It was a nice 40 degrees and sunny earliar today so took the top down no problems.

After I stopped at a store I put it back up and thought I heard a rattling noise. Didn't pay attnetion to it.

Later in the day, I was driving again and this rattle became noticable when I had the radio down. Seemed like it was coming from the latch on drivers side.

I went home and was liek #### its probably the strikers. Well it wasn't, those are very firm like they have always been.
I thought it could be a screw lose but nope all of those were tight. I pulled the latch down and notcied one of the side panels was a lil jiggly. I immediately opened up the passenegr side latch and one side was also slightly jiggly.
I never hear the passenger side rattle at all. After being confused I put the latch back up and surpirse surpise the latch side was pretty firm and not rattling.

Went for a drive and no rattles. Took the top down and up and tested it on another drive, no rattles. Did this throughout the day trying to create the same rattle but I'm guessing it was a fluke???? Maybe somehow the latch didnt tighten all the way when the top went back up this morn??

It would have been an easy fix, small piece of electrical tape to hold the panel side down a lil tighter or maybe even some fabric to cushion it.

Anyone else have this happened to them? thanks!

 

It is a well known problem. Do a search for "latch +rattle" and you'll see all the past discussions on the subject. Your "simple fix" is exactly what others have done to fix the problem.

 

yeah, happens to me..theres a TSB on it..they replace them hardtop strykers since they hold the top firmer...if its under warranty they make fix it for you at no cost

 

I only have the extended warranty so the cheap ass honda dealers wont' do shit around here unless its something major. The tubing idea sounds great, so just go to home depot or lowes? and buy some thin clear tubing? I probably will do that tommorow, since I'm sure this rattle will come back sometime in the future.

Oh and the tubing...Do I have to put this on the latch each time it goes up or does it stay on some how adesvie? Buy the smallest size tubing there? any tips.

 

I bought a foot of surgical tubing at Lowes. I believe it is 1/4", but I forget. There was only one choice of diameter. It's the "sling shot" type stuff. Well, after putting about a half inch of this onto the little hook, it seemed to help. However, a few months later, the sound is back. I believe the strikers wore through the tubing. I have to put new pieces on. I'm thinking about just having Honda replace them under warranty. You know, I had the same problem with my Miata. Can't these manufacturers make latches that don't make noise or what?

 

yeh I know even you 04 guys will get it. Did the tubes stay on by itself or did you have to do it each time manually? What do you mean by sling shot?

Just making sure, its the small thin side panel on the latch which is loose on yours to right? You can kind of move it up and down a lil when the latch is off but it stays more firmer when you latch it back on.

I've been going to lowes so much this past month, tools nuts for my lip, silicone and this and that ....Surgical tubing here I come....Good thing lowes is pretty close to my place

 

I'm confused....maybe I had a diff problem since Pilot says put it on hook.

So I went to lowes bought 2 dfif sizes. One was 1/4 of an inch and the other was .4 inches? which is I think 5/8?

Well no had posted pictures so I assumed....you were supposed to put the tube on the hook part or slightly below it. So I cut off a piece of tubing maybe 1/4 of an inch and put it ont he convertible latch and pushed it down a lil. Then I put the hook in the latch after the tubes are on it was a lil tighter to get closed (used a lil more force) I was wondering how this could fix the rattling, I didn't think it could work.

Quick notes(Basically I put the 1/4inch tube on the latch hook and increase the width of the hook by a lil since the tube wasn't that thick)

Well 2 hours later I still hear the rattle coming back. I then knew this wasn't the right install. Then it hit me!!! I was s upposed to put the tubes above the latches right at the very top near the convertible material ,not on the latch hook!! So now the ratlting is gone but I'm worried that I hurt my latches?

I probably latched and unlatched about 15 times during the 3 hours they were on to test the fitting and did this to drivers side and passnegers side.
The longest time the top was up was an hour. The unlatching and latching process is lesss forceful now since the exta thickness isn't there from the tubes and top goes up and down no probs.

I didn't damage anything from using those tubes did I? I'm guessing not since other people used the tubes and put them on the hook.

 

I have my tubing on the hooks. I can take a picture once it stops raining and snowing here in OK. I just got my car back from the autobody shop from my first snow encounter on the 22nd of December and it's been on the verge of snowing since the day I picked the car up from the shop (last Friday). So, I won't be driving it too much for the next day or so.

 

interested in pics

 

Yeh I think we just had 2 diff problems. Mine are not rattling anymore or even loose, and this method has no way of damaging or extra force etc. Glad this problem is solved