How to Soundproof a Car Door
A car door is one of the most common sources of noise pollution on the inside and outside of your vehicle. For those living in apartments or houses with thin walls, it can be difficult to hear your favorite TV show if someone is working in their car right next to your window. Additionally, if you’re trying to get a good night’s sleep and your neighbor decides to come home and park their car right next to your bedroom window, the noise can be quite loud and disturbing.
Luckily, there are things that you can do to fix this problem! This blog post will cover how to soundproof a car door using common household items like a pool noodle, packing self-adhesive tape, and weather stripping. Read more below for some helpful tips. 1. Fill in the Gaps with Pool Noodles If you are looking for a cheap and easy way to soundproof your car doors, then pool noodles are the way to go!
6 Ways to Soundproof a Car Door
1. Rubber Insulation:
One of the easiest ways to soundproof a car door is with rubber insulation. The rubber pads on your car that make a thudding noise from door can be removed and replaced with something more silent, like weather stripping or packing tape. This will cause the sound waves of the closing to greatly diminished. For best results, it’s recommended that you replace the rubber weather stripping on both sides of the door. Just be sure not to use too much force when pulling them off, as they can break!
2. Packing Tape:
Another easy material for soundproofing a car door is packing tape. For this hack, you’ll need to put two strips of tape around the edges of your window, making sure that they’re placed on the inside and outside. This will help to create a seal between your window and door. If you have a car with windows that open from the top, place two strips of tape on the bottom edge as well.
3. Weather Stripping:
If you’re looking for a material that can easily be cut and fit, then weatherstripping is the way to go. Take a 1-inch strip of this material (cut off from your door or window) and attach it to both sides of your door frame with either duct tape or plastic clips. This will create an air tight seal between the top and bottom sections of the door, drastically diminishing the sound coming from inside your room. If your door has a gap between the top and bottom, you can always close this up with weatherstripping as well. Cut off a section that’s just long enough to fit into the space, then attach it using duct tape or plastic clips.
4. Pool Noodle:
For this hack, you’ll need a pool noodle that is cut into two-foot by one and a half feet sections (you can easily find these in your local department store). Then, attach them to either side of the front or back of your vehicle by using zip ties or wire. This will help absorb sound and keep it from bouncing around inside your car, making it less noisy. You can also use this method on your roof to help with wind noise.
5. Spray and Foam:
This hack will need to be done by someone with a bit of handyman skill, as it involves spray and foam insulation (pictured above). First, you’ll want to remove the door panels on both sides of your car. This is commonly done by removing screws from all around the inside and outside of the panel. Once you’ve removed them, spray in a single layer of insulation foam around the inside and outside of the door. This will help to minimize sound vibrations from coming out or going into your car.
6. Dynamat:
If you’re looking for a more permanent solution for unwanted noise level, then Dynamat or sound deadening mats is what you want. This stuff can be bought in rolls or double layer and applied to the inside of your car door. It’ll help to greatly dampen any access noise that comes from outside or inside your vehicle. Just make sure not to use too much! A little goes a long way.
What You Need To Sound Proof a Car Door?
The following tools are needed to soundproof a car door:
- Car door stopper (which you can find at a hardware store)
- A wire hook and rope or a screw or nail
- Foam insulation
- Polyurethane adhesive
- A hammer
- A screwdriver
Instructions: How to Soundproof a Car Door
Step 1: Choose the Right Insulation Material
If you soundproof a car door, the most important factor is being able to insulate it properly. Insulation is measured by its ability to resist temperature decrease and aging damage called “temperature loss coefficient” (U) or “aging resistance ratio” (R). These apply to all insulation materials, such as fiberglass, rock wool, glass wool, etc. Different materials make a difference in soundproofing. When noise goes through an insulation barrier, you should think about its R-value and the U value of glass wool or fiberglass to see which is better. The quieter it is, the better.
Step 2: Secure It with Adhesive
If you are using foam insulation, it can be good to use some adhesive spray around the edges if it is not staying in place. This should also be used for any speaker mounts that you may be re-using.
Step 3: Remove the Panel from the Car Door
With a drill bit that is 1mm or smaller in diameter, remove the door panel from the car. When you enter your vehicle, there is usually a hole at eye level that allows you to access the loose screws. Once they are removed, the door panel should come right off!
