My Aurion Dash rattle experience

[Brendo88]

Hi all,

Long time lurker, first time poster here.

So my beloved Aurion Sportivo SX6 developed that pesky dash and center console rattle. Very hard to describe but basically sounds like there are bits of plastic moving around in the dash. Its particularly bad on cold days and over most types of roads, but specifically rough roads.

Anyways after reading some horror stories about toyota dealerships that had pulled the dash out to fix it under warranty i finally took the plunge.

Dropped the beast in at my local Toyota dealership for a two day dash oput job. I was a little teary walking out of there after dropping it off. I didnt know if i would get the same stivo back:(

Anyways, Got the car back today. all i can say is OH MY GOD!!!!! what a difference. no more annoying rattles. It is perfectly quiet and cant hear any sound but the sweet sweet buzz of the engine.

I couldnt have been happier with the results. Spoke to the tech that did the work on my car and he explained what they had done. Basically they pulled the entire dash out and replaced the plastic clips that hold the dash to the firewall and a few other clips. The new clips are alot different and are all felt padded. He also said they put extra padding materials etc in to make it a more snug fit.

They also found the traction control sensor below the steering column was faulty so they replaced that too under warranty at the same time.

Im just happy she came out better then i took her in. Not a mark on the dash left by the tech and a perfect job. Couldnt be happier. I really recommend anyone that is thinking about doing this to get it done under warranty. You will definitely fall in love with the car again afterwards :)

[mr_grumble2010]

They seem to have addressed the dash rattles but our facelift model still has an annoying plastic squeek from somewhere around the gear lever shroud.

Gives me the $%#@&'s

Sometimes there, sometimes not. Bet it not going to be there come Wed when it goes in for it's first service ;)

Thinking about dropping a bit of dry lube down the cracks and see if that makes a difference if Toyota can't amend.

[Silver-Aurion]

I wish someone could record the dash rattle. My Aurion was an ex fleet so I highly doubt the owner prior give a **** about fixing it and I've never experienced the said rattle. Closest I experienced was the front dash hitting the front window and "squeaking, cracking" noise each time it made contact and lost contact, that was a quick fix with some sort of chux wipe folded up and wedged in to make it tight, since then I've removed it and it no longer touches.

So I guess it's select Aurions that have this issue?

I've got 62K and its a 07.

Also OP, would you like to share which dealer? They sound decent :).

Edited July 27, 2010 by unique

[Brendo88]

I wish someone could record the dash rattle. My Aurion was an ex fleet so I highly doubt the owner prior give a **** about fixing it and I've never experienced the said rattle. Closest I experienced was the front dash hitting the front window and "squeaking, cracking" noise each time it made contact and lost contact, that was a quick fix with some sort of chux wipe folded up and wedged in to make it tight, since then I've removed it and it no longer touches.

So I guess it's select Aurions that have this issue?

I've got 62K and its a 07.

Also OP, would you like to share which dealer? They sound decent :).

Yeah mines a nov 07 model 67,000 k

The dealership was the Ballina, nsw one. Very happy with the service :)

[itsouthere]

Hello Brendo,

I'm glad I've read your post, we have just returned from a trip Sydney to Parkes and back, I noticed the noise a few times and thought it was just a noise when we went over some rough part of the road maybe something in the glove box or around that area, I actually tapped around the top of the dash and above the windscreen on the inside trying to duplicate the noise , a bit hard when driving though,I'll ring a dealer on monday and have them check it out,

Tha other thing I was aware of was the pull on the steering when you accelerate to overtake , bit of a surprise the first time of doing it is that a normal thing with front wheel drives ?

cheers Tofu

[Silver-Aurion]

Hello Brendo,

I'm glad I've read your post, we have just returned from a trip Sydney to Parkes and back, I noticed the noise a few times and thought it was just a noise when we went over some rough part of the road maybe something in the glove box or around that area, I actually tapped around the top of the dash and above the windscreen on the inside trying to duplicate the noise , a bit hard when driving though,I'll ring a dealer on monday and have them check it out,

Tha other thing I was aware of was the pull on the steering when you accelerate to overtake , bit of a surprise the first time of doing it is that a normal thing with front wheel drives ?

cheers Tofu

That pull is torque steer which can happen in FWD's.

