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knowledge8069 · 01-19-2004, 11:05 AM

This is a full write-up of how to silence most of an Alero's common trunk rattle points.

I had to do two things to silence the rattles from my trunk.

1. Silence the license plate panel.
2. Prevent the trunk's exterior sheet metal from resonating.

Here's how I fixed my trunk rattles.

1. Installed rubber washers and rubber gasline between the license plate panel and the sheet metal that it attaches to.

The washers should be fairly thin, maybe 1/8 inch. They can be glued to the back of the license plate panel. I used 4 of them, one in each corner of the center section.

I also took a piece of rubber gasline, split it down one side, and wrapped it over the top edge of the license plate panel. The hose runs the length of the edge, from tail light to tail light. I then pressed the panel firmly back into place, wedging the hose between the panel edge and the upper trunk section.

Note: My car is black in color, so the gasline does not stand out against the paint. If you have a different color Alero, it might be possible to paint the hose section. The gasline fix made a huge difference. Weather stripping is also possible, but tends to decay over time.

2. Covered all of the trunk with Dynamat Xtreme.

I know that many people will not want to spend the money for Dynamat. In my car, the bass was causing some underbody parts to rattle, most of which were pieces directly under the trunk. The outside sheet metal also vibrated. This fix was essential for my trunk, but may not be for others.

Applying Dynamat to the floor of the trunk, including under the spare tire, silenced the underbody rattles. Applying Dynamat to the rest of the trunk resulted in almost complete silence outside the car, as far as rattles are concerned. Also, the bass is just as loud inside the car, but now it is almost silent outside.

It took an entire Dynamat Xtreme Bulk Kit (36 Sq. Feet) to cover the trunk. This will cost about $110 dollars on Ebay.

------

In addition, the bass is much cleaner inside the car. It is more defined, rather than fuzzy because of resonating metal and plastic pieces. I still have some rattle in the rear deck, which I am working on.

As jackal2000 mentioned above, folding the rear seat down makes a difference. When my bass hits with the back seats up, it forces air up into the backs of the 6x9's, making them kick with the bass. This is not a good thing, as it distorts the midrange. I am working on cutting a bass port in the rear deck so that I can have the seat up in back and still have good, clean bass.

A few interior rattle fixes:

1. Make sure the screw holding the rear view mirror to the windshield is tight.
2. Wedge something between the rear carpeted deck piece and the rear window.

Good Luck!

01-19-2004, 11:05 AM	#20
knowledge8069 GX Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Minnesota Posts: 48	This is a full write-up of how to silence most of an Alero's common trunk rattle points. I had to do two things to silence the rattles from my trunk. 1. Silence the license plate panel. 2. Prevent the trunk's exterior sheet metal from resonating. Here's how I fixed my trunk rattles. 1. Installed rubber washers and rubber gasline between the license plate panel and the sheet metal that it attaches to. The washers should be fairly thin, maybe 1/8 inch. They can be glued to the back of the license plate panel. I used 4 of them, one in each corner of the center section. I also took a piece of rubber gasline, split it down one side, and wrapped it over the top edge of the license plate panel. The hose runs the length of the edge, from tail light to tail light. I then pressed the panel firmly back into place, wedging the hose between the panel edge and the upper trunk section. Note: My car is black in color, so the gasline does not stand out against the paint. If you have a different color Alero, it might be possible to paint the hose section. The gasline fix made a huge difference. Weather stripping is also possible, but tends to decay over time. 2. Covered all of the trunk with Dynamat Xtreme. I know that many people will not want to spend the money for Dynamat. In my car, the bass was causing some underbody parts to rattle, most of which were pieces directly under the trunk. The outside sheet metal also vibrated. This fix was essential for my trunk, but may not be for others. Applying Dynamat to the floor of the trunk, including under the spare tire, silenced the underbody rattles. Applying Dynamat to the rest of the trunk resulted in almost complete silence outside the car, as far as rattles are concerned. Also, the bass is just as loud inside the car, but now it is almost silent outside. It took an entire Dynamat Xtreme Bulk Kit (36 Sq. Feet) to cover the trunk. This will cost about $110 dollars on Ebay. ------ In addition, the bass is much cleaner inside the car. It is more defined, rather than fuzzy because of resonating metal and plastic pieces. I still have some rattle in the rear deck, which I am working on. As jackal2000 mentioned above, folding the rear seat down makes a difference. When my bass hits with the back seats up, it forces air up into the backs of the 6x9's, making them kick with the bass. This is not a good thing, as it distorts the midrange. I am working on cutting a bass port in the rear deck so that I can have the seat up in back and still have good, clean bass. A few interior rattle fixes: 1. Make sure the screw holding the rear view mirror to the windshield is tight. 2. Wedge something between the rear carpeted deck piece and the rear window. Good Luck!