[kjarrett]

Tried searching, didn't find anything, thought I'd post.

Our 2005 L had a 'ticking' (metal on metal, very distinct, almost like a geiger counter) from the moment I drove it off the lot. Almost turned around, but we wanted the car, and it was an hour drive home. Figured we would just bring it back and have it checked. Did so, they said they needed some "new clips," ordered those, went back AGAIN today (2nd trip), problem remains, now they want it for a whole day, which will be next week.

The noise dissapears around curves (body flex) and does not modulate with car speed. It's very annoying, but now I am concerned about the dealership dissassembling major parts of the car, or worse - doing some 'jerry-rig' fix to stop the noise without solving the problem.

Thoughts?

We love this car, but this rattle is enough to "rattle" our perception of Toyota's legendary build quality.

-kj-

 

[RAVMAN]

Do you have the autodimming mirror w/compass? If so... these are installed either at the US port or by the dealer. "A" pillar is removed during installation. Maybe cause of rattle :?

There is an official TSB for the "A" pillar rattle... dated back to 2001. I would think by 2005 this would have been corrected at the factory. http://rav4world.com/tsb/NV005-01.pdf

Hopefully it will be an easy fix... and the dealer will take care of it 8)

 

[kjarrett]

Thanks, Kelly, but I don't think that's my rattle. Judging by the TSB PDF, this is the "B" pillar that's causing me trouble. It's the one closest to my head when I drive. The PDF mentions the "A" (windshield) and "C" (rear side window) pillars. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

 

[kjarrett]

Update ... spent the DAY at the dealership yesterday and they STILL can't find the cause of the rattle. I know these are the hardest problems to diagnose but it's killing me. We've been able to isolate the cause to the driver's side door ... when it is closed, you hear the rattle ... if I open it, it stops ... also, it stops if I push down with moderate force on the armrest ... I believe they took the door apart and found nothing wrong ... I'm about to go out of my gord ... any suggestions? THX

 

[RAVMAN]

Just a long shot... but make sure ALL of the fasteners are TIGHT on your roof rack (ie-cross bars). It's been reported that loose crossbars can rattle and then resonate down inside the vehicle.

Let us know if you get this solved :?

 

[kjarrett]

Thanks, that is definitely not it.

We can stop the noise by pushing on the inside of the door while the car is moving. Clearly something is not torqued properly.

Thanks for the reply, though - this noise is driving us crazy and almost ruining our New Car Honeymoon!

-kj-

 

[kjarrett]

PROBLEM SOLVED.

All it required was a door hinge adjustment. While I am glad it was that simple, I am seriously pissed that the selling dealership required not one, but TWO visits to diagnose the problem (and ultimately NOT find the solution), one of which was an ENTIRE SATURDAY I happened to spend there with the car (the dealership is an hour away). When they could not fix it, they asked me to come back AGAIN, and I almost died. Instead, I went to a local Toyota dealership, they were very gracious, and fixed the problem in 1.5 hours.

I realize diagnosing rattles is one of the most difficult things you can ask a mechanic to do, but, I *TOLD* these people that the problem STOPPED as soon as you opened the door while driving, *CLEARLY* indicating a hinge or door torque issue. Bah!

Anyway, the car is now fixed, and my wife can start enjoying it. It's had this rattle since the day we drove it home and it's really taken away from her/our enjoyment of the RAV. It's behind us now, though!

Thanks all,

-kj-

 

[RAV4Don]

Glad to hear that your problem finally got resolved. I am surprised to hear that a new vehicle had a maladjusted door alignment from the factory.

 

[kjarrett]

We were suprised too. It really ruined the 'new car honeymoon' for my wife. The rattle was incessant and atypical of what we expected in a Toyota!

The worst part for me is all the wasted time and effort at the selling dealership. We were there three times and requested to come back for a FOURTH when we bailed and called the local Toyota dealership (we wanted the selling dealership to have a chance to fix it). They fixed it so quickly that we're kicking ourselves for not doing it sooner.

All's well that ends well...

-kj-