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=2AO&pwst=1&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&&sa=X&ei=PTwvTKqVOtGLkAXF5uSCBA&ved=0CBcQvwUoAQ&q=torque+steer&spell=1

[rai12480]

hey guys

Bought 07 sx6 40ks for 22 grand ex-rental 3 weeks ago now, dash rattles is often now especially cold days. Car still has 1 year left on warranty, can i get toyota to fix it even if it is an ex-rental under warranty, or do i have to pay for it?. And with my log books service, the service is done by the rental company and they said that it doesn't void the warranty...is this true?....any advice?

[Brendo88]

hey guys

Bought 07 sx6 40ks for 22 grand ex-rental 3 weeks ago now, dash rattles is often now especially cold days. Car still has 1 year left on warranty, can i get toyota to fix it even if it is an ex-rental under warranty, or do i have to pay for it?. And with my log books service, the service is done by the rental company and they said that it doesn't void the warranty...is this true?....any advice?

Mine was also ex- rental. It is no problem at all to get toyota to fix it. Give them a call and get it booked in asap. You will be surprised at the difference.

[rai12480]

hey guys

Bought 07 sx6 40ks for 22 grand ex-rental 3 weeks ago now, dash rattles is often now especially cold days. Car still has 1 year left on warranty, can i get toyota to fix it even if it is an ex-rental under warranty, or do i have to pay for it?. And with my log books service, the service is done by the rental company and they said that it doesn't void the warranty...is this true?....any advice?

Mine was also ex- rental. It is no problem at all to get toyota to fix it. Give them a call and get it booked in asap. You will be surprised at the difference.

will do mate thx

[Wixy]

just wondering, why do newer make cars rattle more than older ones?

i never got that? they must have been changing the way they assembled dashboards all together.

i drove a nissan tiida the other day, it was rental - the dash was making music of its own it was driving me nuts, especially in cold conditions as the plastics have contracted.

[Silver-Aurion]

just wondering, why do newer make cars rattle more than older ones?

i never got that? they must have been changing the way they assembled dashboards all together.

i drove a nissan tiida the other day, it was rental - the dash was making music of its own it was driving me nuts, especially in cold conditions as the plastics have contracted.

DJKOR answered that question here:

http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17787

Second last post.

[Brendo88]

just wondering, why do newer make cars rattle more than older ones?

i never got that? they must have been changing the way they assembled dashboards all together.

i drove a nissan tiida the other day, it was rental - the dash was making music of its own it was driving me nuts, especially in cold conditions as the plastics have contracted.

DJKOR answered that question here:

http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17787

Second last post.

yeah. Sadly its about cutting costs. Pretty sad from Toyota though. A company that has enough money in the bank to purchase any other car manufacturer outright, and has enough money in the bank to run the US economy for 3 months :P

Still, you wont find a better car. Rattles aside. If you have the rattle, go get it fixed. Its not to big of an issue and toyota are very good with their warranty work.

[Wixy]

thanks for that unique,

though one thing to point out. i was mildly dissatisfied with that answer and then i remembered my collegue!!! (who used to work for nissan production plant in malaysia, but is now with us working on food processing). i asked the same question to him - and a very very long long story short -> an assumption gone wrong. if you are trying to cut costs just so to increase efficiency - the only increase in efficiency that will occur in replacing plastic felt coated clips with uncoated plastic clips, is the increase in efficiency of processing warranty claim costs & the OEE of machines that replace a post-production dashboard.

there may be an $0.XX amount saved per clip, which amounts to a sizable $XXX.XX of clips vehicle manufactured, however the cost saved in implementing the cheaper clips end up costing manufacturer X more than the amount saved. So it's really a loose loose situation. LOL. We spent about an hour drilling down into the likely causes of this issue, and somehow trying to prove our discussion was related to our work (which indirectly can be *winks*).

its too bad i cant share the amount of information dumped into my very small head over the span on 1hour, but it was absolutely fasinating. All i will say is -> rental cars will have a higher % of...........i'll let you finish that one off yourselves.

so there you have it, a not so straight forward but reliable answer for all to think about and consider when purchasing your next ride.

but one might ask, do they still do it? (replace good clips with dodgy ones) - sorry cant answer that either. u'll just have to find out in the tangible world

[DJKOR]

just wondering, why do newer make cars rattle more than older ones?

i never got that? they must have been changing the way they assembled dashboards all together.

i drove a nissan tiida the other day, it was rental - the dash was making music of its own it was driving me nuts, especially in cold conditions as the plastics have contracted.

DJKOR answered that question here:

http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17787

Second last post.

I'm not sure if that would be related to the question at hand. My answer there was only in reference to those plastics used in cars that are further covered in a foam/vinyl combination as per the question in that thread. The production efficiency is a cost and time saving as a plastic only trim doesn't require anything else done to cover it apart from paint where necessary.

