Touring subwoofer rattle fix and dampening

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hondo

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The rattling/buzzing came back tonight. I noticed that the cheap foam the dealer had put around the brake light had either fallen out or deteriorated. I replaced it with some of my foam and it seemed to solve the problem. Looks like the material you stuff in their makes a difference in the long term. Hopefully others have better luck in the long term with dealer fixes. I will be keeping on the DIY route for now.
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BrieOfBlue

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I posted this in the audio/nav/electronics sub but thought it might also be useful here.

Here is what the dealer did, putting some foam around the brake light:
IMG_20151226_103101 (Large).jpg

I bought some foam and dynamat to fix it even better. After the dealer put in some foam around the brake lights it really reduced the rattling and buzzing, but if I turned it up even more it would still buzz on some songs. I bought some dynamat and some closed cell phone, specifically sponge neoprene from amazon. Taking out the rear deck is probably a huge hassle so I did what I could from underneath.

Supplies:
4sq ft of dynamat
1/4" sponge neoprene

Tools:
Scissors to cut the foam
Utility knife to cut the dynamat
Putting knife
Philips screwdriver for license plate

I started out by cutting a piece of foam the size of the license plate to put behind it. It wasn't rattling much, but why not? I then stuffed foam into the small holes and gaps that I find and around the wires that touch the metal frame. Around the subwoofer I noticed it was like two cutouts with a gap in between, so I stuffed strips of foam in between:
IMG_20160101_141655 (Large).jpg
I did some more bass tests and noticed buzzing from the left side of the rear deck. I figured it might be the mechanism for the rear seatbelt, so I stuffed that with foam too:
IMG_20160101_143006 (Large).jpg
This really took care of the buzzing. I also put some thin strips between the deck and glass on the inside. I used a putty knife to stuff it in there so it's not visible.
IMG_20160101_135948 (Large).jpg IMG_20160101_135957 (Large).jpg IMG_20160101_140109 (Large).jpg
With the rattles and buzzing pretty much gone, I proceeded to dynamat. First I took out the cover under the trunk lid and put some dynamat there:
IMG_20160101_154657 (Large).jpg
I also added a little to the sides. As you can tell I'm not going for full coverage. Not going for SPL comp level stuff, just some dampening:
IMG_20160101_155354 (Large).jpg IMG_20160101_155630 (Large).jpg
Here is how the dymamat looked under the rear deck when I was done.
IMG_20160101_162021 (Large).jpg IMG_20160101_162003 (Large).jpg IMG_20160101_162011 (Large).jpg

I pushed the volume and bass well past what I normally would listen to and didn't hear any more rattle or buzzing. I also had bought a Dayton Audio iMM-6 microphone to calibrate the speakers. I am new to it so I don't really know how fully use Audiotools. There isn't a lot of eq control in the head unit anyway. Here is a screenshot of pink noise through the system with the volume at 15 and the eq/sub settings centered:
Screenshot_20160101-163529.png

Let me know if you have any questions or any advice for me, particularly on using Audiotools.

Summary. To fix the rattle/buzzing from the subwoofer in the touring, put some foam around the brake light and the rear middle passenger seatbelt mechanism. You can do more stuff if you feel like it and/or have extra time and material.
Can anyone give some info on what I'm supposed to be doing with the foam in the seat belt hole? I've overdone the dynomat, wedged foam on brake light, and between deck and glass. I still have a slight rattle when cranking Forgot about Dre. Bass in the intro is tight, then the thumping bass seems to vibrate the deck. Most songs it is amazing. Just hoping for 100% with that box of dynomat!
 
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hondo

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Can anyone give some info on what I'm supposed to be doing with the foam in the seat belt hole?
Not sure if it's the source of the rattle you are hearing, but I cut a strip of foam about 3" by 6" and wrapped it around the cylindrical seat belt mechanism. The other fix I later did which yielded more permanent results was putting sorbothane bumpers between the rear deck and the glass.

More info here:

http://www.civicx.com/threads/diy-using-sorbothane-to-fix-touring-subwoofer-rattle.3590/
 

elykoj

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I tried the wedge in the 3rd brake light and the sorbothane bumpers with no luck my dealer went above and beyond to try and fix this issue. Even had a Honda field tech come out and look at it. The first 2 times, they tried to repad the area, which failed. Then they replaced the rear shelf, failed. Field tech told them the rear shelf had some production issues and it was a few millimeters too long and it was causing shelf to warp which in turn caused the vibration, failed. Was told might have not gotten the updated shelf, so replaced it again, failed. Yesterday they tried a fix that they did on the Accords in the past with similar issue, failed again. very frustrated at this point. this has been going on since I bought the car 10 months ago. Field tech told us if they can not fix the issue they would pay for me to get it fixed at an audio install shop, so that's where I am right now. Waiting to hear back from my dealer for the go ahead and when I do I will be taking it to a reputable shop to have them assess the situation to hopefully fix this once and for all.. I listen to bass heavy music and I like it loud so this has been a nightmare for me. Part of the reason I went with the Touring was to have the upgraded sound system. Wish I would have just gone with the EXL AT THIS POINT , and had a sound system put in.
 

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I have the deck rattle. Mine showed the rear window fogging in a triangle above the 3rd brake light. 2 attempts by honda to repair. Replaced the 3rd brake light housing last time but still intermittent. This rattle sucks.
 


papashack

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I have the deck rattle. Mine showed the rear window fogging in a triangle above the 3rd brake light. 2 attempts by honda to repair. Replaced the 3rd brake light housing last time but still intermittent. This rattle sucks.
Update since last entry. I tried the door stops which seemed to help but not eliminate the rattle. After a third visit to honda saying they did hear a problem I decided to get an audio shop to fix the deck. 2 layers of mats and new pioneer speakers the system sounds super. Tech said most of my rattle was from center seat seatbelt housing. They were able to dampen the rattle but said the latch internal to the mechanism is free floating and can vibrate due to base frequency. So glad to put that rattle behind me. Repair cost seemed high at $440 with 200 more for the new speakers.
 

SiLee207

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Dynmat is for dampening metal, not sure how effective it would be applied to the plastic. I would recommend some foam like sponge neoprene. I didn't have to remove the rear deck, I found that most of the rattle was taken care of by putting foam around the cutout for the brake light and around the middle seat belt mechanism.
take the molding off next to the seat, then under the seat there’s a 10 mm bolt, remove that. I believe next you pull the weatherstripping around the door. Then the molding that runs next to the back rest of the seat. Then on the C pillar upper molding you need to Remove that by tapping it with a rubber mallet, preferably covering it with a towel or something so you don’t mark it up. I think that is the last step before you can pull the back panel out.
remove that by tapping it with a rubber mallet, preferably covering it with a towel or something so you don’t mark it up. I think that is the last step before you can pull the back panel out.
If you YouTube and you’ll find a video or two. It really only took me about 40 minutes.
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