DIY: Using sorbothane to fix Touring subwoofer rattle

[CivicMichael]

I installed mine today and they work great for me as well. I think I still hear a little bit of a rattle during the Sub Woofer Test Track but that's a very extreme example and I don't notice any rattling during normal tracks anymore. What a difference! Unfortunately, I do notice some buzzing in the front passenger tweeter and door speakers which I didn't notice before (probably was drowned out by the sub rattle) but this too is only noticeable when playing the test track.

It's probably just a placebo, but my music sounded much crisper and louder than normal today...mind-you, I also bumped up the Sub level a couple of notches, now that I'm able to do so.

@hondo The tweezers are a good idea. They're a bit tricky to stuff back in there since the tops are quite sticky against the glass as well but I got them into place after a bit of messing around with a simple butter knife.

Also, with my rear windshield tinted at 20%, it's very difficult to see these from the outside at all, even in bright sunlight, which is nice.

BTW, did anyone else's bumpers smell like grape? Reminds me of the purple Meguiar's tire shine product I used to use. Kind of a nice touch.

I've got lots extra so if anyone here is in the Milton, ON area and wants to try these on their Touring, I'd be happy to sell a set of them to you for a few bucks. The pack comes with 16 and I've only used 4 so far.

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[hondo]

I installed mine today and they work great for me as well. I think I still hear a little bit of a rattle during the Sub Woofer Test Track but that's a very extreme example and I don't notice any rattling during normal tracks anymore. What a difference! Unfortunately, I do notice some buzzing in the front passenger tweeter and door speakers which I didn't notice before (probably was drowned out by the sub rattle) but this too is only noticeable when playing the test track.

It's probably just a placebo, but my music sounded much crisper and louder than normal today...mind-you, I also bumped up the Sub level a couple of notches, now that I'm able to do so.

@hondo The tweezers are a good idea. They're a bit tricky to stuff back in there since the tops are quite sticky against the glass as well but I got them into place after a bit of messing around with a simple butter knife.

Also, with my rear windshield tinted at 20%, it's very difficult to see these from the outside at all, even in bright sunlight, which is nice.

BTW, did anyone else's bumpers smell like grape? Reminds me of the purple Meguiar's tire shine product I used to use. Kind of a nice touch.

I've got lots extra so if anyone here is in the Milton, ON area and wants to try these on their Touring, I'd be happy to sell a set of them to you for a few bucks. The pack comes with 16 and I've only used 4 so far.

Great to hear another success story. Hopefully it's a permanent fix. Also good to know that with tinting they aren't so visible. I did notice some rattles and other noises when listening with the test track, but it was an extreme scenario and they seemed to be coming from different places. I didn't think it was worth trying to hunt them down since it sounded fine at levels far higher than I normally play.

I agree, it does sound crisper and cleaner. It probably isn't a placebo. If extraneous vibration and movement is reduced, you would hear the speakers better. The plastic deck makes for a poor speaker cabinet, the sorbothane probably acts like dynamat does on metal. I didn't take note of the scent, but I have a dozen left I can sniff.

 

[jcivic]

First time poster here! Been lurking for a while and had finally picked up my 2016 Civic yesterday!

Back on topic, I had purchased the sorbothane prior to picking up the car but when I tried installing them, I realized the deck was quite far from the rear windshield. I was able to install the sorbothane with my hands alone because of ample room between the deck and windshield. Regardless, I proceeded to install the sorbothane as instructed but the rattle still prevails on regular settings.

Does anybody have any suggestions where to go from here?

 

[hondo]

First time poster here! Been lurking for a while and had finally picked up my 2016 Civic yesterday!

Back on topic, I had purchased the sorbothane prior to picking up the car but when I tried installing them, I realized the deck was quite far from the rear windshield. I was able to install the sorbothane with my hands alone because of ample room between the deck and windshield. Regardless, I proceeded to install the sorbothane as instructed but the rattle still prevails on regular settings.

Does anybody have any suggestions where to go from here?

You might need a larger size or push them back further. For sorbothane to work properly it should be under a bit of pressure so that it's bulging on the sides a bit. Here is post from someone who had a similar issue with getting good contact.

http://www.civicx.com/threads/touring-subwoofer-rattles.906/page-13#post-64763

 

[jcivic]

You might need a larger size or push them back further. For sorbothane to work properly it should be under a bit of pressure so that it's bulging on the sides a bit. Here is post from someone who had a similar issue with getting good contact.

http://www.civicx.com/threads/touring-subwoofer-rattles.906/page-13#post-64763

After sleeping on it, I ended up doing just that and the rattle is gone. Great work on the fix Hondo! Cheers

 

[bobbyboogie]

You might need a larger size or push them back further. For sorbothane to work properly it should be under a bit of pressure so that it's bulging on the sides a bit. Here is post from someone who had a similar issue with getting good contact.

http://www.civicx.com/threads/touring-subwoofer-rattles.906/page-13#post-64763

I think for this to be successful, one needs to cushion the rattle between the glass and the plastic brake light surround and below the deck between the plastic and the metal

 

[elykoj]

for the guys who had success with this sorbothane bumpers fix... is it still working? I have used the pink wedge wrapped in electrical tape stuffed into 3rd brake from inside the trunk as well as Honda attempting to fix it and with weather getting colder the vibration is back bad. a few questions on installing these sorbothane bumpers..
1.the sticky bottom part of the bumper should be against the light housing and not on glass correct?
2. should I remove my wedge before installing the bumpers? or will the wedge from underneath pushing up and bumpers pushing down be best??

