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Not sure if I can use ebay asset picture but here:
Cable is clearly seen being in THE suspect area! It's routed left side towards front. Hmmmmmm....! And it DOES end up front of the frame, the area that has been worked on during camera install.
Okay, new plan is forming. I will take off overhead lights module, locate the sunroof drive unit and try snake cam-ing from that location towards the left.
That is progress, thank you GUYS!
Nobody's mentioned this but could it be the drain tube from the sunroof gutter. It would run overhead down to the B pillar which would be by your left shoulder roughly.. Most sunroofs have one on each side. It is a hard plastic material, and maybe came unsecured . Just a thought.
Good luck with it.
I may have the culprit. Obviously saying that is an instant jinx, but:
It's the rear roof a/c vent, driver side. Turns out it's held in by one screw + two(!) latch type thingies. It have TWO 'clicked in' detents. Mine was hanging on first latch. It's not noticeable at all by eyeballs but at one point I reached back far enough to touch it and it affected the noise.
So I took it out, looked ok, then screwed back in and clicked in (once!). Noise was back real soon.
Took it off again, added some felt, clicked in. But why two latches? So I just pressed again, rather hard, on the latches side of the vent and it went in even further with a satisfying positive second CLICK.
No noise since, but continuing observation.
I'm thinking this extra engineering is for safe curtain airbags deployment. But looks like first latch if for roof liner and second metal latch is to hook it to roof itself, thus making a cinching point, adding roof liner rigidity.
Seasonal temperature changes abound and it's back. In full force.
What's next? Looking at this picture
I'm assuming rectangular pieces are velcro.
Two on the side (noise source! pinpointed it to that area), one behind.
Assuming messing with rear vent was just changing 'anchoring geometry' of the whole liner, so it calmed it down for a while - plausible? Right now messing with that vent no longer helps.
I think I will try accessing or at least looking at two side velcros. Noise indeed sounds like metal/plastic contact. If, say, one of those detached(semi?) and keeps touching the roof or something.
I guess handle off (hate doing that. there's no realistic way to pull locker pieces there without leaving tool marks...), visor off. Should be enough to get in there I guess.
OR it can be those two clips, near handle.
Needs to be done.
Anyways. Just pulled A-pillar cover. It is the area I had to route extra diy wires etc for my LKA. Stuck a finger inside corner of liner...
A piece of plastic debris fell out. Anfanger, you're truly may well be clairvoyant or something haha.
That surely can't be it. Too small (?)
Plot thickens.
To add an insult to injury - yesterday it started acting up real bad on a toll highway. There wasn't anyone around and I started messing with it (touching places etc) while still at hw speed. Yes, yes. Old, stubborn, unsafe. Nothing really bad happened except I missed a particularly nasty stitch/pothole combo. Had to get wheel balance done... All 4 required adjustment... Dang.
Tomb quiet again today. Observations continuing. Driving silky smooth again though, thanks to pro 5-point balance (using those claw thingies that grab the wheel at mounting holes rather than just center cone).
Back again. Crrrap can't nail it! It's like right above me to the left a little and nothing in that area helps it when I touch/knock etc. Pulled handle off - nothing obvious. Pulled outer two liner tabs - can only see the curtain airbag there, nothing else. Everything is super snug there.
It's a definite click/tick sharp sound, not rubbing.
Roof TV off next I guess. And probably belt covers (lower and upper. Upper got plastic+metal parts that are towards roof contact point).
09-04-23, 05:41 PM
