[KingZee]

DISCLAIMER: This has potential to damage some unseen/hidden parts of your car. Please proceed with caution.

After 2000mi the rattle had become constant in my RS and it was driving me insane so I gathered all the collective info from this thread: http://www.focusrs.org/forum/9-focus-rs-discussions/6369-b-pillar-rattle.html and went at it. I was really short on time over the weekend but I had reached a boiling point so I suggest you do this with plenty of time to spare and learn from my mistakes to do a cleaner job. I have been without the rattle for 5 days now, including an aggressive ~80mi canyon run and I couldn't care less about some bent mental behind some rubber as long as that damn rattle is gone. It's like I have a new car again.

Special thanks to everyone that contributed in the b-pillar thread with their findings, I couldn't have done it without that info.

I actually started on the rear side of the b-pillar and screwed that side up rushing through it. I actually started it in a dark garage at work because I was impatient, then continued at a gas station because the noise still persisted later that night before realizing and moving to the front side of the b-pillar (closer to the drivers seat) where my specific noise seemed to have been coming from the whole time. After this ordeal the only thing I'm 100% sure about is that the noise is definitely coming from these stuck together metal sheets. I actually knew it as soon as I pried the very first piece because the noise that it made when I pried the metal apart resembled the "rattle" sound that I was hearing from the b-pillar.

1. Step 1, gently pull on the rubber seal along the b-pillar until you see the bare metal for the section you think the noise is coming from. Unlike me, take time to try and pinpoint that by listening to it when it's happening before doing any prying. Focus on the section you think it's coming from first then work your way out. Driving the car in between pries if you want to be mindful of how much prying you're doing. This was easy for me since I have a really bumpy road close by that I heard the noise 100% of the time on but it may be more difficult for others for who this isn't really constant or they can't reproduce on command.



2. Start prying away at locations between spot welds (indicated by circular indented dots) as indicated below. I used a metal screw driver because it's all I had the first time I tried but I recommend a combination of both a metal screw driver with electric tape on the tip (somewhat hefty you'll see in later photos) and a plastic pry tool to pull the metal apart so you can stick the screw driver in to pry it apart. Reason for this is I don't think a small plastic pry tool that can fit in the middle of these metal sheets is strong enough to actually pull them apart.

Note the red and green arrows. In hind site I wish I had not done the red arrows side at least until I had tried the other side of the b-pillar where I discovered later that my noise was coming from (I doubt the specific location will be the same for any two people so more importance in starting at both sides of the b-pillar where you best hear it coming from.





















3. I found some Lithium Grease (Thanks to @DocWalt for the suggestion) from Low's with the red nozzle to be able to get deep into the creases and I sprayed it everywhere I could fit it.









4. I drove around for a good while after this and was confident that I had finally gotten rid of the damn rattle. I then used Robo Grip pliers with rubber teeth protectors once the grease had settled a bit to push things back together as much as possible. The white stuff coming out is just residual lithium grease.







After this I drove around again, and have been driving for days now with zero reoccurrence of the b-pillar "rattle" that's more like a nail being driven into your head. While I was doing it I was pretty sad that I'm causing a bit of damage but the fact that the rattle seems to be gone now I'm absolutely ecstatic and couldn't care less. :driving::happydance::happydance:

Please let me know if I can help clarify anything.

 

[KingZee]

Not sure why most of the pictures posted sideways :/

When you click to go full size it'll be right side up.

 

[Paolo]

Well done and thank you KingZee.
Hopefully, this fix can be used by others to help with this issue

 

[Moose]

Anyone in the know able to chime in on how detrimental this is likely to be to the structural integrity of the pillar? The welds must be there for a reason.

 

[Ekliptix]

Nice work, and brave to go at it as well. Thanks for the info, will keep it in mind.

 

[DocWalt]

I have 1000+ miles on this fix so far (used the same brand of lithium grease too!) and it's worked well for me. No more awful type writer noise behind my head!

I think the key is to separate the panels enough to break the bonds of the anti-corrosion agent that is applied in the seams when they're welded together at the factory. Once you have a gap, take a peek inside and see the little flakes/chunks of the sealer that was causing the noise. The grease is lubricating the joint, but also protects against corrosion that could occur with the damaged sealant.

I do like the idea of the rubber tipped pliers, should help prevent damaging the paint any more than necessary. Good stuff!

Anyone in the know able to chime on how detrimental this is likely to be to the structural integrity of the pillar? The welds must be there for a reason.

You're not breaking the welds, just separating the seam between them. Slightly stretching the metal, which will weaken it to some degree, but not to the degree of breaking things.

 

[shakeweight88]

I agree w/Doc. If you're not damaging the welds, the crash/structure is unaffected. (The sealer that you must break through provides no real structure)

Also, low carbon steels actually increase in strength as you bend them in a manner similar to what you show here. (search: strain hardening) So no, you didn't weaken anything.

