B Pillar clicking / ticking & door rubber / seal creaking / squeaking

[vwsp]

I have had a few problems with my now only 2 mth old 118TSI.

A small but irritating problem was the B Pillar clicking/ticking noise from both doors. It occured when the car was moving AND also not moving.

I've seen others on this forum have had the same issue but I haven't read if anyone has had this fixed?

Anyhow, the dealer fixed the noise for me by removing the B Pillar high gloss black plastic on each door and insulated with felt (or something similar).

It is now blissfully quiet!

I suspect it was just the upper part of the trim that required fixing as beforehand you could repeat the noise by pressing in the plastic on the upper edge of the door and hearing the clicking/ticking noise. The lower part was firm and quiet.

I hope this helps others with the same problem. If the problem is as common as it seems, VW should tell ALL its dealers how to fix as it would save us all a lot of time trying to explain to the service people, test driving etc.

[Corey_R]

Thanks for the information vwsp, and welcome to the forums

[MkVIGTI]

Clicking noises on the B pillar (where the seatbelt is)

Hi guys, I've recently noticed a clicking noise on the passenger side B pillar inside the car, where the seatbelt comes out from. It happens some of the time and is kind of periodic in between the clickings. At first I thought it was the buckle hitting the plastic trim but today I heard the clicking sound on the driver's side when I have my seatbelt on. Can it be the seatbelt pretentioner?

[elephino]

My Mk5 makes a similar noise but only from the driver's side. Haven't been able to get it stopped in 4 years, though usually if you push lightly on the height adjuster it stops on mine.

[galtaforce]

Yep

Yep. I have the same noise. It happens over sharp-ish bumps in the road and is a plasticky click. It appears to be coming from the pillar or at least somewhere behind the plastic trim. I haven't yet been able to stop it.

[MkVIGTI]

Mine sometimes just clicks in a timed interval, it can happen on smooth surfaces too.

[nicandlance]

Mine was doing it at the lights the other day while I wasn't even moving....
Very annoying...

[elephino]

Mine was doing it at the lights the other day while I wasn't even moving....
Very annoying...

Was it about 3 or 4 clicks only or consistent? If it's 3 or 4, it could be the aircon redirecting airflow.

[MkVIGTI]

It can go on for more than a few clicks. Besides, it came from behind the plastic trim on the B pillar and I don't think there's air vents there, sounds more like the seatbelt mechanism.

[nicandlance]

Whatever it is, it's weird. (Elephino, more that 3 or 4 - and it doesn't always do it... well, it didn't today.)

[Frankenstrat]

I've noticed occasional knocking noises from my passenger-side B-pillar, too. I try not to stress over it, I get enough of that at work!

[nicandlance]

Mine doesn't happen enough to drive me crazy. It's only occasional - but it's there.

[vwsp]

I think what you're talking about is exactly the problem when I first took delivery of my car. It's a clicking noise from either or in my case BOTH B pillars. It would 'click' when the car was both moving and also when driving along.

The dealer insulated (not sure exactly what) the outside black shiny plastic panels on the B pillar part of each front door. That is, they took the black plastic off, stuck some insulating tape between the metal part of the door and the black plastic piece. The noise disappeared and has never returned.

I believe was/is a common problem and a dealer should know about it. I'm actually surprised that VW hasn't fixed this at the factory - as it's a very simple fix to a very annoying problem.

Hope this helps!

[MkVIGTI]

Thanks vwsp! I have my car booked in to get the rear washer fixed coz it drips water on hard accelerations. I'll also ask them about the clicking noise. Will keep you guys posted

[vwsp]

Oh, I meant to say earlier "It would 'click' when the car was both NOT MOVING and also when driving along." Good luck at the dealer. These problems are the worst to explain to a dealer because sometimes it doesn't happen and then they make you look stupid as if you're imagining things. And I've found if they don't hear something they won't attempt to fix it. Hopefully they'll already know about this one! Cheers