Does anyone notice significant and audible tailpipe vibration when they start-up their Fit Sports in the morning and let it idle? Mine seems to have been doing that for a couple of days. It's been colder than usual but the nights have only dropped to 40-50 degrees F here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The vibration seems to disappear after less than half a mile of driving. I haven't noticed it when I start-up the car during the middle of the day.

My Fit is an automatic and, being a Sport, it has the chrome exhaust finisher.

 

i don't get any vibration. well, it does vibrate but doesn't shake noticeably at all and it's not something that's audible. is yours rattling?

 

maybe just a loose screw for the finisher?

 

It's somewhere between a rattle and vibration. It doesn't quite sound like the tailpipe if hitting against something. It's more like the tailpipe vibrates enough that I notice it when the car is all quiet.

The tailpipe and the finisher seem to be reasonably secure. No loose movement from either.

I should explain that the vibration is more felt and heard rather than seen. I don't see the tailpipe itself moving.

 

I'll investigate that tonight when I get home.

 

let us know!

 

Heatshield....

 

true...
sometimes when your in the car you cant really tell what direction the noise is coming from

 

Here is a rediculous solution, get aftermarket exhaust. Huge mm tip wel make it better, our maybe worse. I don't know...

 

Would that sort of rattle go away after a short warm-up?

Is there a simple way to check if it is the heatshield? Could I just press on it with an object and listen if the rattle goes away?

 

And we're sure this isn't like the other threads about rattle noise coming from inside the hatch area? Like a loose scissor jack or something.

If something is sensitive to vibration, the car should be vibrating a little harder at the first start up of the day, as it's the coldest and roughest time for the engine, causing more pronounced vibrations. Those vibrations can travel around the car. Once it warms up, it won't shake as hard.

 

I bet that all is normal.

At startup, the idle speed is higher when the temps are colder outside and it will be a bit rougher and louder.

 

A little vibration doesn't seem too outta place from a small four cylinder, but if it's that

noticeable it may not be normal. Does the rattle/vibration change or go away if the

engine revs increase?

 

Mine does the same in the morning. About 60 degrees outside. You can see the muffler vibrate atleast 1 inch side to side. To me its normal, cause of the rubber mounts and no flex pipe.

 

O-o-o-o-o-o-okay. I found the problem.


I had secured my rear license plate with just the two top bolts. I added two bolts to the bottom of the license plate and the noise is now completely gone.


And there is no "embarassed" emoticon to express how I feel.

 

Don't worry about it man...when you have a new vehicle every little noise is an issue....I know that I won't sleep until I track it down...

Glad to hear it was a simple fix though!

 

Ha! I had this same thing happen to me, but I thought the back hatch developed a rattle (not the exhaust). It's amazing how the hatch amplifies the sound from the license plate...I put some rubber bumpers on the license plate (like those on the back of cabinet drawers/cupboards) to avoid the plate smacking on the hatch.