Step 4: Remove the Protective Seal
Next, peel off any protective seal over the speaker. Again, don’t worry about doing this neatly since it will be completely covered by your insulation material anyway.
Step 5: Remove the Speakers And Connections from the Car Door
Unscrew and pull out the speakers from their mounts. To make sure you are not damaging any wires, you can disconnect the speaker wire. If you have a car with Bose speakers, make sure to take them out as well!
Step 6: Cut the Insulation Material to Size
You will want two pieces of insulation material for each side of your door. Then you will need one piece that is slightly larger than your window. To get a close fit, you can cut it like in the video provided.
Step 7: Place the Insulation Material
First, place your two pieces of insulation up to the window. Then make sure you have your first piece with a size close to or slightly larger than the window attached. You can now use this as a template for cutting out holes in the second piece of insulation. Remember, you must be extremely precise when cutting this second piece out! Once your insulation is cut, you can fit it into place on the speaker mounts.
Step 8: Remove the Screws from the Car Door
Next, remove all of the actual screws from the car door. Depending on your model, this will be a good idea to remove any trim surrounding the window. If you do not have access to a drill bit as small as 1mm, ask someone to help you or visit a hardware store and purchase a drill bit.
Step 9: Reinstall the Door Panel
Once all of your work has been completed, reinstall your door panel and take a look at what you have accomplished! If you have gone through the steps thoroughly, it will be hard to tell that there are speakers inside your car door.
Step 10: Test It Out!
Go for a test drive and check to see if your soundproofing was successful. The best way to do this is by turning on your favorite song and playing it at a high volume. If you can’t hear the door or window-rattling, then your soundproofing job will be successful!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Applying Sound Proofing to a Door Worth It?
A: All of us have heard the sounds of adjacent vehicles while driving on the roads. Sometimes it may be a pleasant, soft hum, and at other times there can be quite a bit of noise that is extremely unpleasant to hear. But, especially when you are in traffic jams or stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for hours on end, there will be vehicles passing by, and you are bound to get an earful of their music or the sounds from their car stereos.
Several drivers have found that much noise is produced in cars during traveling because it gets transmitted through the glass windows and doors. There can also be some vibration noise coming from your door speakers. If you want to eliminate such disturbances, you should consider getting a car sound deadening material to help remove the noise.
Q: What do You Need To Sound Proof a Car Door?
A: The key is in sealing your doors properly. It would be best if you sealed off as many holes and gaps as possible in the door, including those at the frame base, on the edges, and at corners. You will also have to seal off the door seams and ensure that no cracks are present in the rubber weather stripping around your doors. There should be only one small hole for a speaker, and you can cover up other holes with foam to ensure that there is no leakage of annoying sound in or out.
Q: What Creates the Noise in the Car?
A: Most sound deadening strategies do not have much success when applied to doors. It is largely due to the cause feel the vibrations through your seat and floor, but also because engine noise barrier tends to stick to the body of the car.
Depending on what type of music or stereo is installed in another vehicle, there will be a lot of noise that will come through. Also, road bumps can be very disruptive and produce a loud thud as you drive over them with your own doors. Because the noise from doors has nowhere to go in or out from the car body, it stays trapped inside until it dissipates.
Conclusion
There are many ways to soundproof a car door. A few of these include applying an automotive insulation product, using weatherstripping and soundproof noise insulation sealing for the rear doors or windows, replacing the window glass with laminated safety glass, adding caulking around any openings in the body that may allow noise from outside into your vehicle’s cabin.
These methods will help you keep unwanted sounds out while also keeping other noises at bay when they come inside your vehicle’s cabin. With all this information on how to soundproof a car door now at hand, it won’t be hard for you to find one solution that works best for you!
Louis Wein
Louis has always been fascinated by cars. He loves the way they look, the sound of the engine, and how they make him feel when he's driving. He is always keen to learn more about different mechanics of cars and how the engine contributes to other aspects of the car. As an automotive technician with over 10 years of experience, he knew how they worked and loved taking them apart to see how they went back together. He was especially interested in the mechanics of combustion engines and loved finding ways to make them more efficient. He loves to work on cars and help people keep their vehicles running smoothly. As a senior editor, he enjoys contributing to Diy quickly because it allows him to share his knowledge and expertise with others.
