hoots711 Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Hi all, I purchased a new 14 MKZ 2.0 ecoboost last week and have put about 900 miles on to this point. I just returned from a long trip that was mostly highway. TBH, the car does feel like it is "breaking in" a bit as it seemed a bit bouncy and tight the first week. Also, my first two tanks where around 22-23mpg (with lots of highway driving) and now my current tank seems to be getting 30/31 highway (again? breaking in?) Anywho, the reason im here is: I noticed at almost exactly 80mph there seems to be a rattle/vibration from (what sounds like) the front or rear passenger side door (perhaps near the top of the windows). With any vibration/rattle it is hard to narrow down, especially at speed. This happened enough for me to notice both going and coming on this trip. It seems be be almost exactly at 80mph and feel like it happens right after i stop accelerating. So perhaps im going 81/82 and coasting a bit lower when it happen. It doesnt seem to happen during acceleration which would seem to make more sense. Car does have a moon roof (non-panoramic) but doesnt seem like the rattle is coming from that. I have some VM from my dealer checking in on me and ill be sure to mention/ask when i talk to him, but wanted to see if anyone else had anything similar??? Something like this will be tough if not impossible for a dealer to troubleshoot as it would even be hard to replicate cruising @ ~80 anywhere near the dealer. Thoughts? Thanks edit, dealer hadnt hear of this specific problem but said it could be lots of things re: alignment/wheels/trim/etc. and set me up for a drop off and loaner lincoln next week. Has anyone experienced anything similar with 2014 Fusion/MKZ? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Could be a multitude of things causing it. Liking reaching some part's resonant frequency at that particular speed which causes it to vibrate. The part causing the vibration may not be the part that's even making the noise. Hope they can find it for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoots711 Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 Could be a multitude of things causing it. Liking reaching some part's resonant frequency at that particular speed which causes it to vibrate. The part causing the vibration may not be the part that's even making the noise. Hope they can find it for you! Thanks for the reply. It is odd as if i accelerate past 80 it seems to stop. So it is a somewhat violent rattle only at 79/80/81 mph... good luck diagnosing that! I roundtrip commute 80-90 miles / day and just so happens that most of that is at ~75mph. It is common for me to cruise up a bit when passing and such so im experiencing this rattle many times per commute. Could be a minor issue but hearing this is not what a "luxury sedan" should sound like!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 (edited) Can you actually perceive a physical vibration in the vehicle between 79-81 mph in addition to the rattle, particularly in the steering? Tire balance issues often only present themselves in confined speed windows. Edited June 13, 2014 by NickF1011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoots711 Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 Can you actually perceive a physical vibration in the vehicle between 79-81 mph in addition to the rattle, particularly in the steering? Tire balance issues often only present themselves in confined speed windows. Ill try to pay more attention to the feel of the wheel when it happens, but to this point, i havnt noticed anything other than the loud rattle from passenger side of the car. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 This probably isn't it but check the passenger visor. In my old Fusion when it was loose the rattle sounded like it came from the rear passenger door. No idea why. Acoustics can play tricks though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 This probably isn't it but check the passenger visor. In my old Fusion when it was loose the rattle sounded like it came from the rear passenger door. No idea why. Acoustics can play tricks though. Noticed the same on my 2006 Fusion...when the visor was not fully clipped in...it would slightly vibrate against the retainer and the sound seemed like it was coming from the rear of the car... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 As I ponder the problem you are experiencing....I have a simple fix...go faster!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Noticed the same on my 2006 Fusion...when the visor was not fully clipped in...it would slightly vibrate against the retainer and the sound seemed like it was coming from the rear of the car... So it wasn't just me......that was very strange, but easy to fix once you figured out that if you have a rattle from the back seat check the visor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MI451 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I've had a dealer tell me he couldn't investigate a particular issue because it was above the speed limit. Thankfully your dealer is interested in being helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expresspotato Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I've had a dealer tell me he couldn't investigate a particular issue because it was above the speed limit. Thankfully your dealer is interested in being helpful. Yeah dealers do suck... Its like they're allergic to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoots711 Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Yeah dealers do suck... Its like they're allergic to work. Hah, i havnt filled out their sales survey yet (telling them i wanted to see how the service went first)... The salesman tells me, and i agree, that the service department has nothing to do with my sales survey... but this guy sure is on the ball with getting me in and setting me up in a nice loaner... Side note, i have never seen such obsession with a survey. During the sale, it was mentioned a good 5-6 times and explained to me that anything less than 5 (on a 1-5 rating) is fail for them... even though "4" is "exceptional, or whatever, it still is a fail for the salesman... I have heard grumbles from salesmen for many dealers about how they dont really get rewards for good surveys but get punishment for bad surveys... I guess I never realized it was important to them though... pretty funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 ....Side note, i have never seen such obsession with a survey. During the sale, it was mentioned a good 5-6 times and explained to me that anything less than 5 (on a 1-5 rating) is fail for them... even though "4" is "exceptional, or whatever, it still is a fail for the salesman... I have heard grumbles from salesmen for many dealers about how they dont really get rewards for good surveys but get punishment for bad surveys... I guess I never realized it was important to them though... pretty funny. Kinda makes the survey moot when they beg you for 5's across the board........