Disappointed

Hey All,

 

I've been a long time VW/Audi person and I've also owned a BMW and a Volvo. I've never owned a Japanese car though.

 

So, after my last two VW's became rattle buckets (2006 Jetta GLi & 2008 R32) with a year of ownership and some minor issues I decided to follow several friend's & father's advice and I decided to go Japanese.

 

I test drove the 2009 Accord V6 loaded with Nav etc (was super bland)., the Nissan Maxima (felt like a ship on wheels) and the 2009 Subaru Legacy 3.0R LTD. I loved the Legacy and ended up purchasing that.

 

Now, I've had the car since June 23rd and have almost 2K miles on it. My car has so many irritating rattles and vibrations that I get pissed just driving to work and listening to it. Damn, I gave up a superior driving and handling machine (R32) to get away from lousy build quality and here I am right back in it, only this time a Subaru.

 

Is it just my car or are others also full of passenger door rattle/vibration, when sunroof is open major rattles and some noise from the center console?

 

I'm not too happy at the moment. I enjoy the car but expected better build quality.

My passanger door rattles as well, the interior panel, but I love the car so much that I just turn up the radio.

Make sure the passenger seat belt buckle isn't wedged cockeye'd between the seat and the pillar. I dealt with that rattle for about four months before I finally figured out what it was.

 

 

Right now, my dome light is my only rattle, and it's been going on for about a year and a half.

I will gladly deal with a little rattle/vibration instead of seeing this all the time....

 

http://www.dpauto.com/check%20engine.jpg

 

If you are a little mechanically inclined you can chase down a lot of the rattles you encounter. I had to do this with my 2006 civic ex rattlebox from hell. That car was worse off than my 1988 Monte Carlo SS w/ t-tops!

Make sure the passenger seat belt buckle isn't wedged cockeye'd between the seat and the pillar. I dealt with that rattle for about four months before I finally figured out what it was.

 

Right now, my dome light is my only rattle, and it's been going on for about a year and a half.

 

Yeah, figured that one out about the seat belt buckle. I did what VW had on my 1998 VW Passat, they had a small felt strip that was mounted on the pillar so the buckle would not make noise against hard plastic.

I will gladly deal with a little rattle/vibration instead of seeing this all the time....

 

http://www.dpauto.com/check%20engine.jpg

 

 

Fortunately, never seen that on any car I've owned in the past

That's good stuff. Though, everybody I have known with a VW always had real strange issues. This one girl had a late 90's Jetta took a turn around a corner and without hitting anything the airbags deployed.

 

Anyways, The only cars I have ever encountered that were without rattles were $50k+ luxury cars like BMW's, Mercedes, Jaguars, etc...

I always have to post this - two 05 LGTs here WITHOUT any rattles. Seems the build quality went down over years, or you got Friday's afternoon car.

 

Well, to be honest, the limited one of mine has squeeky moonroof shade that's pretty annoying but I bet can be fixed (once I find time)>

My '05 has a dash rattle and a seatbelt squeak. Good thing the exhaust is loud and the speakers are upgraded.

Its the change in temps that the northeast has been experiencing over the last two months..Also roads in MA suck and a few bumps can cause some subtle rattles. My 05 is pretty solid but once in awhile I hear a rattle that I just chalk up to the weather changes..

Get some felt and do some rattle fixes. Rattles on Subarus are nothing compared to Hondas. But, generally they are minor issues; and only contribute to perceived quality and not actual quality (which is generally very good) issues.

 

This far, off of recent VWs (less than 5 years old) of people I've known, i've seen turbo failures, fuel injector fail, another car with the fuel injector controller fail, ECU failure, AC failure.

i came from a mk2 vr6, i enjoyed driving that over my lgt. Problem is, german cars are over-engineered electrical nightmares that are hell to work on. And expensive to work on

My rattles are usually from change in the center console or a navi on the door pocket. Its never just the car, for me atleast.

 

And comparing an R32 to a Legacy is apples and oranges...

