Squeaky Wheels and Rattling Vent

[MaybeGolfer]

I bought a used 2016 eGolf a few weeks ago, and am now hearing two sounds:

1) Squeaking coming from the wheels, early in a trip only, especially when I drive at slow speeds. Basically, when I pull out of my driveway, it squeaks; by the time I get to the gym, it's not squeaking anymore. Is this anything to be concerned about?

2) A rattle behind the vents above the touchscreen. I don't think this is anything serious, but its a bit annoying. Any tricks for getting rid of this? I tried the old "slap the top" technique a few times to no avail.

 

[Sparklebeard]

1. My 2016 does that, my 2019 doesn’t. Might be rust spots on the brakes that wears off by end of trip? Not sure.

2. Rattling when air flows or rattling when car is moving?

 

[MaybeGolfer]

Rattling whenever I go over a bump in the road

 

[eGolfJoe]

Rattling whenever I go over a bump in the road

Hopefully it's not a sign of things to come for all of us. My 03' Jetta TDI uses a lot of plastic for the interior and it rattles from a lot of places. I've been able to isolate and cure some of it but there still a few spots I haven't figured out yet

 

[JoulesThief]

My 2015 has squeaky wheel on start up too, it's coming from the right rear caliper. One or two stops, and it's gone, every single time. It's a VW "feature" as my 2014 Touareg sometimes does it, also.

 

[cctop]

At startup my 2016 SE would squeal from the right front wheel, the kind of sound you get when your brake pads need replacing. Though it would go away after a few minutes of driving, those few minutes were embarrassing.

It seemed to be temperature dependent. It would start up when the weather was under about 60 degrees F, and get worse the colder it was.

I took it to the dealer once. Of course they said nothing was wrong.

 

[msvphoto]

I wouldn't worry much about the squeaking brakes, pretty normal and if it goes away probably a non-issue.

The rattling behind the dash could be something in one of the hidden compartments left behind from the previous owner. Check the bin in front of the shifter, the bin to the left of the steering wheel, and the glove compartment for anything that might be loose. Also, the visors will rattle when not clipped. Another thing that has caused apparent rattles is leaves and debris in the rain tray under the windshield that once cleaned out the noises go away.

Our 2015 is closing in on 49k miles and it pretty much rattle free still.

 

[MaybeGolfer]

Update: I took the car to the dealer in the last week of the warranty. They replaced a vent. I drove home and the rattle was worse, so I took it back the next week, by which point the warranty had expired. They replaced "about $2k worth" of dashboard parts and it solved the problem. They said "we're in a grey area because your warranty has expired, but we'll do this as a customer satisfaction thing." Ok, thanks, I guess?

Now there is a louder rattle in the side panel between the front and rear doors.

Except for the rattles, I love this car. But I will not be buying another VW.

(To be fair, the roads where I live are awful. But come on.)

 

[bsalih]

Here is what I do for rattling sounds where I can spot and I can access: Purchase a 3M velcro with sticky sides. Use the soft side and cut in pieces and apply it to areas where you hear rattling sound. I was having a rattling sound on my passenger side door. I took it to a dealer, not only I have wasted time but first they ignored what I am hearing, second they attempted to fix it and third they said they fixed it but nothing changed, sound was still there. I took apart the interior cover of the car and applied velcro wherever I thought the rattling is coming from. The issue is gone. No need to replace parts for rattling sounds.

I have done a similar application to my Porsche as well and I am happy with results.

 

[Deschodt]

My 2019 did that also (the wheel). I recorded the sound on my phone, had the dealer listen (otherwise "can't reproduce"). They said something about cleaning the brakes on that side. Never came up again.... I also learned on a different topic that my 2 broken "Oh **** handles" are called "grab handles" in a polite world. Now you know that too ;-)

 

[JoulesThief]

I also learned on a different topic that my 2 broken "Oh **** handles" are called "grab handles" in a polite world. Now you know that too ;-)

They are also called "Jesus" handles.

As in "Jesus, would you please slow down sooner before the turns, else you kill both of us with your driving".

Your idea of spirited driving is unsettling to your passengers. Not that you'd ever care what your passengers think. But it might make some of us wonder how not 1, but 2 of your handles ended up broken.

 

[kjhansen]

My 2019 e-Golf SE with DAP has a rattling sound in the dash very similar to what you describe. Yes, it only happens when the car is moving and it doesn't take much of a bumpy road to make it happen and it is darned intermittent.

It also has the weird "spring" sound when the brakes are applied (which is described in another post). I have never been able to get Departure Time to work (covered in another post). So far it doesn't have squeaky wheels!

My car has spent about 2 weeks at the dealer to fix these problems (and others) and they haven't been fixed. It is bad if you have an ICE car with squeaks and rattles but an EV with those problems is especially bad since they have a very quiet drive system. I also didn't expect these problems from a $33K VW!!

I really like the e-Golf too but unfortunately because of these problems (and the dealer no being able to fix them) VW is now added to my list (along with Nissan and Honda) of car manufacturers I won't buy from.

I plan to write an email to the VW Quality Department and see if they can be of help. My concern is they will send me to the dealer and I don't have any confidence in them to fix anything!

I wonder if people from VW read any of these posts? Maybe, they do and they just don't care? Maybe, enough customers just put up with these issues and simply turn the volume up on the radio and ignore it. Well, don't try listening to AM when the car is moving; too much radio interference.

 

[Deschodt]

They are also called "Jesus" handles.
Your idea of spirited driving is unsettling to your passengers. Not that you'd ever care what your passengers think. But it might make some of us wonder how not 1, but 2 of your handles ended up broken.

There's always one who assumes too much. Both broke at full stop on my brand new car when the passengers were playing with them or grabbing one getting out of the car. They're a crap little plastic hinge with a spring that is impossible to refit. I am shocked it's there's not a rash of issues about these... But thanks as ever for jumping to conclusions ;-)

 

[JoulesThief]

They are also called "Jesus" handles.
Your idea of spirited driving is unsettling to your passengers. Not that you'd ever care what your passengers think. But it might make some of us wonder how not 1, but 2 of your handles ended up broken.

There's always one who assumes too much. Both broke at full stop on my brand new car when the passengers were playing with them or grabbing one getting out of the car. They're a crap little plastic hinge with a spring that is impossible to refit. I am shocked it's there's not a rash of issues about these... But thanks as ever for jumping to conclusions ;-)

Wanna play, you gotta pay. It's always been that way, control your passengers or eject them, you are the Captain or Pilot in Charge, aren't you?