Side Mirror Wind Noise Fix

[MyLittlePony2022]

So, after being unhappy with the unfinished end and realizing that in addition to the .130 in spline, I also had some much thicker .225 spline around, I pulled off the rubber strip I shared in the prior post and pushed the .225 inch into the gap. I pushed it fully in with the flat end of a plastic trim tool so that I could no longer see it. After treating the exterior rubber strip with some Shin Etsu silicone grease, I worked the .130 spline into the gap as I had before. This time it has worked much better than my prior attempt with spline, virtually eliminating the wind noise. So, we'll see how long it lasts but it sure looks a helluva lot better than the larger rubber strip did.

@Jeff-NoVA Could you post pictures of what this looks like on your car. I was sold on the larger molding but you have me curious about the spline.

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[Jeff-NoVA]

@Jeff-NoVA Could you post pictures of what this looks like on your car. I was sold on the larger molding but you have me curious about the spline.

Edit: Please see post #83 in this thread for a better solution than window screen spline.

Sure thing. It looks MUCH cleaner than the big honkin' piece of rubber shoved in the mirror gap. I pushed a piece of the thicker spline fully into the gap (who knows if that does anything) then carefully pushed a piece of the thin spline into the gap. I then took a second identical piece of spline and wedged it VERY gently into the same gap, trying not to push the first thin piece out of the gap (in which case it would just be loose in the void behind the gap). It's very tempting to keep pushing on it to make it even or whatever, but try not to go nuts because it is easy to push it too far. I found that using a microfiber over my fingertip helped smooth it into the gap without pushing it too far. I would start with one piece of the thin spline before adding the second piece, as I'm sure every vehicle will have some variation in what it needs to reduce the wind noise.

So far it has withstood the carwash and wind noise has been resolved to my satisfaction. In the first pic below, you can see that I tucked the leading edge of the spline under the rubber lip at the top of the mirror. I used a little metal hook tool to lift it and then pushed it in (I didn't even realize until I looked at this pic that the spline is a little twisted!).

 

[MyLittlePony2022]

Sure thing. It looks MUCH cleaner than the big honkin' piece of rubber shoved in the mirror gap. I pushed a piece of the thicker spline fully into the gap (who knows if that does anything) then carefully pushed a piece of the thin spline into the gap. I then took a second identical piece of spline and wedged it VERY gently into the same gap, trying not to push the first thin piece out of the gap (in which case it would just be loose in the void behind the gap). It's very tempting to keep pushing on it to make it even or whatever, but try not to go nuts because it is easy to push it too far. I found that using a microfiber over my fingertip helped smooth it into the gap without pushing it too far. I would start with one piece of the thin spline before adding the second piece, as I'm sure every vehicle will have some variation in what it needs to reduce the wind noise.

So far it has withstood the carwash and wind noise has been resolved to my satisfaction. In the first pic below, you can see that I tucked the leading edge of the spline under the rubber lip at the top of the mirror. I used a little metal hook tool to lift it and then pushed it in (I didn't even realize until I looked at this pic that the spline is a little twisted!).

@Jeff-NoVA Thanks for the detailed write up and the pictures. I think I understand. Install the thick spline (0.225"), then the thin spline (0.130") over that and then install another layer of thin (0.130") spline over that. Time to start to look for spline on-line.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

@Jeff-NoVA Thanks for the detailed write up and the pictures. I think I understand. Install the thick spline (0.225"), then the thin spline (0.130") over that and then install another layer of thin (0.130") spline over that. Time to start to look for spline on-line.

Lowe’s, Home Depot, Ace, True Value, etc. It’ll be faster and they all carry screen spline.

 

[thekat03]

Ford really needs to come up with a real fix. Or they should replace all the weather trim. The price we paid for Mach-E is should be a quiet ride. Ever new car I have ever bought first thing you notice is how quiet and smooth it rides. But the first thing I noticed on the Mach-E was what's that noise. Is all the windows rolled all the way up, yes. NOPE not the windows it's your badly build Ford window seal. They said an EV is so much quieter then on ICE car with a loud engine. WRONG! Wonder if I can use my Ford points to get some ear plugs?

There is a TSP, and my dealership ordered the parts and will be doing it on my car next week. Hoping it goes well, but I don't think they've done this TSP much yet.

 

[Jeff-NoVA]

@Jeff-NoVA Thanks for the detailed write up and the pictures. I think I understand. Install the thick spline (0.225"), then the thin spline (0.130") over that and then install another layer of thin (0.130") spline over that. Time to start to look for spline on-line.

Edit: Please see post #83 for a better solution.

You might try the thin spline alone to start. It's worked for some others. I happened to have the thick stuff so I just added it in. I will say that the thin spline alone wasn't cutting it for me, but I think this is a very YMMV sort of fix. BTW, my spline came from Amazon. I think it was $6 for more than I will ever need.

 

[RonOinAZ]

There is a TSP, and my dealership ordered the parts and will be doing it on my car next week. Hoping it goes well, but I don't think they've done this TSP much yet.

TSB 24-2002
The dealership I go to claims they ordered the repair kit for my car in February, when this TSB was issued. They're stills saying they haven't received it yet. I'll be curious to hear if your repair is completed next week and whether or not it reduces the noise. Please let us know.

