Rexenator

I'm writing this for all of us that have suffered through that awful popping/cracking noise that the cowl makes when it rubs against the windshield (especially when it's cold out). To do this all you need are:

14mm socket wrench with extension
Flat screw driver
Thin adhesive felt (got mine from wally world)
WD-40

1) Pop the hood, and remove the two compartment lids (battery and brake fluid I think)



2) Inside of each you will see 4 snap clips, remove them to remove the plastic that makes up the compartment; do this for each compartment.



3) Once you have those removed you can remove two more clips on each side of the cowl.

4) Now remove the bolt covers, and then the nut that holds each windshield wiper arm in place. You will need to manhandle the windshield wipers a little, but they should come off (WD-40 helps).



5) Now you should have everything off and have access to the cowl. It comes off in two pieces. Take the passenger side piece off first (it clips to the drivers side piece in the center, see picture). Once you've got the passenger side off, take the drivers side cowl off (there is a tab you need to press in the middle where the cowls clipped together, press this to remove it from the windshield).



6) Now you should have the cowl off. Cut the adhesive felt into narrow strips and run it along the length of the bottom of the windshield (I used white felt for the purposes of making this DIY, black is recommended so you don't see it).



7) Now assemble everything in the reverse order of how you took it off. I would recommend leaving the wipers until last. When you are putting them back on, ensure you align them correctly on the windshield (FSM says Passenger side tip should be about 1.5" (30-44mm) from the cowl, drivers side about 2.5" (53-67mm) from cowl. See the FSM for a diagram, or you could just mark where they were before you took them off.

Voila, you should hear no more pops/cracks from the windshield (assuming this was the problem you were having). I will note that it looks like there is a factory piece of plastic that runs along the bottom of the windshield under the cowl. This stopped about a foot short on the passengers side, which is why I'm assuming there was movement/noise. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me and I'll try to help you out.

Xcalibur

iTrader: (2)

Nice DIY! Thanks, I've got to do this sometime soon!

BH818

iTrader: (1)

and I was told it was the flux capacitor =/

Black Betty

iTrader: (60)

Thank you for this. Sticky.

Djfarhan

^ plus one!

kool_yaar

Nice share indeed! i figured this out years back and was able to quiet it down by stuffing a very thin felt like square between the windshield and the cowl on the passenger side which reduced the popping in cold by 90% since i didnt cover the entire windshield base, but this is a much more professional way of fixing this completely!

CRIDDA

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the write-up. Will be doing this weekend

red g37s

thanksss

charlesli620

Hey, thank you for the tricks!! I have been to the dealers and complained to them both at the dealership and the Infiniti Customer Service for so many times. Even so, they still said "we have never heard of this problem before or this kind of complaint has never been file" every time I called the customer service and make sure they did file a report.

So finally, good news, guys. Since none of the dealer wanted to try the procedures over here, I just went to a body shop and presented these procedures above. After the work, everything works out fine. The cracking and popping noise are finally, finally gone after 2.5 years of torture...

Thank you so very much, Rexenator, for sharing these tricks with us!

Here is the shortcut for those who are too lazy but would like to pay some one to have it done. Go to the body shop and present this to the owner and ask for a quote. For those who are in the Los Angeles or Orange County areas in California, you may visit the following body shop since the owner and his men are pretty familiar with these procedures now after today's work:

Insurance Certified Collision Center
906 W 2nd St, Pomona, CA 91766-1413
Phone: 1 (909) 622-0800
Contact: Charles (not me, we just have the same last name).

Today's charge is $150. So it all depends on how bad you guys want it to be fixed.

By the way, mine is a 2008 Infiniti G37, Pearl White, with Journey, Premium and Navigation Package.

Please let me know if you have any question.

used2xb

iTrader: (1)

Off topic: OP, I dig your sig:

"Mods: Fit 3 golf bags in trunk"

mikejg

I constantly hear a creaking type noise coming from the front windshield area. Is this what this will fix? I wouldn't really explain it as a popping sound. Just curious, b/c if this DIY will fix it, I'm all over this.

Thanks!

Rexenator

Hey everyone,
I haven't been on the site in a while, but I'm glad to see that this fix has helped so many people! Yes, this will absolutely fix that annoying popping noise near the base of the windshield. That's pretty cool that a body shop will do this for you if you aren't comfortable taking your car apart to do this. If you do decide to do it yourself and have questions, don't hesitate to ask me.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Thanks!! This is a great sticky -- will be doing this tomorrow,

Do you know if this will cause a water leak with rain/snow? Does the cowl prevent water from getting into the engine bay? Does the felt elevate the cowl enough to cause a leak?

Thanks again

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Just did the fix -- THANKS TO REXENATOR!!! I wasn't brave enough to try this without this DIY/sticky.

1) took me all of 10 minutes and it was a fun little project

2) DIY was perfect, no hang-ups or trouble spots -- agreed on windshield wipers being sticky to come off -- but they go back on so much easier and I used some masking tape to mark the windshield to keep the exact same spot

3) I actually used the felt/soft side of industrial strength velcro on the windshield and then lubed the groove of the cowl with Permetex All purpose synthetic lubricant, and then coated the felt in this lubricant "goop" as well to create a more water tight seal.

4) everything slid on very nicely, and luckily didn't end up with extra parts after everything was installed again

5) and yes, all is quiet now.

Now, with the windshield popping not distracting me, I can definitely focus my annoyance on the rear deck rattle, LOL

Thanks again, great DIY.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Oh -- and gunna do my wife's 2k8 G35 in the same fashion this weekend.