DallasDave

Over the weekend, my wife and I travelled to Lubbock, TX for our son's college graduation (Texas Tech - Guns Up!). During our stay in Lubbock, I noticed a few new squeaks/noises from the dash area (behind the instrument cluster, best I could tell). I didn't pay much attention to them, as our car had a lot of "travel stuff" aboard (cups, coats, etc.). I should also mention, it was very cold (30 degrees, even lower with the wind-chill).

So this morning I made the journey back to McKinney, TX (~320 miles). I departed Lubbock around 7:30am and it was a brisk 22 degrees (without the wind-chill factored in). My car spent the night out in the weather whereas usually she sleeps in our garage. Wow, there were all kinds of noises coming from the dash area (again, seemed to be coming from behind the instrument cluster). It wasn't really squeaks, more like plastic parts rubbing together...clicks/pops. I thought it might be the cold and just drove along my merry way but I was also pushing on the instrument bezel and all over the dashboard seeing if I could locate the source(s). Nothing I did seemed to make a difference. Sure enough, after about 30-minutes things seem to get a little better. About an hour into the trip, there was almost no noise. As I continued to drive, the outside temperature was warming to just over 50 degrees and the cabin was certainly warm. Soon after, there was no more noises and things were back to normal (almost silent, as I have the Michelin AS4 with acoustic foam).

For you guys/gals in the northern area I would imagine you must have the same issue if your car is left outside for several hours. Anyone else have this scenario? If so, is there a remedy?

Striker2237

Both of mine do it a well, solution is to buy a Lexus LS since they factor that in and are silent at all temps. I honestly don't really mind it since once warm it's fine

grkmspr

I live in a cold country. In winter, the temperature is -22/-25 celcius during the day and -30/-35 at night. Luckily, I have a parking garage, but I have to leave the car outside at work during the day and in the evening (at 20:00pm) when I get in my car, the sounds coming from the engine are really scary, the speed limit in the city is 60km, the traffic is too much. The distance between my home and office is 7 km, but I can go in 25 minutes due to traffic. Since I am in traffic, the vehicle does not revv easily. The radiator is not working properly because the engine is not warming up. I'm freeze until I get home.

For the first 5-10 minutes, the engine goes at high speed until the engine reaches a certain temperature. The gears are revving too high. The engine runs with an extremely loud and muffled sound.

In 1 year, my new varta battery broke down, it does not charge easily, I pray every evening when i turn on the ignition. Sometimes the starter does not work, sometimes it does not work easily from the battery. The cranking time is too long. (I didn't know if gel battery was needed for cold climate, there is no start stop in my vehicle.)

As for the trim sounds, the car gets firmer and quieter in cold weather, and the car crackle sounds louder in warmer weather.

A8L_New_England

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Some cars do, and some don't, and it has a lot to do with thermal expansion, oil viscosity (engine, transmission and dampers) and suspension component wear. For instance, a lot of rattling sounds may be indicative of a worn bushing that doesn't dampen the mechanical impact due to the higher durometer at the lower temperature. If you look in other forums, you will see that you are not alone. e.g.
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https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...d-weather.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...d-weather.html
https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/prob...eather-145111/
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...when-cold.html
etc, etc, etc.
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DallasDave

Thank you all for the quick and detailed responses. I didn't think there was a magic solution, just wanted to know if it was something I should be concerned about. Mine is definitely coming from the interior. What's strange is I don't remember this happening last year when we parked outside.

A8L_New_England

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Something is loose
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bravo659

i live in NYC my car parked outside i get some noise but tje most squeaking noise coming from the suspension but it goes away only happens in the winter.

yuvalw123

At this temperature , the car is not happy. all rubber parts are squeaking. once park indoor all noises go away. ( but will come back if very cold )