Terrible roof/sunroof creaking & rattling on '08 coupe

5498 Views 8 Replies 4 Participants Last post by BudmanTom, Sep 11, 2008

beach

Discussion Starter · Jul 6, 2008

I just picked up my new '08 GT coupe this past Monday, and love it. Drove both an '08 GT coupe and an '08 GXP coupe before and gave each a thorough workout, with zero noises or weird vibes.

Mine is mostly A-ok, but when I first checked it out (after it was dealer traded, but not prepped yet) I heard a very faint creaking in the roof. It has the standard sunroof. From that first day with 150 miles, and after a week of driving and 340 now, there's a horribly loud creaking and rattling coming from the roof non-stop. Seems like it's from the rear of the sunroof back, probably something in the mechanism up there, but just really terribly loud sounds.

Doesn't matter what's closed or open, but drive up our gravel driveway or then just down any road with a minor crack or bump, and it's reminiscent of metal being bent and hit with a hammer constantly. The rest of the car is tight and quiet, so it really stands out. Figures, as a rattle freak, I get a car that starts from day one with such bad noises...but hopefully it's fixed easily.

I've read on a Saturn Aura board (also an Epsilon, identical sunroof assembly) which had a lot of roof creak & rattle issues traced back to defective sunshade modules and such...but what about here?

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geewhiz

· #2 · Jul 6, 2008 (Edited)

Our G6 has the standard sun roof as well, its quit quite. HAvwe you given it a close look over? maybe something simple, good luck.
There are other members on this forum that I'm sure can better help you than me.

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beach

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 7, 2008

geewhiz said:
Our G6 has the standard sun roof as well, its quit quite. HAvwe you given it a close look over? maybe something simple, good luck.
There are other members on this forum that I'm sure can better help you than me.

Yeah, I wondered too, but nothing visible. It sounds like there's just something wrong inside with either the sunshade or sunroof mechanism back in the roof that's gotten much worse with the first week of driving. I noticed the slight creak at first, with twist, but now it's just a constant loud noise.

Same sunroofs on most all of these and our '08 Malibu are dead silent, so it isn't common. I made an appointment for Monday but think I might call tomorrow and try to get it in there "since I haven't had it a week yet and it sounds so awful", for a fix.

According to a Saturn Aura board, there were rattle issues with the sunshade...but I don't know. This is really loud and I'm not sure what it is. We'll see. The dealer is generally pretty good with noises. I hope this can be a one time only thing, and all is silent for the next 3 years.

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beach

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jul 9, 2008

Oy. Took it at 8am and was treated like royalty as always and got a call around 10:15 that it was done. They said they drove it around and noticed something was wrong with the cables--I'm assuming there's cables in the sunroof mechanism--that weren't right and would rattle when the car was in motion. Adjusted those, and quiet as a mouse.

I was pleased as punch. Drove back to work and zip, zilch, nothing--wonderful. Started driving home tonight and all was well again, including over the few bumps and expansion joints, then I get within 2 miles of home and hear a slight clicking again. Drive off from the last stop light and...creak, clunk, creeaaak, clunk, clunk, rattle. It re-appeared! It went from loud to silent and they were pretty sure they got it, so now I'm baffled how it started again.

Ugh. The first week and a half with the car has been great, just noisy...in for try #2 as soon as they can.

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Fusion

· #5 · Jul 10, 2008

LOL, i'm so sorry to hear it, and i'm sure you are too. LOL

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beach

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 10, 2008

465 miles, and this one is driving the dealer as nuts as it is me.

Yesterday, adjusted whatever cables there are, and it was 100% silent over anything all day until the last mile before home--kinda like just then something broke free and started rattling again. Called this morning and they said to bring it right over and we discussed more of what they did yesterday. Like I said, it was silent, then oy.

So today they had it ALL day and dear lord was the service list long. He wanted to keep the ticket open and just have me drive it a day to see what I thought. Fixed a slight dash rattle, no question, but the roof rattling is unchanged. This is after more adjustments, foam and lubricant in every place they could possibly fathom, driving around several times, and just going to their whits end. I knew pulling out of the parking space, it was nada.

I think the roof and actual sunroof mechanism are fine after all of this...but I'm wondering more about the sunshade mechanism after all I read on the Aura forum. Seems a lot like that issue it had, but maybe a bit worse.

Otherwise, tight and solid as could be, but something in the roof is schizo. The dealer can't apologize enough--they didn't build it, so not their fault--and still continue to try. 30 more miles to go until 500...

Love it otherwise, hah, though

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Fusion

· #7 · Jul 11, 2008

I've put up with all the noises for a long time. I'm normally very anal about little noises bothering me. IMO, this car is worth ignoring the minor annoyances.

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beach

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jul 12, 2008

Yeah, this one is loud however. I think I may have figured it out...I think.

After they clearly have gone over EVERYTHING inside the roof, adding padding, lube, adjusting things, etc., I think all of that is solid. But driving today, when it was rattling (quite a bit, especially by the time I got home tonight) I found I could now eliminate it--essentially--by really pressing up on the sunshade, particularly towards the passenger side and middle.

Could still be wrong, but as it would rattle away, seemed to quiet and stop the second I'd do this. Kinda fitting with the Saturn Aura sunshade issue, and may be the same thing. I told the advisor this today who was further disappointed all their work yesterday was useless, and he's having me bring it in Monday for a ride with him instead of just the techs, and I told him about the Aura problem--printed it. It calls for a new sunshade module, so we'll see.

Otherwise...2 weeks in, and loving the car more daily. I'm really coming into one with it, and aside from the loud rattle, just heart it. I think we'll get this noise straightened out soon enough...and all hope.

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BudmanTom

· #9 · Sep 11, 2008

I have the same problem and I HATE rattles, I have resorted to putting a big pen on the inner edge of the sunscreen and just push it over to make the noise go away for a couple of minutes.

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