[1]Rattles squeaks, pops – they can be among the most annoying problems to deal with in your Corvette, and among the most frustrating to trouble shoot. Our buddies from Corvette Central [2] recently posted this informative and helpful guide [3] to tracking down and repairing squeaks and rattles, as well as a breakdown of some of the common reasons they happen in the first place.
There are a lot of reasons why some Corvettes have annoying interior noises, and many of them have to do with factors like the age of your car, how it was driven, and how it was taken care of. Besides avoiding pot holes and keeping your Corvette protected from the extremes of the weather, there isn’t much you can do to prevent those annoying squeak from being produced by external factors. However, there are also plenty of ways that you may have played a part in creating those noises yourself. Hasty removal or installation of interior parts can lead to broken or missing pieces, or mounting hardware that gets left out.
[4]Corvette Central shows how to use Plastex [5] to repair a broken Corvette trim piece.
As many owners can attest, early C4 Corvettes are among the worst offenders if for no other reason than their age, while the newer models aren’t quite as bad. Most C5 Corvettes will have a small rattle or pop here, especially convertible models. The newer C6s are known for having noisy roof panel guide pin balls [6], door strikers, and front speaker retainer clips.
As Corvette Central points out, the first step in fixing a squeak or rattle is to locate exactly where the noise in question originates from, and their article offers a very effective way to do this that involves using a heater hose as a stethoscope. The next step is to figure out the proper way to repair the problem, whether it is replacing a missing piece of hardware, or repairing a broken tab with Plastex [5].
For more info, head over to Corvette Central and check out their tech section [3], or give them a call at 800 345-4122 for help trouble shooting your rattles and squeaks.