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.

 

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.

 

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

 

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 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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

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; 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 and fix a squeaking problem behind the gauge pod.

Hope those two links help.