Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Rattle Be Gone!

My drivers side window had been rattling ever since I bought the car.  I got some advice from an expert, who suggested changing the outer chrome window trim on the door. The rubber that protects the inside of the door from rain had pretty much worn out and no longer rested against the window. According to this theory the window itself, no longer held firmly in place, might be subject to rattling.

Well, something was making the thing rattle. The only times it was quiet was when the window was either fully closed or fully open.

The first problem was to remove the piece. Turned out a plastic snow scraper, wedged underneath the chrome trim, could be whacked with a hammer to lift it off.


And so I removed the trim. Metal clips inside on the door seam held the trim firmly.

But, when examining the new item I bought from BMW, I discovered that it had a felt insert that prevented the chrome from sliding back into the seam.

Using the same snow scraper, this time placed on top of the trim piece, I whacked hard and it slowly dropped into place.

No more rattling window when I close the door or when I'm driving with it half-open, and no more jokes about rattle-trap old cars when cynical passengers acoompany me for a ride.