MD Mondeo creaking windscreen

[nicrobell]

My MD Mondeo has just covered about 7k since new and has recently developed an annoying creaking noise that I have determined is from the top area of the windscreen. The noise is easily reproduced by external pressure on the screen. By pushing on the top of the screen from inside the noise stops. Has anybody experienced this issue and what action was taken. The dealer has acknowledged there is a noise but didn't know what it was. I discovered the source of the noise after the dealer had a look. They say they need the car for a week to find the noise. I don't think that's a good idea. Any suggestions are welcome. Maybe a windscreen specialist has a solution.

[bungfritz]

My car can creak when going up driveways and I've attributed that to the rubber in the door jams rubbing as the chassis flexes. I heard you buy a spray which stops that from happening though.

Never heard the windscreen itself make any noises thoughthough, that is a bit odd.

[nicrobell]

I have determined the noise is actually the glass roof rubbing against its mating surface. The noise is worse when cold and the road uneven. The noise almost disappears in wet weather. After seeking a second opinion from the Geelong branch of Windscreens O'Brien, a very helpful employee suggested a light spray of silicone that he applied for free. This has eliminated the noise. Perhaps I may need to re-apply periodically. If this works I will not mind doing so.
I hope this helps others if they have the same issue.

[Trump]

You've got excessive body/chassis flex. Any "fix" is but a stop gap. Is your car still under warranty?

[nicrobell]

Yes my car is still under warranty. Do you know what can be done about excessive body flexing?

[Trump]

The structural integrity of the car is a warranty issue. If it is flexing that much to cause the windscreen to creak and move as much as it is, Ford will have to repair the chassis/body. If left unchecked, doors won't close properly after a while.

[NX74205]

Reading this thread makes me worry. I hope this isn't an epidemic. I only took delivery of mine a week ago, and so far it's been fine.

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

The structural integrity of the car is a warranty issue. If it is flexing that much to cause the windscreen to creak and move as much as it is, Ford will have to repair the chassis/body. If left unchecked, doors won't close properly after a while.

What would be involved in the repair?

Secondly, what do you think could have caused this? Given that mass produced cars are built by robots, I wonder if this is a design/engineering issue or something as simple as a missing spot weld?

[bungfritz]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

The structural integrity of the car is a warranty issue. If it is flexing that much to cause the windscreen to creak and move as much as it is, Ford will have to repair the chassis/body. If left unchecked, doors won't close properly after a while.

While it is true that structural integrity is a warranty issue, all chassis will flex under certain loads and or situations, so i'm wondering whether this is just an inherent lack of rigidity of the design as a whole?

Whilst anything is possible, i'd say its highly unlikely that the chassis wasn't made properly. Also the creaking is coming from the panoramic sunroof, which if you think about it, is a huge slab of glass covering the roof and attached to both sides of the chassis.

If there was any flex involved in the chassis, the roof section would experience high loads of stress in the area, hence it sounds reasonable that there is a possibility of the glass rubbing against certain sections of the body.

Keep in mind the Mondeo's we have are hatches as well, and they aren't as torsionally rigid as the sedans as the lack the beam running across the rear seats which would make it more solid.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Also, from what I remember reading, any fixed automotive glass is an integral part of chassis rigidity and something that should be investigated further.

It almost sounds like there is not enough adhesive applied, or the glass is making contact with metal, which isn't a good thing I assume.

[Trump]

Originally Posted by bungfritz

While it is true that structural integrity is a warranty issue, all chassis will flex under certain loads and or situations, so i'm wondering whether this is just an inherent lack of rigidity of the design as a whole?

Whilst anything is possible, i'd say its highly unlikely that the chassis wasn't made properly. Also the creaking is coming from the panoramic sunroof, which if you think about it, is a huge slab of glass covering the roof and attached to both sides of the chassis.

If there was any flex involved in the chassis, the roof section would experience high loads of stress in the area, hence it sounds reasonable that there is a possibility of the glass rubbing against certain sections of the body.

Keep in mind the Mondeo's we have are hatches as well, and they aren't as torsionally rigid as the sedans as the lack the beam running across the rear seats which would make it more solid.

100% mate, every chassis will flex, there is no such thing as a completely rigid body. However in this instance, either there is an inherent fault with the model or the robot sneezed on this one. Regardless of whether it is a hatch or a full bodied sedan, the complete car should not flex that much that it distorts the windscreen mounting location under loads as light as turning into a driveway.