Took the rig off road - now my center stack squeaks

[mbw]

I think mine was built on a good day. On it's way to me, it had to travel near/through the tail end of hurricane sandy and its aftermath. Then, when I picked it up from the dealer, Iowa was in the middle of a very nasty blizzard. 4+ hours of blizzard driving, 40+ cars in the ditches, even passed a cop in an SUV (Didnt know he was a cop until i was along side, visibility was that bad!) Frozen solid 4" ice covered roads, corrugations from the ice, foot thick snow. Nobody on the roads, and on middle of nowhere iowa hiway..

So it was horrible weather. Basically perfect Land Rover break in weather. My car was born in crazy and came out perfect.

I like the story anyway.

 

[spizzi]

My '10 LR4 had a cranky dash. Everything else was solid... No rattles or anything. But the dash, when hitting sharp bumps, made little plastic cracking, snapping noises. As if you stressed plastic and it snaps for a millisecond. Annoyed me a little... And I tried to quiet her up, with no success, so chalked it up. This was one thing I didn't miss after I traded her in.

How long did you keep her? All my issues are back. I am considering trading her in.

 

[Finlayforprez]

How long did you keep her? All my issues are back. I am considering trading her in.

That stinks! So, all of the noises are back now? I know you posted earlier that they did a great job fixing most of them, so I am sorry to hear they are back.

You may want to contact Land Rover of North America directly and open up a case. They will likely just contact the dealership, but at least these noises will be documented. Maybe they can push to have them looked at again or investigated by some sort of auto body specialty shop?

Sorry to hear about all these problems. Would you trade it for a new LR4???

 

[spizzi]

I opened a case with Land Rover NA but I totally understand and accept that this will probably get chalked up as an "annoyance".

I concluded that trading her in is a last resort and most likely a "not an option" for me. I really like the one I have if it weren't for the cranky bits.

Definitely do not want to give up the Heavy Duty package.

I am trying my own fix right now by tucking small felt pads in the dash and center stack. For sanity sake, the dealership had the vehicle for two days so they probably secretly acknowledge the cabin is pretty loose as well.

 

[Count Laszlo]

Oh, man... what a bummer. I ended up keeping my LR4 for three-years. I lived with the cranky dash the entire time. Sometimes it was quiet as a Bentley and other times, the dash was damn cranky, made plastic-snappy, cracking sounds when hitting bumps.

Although it's not the dealerships fault, most of them can't fix it, or say it's within spec because they know they're chasing demons. An obvious rattle, sure...they'll fix that. But a cranky dash isn't something they're going to fix because it could take forever. What I told myself was to just ignore it. And accept it. That helped. After a while it stopped bothering me.

And the last thing you want to do is tear it all apart, on a brand new truck, to just find it more frustrating, after you think you fixed it, and something else makes that plastic noise. One piece of felt, moves the part over to the left or right, causing new friction points. And so on.

Sorry you got a cranky dash. :-(

PS - I'm sure a lot of LR owners have the dash plastic snapping sounds but don't recognize them as anything abnormal, hence why everyone has a perfect truck. They aren't loud and not that obvious. I've asked my wife a dozen times, "Do you hear that?" She doesn't... and cannot.

Anyway, you can touch and play with any LR dashboard, LR2 to FFRR, at the dealership, brand new, and every piece of plastic you touch/lightly push on the dash will make plastic snappy noises. So I find it hard to believe the cranky dash isn't common. It's just some owners are more prone to noises than others, or have come from cars where dashboards make absolutely, no noises whatsoever. I do not like BMWs anymore, but will admit, they're silent. And I've owned a lot of them. So I think I'm spoiled.

 

[Quijote]

And I've owned a lot of them. So I think I'm spoiled.

Same here.

German cars are generally excellent about creaks.

 

[GoLoaf]

I think my interior is a bit too creaky for a +$50k vehicle, but I've been down the squeek-chasing road before, and it's a long one.

I'd suggest using your noise-decreasing adjuster instead. Otherwise known as the volume knob on the stereo.

 

[Quijote]

My wife's Mini (despite "being a BMW"), also creaks a lot. Must be a British car thing.

 

[spizzi]

And the last thing you want to do is tear it all apart, on a brand new truck, to just find it more frustrating, after you think you fixed it, and something else makes that plastic noise. One piece of felt, moves the part over to the left or right, causing new friction points. And so on.

They aren't loud and not that obvious. I've asked my wife a dozen times, "Do you hear that?" She doesn't... and cannot.

Anyway, you can touch and play with any LR dashboard, LR2 to FFRR, at the dealership, brand new, and every piece of plastic you touch/lightly push on the dash will make plastic snappy noises. So I find it hard to believe the cranky dash isn't common. It's just some owners are more prone to noises then others, or have come from cars where dashboards make absolutely, no noises whatsoever. I do not like BMWs anymore, but will admit, they're silent. And I've owned a lot of them. So I think I'm spoiled.

A lot of points in here that I relate to, Count. I went and talked to the Service Tech today and he jumped in the truck for a 15 minute ride. He told me pretty much the same thing about chasing demons and was sympathetic that I am experiencing such a loosening of the interior bits. He explained that he only attacked the areas where it is definitely plastic on plastic behind the dash, only took the 1-piece center stack face, and steering column/instrument cluster surround apart and applied Krytox/felt tape. So I don't think any new noises were introduced but who knows at this point.

I am keeping her for a long time. Consider it "broken in" as my coworker (with his really really cranky Rubicon) would say.

 

[spizzi]

I think my interior is a bit too creaky for a +$50k vehicle, but I've been down the squeek-chasing road before, and it's a long one.

I'd suggest using your noise-decreasing adjuster instead. Otherwise known as the volume knob on the stereo.

Indeed.