Dash creaking when interior hot. Normal or defect?
 

Thanks for advance for taking the time to read this.

Recently purchased a 2009 G37x sedan, graphite, black interior, 2 weeks ago.

1st week was a charm.

2nd week, weather got hot, 28-30 celsius (86 Fahrenheit), super sunny. At work, it's outdoor parking. After work, the car is roasting inside. The aluminum washi trim is very hot to touch.

Upon turning on the engine, within 20 seconds, I hear creaking/crackles from the AC vent areas, even without having driven, it eventually stops in about a minute. Still parked (but engine running), in about 1-2 minutes, as the interior cools down with the AC, I can hear dash components creaking/crackles, especially the center console. When I start driving, I get a generalized dash creak with the first road bump/imperfection, but thankfully subsequent road bumps do not generate anymore creaks.

As I continue to drive and interior temperature cools, I get the odd dash creak/crackle unrelated to road bumps, and after about 20 mins on the road, no more creaks.

Is this normal? It's been happening every day with hot days, and disappears during temperate days.

Mine does the same thing, til the interior is cooled off.

This is entirely normal. All the stuff that goes into making a car will expand or contract with temperature changes. The A/C air is much cooler than the dash, even when you've just started the car. Mine does the same thing, it goes away in a couple minutes when the interior of the car is cooler.

I experience the same thing in my car.

Yep... mine does this EVERYDAY.... especially in the evening on the drive home from work. Totally normal.