Good work on the fix, OP.

You're not breaking the welds, just separating the seam between them. Slightly stretching the metal, which will weaken it to some degree, but not to the degree of breaking things.

 

[KingZee]

Thanks everyone. If I thought I was damaging the integrity of the b-pillar itself I wouldn't touch it but I assure you this is just cosmetic. As mentioned already you're not touching the spot welds themselves and the bends are really only on the outer edge of the b-pillar, they never reach the core.

 

[pdxgeek]

I would love to see whats actually causing the noise. Is it the two sheets tapping against eachother? Or is it as DocWalt says "Once you have a gap, take a peek inside and see the little flakes/chunks of the sealer that was causing the noise. " I am having a hard time picturing flakes/chunks causing the noise?

 

[DocWalt]

I would love to see whats actually causing the noise. Is it the two sheets tapping against eachother? Or is it as DocWalt says "Once you have a gap, take a peek inside and see the little flakes/chunks of the sealer that was causing the noise. " I am having a hard time picturing flakes/chunks causing the noise?

The flakes/chunks are bits of the sealer that peeled when separating the seams. The sealer cracking is what was causing the noise, at least in my case.

For the record, the BRZ/FR-S twins have this same issue in the rear deck/parcel tray, if you want to look it up. That's where I got the idea from for the lithium grease.

 

[KingZee]

I would love to see whats actually causing the noise. Is it the two sheets tapping against eachother? Or is it as DocWalt says "Once you have a gap, take a peek inside and see the little flakes/chunks of the sealer that was causing the noise. " I am having a hard time picturing flakes/chunks causing the noise?

As @DocWalt said. I guarantee you you'll know exactly what is causing the noise as soon as you slightly separate your first seam. It's hard to imagine because it's hard to describe. It's whatever sealer they used to bind the sheets together. As the sheets move and bend with the bending of the frame as you drive the sealant itself makes this noise during movement.

 

[DocWalt]

My car is quiet enough inside now that the noise that bothers me around town is the noise of the doors moving on the door seals :happy:

 

[pdxgeek]

It's been pissing rain, so haven't had a chance to look at this yet, but made an interesting discovery today that I believe will help people identify where their noise is coming from. I was in stop and go traffic on a bumpy enough road to cause the rattle, so I was just listening and making mental notes of where the noise was coming from to fix later. I was bored, so started to feel around the seal while slowly creeping along in traffic with my left hand. I found that you can put your fingers BETWEEN the seal and the window easily, and can feel how much this B pillar is oscillating. Even better, with the slightest bit of pressure, you can make the rattle go away, and pinpoint the spot down to the inch. I was surprised how little pressure was needed to kill the sound completely. I could go an inch north or south of the spot with the same light pressure, and it would still make the noise.

Back to how much the B pillar moves though... I have a feeling that even if you fix one spot, over time, another might develop in another spot. The next time you are driving around, feel it like I mentioned above.

 

[KingZee]

^^^ this is a great find and should help others. I was planning on doing the same thing of feeling around and driving/holding spots then I just lost patience lol. I agree though that if you don't just do it all it may come back but I would take those chances and do a little at a time.

 

[ProfessorFate]

My car is quiet enough inside now that the noise that bothers me around town is the noise of the doors moving on the door seals :happy:

Silicone weather stripping lubricant.

 

[DocWalt]

Silicone weather stripping lubricant.

Made it worse, lol. I have a tube of gummi pflege arriving today. I can only hear it at parking lot speeds anyway, I was being a bit silly

edit: put the gummi pflege on just the felt weather stripping along the tops of the doors. Silence is golden

 

[4ST-AIR]

I have 4000 miles on mine and it went away about at 2000 miles. Drive it hard it will stop.

 

[KingZee]

I have 4000 miles on mine and it went away about at 2000 miles. Drive it hard it will stop.

I was really hoping this would be the case but it seemed to only get worse. At 2000 miles it was constant and I couldn't take it anymore.

 

[Amandyke]

I have 4000 miles on mine and it went away about at 2000 miles. Drive it hard it will stop.

5000 on mine, didn't fix it. Back in the shop this week.

 

[rsisthebest]

Made it worse, lol. I have a tube of gummi pflege arriving today. I can only hear it at parking lot speeds anyway, I was being a bit silly

edit: put the gummi pflege on just the felt weather stripping along the tops of the doors. Silence is golden

Can you expand a little more on where your noise was coming from and what you did? Where exactly did you apply the gummi pfledge? My driver's door constantly rattles and I have narrowed it down to it moving against the black plastic seal at the top part of the door (part that attaches to the car body frame, not on the door). Even at <5mph in my parking garage I can hear it move and rattle. I am wondering whether your idea of applying gummi will help me get rid of the annoying sound?