Door Rattle

My first approach would be to crank down on all screws with the correct size Phillips having someone lift the door slightly to take the hanging load off the hinges.. and see where you're at.  Secondly I would adjust the striker on the door jamb.   You may have to elongate the holes in the fiberglass behind the striker.

The hinge screws are Torx.

The doors on my VS have rattled since day one.

At first, I thought it was the weatherstripping around the edges, so I added more.

No joy.

It turned out to be, as you've found, the latch. Alan is probably right - the proper fix is most likely to readjust the latch. But, as talented as I am at such things, I figured if I tried, I'd only screw up the latch alignment, crack the fiberglass, and make the rattle worse.

Out of desperation, I tried adding a few layers of masking tape where indicated in the photo:

Is this a good solution? No.

Is it a permanent fix? No.

Is it the cowboy way? No.

Did it make the rattle stop? Yes.

The masking tape usually wears away after about six months, so I just rip off what's left of it and add some more. I try not to think about what this says about my competence as a mechanic. I've never before publicly admitted that I use masking tape to keep my doors from rattling. I can just see Alan Merklin's lips curling in disgust as he reads this.

What can I say? Those who can, do. Those who can't, use masking tape.

I have learned, though, that if you use black masking tape, it disappears against the black rubber striking block and most folks are none the wiser.

Please delete this message after reading it.

….I can just see Alan Merklin's lips curling in disgust as he reads this...… Bwwwahahaa

So what you described is a 5 minute fix. ...remove the temp tape. Mark the outer edge of the striker plate with tape  so you have a reference as to how much you will move the striker  (and where it was just in case ) loosen all four screws and slightly rotate the striker, this will take up the gap that the tape is doing now. Retighten the screws and check for rattle.

Later VW bugs used a rubber strike plate with a teflon striker plate.  Wonder if that would help? Some have a metal plate too.

https://www.cip1.ca/ProductDet...de=VWC-151-837-035-C

WOLFGANG posted:

Later VW bugs used a rubber strike plate with a teflon striker plate.  Wonder if that would help? Some have a metal plate too.

https://www.cip1.ca/ProductDet...de=VWC-151-837-035-C

Actually, I think that's the problem.

I remember that my old BMW 2002 had a similar striker block that was nylon - soft enough that it would give a little, compress, and hold snugly when closed.

The Chinese striker block on my Speedster looks the same, but it's hard as concrete. Another example of a Chinese copy that sort of looks like the original, but doesn't have the important properties that made the original work.

Yeah, a metal striker surface, while intriguing, is NOT the answer.

The “perfect” answer would be a new striker rubber block.

But for a gap of 1/16” ????

No.  

I think Mitch has it nailed.  Use a couple of thicknesses of Duct tape and replace them, every spring, before the start of the driving season.  It is cheap,and it works.

’Nuf Said....

I also wrapped the post in the photo @Sacto Mitch attached a few times in electrical tape.  Too much and the door won't shut.  So back off the amount.  That "fix" has lasted 16 months so far and many, many door shuts.  Again, not the "proper fix", but like Mitch, I was a bit apprehensive about screwing things up worse.

No shame in your game, Mitch. Your photo appears to depict a striker plate at the end of its travel (look at the screws and the holes they're in). You have described the Robert Persig way. 

Ed, the striker plate in the photo isn't mine - it's the OP's (Wombat) photo that I've photoshopped some arrows onto.

I am thinking about writing a book, though: Incompetence and the Art of Speedster Maintenance.

Or, since no one reads books anymore, maybe I should be thinking about a YouTube channel.

Tried the tape solution and... it's like a different car. No more rattles. She feels (sounds) more solid than ever.  Thanks. 

A more elegant solution to using tape is to unscrew the bolts holding the rubber strike pad, insert a thin shim, and then refasten. Clean and neat. 

My passenger door rattled in my VS. I removed the two screws securing the rubber pad to the plate. I added a single washer to act as a shim to the existing washers (four total, two stacked on each side) and resolved the rattle. There are two washers on the driver side door, but that door is fine. Not sure if the washers were installed by Kirk or the previous owner, but the washer/shin seems like a proper adjustment technique. Maybe I'll rotate the striker pad this afternoon to see if that works - probably the right fix per Alan. I'm sure these parts don't always fit to 'spec' and some fiddling is requiring. 

I have a LWFW and a Kennedy Stage 1 clutch. I got tired of hearing the door rattle when I'm lazy and sometimes I miss shift while slowing and hit 4th instead of 2nd and the door rattles like crazy. 

I just smeared (thin application) of rubber friendly lubricant on the top of the rubber piece on the door jam mounted portion of the latch, and voila!, my rattles were gone!