Centre console - Annoying Noise!

[Silver-Aurion]

It's been happening for a while but I never thought nothing of it, I thought it was coming from when I lean my leg on the side when driving. But this time I noticed it a bit more as I was driving without music for the first time.

I can make the sound by pushing down on it, or when I'm driving over bumps or actually pressing the brake, it creeks.

And the Video shows for itself, its not the whole centre console, JUST that part under the gear. Can anyone confirm if this noise happens in there Aurion too? Specifically a 2007.

If not, I'll have to take it down for them to fix it. I'm not sure what they will do to fix it though? Put some sort of foam padding or something? Whats actually making this noise?

I tried to take it off but didn't want to force anything so I'll have to waste my time now and take it down if other members can confirm this is not normal.

Will warranty cover it? As I won't spend a cent if its not covered because its Toyota's fault. Right now I'm being very picky because what ever I can find that can get fixed under warranty I want it done because I only have 2 months warranty left, after that I'm riding without a safety net.

Here is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2gy9qlQ6DU (Damn it, I recorded upside down!)

Edited January 9, 2010 by unique

[ELEGNT]

typical aurion thing mate, mine did it...its just 2 plastic surfaces rubbing together

Edited January 9, 2010 by ELEGNT

[Silver-Aurion]

typical aurion thing mate, mine did it...its just 2 plastic surfaces rubbing together

Ah okay, thought so. If yours "DID" it. What did you do to fix it?

[DJKOR]

That sucks mate, I checked mine, both are aligned. But that is because my car never had dash rattles and its a 07 mode.

You may not have the dash rattle, but you aren't immune to the creaking dash problem :P

There isn't much solution to it mate. It's how the car is. You can try to lubricating any surfaces the plastic makes contact on the underside with some silicon spray our use an adhesive to completely lock any plastic bits together, but apart from that you are just going to have to live with it.

What did you do to fix it?

I don't think Rowan ever fixed his when he had his car. Neither have I. There is more than one good use to a subwoofer and loud music.

[Silver-Aurion]

That sucks mate, I checked mine, both are aligned. But that is because my car never had dash rattles and its a 07 mode.

You may not have the dash rattle, but you aren't immune to the creaking dash problem :P

There isn't much solution to it mate. It's how the car is. You can try to lubricating any surfaces the plastic makes contact on the underside with some silicon spray our use an adhesive to completely lock any plastic bits together, but apart from that you are just going to have to live with it.

What did you do to fix it?

I don't think Rowan ever fixed his when he had his car. Neither have I. There is more than one good use to a subwoofer and loud music.

Yeah, when I said I have none I was referring to where people had to rip out EVERYTHING like the stereo and aircon bits and bobs to stop it. This is just that small area.

But thanks heaps for the quick replies. I think I'll call up on Monday and see what they say. But does anyone else has this noise, and how exactly would I get silicon in there?

I don't even know how to actually pull that part apart. <_<

[ELEGNT]

yeh it never use to squeek........................until i put a sub in, lowered it and had 20" wheels with 30 profile tires. then more than just that rattled and squeeked. and didnt do anything about it. if its really getting to u take it out and go round the edge with a very light film of silocon or simmilar.

PS @ facelift(& prefacelift) aurion reviews....everyone of them said cheap interior, and everyone on this forum disagreed...ummmm, how many threads about rattles and creaks do we have?......lots!! it has pretty much the same interior as a base camry, thats why

Edited January 9, 2010 by ELEGNT

[DJKOR]

... and how exactly would I get silicon in there?

You take the centre console out as shown in the head unit removal guide, then you flip it upside down and you'll notice all the pieces held in with screws. Then you can use silicone spray to reduce the plastic on plastic friction that causes the squeaks. The ideal fix would be gluing it all together with epoxy or something.

Rest assured that you aren't the only one with the problem. It's common among all Aurions... just some have it more noticeable.

PS @ facelift(& prefacelift) aurion reviews....everyone of them said cheap interior, and everyone on this forum disagreed...ummmm, how many threads about rattles and creaks do we have?......lots!! it has pretty much the same interior as a base camry, thats why

Well it doesn't look that cheap. When the music is up and/or the windows are down, the problems go away and that's good enough for me. I'm just thankful my interior hasn't fallen apart.

[Mole]

Your not alone with this noise, my Celica does the exact same thing.

[Silver-Aurion]

head unit removal guide, mate I just went through about 10 threads and I cannot find this. If I can fix it myself it will be awesome so I don't need to waste time and money to drive 20Km to my nearest dealer.

[DJKOR]

head unit removal guide, mate I just went through about 10 threads and I cannot find this. If I can fix it myself it will be awesome so I don't need to waste time and money to drive 20Km to my nearest dealer.

The FAQ's mate:

Q) And how do I remove the head unit from the Aurion?

A)

There is not official step-by-step guide (yet), but there have been photos posted that should guide you through the process are located. Refer to the following thread for a basic guide:

How do you remove factory audio unit?

