[DMehta]

Thanks a lot Rj. i will definitely try this out on my rattle box (the dzire) however, i am feeling a bit uneasy to remove the door panels. I saw the two screws and the plastic clips. Is fitting it back on really that easy? and what about the loose wires which are hanging about and the power window switch etc?
I am planning to do this really soon and even asked a friend to help me out.

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by DMehta

Thanks a lot Rj. i will definitely try this out on my rattle box (the dzire) however, i am feeling a bit uneasy to remove the door panels. I saw the two screws and the plastic clips. Is fitting it back on really that easy? and what about the loose wires which are hanging about and the power window switch etc?
I am planning to do this really soon and even asked a friend to help me out.

dmehta go on and remove the door pads, from what I can recall it was only 2 screws and a few clips here and there. Don't worry about the power window connections coz its just a plug and nothing else. If you have components installed , just be a little careful with the connections.

[vasanthn21]

This looks good. I plan to do this on my Zen.

One question though - What happens, if water gets into this area and the damping material (yoga mats in this case) gets wet? Or is it not possible for water to get in there at all?

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by vasanthn21

This looks good. I plan to do this on my Zen.

One question though - What happens, if water gets into this area and the damping material (yoga mats in this case) gets wet? Or is it not possible for water to get in there at all?

vasanth sorry man, was a tad bit busy over the last few weeks with work. Regarding moisture here is what I had read about the yoga mats

From what little research I did, I found that closed-cell natural rubber is more durable and it keeps moisture and bacteria from seeping into the mat.

The last time we checked it was a few months ago and no problems what so ever, the mat is still in place with a bit of dust settled in. Regarding water seeping in, I doubt if that would happen with the door pads properly fixed.

[vasanthn21]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

vasanth sorry man, was a tad bit busy over the last few weeks with work. Regarding moisture here is what I had read about the yoga mats



The last time we checked it was a few months ago and no problems what so ever, the mat is still in place with a bit of dust settled in. Regarding water seeping in, I doubt if that would happen with the door pads properly fixed.

Thanks for the information.

I opened the door panels last week and fitted them back just to test if I could do it. It was easier than I thought (excluding - disconnecting the electrical switch for the power windows; this was tougher than I thought).

Have you done this for the rear doors too?

Just to summarize, the major benefit of doing this would be reduction of noise inside the car - right? I ask this because I did not see any part on the door panel that could rattle!

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by vasanthn21

Thanks for the information.

I opened the door panels last week and fitted them back just to test if I could do it. It was easier than I thought (excluding - disconnecting the electrical switch for the power windows; this was tougher than I thought).

I see that you have a zen and don't think the zen has a history with rattles incomparo to the swift. The power window switch is connection is pretty simple pal. Usually there would be a plug/connector which needs to be disconnected, in the swift it was darn easy.

Originally Posted by vasanthn21

Have you done this for the rear doors too?

Yeah and the process was identical.

Originally Posted by vasanthn21

Just to summarize, the major benefit of doing this would be reduction of noise inside the car - right? I ask this because I did not see any part on the door panel that could rattle!

Well in case of the swift yes(its rattles galore with the door pads) and also compliments the ICE when you have components installed.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by vasanthn21

... I ask this because I did not see any part on the door panel that could rattle!

Yes, the parts on the door panel don't rattle. The culprits are the loose cable / wire runs that are not stayed down well. When you do the damping, make sure to stay these down well with strong adhesive tape or hot melt glue.

[vasanthn21]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

I see that you have a zen and don't think the zen has a history with rattles incomparo to the swift.

I do not know how much it rattles in swift, but I am very picky(may be even fussy) when it comes to rattles. May be others won't complain about this.


The power window switch is connection is pretty simple pal. Usually there would be a plug/connector which needs to be disconnected, in the swift it was darn easy.

I know that theoretically it is easy, but for some reason I could not push the plastic latch down to pull the plug out!

Yeah and the process was identical.

Thanks

Well in case of the swift yes(its rattles galore with the door pads) and also compliments the ICE when you have components installed.

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Yes, the parts on the door panel don't rattle. The culprits are the loose cable / wire runs that are not stayed down well. When you do the damping, make sure to stay these down well with strong adhesive tape or hot melt glue.

Thanks, will check what I can do with those!

[DudeWithaFiat]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

Well in case of the swift yes(its rattles galore with the door pads) and also compliments the ICE when you have components installed.

Quoting you to grab your attention:

There are no parts that rattle in my Fiat Uno, but if I use them inside the doors or behind the dashboard and on the floor, will block the outside noise from seeping into the cabin?

[condor]

@DudeWithaFiat, substituting damping sheets with yoga mats will not show the same results. There would be a little reduction in the noise, but not as much as you would have if you used damping sheets.

If you are going to put in the effort to do this, then I suggest you use damping sheets itself. Your effort will then yield better results

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

There are no parts that rattle in my Fiat Uno, but if I use them inside the doors or behind the dashboard and on the floor, will block the outside noise from seeping into the cabin?

You need proper damping sheets to rid the car of such rattles. What I did was a complete DIY to get rid of the door panel vibrations. For the places that you have mentioned you need proper damping sheets.

[nitinbose]

Hi rjstyles69,

I must point out the words "damping" and "reinforcing" are often interchangeably used. I feel you've done more of reinforcing than damping, to prevent the vibration of the door panels. Did you reinforce the door itself? That should also be necessary. You may then fill the voids (certain sections) with some fluffy material to absorb the sound from the rarefactions.

Two major points to note are the crumple zones should not be affected by the reinforcements and damping, lastly the materials should be fire-proof.

Good work anyway!

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

... will block the outside noise from seeping into the cabin?

Outside noise cannot be completely eliminated by damping, nor is it desirable. Damping minimizes the low frequency road and panel vibration noise, but the glass part of the cabin is still able to transmit some amount of high frequencies - you will still be able to hear horns etc.

Originally Posted by nitinbose

... the words "damping" and "reinforcing" are often interchangeably used. ...

Are they? They are fairly straight-forward simple words, and have dissimilar meanings - damping to 'damp out' vibrations, 'reinforcing' to reinforce something structurally to prevent physical deformation (bending / buckling) on moderate external force. Of course, abstraction can take any word inclusively, but here we are not talking of abstractions. Vibrations don't cause physical deformation to need 'reinforcing' against. Car doors have both, with only the transverse splines, folds or bends counting as 'reinforcing'. For damping, some amount of tar-felt or butyl-tar combination sheet is applied at the time of manufacture to reduce cabin noise to acceptable levels. The difference is in the amplitude of deflection of a panel.

Originally Posted by nitinbose

... lastly the materials should be fire-proof ...

Fire-proof (not easily burnt)? Or flammable (catches fire easily)? If the car catches fire, not much one can save using fire-proof materials - there are plenty of other flammable materials otherwise in there.

[pganapathy]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

This was my 3rd DIY damping a car and a swift for the 1st time. I had damped an alto and a santro earlier on and this was my 1st shot at the swift. Car is owned by a close friend and a colleague at office.

I look forward to information on how you did your Alto and photos of when you do your folks Alto next. I have an Alto here in Bangalore now and ideally want to do a full damping to prevent as many rattles as possible.

Also, does any of this actually help in NVH. I am guessing the V part of it is what you are preventing, but anything with the N and H.

Thanks

[autospirit]

Thanks a lot for showing a easy and economical way of doing this, I wanted to do this but all I could get as idea as to the materials was those expensive noise kill mats..
that discouraged me because of the cost, but your method is so well explained.
I will surely try it on my old car.