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKII Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Check the area on the B-pillar & seat belt retractor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expresspotato Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Side note, i have never seen such obsession with a survey. During the sale, it was mentioned a good 5-6 times and explained to me that anything less than 5 (on a 1-5 rating) is fail for them... even though "4" is "exceptional, or whatever, it still is a fail for the salesman... The dealers get cash payments each month depending on how well (and perhaps how many) surveys are filled out from their sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoots711 Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 Check the area on the B-pillar & seat belt retractor. Anything specific to look at? It does seem like the rattle is coming from this area, but i dont see any visual problems with the trim (interior/exterior) and I tried to reach over and grab the seatbelt retractor while driving but it didnt seem to help. It is hard to do this at speed while in the car by myself.... It is such a sporadic problem that I have a feeling it will be tough to nail down... I had to push my dealer appointment back to next week (due to my own schedule)... would be nice if this works itself out as the car "breaks in" as i have no faith in them realistically being able to diagnose an issue that only happens @~80mph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Unfortunately, rattles and vibrations typically only get worse as a vehicle ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKII Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Anything specific to look at? It does seem like the rattle is coming from this area, but i dont see any visual problems with the trim (interior/exterior) and I tried to reach over and grab the seatbelt retractor while driving but it didnt seem to help. It is hard to do this at speed while in the car by myself.... It is such a sporadic problem that I have a feeling it will be tough to nail down... I had to push my dealer appointment back to next week (due to my own schedule)... would be nice if this works itself out as the car "breaks in" as i have no faith in them realistically being able to diagnose an issue that only happens @~80mph. No nothing specific, but by your explanation it sounds like the rattle could be from this area. Mention it to your service writer to have the tech look at that area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoots711 Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 well hate to say it but not off to a good start with Lincoln or my dealer. Just heard back from the dealer and they say it is a bent wheel, on a 2 week old car... which the "bumper to bumper" doesnt cover. Would make sense to me if I honestly felt like i hit something at speed or impact to bend a wheel but I cant make sense of it. If normal driving will bend these wheels i will have 4 bent in no time. They are putting the wheel on the rear in the hopes that the vibration will go away. If not, its ~$600 for a new wheel. not much else to do i suppose than feel disgusted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoots711 Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share Posted June 30, 2014 So "bent wheel" which was on driver side front, is now on driver side back. Rattle, which is on passenger side B-Pillar is still present at the exact same circumstances as before... Why do i think this will be a long and drawn out purpose trying to resolve? First trip for service had me sitting an hour for my "lincoln loaner" (which turned out be be an 11 MKZ) because my appointment (which i had for 2 weeks) was only added to their schedule that day at noon and they had no loaners left. This dealer is about 45 mins out of my way and the I cant see me dealing with this for repeated visits. I have a lincoln dealer about 5 mins from my house, wondering if I should start servicing there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjh Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 (edited) So "bent wheel" which was on driver side front, is now on driver side back. Rattle, which is on passenger side B-Pillar is still present at the exact same circumstances as before... Why do i think this will be a long and drawn out purpose trying to resolve? First trip for service had me sitting an hour for my "lincoln loaner" (which turned out be be an 11 MKZ) because my appointment (which i had for 2 weeks) was only added to their schedule that day at noon and they had no loaners left. This dealer is about 45 mins out of my way and the I cant see me dealing with this for repeated visits. I have a lincoln dealer about 5 mins from my house, wondering if I should start servicing there? You'll find that a vast majority of dealers 1) dislike warranty work 2) hate dealing with rattles 3) are not afraid to make 1 and 2 known to you. I've been to various dealers four times now for the same rattle...still persists and no one seems to give a care in the world. Edited June 30, 2014 by cjh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoots711 Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 (edited) I guess im going to bite the bullet and drop the ~$600 for a new rim. I have tried over the past month to "live with it" and its just not gonna happen. Im in a 2014 "luxury sedan" and constantly have clients in my "luxury sedan" that sounds like a complete P.O.S. that is going to fall apart. I know I can probably get a whole new set of rims for the same price but I've never been a "rim guy"... Edited July 25, 2014 by hoots711 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoots711 Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 I've been to various dealers four times now for the same rattle...still persists and no one seems to give a care in the world. When you say "same rattle' do you mean the same as mine near B Pillar? Or are you dealing with a different issue? Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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