Tailgate rattle - any ideas?

[chrisbwy]

Hi All,

My 04 GTI has a tailgate rattle when going over bumps.

If I place a duster inside the tailgate between the black plastic bump stop and the body then it goes away.

Do I need to adjust the bump stop? If so how do I do it? It looks threaded but not sure how to screw it out a bit more. I've tried adjusting the tailgate latch to pull it harder shut but this doesn't help. Only the duster stops the rattle.

Has anyone else had a similar rattle and fixed it?

Thanks

Chris

[Mike_M]

Boot catch needs to be moved inwards a bit to clamp down the tailgate slightly more........been meaning to do mine for ages but the star/torque bit to undo the bolt is required and the ones I have a slightly too big or small.

[chrisbwy]

Mike,

I've already tried this to the point where there's a metal to metal clunk now when I shut the tailgate - think I've adjusted it too far. The rattle's still there.

I'm now looking the the two black rubber / plastic bump stops located just below the gas struts. One of them is futher out than the other.

I think I may need to adjust the other to match it since that side seems to be where the noise is comming from and I don't think the rubber part is touching the body as it should when the tailgate is closed. My duster is being used to fill the gap between body and rubber and it seems to stop the rattle.

Does this make sense?

If so then any ideas on how to adjust this item?

Thanks again.

Chris

[Mike_M]

Another suspect is that the top mounts are worn..........I had them go on my Golf and they are cheap to replace.