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I'm pretty sure the hardtop on my '12 S has some rattles and squeaks, but I never really hear it because of that awesome Bose sound system.
I get the rattles and squeaks expected. Nothing overly obnoxious. I must say I do notice all of the noises when I have a passenger. But, they... 1. Come w/ the territory 2. So far, aren't crazy 3. are worth the trade off.
2006 Lotus Elise was a rattle box. But, god it was fast, fun and good looking. The vert is like a trip to a vacant library by comparison.
I am coming around to the idea that a rattle is ok for the the tradeoff of having an open air vehicle. I thought in Wisconsin I would want a separate every day car and a convertible to drive the many farm and country roads in this state, but only one space in the garage. The G37 conv fit the bill as I always likes the idea of a hard top convertible. Just bought the car last month and cant wait for top down time!
Mine had some squeaks last summer, and I took it to the dealership for an oil change and they lubricated the seals. Since the seals were lubricated, it helped with a lot of the squeaking. I also put a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sport's on the car and got rid of the Potenzas- that helped with a lot of the rattling that I was getting from the top.
I'll see what it's like in the spring when I take the cover off of it and get it out for the year.
Rocking a 2014 Cadillac CTS for the winter driver.
My '09 convertible began a rattle that was not the norm for what I had been hearing since purchasing it in Nov. 2015. I took it to an Infiniti dealership and was told they charge $125/hr. and would be glad to research the rattle. This was not the "occasional" squeak and rattle I normally hear, rather it was a "clanking" sound. Today I took the trunk components apart determined to find the problem and avoid paying a dealership a wad of money. Turns out it was the jack handle assy located in the trunk on the right side behind the tail light. Somehow, it had become loose in the carry pouch. I secured it and replaced all the plastic panels that I had removed and "no more metal clanking sound!" Saved myself $125! I learned I didn't have to take everything out of the trunk to get to it, but initially I didn't know where that annoying sound was coming from.
So here is my experience with this same issue in my 2012 G37 vert. I did pull the tech service bulletin and did all the steps which worked.....for about a week. It seems the rubber "cone washers" used to line up the roof panels get compressed in the little docking thing over time and then the roof rattles again. So far, I've been using a harder rubber cone washer (less compressible) that I found at McMaster Carr (part no. 9405K16 - says plastic but actually hard rubber) which works the best of anything I've tried. You also can buy like 50 of em for 9 bucks so no biggie when they do compress. The hole is a little small but also an easy fix. I also found that silicon spray worked better than the dupont stuff and was a lot less messy. And check all the bolts. One of mine holding the roof mechanism in the trunk (there are 3 I think) was really loose. The TSB did not help this but a wrench did. Good luck - it still rattles a bit -especially after putting on Eibach sway bars - but your roof folds in your trunk and how cool is that?
Sorry for delayed reply but a bit rainy here in OR and tough to get the pic. The first one is the bolt along the side of the trunk toward rear that was loose in my car. The second is the other two easily accessible bolts in the trunk that hold the roof mechanism in. There may be other bolts but these are the easy ones to get to.
Attached (hopefully) to this reply is the TSB. Other way to get it is google ITB11-035b and that should find it.
And actually thanks to you guys for all the useful info on this car. I just got mine a few months ago and this is one of the most informative forums I've ever come across. I kind of felt obligated to throw in what I can given how much I've learned from all of you. Next project a supercharger! Thanks.
So update on my experience with convertible roof noise. It always comes back. But its still a great car. So I rotate my McMaster Carr cone washers every couple months and replace after 6 or so and this helps. BTW you do need to expand the hole a bit in these or the roof won't fit right. The dupont lube outlined in the service bulletin does actually work better than silicone spray. I had a recent interesting quirk as I noticed the trunk squeeked when I opened it (and the roof was noisy.....again). Turned out WD40 on the trunk hinges quieted the roof also. Ongoing learning.
Try Honda ShinEtsu grease on rubber seals to reduce rattle.
I just purchased a used 2013 G37S convertible with 80k miles. Lot's of squeaks and rattles from the top in both the raised and lowered position. I have an S2000 with a hardtop that had similar issues. The solution recommended in the S2000 forums was to lubricate all rubber gaskets and seals with Honda ShinEtsu silicone grease Part# 08798-9013. I tried this on my new ride and it eliminated 80% of the noise! Still some there but much improved. I tried cheaper silicone greases but the ShinEtsu is the right creamy consistency for an easy and effective application. It's not oil so it doesnt soak in immediately and it's not the typical consistency of grease so it doesn't just sit on top of the seal. It may be worth a try. Good luck!
Last year I bought a 2011 with 65k miles (67k miles now) and do not have any squeaks, but when the top is up there are a ton of rattles from the back area unless the road is perfectly smooth. So highway is fine, but city roads... rattlerattlerattle... My Miata had less rattles, but it was a much simpler top mechanism too.
When the top is lowered the rattles are not heard at all, but that makes sense since everything is buttoned up tight at that point. I have poked around but have not found anything loose or seemingly out of place, so figure it is just a quirk of the car? It is a great car for a heavy tourer, but if I had bought new at full price and had these rattles I would have been super pissed.
FWIW, I did some more poking around today and found the source of my rattle, the upper trunk latch was loose! Loose enough to let the trunk lid rattle over bumps. I lowered the top (to extend the flappers out of the way), opened the trunk, removed the liner, and had easy access to tighten the two 10mm bolts holding the latch on. Buttoned everything back up and went for a blissfully rattle-free shakedown run.
Maurtis, I came here to post that I finally discovered the source of my 2011 convertible (60k miles) rattle while doing the "flapper gear replacement" from another thread. You beat me to it. My rattle was also due to the upper trunk latch being loose - one bolt had fallen out! They used no lock washers when assembling them, surprisingly. I added stainless steel lock washers when repairing it.
01-13-2016, 03:39 PM
