Admit it, you're constantly turning up the volume on your car's stereo not because you like what's playing, but to drown out the annoying squeaking sounds from the parcel tray. That's because squeaks and rattles may be endearing in baby-talk, but inside a car they are like a mouse inside a house. They get in easily, irritate the hell out of you and are difficult to get rid of too.u00a0

So, we take a shot at solving one of the biggest problems that car owners face persistent squeaking and rattling noises. We size up the nerve-wracking sounds produced by various parts of your car and tell you how you can avoid or fix them.

TYRES AND WHEELS
Tyres play a major role in preventing that nasty rattle. How? As the point of contact between the road and the car, tyres transmit the shocks from the road onto the car's frame. The thicker a tyre's sidewall (the portion of the tyre between the centre and the tread), the better it will absorb bumps from the surface, which means that fewer vibrations will be transmitted to the car's body. Result: fewer rattling sounds. It also helps if the tyre has a wider footprint.

However, some folks are obsessed with fitting their cars with oversized alloy wheels with low profile tyres (tyres with thin sidewalls) in a bid to up the car's cool quotient. This increases the suspension wear as the 'secondary ride' or cushioning that is provided by the tyres' sidewalls is reduced to the minimum. Labouring under the misconception that 'any rim fits any car as long as it fits inside the wheel', they don't understand that one should never change the basic specification of a wheel.

Wheels with Multiple-PCD or multiple mounting holes, incorrect offset, width, profile or interface between wheel nut and wheel are all safety hazards and besides, they ruin the ride and handling characteristics of a car.

The owner of a major aftermarket parts store in south Mumbai said, "We strongly advise our customers not to increase their rim diameter more than an inch over stock when upsizing wheels. Also,u00a0 too many mounting holes severely curtail the durability and basic strength of the wheel."

Keeping your wheels balanced and getting regular alignment checks done are inexpensive maintenance procedures that can save a lot of money in the long run. Listen for any new noises that might originate from your suspension, and be alert to any changes in the way your car rides and handles. Small repairs done right away will head off future problems.

Bad tyres can also produce rattling sounds. When a tyre's sidewall cracks, its strength is drastically weakened and the suspension gets affected too. This can cause rattling. So, don't hold on to your tyres till the last tread fades away.

Wheel caps can also rattle annoyingly. Tightening the nuts will solve the problem, but if it doesn't, the wheel caps may be damaged and will need to be replaced. Aftermarket wheel caps generally use a poorly executed bracket onto which a centre bolt is welded and this tends to rattle.