Noise, Noise, Noise! Where is it all coming from?

[LKelly]

Hi Everyone,

We just picked up our 2019 Forester MBS 2401R yesterday and we are so excited to start our RV adventures...but, we are surprised and dismayed by how noisy it is. We drove 150 miles and the entire time I was trying to identify and fix all the different squeaks and noises.

We bought that rubber shelf lining and placed it on the top of the stove between the glass and burners. That helped that rattle.

We lowered the table and that improved that thumping and rattling.

We removed some loose screens and that helped a bit.

But I noticed there is a gap between the slide window and the RV and there is a lot of wind noise there. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make the window seal tighter? I've closed it as tight as it goes.

Also, the side slide creaks a lot. Any ideas on how to reduce this noise would be greatly appreciated.

Our poor border collie was terrified. She spent the entire 3 hour drive shaking like a leaf. She's still afraid of the RV. Has anyone had similar issues with their pets? How did you resolve them?

We are new to RVing and are hoping we didn't make a mistake. We used to have a little scamp trailer that we pulled behind our Hylander. Noise was never an issue and it didn't occur to us that by purchasing an RV we would be driving around in chitty chitty bang bang. I'm prepared to embrace the noise if needed, but would like to do my best to reduce it (for my sanity and for my dogs as well).

Are all RVs noisy or just the ones with slides? Please help! Let me know what you have done, and how you have adjusted to the noise.

Thanks so much from a brand newby.

[Dbrote]

We have a 2016 Sunseeker 2400R which is the same rig as yours. Ours is now pretty quiet but it took some work. The biggest problem was the creaking I thought was coming from the dinette slide. Probably why the first owner traded it in. I tried all the usual things like lubricating the slide seals. No change. I finally found that the noise was really coming from the Sprinter plastic headliner above the drivers side. I took the area apart and inserted some packing material and put it back together. Bingo. No more noise and creaking! The slide was tight and quiet the whole time! Easy fix but took a year to figure it out. Also we used to take apart the microwave rotating disk part. Now we just stuff an extra pillow into it that stops that rattle. You can stop most of the rattles pretty easily but it takes some sleuthing. Good luck and be sure to report back so others can benefit.

This blog has been very helpful for us. Welcome to “our world”. We now love our Sunseeker.

[LKelly]

Thanks Dbrote,

Good to know you are now happy with your RV. I'm encouraged to know that there are ways to make this RV experience more comfortable and quiet. Sorry, I'm not sure what the sprinter plastic headliner is. Can you describe that to me, and tell me what you "took apart"? Thanks so much!

[Dbrote]

I’ll try to get a few pictures posted in the next few days. Above the passenger and drivers seats the area above is plastic as is most of the interior of the Mercedes. Forest River attaches the upper bunk or entertainment cabinets by 3 plastic trim pieces screwed into the headliner. It’s held together by about 12 or 15 wood screws. I unscrewed those and pulled off the trim pieces. Then I just stuffed some material into the space between the Forest River part and the plastic headliner. An easy way to tell if this might be your problem is just push up on your headliner with your hand while seated in the drivers seat. When I finally did this I got the same creaking that I thought was coming from the slide. There was never anything wrong with the slide but the creaking sound was hard to tell where it was coming from. Everyone thinks the slide must be the problem. I even found a non factory piece of foam pipe insulation material stuffed into the slide to try to stop the noise, probably by the dealer. They just didn’t know I guess. It took me a long time to realize where the noise was coming from. Now it is dead quiet! I’m sure the dealer tried his best before I bought the one year old rig but nobody will know everything. You are the best mechanic because you are in it and it matters more to you and you don’t have 16 other rigs waiting for repair!

[Dbrote]

Here are a couple of photos so you can see where I inserted some packing. Really just a small towel did the job.

[Frenchcreek]

Having owned several RV's over the years, I can attest to the fact that all appear to be delivered as rattle-traps. If the noises bug you enough, as they have me, you'll run every one of them to ground and find a fix. So don't give up; "it's part of the (RV) journey".

You'll probably find other things wrong that require fixing as well. But I hope you don't...

The upside is that once you have a nice quiet rig you may not want to part with it and repeat the experience. The RV industry is probably losing customers who think twice about buying a new unit because of the significant investment in time and effort making things right.

[capt104]

I guess this is one of the benefits of pulling a T/T. All those rattles and squeaks are well behind our TV. But you have many other benefits like getting to the fridge and using the head while under way.

There are trade offs in all of life's decisions.

Happy motoring!

[Total Loss]

Originally Posted by Dbrote

Here are a couple of photos so you can see where I inserted some packing. Really just a small towel did the job. Attachment 192546Attachment 192547

Thanks for the tip. That is like the last creak I have not covered.
I will get to it soon.

