gauge cluster and fixing the problem. as far as the bose systems on the windows they rattle in my car and note my sideviews are not attached properly.

Saw your DIY- thanks for posting it. But i do not think that is my problem- putting pressure on any of the gauges themselves does not alter this little fiendish rattle!

Hi guys,

I'm getting ready to go try magixpuma's instrument cluster fix, but my major rattle now comes from the triangular air vent (driver's side) like other people have been discussing... if I press down on it, even lightly, it stops the rattle. I just have to figure out if that's the real cause or not, since there isn't much play in it, like others have said. Hopefully I can get to it after removing the cluster.

Hi guys,

I'm getting ready to go try magixpuma's instrument cluster fix, but my major rattle now comes from the triangular air vent (driver's side) like other people have been discussing... if I press down on it, even lightly, it stops the rattle. I just have to figure out if that's the real cause or not, since there isn't much play in it, like others have said. Hopefully I can get to it after removing the cluster.

Let us know if you can fix the airvent issue this way- I am sure you and i have the same issue. Thanks!

Hi guys,

I'm getting ready to go try magixpuma's instrument cluster fix, but my major rattle now comes from the triangular air vent (driver's side) like other people have been discussing... if I press down on it, even lightly, it stops the rattle. I just have to figure out if that's the real cause or not, since there isn't much play in it, like others have said. Hopefully I can get to it after removing the cluster.

I have one in the same area. Don't know whether it's the vent (as you say, there's not much play in it) or whether it comes from another seam, but it's gotten worse after driving about 1,000 miles in the last week to Northern Cal. and back. I tried some silicone car interior stuff from STP (I detest Armor-All), but may not have sprayed enough or missed the seams around the dash that are actually doing the rubbing/rattling. I'll try again with one of those little plastic straws that come with WD-40 cans and try to concentrate a little spray right down into each seam in the general area of the rattle, and see if that lubricates everything enough to stop the little bugger.

I have the rattle that comes from the rear-view mirror also. I did the same, reached up and held it and it stopped. As for the doors. Try rolling your windows down and holding the rubber/plastic seal on the bottom of the door window. That is where mine is rattling also (happened in previous car, so I just figured it was probably the same), but holding it made it stop. I will be telling my service guy the next time I am in.

Also, for those of you with what you think is a dash rattle, try taking your sunglasses out of the holder in the top of the car. I found that mine were making the noise that I thought was in the dash.

I have one in the same area. Don't know whether it's the vent (as you say, there's not much play in it) or whether it comes from another seam, but it's gotten worse after driving about 1,000 miles in the last week to Northern Cal. and back. I tried some silicone car interior stuff from STP (I detest Armor-All), but may not have sprayed enough or missed the seams around the dash that are actually doing the rubbing/rattling. I'll try again with one of those little plastic straws that come with WD-40 cans and try to concentrate a little spray right down into each seam in the general area of the rattle, and see if that lubricates everything enough to stop the little bugger.
After a bit of fooling around (and 3 fruitless service appointments at the dealer), I now think that the rattle arises from rubbing between the plastic part that the triangular vent is embedded in, and the plastic part closer to the windshield. The seam between these two pieces travels around the main circular driver's side airvent and down facing the driver's door. I stuck a little shim in there opposite the door- seems to have decreased the noise some. I plan to fool around a bit more- I think a little folded over black electrical tape in there might just kill this thing!

I thought the rattles were coming from the dash as well. When I leaned my head forward I found that they came from the HomeLink mirror. I got it replaced by the dealer under warranty and now the rattlers are gone.

Hi guys,

I'm getting ready to go try magixpuma's instrument cluster fix, but my major rattle now comes from the triangular air vent (driver's side) like other people have been discussing... if I press down on it, even lightly, it stops the rattle. I just have to figure out if that's the real cause or not, since there isn't much play in it, like others have said. Hopefully I can get to it after removing the cluster.

The silicone spray I used on this vent a couple of days ago made a significant improvement. Not perfect, but the rattling is greatly reduced. I'll spray it again in the next couple of days and hopefully eliminate it completely.

My 8 has developed a rattle in the dash also. I can only hear it when driving on streets that are a little bumpy. I found that if I place my hand on the instrument cluster, the rattle stops. Upon further investigation, I found that the instrument cluster can be moved slightly, so I presume something needs to be tightened up. I plan to have my dealer fix it next time I have the car in for service.

1.3L

My mazda dealer fed me the line: "We'll need your call all day; rattles can be hard to diagnose" - I'm hoping to help him out by sending him as much info as possible as to how others have had their rattles fixed. Idealy, somebody would be able to scan their service work order showing what the mechanic did to stop the rattle.


Anyone ?

Thanks!

You might want to revive this thread: Rattle Behind the Dash (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=13156&page=4&pp=15&highlight=diy); and PM some of the people who were planning to have the dealer check the problem.

magixpuma has a DIY on how to remove the dash (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=42204&highlight=diy) and fix a squeaking problem behind the gauge pod.

Hope those two links help.

Try- clear rtv- small amount-(between lense housing) clean up residue imediately--problem resovled

ok guys for dash rattling sometimes since the horn spring is very light the horn paddle is actually hitting the wheel try holding the panel while goin over the bumbs. Youll never hear those rattles again.