[Steven]

for a brief moment there, considering the late time of night and all, that I could beat DJKOR to posting the answer...

Should have known better :P

[Silver-Aurion]

Okay, I was able to remove it thanks to that guide. When I take it off and press that area, the noise stops, when I put it back in it comes back. I'll just get some silicone spray then.

Its a bit depressing because I never had rattles and squeaks in my round body shaped 97 camry.

Edited January 9, 2010 by unique

[DJKOR]

Take care with the silicone spray so that you only apply it where needed. If you get it on trim that you can touch while in the car, it will not only be annoying as it leaves your hand slippery, but also potentially dangerous as you may not get a good hold of the steering wheel.

[dave262]

That sucks mate, I checked mine, both are aligned. But that is because my car never had dash rattles and its a 07 mode.

You may not have the dash rattle, but you aren't immune to the creaking dash problem :P

There isn't much solution to it mate. It's how the car is. You can try to lubricating any surfaces the plastic makes contact on the underside with some silicon spray our use an adhesive to completely lock any plastic bits together, but apart from that you are just going to have to live with it.

I think after the warranty "fix" of the dash creaks, it made the air vents creak like crazy instead - especially on a hot day when the aircon is running. Why oh why did Toyota persist in using incompatible plastics together?

On the silicon spray topic, how long does this solution last? I would have thought the oil over time would gradually run down any surfaces?

Edited January 10, 2010 by dave262

[DJKOR]

On the silicon spray topic, how long does this solution last? I would have thought the oil over time would gradually run down any surfaces?

Surprisingly, as long as you use a light coat, it doesn't really run down anywhere. All you will get is it 'evaporating' after a month or so if the cabin heats up a bit. This solution is more of a temporary fix. Here in Queensland summer, it kept it quiet for about a month... then I couldn't be botheres anymore.

[dave262]

On the silicon spray topic, how long does this solution last? I would have thought the oil over time would gradually run down any surfaces?

Surprisingly, as long as you use a light coat, it doesn't really run down anywhere. All you will get is it 'evaporating' after a month or so if the cabin heats up a bit. This solution is more of a temporary fix. Here in Queensland summer, it kept it quiet for about a month... then I couldn't be botheres anymore.

hmmm do you know of any other more permanent options, other than simply tightening any loose panels? Only other thing I can think of is some very thin closed-cell foam - but I don't think it would hide very well along the narrow edges...

[DJKOR]

hmmm do you know of any other more permanent options, other than simply tightening any loose panels? Only other thing I can think of is some very thin closed-cell foam - but I don't think it would hide very well along the narrow edges...

... The ideal fix would be gluing it all together with epoxy or something

[Silver-Aurion]

Well today, I went over to bunnings and grabbed my self some CRC silicone spray from bunnings. I ripped open the centre console as shown by djk and I inspected underneath with a flashlight.

While trying to fix that creaking noise, I FIXED another problem.

All those doors that open for the cup holder, 12V charger and ciggie lighter, would make a very annoying noise when opened and closed, like a squeeky door hinge.

So I sprayed the hinges, screws and springs and low behold they went dead silent. Its very nice now. And the initial noise with the creaking, I was some what able to fix it by spraying the silicone, and I wedged in some thin foam which was lying around in our shed which that helped a little bit more.

Here it is pulled apart for anyone interested:

[tekkyy]

watched your video

I get that noise when I press the left rear area of the arm rest (also a chill box, side featur of air con)

don't know how to disassemble that though

[DJKOR]

...also a chill box, side featur of air con.

Hehehe. I use mine as the same thing.

I've considered many times to cut a hole in either side and put one of those desk cable organisers in so that you can open a hole up on demand and get more air flow through there for optimum cooling abilities:

[CHA54]

in the older japan-built toyota's like MX83 cressida's, toyota used to put a very thin felt lining on the edges of the plastics which would be in contact with each other, this effectively stopped any plastic creaking noises.

[DJKOR]

in the older japan-built toyota's like MX83 cressida's, toyota used to put a very thin felt lining on the edges of the plastics which would be in contact with each other, this effectively stopped any plastic creaking noises.

They kind of did the same with the Aurion around the head unit only. I wonder why they stopped there.

[SecaBoy]

save time/money/cbf-syndrome... who knows... lol

wouldnt be hard to do yourself though...

but then again, i'm driving a toyota, not a $500k car... so its expected that its gonna creak and groan in places... :)

[Adamsy]

i had this problem with my ZR6, but i got it rectified when i had the dash rattle fixed, seem'd pretty easy to fix guys. get in touch with your dealer

[tekkyy]

my arm rest used to squeak when passenger rests an elbow on it

and the car goes over even small bumps

the under side of the lid, passenger side, about one third length from the rear

squeaks when I press it with my finger

had a test drive today, showed the service guy it doesn't squeak if I pull the lid outwards

he fixed it today

service guy said he put some lubricant on it

in the photo you can still see the lubricant along the right edge side