A-Pillar rattle eliminated
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 333
Likes: 1
From: Sacramento, CA
E350 BT
A-Pillar rattle eliminated
If anyone is having a rattle, or a "tapping", over bumps emanating from the A pillar(s), I found (both sides) the T-20 bolt that holds the A pillar cover VERY loose. The bolt rests in a plastic cup, that in turn was tapping against the metal pillar itself.
Gently remove the SRS cover (I used the edge of a credit card) and you'll see the bolt. I removed the cover, applied felt to some other metallic surfaces as well as the slider for the clip and applied Loctite (blue) to the threads of the bolt and tightened snug (looks cheap, I wouldn't over tighten the pig).
Sorry no photos, was such a fast fix and there isn't much to it.
Gently remove the SRS cover (I used the edge of a credit card) and you'll see the bolt. I removed the cover, applied felt to some other metallic surfaces as well as the slider for the clip and applied Loctite (blue) to the threads of the bolt and tightened snug (looks cheap, I wouldn't over tighten the pig).
Sorry no photos, was such a fast fix and there isn't much to it.
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Joined: Jun 2009
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1953 300 Adenauer, 1971 300 SEL 6.3, 1975 600, 1978 450 6.9
If anyone is having a rattle, or a "tapping", over bumps emanating from the A pillar(s), I found (both sides) the T-20 bolt that holds the A pillar cover VERY loose. The bolt rests in a plastic cup, that in turn was tapping against the metal pillar itself.
Gently remove the SRS cover (I used the edge of a credit card) and you'll see the bolt. I removed the cover, applied felt to some other metallic surfaces as well as the slider for the clip and applied Loctite (blue) to the threads of the bolt and tightened snug (looks cheap, I wouldn't over tighten the pig).
Sorry no photos, was such a fast fix and there isn't much to it.
Gently remove the SRS cover (I used the edge of a credit card) and you'll see the bolt. I removed the cover, applied felt to some other metallic surfaces as well as the slider for the clip and applied Loctite (blue) to the threads of the bolt and tightened snug (looks cheap, I wouldn't over tighten the pig).
Sorry no photos, was such a fast fix and there isn't much to it.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 333
Likes: 1
From: Sacramento, CA
E350 BT
Remove the cover and you'll see the airbag tube and impact (rollover) sensor assembly. There are some plastic "fingers" that rest against the steel pillar, that is the area I added felt.
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1953 300 Adenauer, 1971 300 SEL 6.3, 1975 600, 1978 450 6.9
No, they don't work that way, the plastic carrier is the break-away piece, not the bolt, if the bolt broke away at the speed airbags are released, it would be like a .30 cal bullet propelled at your head, the exit wound would be the size of a small tangerine, may hurt too
Remove the cover and you'll see the airbag tube and impact (rollover) sensor assembly. There are some plastic "fingers" that rest against the steel pillar, that is the area I added felt.
Remove the cover and you'll see the airbag tube and impact (rollover) sensor assembly. There are some plastic "fingers" that rest against the steel pillar, that is the area I added felt.
I remember a guy on a VW board using a different sized screw because he dropped the original and he added up puncturing the airbag with it.
Proceed with caution - it could save your life.
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Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 333
Likes: 1
From: Sacramento, CA
E350 BT
Yes, that would hurt. Luckily, that stuff is designed to propel bits away from you - which is why I caution against messing with those covers and attachment points - your comment about it looking flimsy got me to thinking about that.
I remember a guy on a VW board using a different sized screw because he dropped the original and he added up puncturing the airbag with it.
Proceed with caution - it could save your life.
I remember a guy on a VW board using a different sized screw because he dropped the original and he added up puncturing the airbag with it.
Proceed with caution - it could save your life.
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1953 300 Adenauer, 1971 300 SEL 6.3, 1975 600, 1978 450 6.9
Agree, CEB, I should have stated that it is a sensitive area and I don't think most have this rattle issue. All I had to do was very lightly tap on the SRS cover to hear the same sound during driving. I suspect the C pillar has a similar attachment mechanism and is also a source of annoying sound resonance.
In my BMW I had this mystery rattle that only appeared on left hand turns coming out of a parking garage. That turned out to be a tube of lip balm that was bumping against the seat rail and sounded like something in the suspension.
One think I learled years ago is that noises can come from the oddest places and the place it sounds like it is coming from may not be where it is actually coming from.
With a pesky rattly (like the lip balm induced suspension noise) I always follow these steps.
Clean out everything in the car. Remove everything that isn't screwed down - including the stuff in the trunk and the glove box. Clean out under the seat and in the seatbacks and remove floor mats. Take everything off your key - including the keyring itself if present.
Remove the spare tire and all the tools. Drive the streets where the noise occurs. If it is gone then it was something in the car. Begin by putting the spare tire/tools back.
If the rattle isn't gone, then go to your dealer if under warranty - after searching this forum for fixes like the one posted by the OP.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 333
Likes: 1
From: Sacramento, CA
E350 BT
You're correct, CEB. And these A-pillars send the sound to other areas, so tracking this down took some time. I originally thought it was in the glovebox or thereabouts, but tapping never revealed anything. It wasn't until I was cleaning the dash and hit the pillar cover, did I recognize the sound. The car is very quiet now, so they must have been a source of resonant sounds for quite some time. C-pillar is next on my list, then removing and applying krytox 205 to the plastic/wood panels and re-assembling them.
