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      09-04-2013, 07:39 PM   #12
MechE
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Drives: 2011 1M
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Redmond, WA

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Rattle In Rear Passenger Side Interior Card

My September 2011 build car had the same rattle when playing bass heavy music.

I used the information in this thread to cure the problem: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229496

Some suggestions if you try this yourself:

1. There is no need to remove the seatbelt cover or any of the fasteners holding it in place.

2. When removing the side bolster, as discussed in post #22, reverse the process described. Pull out the top of the bolster to release the upper clamp and then pull the bolster up to release the lower pin. If you have a folding rear seat, lower the passenger side to allow better access to the bolster, but MAKE SURE you put a blanket over the metal attachments for the previously removed seat bottom so you don’t scratch the folded seat.

3. The rear card DOES NOT hook over the steel bodywork under the window, as mentioned in post #8. There are metal brackets that are hooked over the bodywork, but they are just attached to the card with spring loaded pins. You can pull the card straight off of these brackets and then rotate the card to lever it from under the rear airbag cover.

4. I’m pretty sure the root cause of the problem is the connectors shown in step 4 of post #18. That said, my car had a “fabric sleeve” that was supposed to be wrapped around these connectors to prevent them rattling. Unfortunately, this Velcro closed sleeve was not installed properly and had allowed the connectors to come loose. To prevent rattling, I first wrapped the sleeve around the yellow connector pair, then around the blue connector pair, and then pushed the Velcro into the black fabric to hold everything tight. Wrapping the connectors this way also prevents them from rattling against each other. I then used duct tape to attach the fabric/connector bundle to the side of car. I believe this rattle would never have occurred if the fabric sleeve had been installed correctly at the factory.
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