My '05 had a dash rattle once in a while. I could never get it to replicate for the dealer though. It only happened once in a while. My '08 is rattle free except for the armrest extension which rattles like crazy. I've just learned to tune it out (or put the armrest in the down position). Other than that, my '08 is rattle free. *knocks on wood*

I understand how rattles could frustrate a person who bought a brand new car... I'd be disappointed also... But I don't think this should denote poor build quality across the whole car. Could be worse, could be the suspension or steering. There is far more to good build quality than noises coming from the dashboard. You could be basing your opinion of build quality of the entire car on one 30 cent wire tie under the dash. Overly high standards are the stepping stones to big disappointment. If you let the little inconsequential rattles go, you could enjoy the car for 200,000+ miles.

 

Besides, if its really bothering you take the car back to Subaru and tell them to do something about it. Its still under warranty.

My'06 C-dan was pretty tight at first, but then I added coilovers/bars/bushings, crazy loud exhaust, etc. and the rattles started to appear along with the miles (60k now).

 

The main rattle(s} that I couldn't stand came from the dash. There are many posts about various fixes and dealer visits. Mine was intermittent and temp dependent. Not wanting to go the the dealer and have them make things worse, I finally took the side panel of the dash off to see what I could do. I loosened two of the bolts holding the dash to the body. I then pulled the dash away from the body (it didn't move much as the other bolts were still tight) and inserted a couple of pieces of rubber (cut from an inner tube) between the dash and the mount creating a soft spacer.

 

Viola! No more rattles from the dash. FWIW, it worked for me.

I've never gotten any rattle's.I think my car was built on a wensday lol.

I guess if you cry and whine loud enough inside your Subaru then you won't hear all those rattles. Wait, I think you're right- I'd sell that POS Subaru and go back to that excellent piece of German Engineering: the Volkswagon. Have fun and buh-bye.

 

Rattle's what are they, I don't have any at all. Only thing I get is if I have all the windows open the passenger seatbelt vibrates with the wind. Just turn up the music if you're going to complain.

The only rattle I've run into that was from the car (as opposed to the dozen-or-so created by my wife storing sunglasses and lotion bottles in the passenger door compartment or from the kids hiding legos in the LATCH recesses) was in the passenger side "oh, $hit!" handle. I removed the handle, inserted some closed-cell foam cut to the right shape, reattached the handle, and it was good to go.

 

It really doesn't take much to eliminate those little rattles unless they are way under the dash cover.

My '05 has its share of rattles & squeaks, but I track them down and eliminate them.

I guess if you cry and whine loud enough inside your Subaru then you won't hear all those rattles. Wait, I think you're right- I'd sell that POS Subaru and go back to that excellent piece of German Engineering: the Volkswagon. Have fun and buh-bye.

 

 

Wait, then he'd still have to listen to the rattles. He should by a Jaguar or a high end Mercedes, or something else over $60K.

 

A rattle free car is WAY more important than a safe, reliable, fun to drive car anyday.....

 

Point is, you can buy any car, ANY car, and it will eventually rattle. Things are made from other things, and everything wears out. Except for VW's and Audi's, those are milled from solid Unobtanium.

 

I'm honestly dumbfounded that you sold a 2006 and a 2008 car just because you couldn't handle the little rattles they made. If anything fix them... Or buy a more expensive car. With all the money you lost in reselling those other cars you could've just put it all towards a midsize luxury sedan from BMW and been done with it, but even those make noise when you drive. I guess it's just the properties of a moving vehicle... If it moves, it vibrates, if it vibrates, it makes noise.

That's good stuff. Though, everybody I have known with a VW always had real strange issues. This one girl had a late 90's Jetta took a turn around a corner and without hitting anything the airbags deployed.

 

Anyways, The only cars I have ever encountered that were without rattles were $50k+ luxury cars like BMW's, Mercedes, Jaguars, etc...

 

You won't find any rattles in a $15,000 Toyota. There is no excuse for the rattles in Subarus. None.

You won't find any rattles in a $15,000 Toyota. There is no excuse for the rattles in Subarus. None.

 

:confused: Sarcasm, maybe? I've rented Camry's with 600 miles on the odo that creaked like a wooden sailboat.

You won't find any rattles in a $15,000 Toyota. There is no excuse for the rattles in Subarus. None.

 

But who would want one (15k toyota) if you care in the slightest about all the performance and safety you get with the Subaru. That's where your money went. It's still built in America, and will thus have some rattles. Except the Spec B. Built by Jesus.

 

Every rattle can be fixed. You have to be somewhat willing to learn how to take things apart, but if you care enough, you will learn (not hard) and then every rattle can be fixed