 Trunk Rattle Solution!
As many of you, I have experienced a rattle in the trunk area of my SLK. This rattling only occurs when the top is up and on uneven roads at slower speeds (5-45 mph). It sounds like the trunk top is loose. This rattle only eminated from the driver's side of the trunk area. The passenger side made no sound.
This rattle is not the same thing as the typical creaking you hear from the top's rubber seals when it is closed. It is an incredibly annoying rattling sound that was destroying my enjoyment of the car.
I took my SLK to the dealer to have this fixed. They claimed they fixed the noise. But, of course, they didn't. All they did was spray some silicone on the trunk's rubber seals. This did not fix the problem. I was very frustrated. I even considered selling the car because the noise was so bothersome to me. So, on my day off, I decided that I was going to figure out the problem once and for all. I began inspecting all of the moving parts in the trunk and on the top mechanism. Everything was tight and sealing perfectly. I checked the spare tire area and all of the bolts and connectors on the trunk lining. All perfect. I removed all of the tools, first aid kit, etc. a long time ago so it wasn't that. I checked all of the moving parts on the trunk partition but it was opening and closing perfectly without any abnormalities. This took me about an hour. I was stumped.
Just as I was about to give up I noticed something. The trunk rests on two pins at the inside upper right and left hand corners. These pins are long srews with flat round rubber heads (see pic below). They are secured in place by nuts on the top and bottom of the steel plate that they are secured to. I noticed that the pin on the driver's side was significantly (about 3 inches!) higher than the passenger side pin. This caused the trunk top to close unevenly creating a much larger gap where the trunk seals when closed. I closed the trunk and pressed down on it hard a few times. I found that the gap on the driver's side had some play in it while the gap on the passenger side did not. I concluded that the rattling was being caused by these pins being uneven. I was right!
I opened the top half way so that the nuts securing the pin were fully exposed. I used two sets of needle nosed pliers and loosened the nuts. I then lowered the driver's side pin so that it was exactly even with the passenger side pin. I lowered the driver's side pin because the passenger side wasn't making any noise. Once I tightened up the nuts again and closed the trunk, I found that there was no longer any disparity between the driver's side gap and the passenger side gap. Also, the play in the driver's side gap was gone.
I got in the car for a test drive and nervously pulled out of my driveway. The trunk would normally start to rattle as soon as I pulled onto the street. But this time, it was completely silent! My fix had worked perfectly. This feels like a new car. All of the rattling is gone.
See the pic below for where the pin is at. I hope that this solution works for those who are experiencing similar rattling from the trunk area.
Take care. |