[Wolverine 1945]

Most of our rattles & squeaks come from around the door & screen door !!!
And maybe stove burners !!!

[LKelly]

Thanks everyone, both for your tips and reassurance. I’ve made it a challenging game to hunt down the rattles, thumps and creaks and then to remedy them. I removed four screens and that really helped. Also stuffed a pillow in microwave - thanks for that idea! Layering pots and pans and dishes in that rubber shelf liner has helped too. We also drive with the table down. The rest of the creaks are tolerable and on super smooth straight roads it’s really pretty quiet.

Now, how to convince my dog that she is not trapped in a never ending thunder storm?... We think it’s pretty quiet now, but she doesn’t agree. Anyone have any suggestions? I’ve given her treats, made a nice bed between the seats. Not sure what else to do...

[Wolverine 1945]

Take a drive with wife in the rear,,,
Tell her she must find the rattles !!!
LMAO !!!

[DeltaTime]

Originally Posted by LKelly

Thanks everyone, both for your tips and reassurance. I’ve made it a challenging game to hunt down the rattles, thumps and creaks and then to remedy them. I removed four screens and that really helped. Also stuffed a pillow in microwave - thanks for that idea! Layering pots and pans and dishes in that rubber shelf liner has helped too. We also drive with the table down. The rest of the creaks are tolerable and on super smooth straight roads it’s really pretty quiet.



Now, how to convince my dog that she is not trapped in a never ending thunder storm?... We think it’s pretty quiet now, but she doesn’t agree. Anyone have any suggestions? I’ve given her treats, made a nice bed between the seats. Not sure what else to do...

They make a vest for dogs that look like a dog jacket. It is to keep them calm through thunderstorms. You may want to look into that. They also sell a mild otc sedative to relieve anxiety during travel.

[Wolverine 1945]

We tried a Thunder Jacket,,, our little girl starting shaking the minuet we put it on her,,,
it was a nice sunny day !!! You might want to try Benadril,,, check with your Vet !!!

[KyDan]

Thunder vests don't work on every dog but they are wonderful on some dogs.
It's worth a try. IMO

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by KyDan

Thunder vests don't work on every dog but they are wonderful on some dogs.
It's worth a try. IMO

True,,, just make sure you buy where you can return it !!!

[radatat]

our driver side window by the table makes a real noise at speed. it abates if we roll down the driver window in the cab. But has anyone found a way to surpress that noise. Maybe it is common with this type of window. Rich.

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by radatat

our driver side window by the table makes a real noise at speed. it abates if we roll down the driver window in the cab. But has anyone found a way to surpress that noise. Maybe it is common with this type of window. Rich.

What model of MH do you have ???

[Nancyc7]

"Now, how to convince my dog that she is not trapped in a never ending thunder storm?... We think it’s pretty quiet now, but she doesn’t agree. Anyone have any suggestions? I’ve given her treats, made a nice bed between the seats. Not sure what else to do..."

This is indirectly related, I fostered a rescue dog that was very afraid of riding in the car. The shelter asked that I drive him to McDonald's and get fries every day for a week and then drive him around every day but go to McDonald's every 2 days, then every 3-4 days and so on and soon he was quite thrilled to go riding in spite of I couldn't stick to an every day schedule. The shelter said McDonald's fries are like crack for dogs, seemed to work. Depending on where your MH lives and how crowded your McDonald is, if possible I would try it, it's magic.


Our window by the dinette requires frequent tightening and the house door is quite terrifying at times. But I would require the drive through daiquiri place to get me happy, fries aren't going to do it.

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by Nancyc7

"Now, how to convince my dog that she is not trapped in a never ending thunder storm?... We think it’s pretty quiet now, but she doesn’t agree. Anyone have any suggestions? I’ve given her treats, made a nice bed between the seats. Not sure what else to do..."

This is indirectly related, I fostered a rescue dog that was very afraid of riding in the car. The shelter asked that I drive him to McDonald's and get fries every day for a week and then drive him around every day but go to McDonald's every 2 days, then every 3-4 days and so on and soon he was quite thrilled to go riding in spite of I couldn't stick to an every day schedule. The shelter said McDonald's fries are like crack for dogs, seemed to work. Depending on where your MH lives and how crowded your McDonald is, if possible I would try it, it's magic.


Our window by the dinette requires frequent tightening and the house door is quite terrifying at times. But I would require the drive through daiquiri place to get me happy, fries aren't going to do it.

We put our little dogs bed between out seats, works fine !
She use to love to ride in Moms lap, and look out the window, but she has done blind, so she is no longer interesting in moms lap !!!
Have you ever tried an half of a benadryl ???

[radatat]

Solera 24R