Tin Roof Rain noise.

[Gddoering]

Sent Cory a PM about noise

PM sent

 

[RandyH2]

Cory,

Just a thought: rather than releasing a TSB, what if Ford were to "sell" a can of spray foam approved for this purpose and then offer it at a discounted rate to folks who complain about rain noise? That would avoid the extreme cost of a tsb while still addressing the issue....

 

[blwnsmoke]

Cory,

Just a thought: rather than releasing a TSB, what if Ford were to "sell" a can of spray foam approved for this purpose and then offer it at a discounted rate to folks who complain about rain noise? That would avoid the extreme cost of a tsb while still addressing the issue....

Doing a repair yourself will not offer a warranty on the repair and leave you liable for any damage. Spray foam is $3 a can.

 

[RandyH2]

Doing a repair yourself will not offer a warranty on the repair and leave you liable for any damage. Spray foam is $3 a can.

Which is why it would be a product offered by Ford and applied by the dealership... I would pay for the material and $30 for installation.

 

[jrmexplorer]

There are a number of technical challenges that you folks might not be thinking of here.

First, that spray foam is STICKY stuff, and if ANY gets on the interior materials, those materials are ruined. It can be pretty nasty stuff. I've used A LOT of it on projects around the house and can attest to its nastyness.

Second, its hard stuff to use in the sense that the expansion properties are unpredictable. Spray too much and it makes a mess and could bend your sheet metal (it's expansion forces are that powerful!). Spray too little and it won't help with the noise and could block the only access point into that space.

I'm sure Ford is trying to find a controlled way in which to do this. Of course, I wouldn't think it would take 9 months though......

 

[RandyH2]

Agreed- the insulation foam is nasty stuff and very hard to remove from anything. There are other products out theremarketed specifically as accoustic treatments:
http://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Sealer-Sound-Deadener-Application/dp/B004K93DYC/ref=pd_sbs_auto15
http://www.amazon.com/Beat-Sonic-BP-DSNR-Sound-Damping-Spray/dp/B002SSWRFS/ref=pd_sbs_auto16
http://www.amazon.com/Dupli-Color-U...ed-Eliminator/dp/B003OFCY9S/ref=pd_sbs_auto18
http://www.amazon.com/Noxudol-3100-Aerosol-Sound-Damping/dp/B003W5WABC/ref=pd_sbs_auto53

Presumably something like one of these products would work and also have significantly less risk of expansion-related damage. The mess is still a concern, which is another reason to let the dealership handle it- they could simply tape a drop cloth across the windshield and lay it over the seats, etc. as needed.

 

[batman89]

Foam worked for me . Had it done by the person who repaired my hail damage. No extra holes were drilled and he left no mess. He had removed the head liner to repair the hail damage on the roof.

I can tell you it works. No more drumming sound or sound of hail when the rain hit the area above the windshield.

 

[RandyH2]

 

[FordService]

PM sent

Thank you for letting me know, Gddoering. I’ll be sending you a reply as soon as possible.

Which is why it would be a product offered by Ford and applied by the dealership... I would pay for the material and $30 for installation.

RandyH2,

I checked in on this and there’s no official release yet. I don't recommend a repair such as that because once the TSB has been released, the repair is covered under the Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty.

Cory

 

[Gddoering]

Any new information on this?

Just wanting a status update. It just rained here today. First time in months and it's loud!

 

[VinceL]

All I can say is that after visiting my local dealers lot, the 7 or 8 2012's they had all sounded like tin cans when I tapped on the problem area. I can't tell a difference between the 2011's and the 2012's. I am curious to know what exactly was done on the assembly line to correct this, since it has been discussed here that changes have been made in the process for the 2012's.

 

[sangiovese]

I drove my new 2012 Ex (built late Sept 2011) in the rain for the first time the other day. In light to moderate showers, I did not notice anything out of the ordinary. In heavy rain with large raindrops, I did notice the now-famous rain noise. The loudness of the noise is directly related to the size of the raindrops. Which makes sense when you think about it. Larger drops hit the roof harder.

Now, here's the question. Would I have noticed the heavy rain noise if I had not been specifically listening for it? Don't know. There is a possibility I would have never noticed it over the sound of the radio. And even if I heard it, I may have thought nothing of it. "It's raining hard, I can hear it hitting the roof, time to turn up the radio."

