Fix for Squeaky Plastic?

[TrojanEV]

So the one downside to the FFE being so amazingly quiet, is that I can hear every little rattle and noise inside the car (first world problems, I know). With our other ICE vehicle, the hum of the engine provides just enough white noise to drown out any little squeaks or rattles.

The main squeaky point in my car seems to be all the black plastic in the middle console. Anytime I'm accelerating or braking, I get this squeaky plastic sound that seems to be coming from the gear shift area (or the plastic directly to the right of the gear shift). It doesn't really make the sound when going over bumps, only when accelerating or braking briskly. If I push or pull at the plastic with some force, it seems to lessen the sound for a while but it eventually returns.

Has anyone else experienced this squeak and found an easy solution? I'm thinking of trying to shim some little rubber wedges in a couple places to see if I can fix it.

Thanks!

 

[michael]

I had something like this from the plastic around the radio. I took it to the dealer and they fixed it in 10 minutes. They put little bits of felt around the attachments or wherever it was creaking. Warranty, no charge.

 

[TrojanEV]

Yeah, I figured I would mention it next time I take it in for something. I just feel a bit sheepish about ONLY taking it in for this. I'm still not pleased with the steering on my new FFE, so perhaps I'll talk to them about that and see if they can fix the squeak at the same time.

 

[michael]

That's one problem...essentially no scheduled maintenance and little if any repair. So no opportunity to visit dealer service department.

 

[hybridbear]

Did the sound recently appear with colder temps? When we first got our FFE in the summer there was a terrible dash rattle coming from the center dash panel where the light sensor is for the auto headlights. If I pressed on that panel while driving the rattle would stop. Since it has turned cold there is no more rattle. The car right now experiences major temp swings from 55 F in our heated garage at night to 85 F when warmed via Go Time before leaving in the morning to temps around 0 F when parked outside all day. I'm glad the rattle is gone and I hope it doesn't come back in the summer.

Did your squeak just appear recently with colder weather? Maybe it will go away automatically when temps warm again in a few months.

 

[michael]

The tech who fixed mine told me that creaks of this sort frequently go away over a few months, probably the interfering parts running in. I can well imagine they are temperature related.

But I can tell you that when I showed him the problem, he said not to worry and took care of it in a few minutes. Bits of felt, he said.