Why Do Car Interiors Get Noisier?

Cars can often become louder as they grow older, and not just because engine parts are wearing out. There are a few reasons why the noise in the passenger cabin can increase over time, and many of them have easy (or at least straightforward) fixes.

Junk in the Trunk (or Glove Box)

Every car should have a few things on hand. Along with the spare tire or tire repair kit that comes with the vehicle, you should keep an emergency kit in the back and a blanket if it gets cold where you live. The glove box should have one of your insurance cards, plus you could also have an emergency tool, a towel for wiping an icy windshield, and other handy items. But if your kits include a lot of heavy stuff that jostles when you ride over bumps, you shouldn’t be surprised when your cabin gets noisy.

Debris in the Ducts

Every car has an air filter, but that’s only for the air used by your engine. Some cars come with cabin air filters, but for the most part, there are only vents and grates keeping fallen leaves, tree seeds, and other airborne debris out of the ducts that blow air into the cabin. If something gets stuck in a fan, it can cause a rattling sound that can go on for days or weeks if you’re unlucky. And if it never goes away, you may need some professional help to clean out your car’s air system.

Loose Body Parts

Maybe your hood is down but didn’t quite click. Perhaps a wheel cover is loose from when you last swapped your tires. A plastic body panel or skid plate may be coming lose with age. Maybe the crossbars on your roof rails are making noise because you don’t have anything up there to keep them steady. Either because of a bad installation or the vibrations that come from running a car for years, some parts of your car can loosen up and start to rattle.

Rust on the Exhaust

If your engine suddenly gets louder but otherwise sounds and runs fine, the most likely cause is an exhaust system with a loose part or a rust hole in the pipe. They don’t call it a muffler for nothing, after all. If this turns out to be the case, you should do something to fix your system as soon as you can: not only does a loud engine irritate you and everyone in earshot, it also lets exhaust leak up into the cabin. You probably won’t need to worry about carbon monoxide, but it still isn’t good for your lungs.

Cars tend to get noisier as time passes, but it’s never some gradual wearing down that you can’t identify or fix. There’s always a reason and a source behind a loud car interior, and so there’s always a way you can repair the problem and get back the quiet interior your car came with when it first left the factory.