 

[bobbyboogie]

for the guys who had success with this sorbothane bumpers fix... is it still working? I have used the pink wedge wrapped in electrical tape stuffed into 3rd brake from inside the trunk as well as Honda attempting to fix it and with weather getting colder the vibration is back bad. a few questions on installing these sorbothane bumpers..
1.the sticky bottom part of the bumper should be against the light housing and not on glass correct?
2. should I remove my wedge before installing the bumpers? or will the wedge from underneath pushing up and bumpers pushing down be best??

Yes the sorbothane solution is still working for me.
1. Yes, correct.
2. Remove the wedge first, then apply sorbothane to the brake light housing. Try to get the sorbothane far down the bottom of the window as you can. The sorbothane should touch the window slightly. Then stick the wedge back in from underneath. I didn't use the wedge, I used an old pair of socks.
Good luck

 

[hondo]

for the guys who had success with this sorbothane bumpers fix... is it still working? I have used the pink wedge wrapped in electrical tape stuffed into 3rd brake from inside the trunk as well as Honda attempting to fix it and with weather getting colder the vibration is back bad. a few questions on installing these sorbothane bumpers..
1.the sticky bottom part of the bumper should be against the light housing and not on glass correct?
2. should I remove my wedge before installing the bumpers? or will the wedge from underneath pushing up and bumpers pushing down be best??

Yes, it's still holding up or me.

1. Technically it could be against either but I put it against the light housing/plastic rear deck. This way it's less visible from outside.
2. I would remove it at least temporary so you can get the bumpers in easier. I don't have the wedge but I do have some sponge neoprene under the brake light. Once the bumpers are in you can put the wedge back in so that the bumpers are slightly under pressure. They work best that way.

The main culprit seems to be that the plastic rear deck vibrates against the rear glass, especially near the brake light. Using the wedge seems to work because it forces the plastic to always be in contact with the glass, so vibrations won't case a buzz. But if it works loose it can leave a gap for vibrations from the subwoofer to make it buzz when it hits the glass.

Using the bumpers prevents the plastic from touching the glass and buzzing. Sorbothane is a good contender since it can absorb the energy when applied correct. It can be used in combination with the wedge method or with some sponge neoprene. But you have to size the bumper so that it fits in snugly.

 

[Quicksipper]

just confirmed this method also works for non touring owners who've added a sub, awesome!

 

[ArchV]

Just got my shipment of sorbothane today. I put some on the light housing as described in this thread, but also I stuffed stuff between the window and the deck most of the way across the back just to add a bit more downward force to hold the deck down. Prior to doing this I used some bass test tracks on Spotify... at 45 Hz things rattled all over the place. After the sorbothane install 45 Hz was pretty clean. Then I upped it to 50 and 55 Hz; that caused a whole host of new rattles. Having the back seats lowered down I laid down inside with my head poking halfway into the trunk and looped the 55 Hz track. This way I was easily able to feel around and push on things to find where rattles needed to be eliminated. I used some foam I had and stuffed it in a few key places that were still making racket. After all was said and done, it sounds fantastic now! This is exactly how it should have sounded off the lot. Like the video examples in this thread I was easily able to push the volume up into the 30s with no problems. I was quite impressed with how loud the system can actually get!

So in short, just grab some of the sorbothane and some packing foam and just feel around where rattles are coming from. I seriously think using the looped bass frequency tracks REALLY helps solve the problem since you have time to feel around and fix things. If you just use songs you might be missing a whole different set of rattles at other frequencies.

For application I simply used a long flathead screwdriver, and stuck the very edge of the dots at the tip of it and just poked them into place. Just be careful around the window

Thanks for the tips original poster! Sorbothane ftw.

 

[NegZero]

Ordered some here. Hope it solves the issue because boy does this "premium audio" sound like crap

 

[WallyBR]

Ordered some here. Hope it solves the issue because boy does this "premium audio" sound like crap

I installed mine 2 weekends ago. I put 2 on either side of the 3rd brake light as low down as possible. I also stuffed 2 old gym socks in the opening at the 3rd brake light from underneath (per the DIY on the wedge). Between the two of these measures, I've noticed an almost 100% drop in bass "rattles".

I did notice when I was in the trunk looking up that the two rear speakers have the tiniest magnets I think I've ever seen on a "woofer". The "sub" speaker magnet was also pretty small. So much for a "premium" sound system. I still think I'm going to replace the tweeters in the doors as a first step and consider more upgrades.

 

[deadstock]

Did you guys remove the 3M adhesive backing on the Sorbothane during install?

 

[hondo]

Did you guys remove the 3M adhesive backing on the Sorbothane during install?

Do you mean the paper that covers the adhesive? Yes. That way it sticks better and stays in place.

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