I kinda lost you there Wixy on your discussion. I have a rather simple mind. So what is it that should be considered when purchasing a new car?

[Silver-Aurion]

I think I'll be eating all my words(so don't quote me DJKOR )

Today was getting a tinny rattle from the drivers side.

I'm afraid like the OP because of these horror stories.

I think I should get it fixed anyway before the KM's are too high and the dealer uses that against me (even though I have warranty) and says it's normal for cars with high KM's.

I'm going to hopefully push for dash rattle fix, centre console creeks and the rear parcel shelf rattle.

Has anyone had this fix besides the OP? How was your outcome? :ph34r: :ph34r:

[SilverProdigy]

I have owned my Prodigy for over three years now. I have only started noticing the dash rattles this year. It has come to a point that it is driving me crazy! It's so bad that I have considered just selling it. I think since I have moved and travelled more on those rough inner suburban roads that the internals of the dash have come loose. With my car no longer under warranty, plus an after-market audio system and high end tweeter installed, I have decided just to bear it. I fear that trying to get it fix will just cause other issues.

This is really disappointing aspect of an otherwise great vehicle.

[troubled]

I have owned my Prodigy for over three years now.

My car was 5 months out of warranty, admittedly the noise was there before warranty expired but I just never bothered. When the intermediate shaft started knocking too it sounded like a 2 band orchestra in the car so I decided to get them fixed. I was expecting a bill for the repairs and surprisingly toyota covered both parts under warranty as well as replace an oil hose that was recalled..? Maybe just ask a few questions. If all else fails you can throw them the Trade Practices Act and say the car is not of merchantable quality, to a reasonable person a car that is less than 4 years old should not rattle.

[tekkyy]

the other day I notice some lose plastic in the area below the glove box

think I might have found the source of the noise that appears to be from the glove box area

but recently I am hearing a rattle (like a lose piece) near the vents in the centre of the dash, where it joins with the windscreen

Edited August 2, 2010 by tekkyy

[FourToyotas]

My Aurion developed a dash rattle a few months after I bought it (second hand). It was caused by the dash flexing. I fixed it by pressing a 3 foot long strip of rubber down between the dash and the window. The rubber was an insert from an old set of roof racks and is about 1cm thick. Never had another dash rattle.

[mslun]

Just turn the music up / rev it harder

[Silver-Aurion]

Okay so I went to the dealer and the mechanic sat next to me whilst I drove the car. There was a dirt road that he made me drive on and as soon as I got on it the whole dash started to rattle.

As soon as it did he said yep, that's more than enough and went back to the dealer. I've been booked in for Monday morning to get the whole dash pulled apart and new revised clips will be put in.

Very happy with the outcome!

The mechanic said the clips have been redesigned by Toyota three times.

[Beep Beep]

Just don't do what that guy did on the TV ad and go to an auto shop and buy parts to systematically disassemble the vehicle, only to find out later it was a few screws kept in the slide out ash tray.

I had a really annoying rattle in mine, and was flummoxed as to where it was coming from, until I realized that it was actually my sunnies in the sunglass holder located overhead.

Apart from that, I haven't had much in terms of squeaks and rattles......

Cheers,

BB

[DJKOR]

I'm still surprised at how relatively rattle free my TRD still is after 62,000km/3.5 years. Compared to my last Aurion that was making noises from as low as 25,000km, this TRD is really quiet.

[Silver-Aurion]

I'm still surprised at how relatively rattle free my TRD still is after 62,000km/3.5 years. Compared to my last Aurion that was making noises from as low as 25,000km, this TRD is really quiet.

IMO Toyota put more love and care into them.

[Steven]

Just don't do what that guy did on the TV ad and go to an auto shop and buy parts to systematically disassemble the vehicle, only to find out later it was a few screws kept in the slide out ash tray.

I had a really annoying rattle in mine, and was flummoxed as to where it was coming from, until I realized that it was actually my sunnies in the sunglass holder located overhead.

Apart from that, I haven't had much in terms of squeaks and rattles......

Cheers,

BB

+1 for the sunnies rattling. Drove me nuts trying to find the rattle only to discover that.

As for the TRD, I'd really like to see how to turn a regular Aurion into a TRD one day. Just to get an idea of how much they change it aside from the obvious, visible differences.

OR

It could be just that the owner of a TRD is more likely to take care of their car other than someone treating the Aurion as their A to B transport...