The Rattle Wagon

[Iwishtheyweremorereliable]

Yep ...that's what my kids have nicknamed my 2yr old 56,000 km superb V6 Wagon. "The rattle wagon". Don't get me wrong I really like driving the car - but it creaks, groans and rattles like no other car I have EVER had.

1. Rattle in / near glovebox

2. Front passenger seat squeaks terribly when passengers travel in it.

3. Air Con vent underseat rattles

4. Door pillars groan every time I go around a bend

5. Rattle in steering wheel column

6. Rattle somewhere in dash

7. Rattle somewhere near gear lever.

My wife has a 9 yr old lexus - not a whisper.

I hired a rental Camry last week whilst on holidays with 36000k on the clock - **** to drive, but no rattles.

I'm really frustrated. I will sell the car. Very disappointed.

[Bob51]

Did you ask for them to be fixed under warranty and if so what was the outcome? I've had an Octavia with similar k's - no rattles.

[Jake02]

That's appalling, especially on such a new (and expensive) car. It intrigues me as I've only ever had one rattle in my RS in 70,000kms and almost five years. As Bob51 asked, have you tried to have them fixed?

[woofy]

Door pillar groans will be the rubber, you need to get it treated with a lubricant every few months...I can't remember the name of the stuff I have but haven't had any noise for years now when it used to be regular going up driveways etc. The rest you should get the dealer to look at some time back, they will arc up now its past the first year but worth mentioning how annoying all those noises are to them.

[Yao]

Only "noise" from mine (Superb Elegance wagon) so far (12k) is intermittent creaks and groans from somewhere near the tailgate when I'm turning a corner. It's as if it's saying "I'm just too long and can't take all the stress palced on me from making turns". Otherwise, not a peek. I'm sure I can fix that with a bit of lurication, but can't be fussed. Really doesn't worry me much .

[VAG newbie]

No rattle in my Superb as well. Mine is a diesel which suppose to have more rattle.

As many have said, get it fixed under warranty although there is no guarantee it can be fixed.

As to your reference to Lexus/Camry. My parents got a Camry. It's 5 years old but they rarely drive it so it only has done just over 10,000km. Almost new. But the sunroof is leaking. They hate it when it rains as the water just drips down. They asked the dealer to fix it, but still leaking. Now they have their eyes on my Superb. They will buy it from me to replace their Camry when my lease ends.

[Iwishtheyweremorereliable]

Not - yet. To be fair to them. I suppose there are just so many. My wife commented the other day that whenever see get in my car, there just seem to be more and more rattles. I mumbled about getting them looked at and as she said 'Where would they start?' The car is always garaged, however I do live directly on the coast, so lubrication generally might be an issue. Although the car is only 23 months old. The glovebox rattle seems to be a common known problem on Biskoda, but reading about the complexity of various fixes - it just seems to be a pain.
I've had a zillion cars over the years - but none with rattles like this one. It's like getting into an old taxi with 500,000 k on the clock. In saying all that, I can't really find a great viable alternative to the Superb Wagon. It ticks all the right boxes in every department.

[Iwishtheyweremorereliable]

I have not had any real rattle issues for the first 18months or thereabouts, but lots have popped up in the last 15,000k. The glovebox has rattled since before the last service - I mentioned it but they forgot to look at it.

[shramma]

The only reason I would ever buy a new car is for the warranty. Take advantage of it and get it looked at. What's the harm in asking?

[BluChris]

Well, you're not alone. My (now ex) Octavia had that many at least at various times. I got the run around from the dealer and ended up fixing the majority myself. Never chased all of them out before I sold the car, and I sold because of constant minor issues plus poor and expensive dealer servicing. And I did try more than 1 dealer for the record.

By all means try for warranty fixes, though you'll find on all new cars rattles are only covered for a short time so you're looking at a 'goodwill' fix. You may well need to involve head office, ensuring they understand the extent of your issues.

I would certainly lube the seals as a start - get some rubber friendly silicone spray (not all are so check), spray a small amount on a rag and wipe the seals. Fixed my tailgate creak instantly and took maybe 2 minutes to do. Dealer couldn't fix in 2 years of trying...

My passenger side seat creaked going around corners if occupied. Not sure if this is the same as your issue, but in my case getting the dealer to lube the seat runners and tighten the mounts would silence it for months on end. Also found running the seat back and forth in the runners once or twice worked for several weeks. Manual seats, cloth trim. If yours are leather maybe the leather rubbing against trim sonewhere?

TBH things like the aircon vent you probably need to DIY by trial and error padding/taping etc.

I see you are thinking of selling, and I totally understand why. You may not be saved by doing so - my new car (non-VW) has 1 persistent rattle at the moment, though that's way better than the Skoda ever managed. Still, if you can't get the car at least reasonably quiet who could blame you. It must be hard to live with. Good luck with it all.