Passenger side dash rattle

[frostyfeet]

Hey folks,
About a year ago I became the second owner of a lovely 2007 Jazz with (at the time) 95000 miles on the clock, the car is in spectacular condition all round with a full dealer service history from new.

The only problem I’ve had with the car in my almost 1 year of ownership is a persistent rattle in the portion of the dash where it meets the windscreen and A pillar (or at least that’s where it seems to be coming from). The rattle is usually only present above 30mph and does not get much worse with speed, it’s either there or it isn’t. In my attempts to fix them rattle I’ve managed to rule out the A pillar trim as the cause, the rattle is the same whether or not the A pillar trim is present.

After spending one weekend too many scouring this forum and others, and fiddling with the dash to attempt to locate this rattle on my own, I’m officially at a loss. Has anyone come across a rattle similar to what I describe in their own jazz? If so, how did you go about fixing it? I’ve attached a photo with the approximate location of the rattle circled.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[richardfrost]

Could it be a loose cabin air filter behind the glove box?

[olduser1]

Rattles other noises are tricky to tackle remotely, however I would try removing the passenger glove box complety together with the A pillar trim.
Does the rattle occur just whilst driving at 30 or vary if you increase speed, make a L or R turn?

[frostyfeet]

Could it be a loose cabin air filter behind the glove box?

Unfortunately I don’t think it’s the cabin filter as I have given the housing it’s in a good shake and there is no play in it, the filter itself was replaced recently so isn’t bent out of shape or anything.

Rattles other noises are tricky to tackle remotely, however I would try removing the passenger glove box complety together with the A pillar trim.
Does the rattle occur just whilst driving at 30 or vary if you increase speed, make a L or R turn?

Once travelling above 30 the noise remains the same, regardless of speed, it doesn’t get worse when travelling on the motorway for example, it’s the same as if I was driving around town. As for turning I’ve never noticed a decrease in noise when going around a bend, but I’ll keep an extra ear out next time I’m driving.

I’ll remove the glovebox and A pillar trim and take it for a spin when I get the chance and report back

[Jocko]

Try it with the glove box innards out and the door open. May give a better clue.

[richardfrost]

Once travelling above 30 the noise remains the same, regardless of speed, it doesn’t get worse when travelling on the motorway for example, it’s the same as if I was driving around town. As for turning I’ve never noticed a decrease in noise when going around a bend, but I’ll keep an extra ear out next time I’m driving.

I’ll remove the glovebox and A pillar trim and take it for a spin when I get the chance and report back

For it to be a constant noise, unaffected by engine speed or road surface, makes me think it may be to do with the ventilation system. Try adjusting the fan speed, direction, air recirculation settings to see if it’s connected. Could be as simple as a desiccated leaf somewhere in there.

[frostyfeet]

Hey all, weekend has rolled around again so I finally got another chance to take a look at this.

I’m happy to report that the rattle is fixed! Having the door open is what allowed me to find the culprit! It was a piece of plastic trim in between the door and wheel well which was rattling, so it wasn’t in the dash at all! A few cable ties sorted it right out. I’ve attached a photo of the offending piece of plastic (with where I placed the cable tie circled) in case it helps anyone else in the future! Thanks everyone for all the help