 

[Jeff-NoVA]

Had a bit of a eureka moment and I think I've found the perfect compromise solution between spline (which works just ok for noise) and the thick rubber strip, which works better but is ugly. I had some of this U-shaped rubber left over from an unrelated project and it hit me after a road trip (during which I was still hearing more wind noise than I should) that it might fit nicely into the mirror gap. And wow, not only is it a good fit but it works GREAT - ZERO noise - and it doesn't look like sh*t.

Amazon link

At the top end, I cut out a notch so that it would fit right up against the top corner piece, otherwise it's not possible to push the strip flush without leaving a gap. I found it helpful to use a bit of Shin Etsu seal conditioner as lubricant to slide the piece in and push it up against the top corner piece, but it's not necessary.

 

[RonOinAZ]

There is a TSP, and my dealership ordered the parts and will be doing it on my car next week. Hoping it goes well, but I don't think they've done this TSP much yet.

Can you offer an update on this?

 

[thekat03]

Can you offer an update on this?

Oops! Yes, the dealership was able to do the repairs, and the wind noise is significantly improved per my husband. I never heard it as well as he did, and it mostly was audible on freeways, which aren't part of my daily commute. Took them 3-4 hours to do at most, once they got down to it (though it sat most of one day because of how busy they were, and then they realized my husband hadn't left the key fob).

 

[RonOinAZ]

Glad to hear it worked out for you. Thanks for the update!

 

[McSquashy]

Had a bit of a eureka moment and I think I've found the perfect compromise solution between spline (which works just ok for noise) and the thick rubber strip, which works better but is ugly. I had some of this U-shaped rubber left over from an unrelated project and it hit me after a road trip (during which I was still hearing more wind noise than I should) that it might fit nicely into the mirror gap. And wow, not only is it a good fit but it works GREAT - ZERO noise - and it doesn't look like sh*t.

Amazon link

At the top end, I cut out a notch so that it would fit right up against the top corner piece, otherwise it's not possible to push the strip flush without leaving a gap. I found it helpful to use a bit of Shin Etsu seal conditioner as lubricant to slide the piece in and push it up against the top corner piece, but it's not necessary.

That came out great! Looks like the best DIY solution yet. Thanks for posting!

I notice some wind noise near the mirror when driving with the radio off. I doesn't bother me too much, but it'd be nice if I could eliminate it or at least reduce it.

I'm ordering 10ft of that seal now and will give it a go this weekend.

 

[Jeff-NoVA]

That came out great! Looks like the best DIY solution yet. Thanks for posting!

I notice some wind noise near the mirror when driving with the radio off. I doesn't bother me too much, but it'd be nice if I could eliminate it or at least reduce it.

I'm ordering 10ft of that seal now and will give it a go this weekend.

Been months and it’s been perfect. Hasn’t budged and no wind noise.

 

[CjA1418]

Had a bit of a eureka moment and I think I've found the perfect compromise solution between spline (which works just ok for noise) and the thick rubber strip, which works better but is ugly. I had some of this U-shaped rubber left over from an unrelated project and it hit me after a road trip (during which I was still hearing more wind noise than I should) that it might fit nicely into the mirror gap. And wow, not only is it a good fit but it works GREAT - ZERO noise - and it doesn't look like sh*t.

Amazon link

At the top end, I cut out a notch so that it would fit right up against the top corner piece, otherwise it's not possible to push the strip flush without leaving a gap. I found it helpful to use a bit of Shin Etsu seal conditioner as lubricant to slide the piece in and push it up against the top corner piece, but it's not necessary.

Thank you so much for this and the detailed photos! I have tried all of the fixes suggested on the forums and nothing has worked. I had the TSB done at the dealer, and that did not work. They have ordered a new door seal as their next step. However, I did this today with the same product from Amazon and it worked perfect. I cant hear the noise at all anymore! I might tell them not to replace the door seal.

 

[Zardoz]

Had a bit of a eureka moment and I think I've found the perfect compromise solution between spline (which works just ok for noise) and the thick rubber strip, which works better but is ugly. I had some of this U-shaped rubber left over from an unrelated project and it hit me after a road trip (during which I was still hearing more wind noise than I should) that it might fit nicely into the mirror gap. And wow, not only is it a good fit but it works GREAT - ZERO noise - and it doesn't look like sh*t.

Amazon link

At the top end, I cut out a notch so that it would fit right up against the top corner piece, otherwise it's not possible to push the strip flush without leaving a gap. I found it helpful to use a bit of Shin Etsu seal conditioner as lubricant to slide the piece in and push it up against the top corner piece, but it's not necessary.

Thank you for this! It has solved my issues, noise was greatly reduced. At least on the drivers side, hard to drive from the passenger side.

I had no trouble getting it into the crack on the drivers side, but the passenger side has a smaller gap. I decided to cut the rubber; removed one of the 'legs'. This left one piece of rubber to get into the crack. I didn't cut exactly in half, I left a little extra to make sure it was held tight. If it falls out I have several feet to try again.

THANK YOU!

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