2005 XC90 - driver's side door panel rattle

We have an annoying rattle behind the front driver's door panel on our '05
XC90. Anyone else get this? Hear it when going over small bumps 30-40MPH.

Mentioned it at the 7500 service, and requested that the tech look behind
the panel for a loose wire bundle, cable, or metal rod or something resting
against the inside door panel that would rattle. However they found
nothing, or could not reproduce it, or didn't want to bother pulling the
panel like I asked them to: "Checked and was unable to duplicate concern at
this time".

You can also hear it if you thump the inside door panel with your fist. Can
also hear it when you close the door. Rather than a nice solid thunk, you
get a thunky rattle. If you're as obsessive as I am about car noises, you
can appreciate the frustration.

Does anyone know how to remove the XC90's driver's door panel without
wrecking anything? It's irritating that Volvo could not find it and fix it,
so I'd like to take whack at it if it's easy to pull the panel. Yeah, it's
under warrantly, but still.

I believe it's between the window and the inside panel, and not between the
window and the outside metal.

Thanks for any help.

Mike

 

Hi Mike,

Talked to you before on this newsgroup. How's the V8 going?

Mike Mayer schreef:

Yes, I have the same rattle in my XC90 D5, with about the same build
date as yours. However, I did not yet take the time to further
investigate it. Did you already search the XC90 forums on this, or
post your question there?

J.

 

J,

Thanks for getting back to me on the rattle. We really like the V8, lots of
oomph when needed. We get around 18mpg in the city, around 22 on the
higway.

The vehicle, although I complain about the door rattle, really is a solid
car. Like driving a cast iron bathtub filled with heavy cream. Solid,
smooth, powerful.

I did search the XC90 forums for a door rattle, did not find any info. I
will likely post to them as well. I also have contacted the dealer via
email, we'll see how they respond.

Interesting that you have the same rattle. It must be something they
missed, insofar as keeping all the loose bits from banging around behind the
scenes.

Rest of the car is by and large silent.

What is the D5, is that the 5 cyl? I have an 850 with an inline 5. Very
happy with it.

Regards,

Mike

 

Indeed, same here, although mine also has a small rattle when driving
faster than 130km/h (80 mph) which is described by others in the XC90
forums. Seems to be caused by the mud guard on the wheel arch or
something.

The D5 is Volvo's inline 5 cyl diesel engine, with common rail direct
injection, turbo, intercooler. It's derived from the inline 5 engine
you probably have in your 850. This D5 engine is very popular in
Volvo's in Europe.

J.

 

I also have an '05 XC90 V8 and am very happy with it so far (6,000 miles).
But speaking of rattles, I get quite a few (mostly) "creaking" types of
noises at slow speeds, especially when turning --- sounds like they're
coming from the back of the vehicle. Anybody have this or have an ideas
about it? I'll be asking the dealer to check it out at 7500 mi check, but
any up-front ideas are welcome.

 

Count me in for the annoying rattle. I'm about ready to get rid of the car
because of it. If anyone figures out how to get rid rattle, please let me
know.

CJB

 

As a follow-up to the door rattle, I've got an appt w/Volvo dealer to pull
both door panels and find the rattle, on 12/23.

Mike

 

I hope that there answer leads to a very happy Christmas for you and yours.

All the best, Peter.

700/900/90 Register Keeper,
Volvo Owners Club (UK).

 

All,

I did take our 2005 XC90 V8 into the Volvo dealer 12/23/05 to have the
driver's side door rattle fixed. After they removed the driver's side
inside door panel, they found (and fixed), as stated on the work order:

"Tech removed door panel and found screws on panel loose, and rivets loose
on window regulator. Tightened screws on door panel and re-riveted widow
regulator."

It took only an hour or so, warranty work of course. Very courteous staff,
no problems. And no rattle any more.

I would have had them check the passenger side too for good measure, but I
wanted to get home, plus I did not really detect any rattle from that side
anyway. If it appears there, I'll have them look at it.

I also noticed another potential source of rattling, could be the door lock
pull. When doors are locked, it's possible the little plastic pull thingy
could potentially rattle around in it's little collar a bit. But in this
case, that was not the cause of the rattle.

Mike

 

That thing started rattling recently on my 740, been meaning to remove
the door panel and see if I can quiet it down, I'm not sure what's
supposed to prevent it from rattling.