For me, the rain noise is not a big deal. But I can understand how it could bother others in a heavy storm. We all have our pet peeves. For me, it's rattling or squeeking in the car. (If the A pillar acts up someday, I'll go nuts.) The sound of heavy rain hitting the roof is not an issue for me. YMMV

 

[Spengracin]

Cory is there a way to find out if my 2012 had this issue fixed in production, and what the fix in tailed

 

[Jackal01]

+1

...entailed, btw.

 

[JFUSION]

If I hadn't read a post on this I never would have suspected any issue of rain noise. I've driven my car through dozens of rain storms and not had any odd noise. I have heard the odd loud drop that falls from hydro lines or tree branches which "pings", but nothing that would make me complain or think of it as a defect. Maybe I'm not thinking about it or concentrating on other things, but I can honestly say I have no such issue, is it possible some vehicles are more susceptible to making the noise than others ?, different or thinner stampings used in the build process?. It's been raining four of each seven days here for a couple months, I drive my truck about 60 miles a day over 8 hour periods for my work I might hear two pings a day in the rain and it is always from hydro lines or overhead trees. not much more than that.?

I drove my new 2012 Ex (built late Sept 2011) in the rain for the first time the other day. In light to moderate showers, I did not notice anything out of the ordinary. In heavy rain with large raindrops, I did notice the now-famous rain noise. The loudness of the noise is directly related to the size of the raindrops. Which makes sense when you think about it. Larger drops hit the roof harder.

Now, here's the question. Would I have noticed the heavy rain noise if I had not been specifically listening for it? Don't know. There is a possibility I would have never noticed it over the sound of the radio. And even if I heard it, I may have thought nothing of it. "It's raining hard, I can hear it hitting the roof, time to turn up the radio."

For me, the rain noise is not a big deal. But I can understand how it could bother others in a heavy storm. We all have our pet peeves. For me, it's rattling or squeeking in the car. (If the A pillar acts up someday, I'll go nuts.) The sound of heavy rain hitting the roof is not an issue for me. YMMV

 

[VinceL]

Doing a quick run around on the dealership lot, I was tapping away on all of the 2012's they had in stock. The cars with the sunroof sounded much more muffled when tapped, and did not have the ringing sound. The non-sunroof equipped Exs all had the tin drum sound like the 2011's.

 

[FordService]

Hey guys,

I’m checking in with an update: an official release hasn’t been published yet. I’m keeping my ears open. For those who have experienced this, I can forward the details to the Customer Service Manager in your area. Be sure to send a PM with your VIN, contact information, approximate mileage, and dealer name/state.

Cory is there a way to find out if my 2012 had this issue fixed in production, and what the fix in tailed

Spengracin,

I mentioned this in another thread, and I’ll post here as well: I’m not a technician so I’m not familiar with the repair process or what vehicles would be affected.

Cory

 

[Chicago Lion]

Hey guys,

I’m checking in with an update: an official release hasn’t been published yet. I’m keeping my ears open. For those who have experienced this, I can forward the details to the Customer Service Manager in your area. Be sure to send a PM with your VIN, contact information, approximate mileage, and dealer name/state.


Spengracin,

I mentioned this in another thread, and I’ll post here as well: I’m not a technician so I’m not familiar with the repair process or what vehicles would be affected.

Cory

The problem has not been fixed. I picked up my 2012 two weeks ago. Car is great and I knew going in that it would sound like a steel drum every time it rained, but not a dealbreaker. Funny that something so simple they refuse to fix.

Cory, you do good work, but just walking out an tapping on the roof of any 2012 and you can answer this question.

 

[boss377]

It's been raining here for days. I know the roof area and the sound being discussed, but don't get why it's such a big deal.
Rain hitting my home's skylights gets noisy somtimes, but I don't go to Anderson's site and whine about it. Move on. Just my 2-cents.

 

[SWEET ST]

I agree with boss377 i would like not to have that noise but its no biggie will ford have a fix i think they will. But all and all it's a great explorer rides great has great lines has plenty of room glitches yes we bought first year redisign explorer its expected but again ford will stand behind there product they have alot to loose !!!