Originally Posted by thedigitel

I looked through the Sticky section for How-to guides, but did not see anything for removing door cards, so I thought I'd post this up and hopefully it will help some people.

A few weeks after purchasing my 2011 XF, I started noticing a rattling noise from the passenger-side door that happened when driving over bumps or listening to music with any type of bass. Some research led me to this post, which I will credit as the original source of this how-to: How to remove xf door cards

There are cables inside the door that are wrapped in a foam material which breaks down and eventually fails, leading to the cables being exposed and causing rattles. In my car, this was the front passenger door, but this can happen in any of the doors as the design is similar.

Anyways, I'll get started. This procedure is really quite simple and only requires basic tools. Here are the tools you will need:

• T20 Torx bit
• T30 Torx bit
• Small flathead screwdriver (or other prying device)
• Beverage of choice (optional)

First step is to remove all of the screws and bolts from the door, the location of which is shown here:


Pry these small plastic pieces off with a small screwdriver, and remove all the bolts:







Once those are all removed, grab the door panel at the inside edge (noted above in first picture), and give it a firm and quick pull. This may require a prying tool if you can't get your finders behind it. Once you feel the first clip pop, work your way around the door panel with more quick firm pulls to release all of the clips. You can see the clip locations in the next photo.

Before removing the door panel, unclip the lock cable from the door card. Set it aside, and proceed to remove all of the T20 bolts around the speaker assembly:




Pull the speaker assembly out and move it out of the way. I just let it dangle to the side, but you could remove all the cables if you desire. Once that's out of the way, you are done taking things apart. Here's a look inside the door...notice how bad the foam has deteriorated in 2 years.




There is a white clip that holds the two cables together. In my case, the foam had deteriorated, leaving both cables exposed. Taking one of the cables and wiggling it around immediately revealed the exact source of the irritating rattling I was hearing. My solution was to move the cable from its location sitting directly next to the opposing cable, and move it into a small retainer that is built into the clip. Easier to explain in a picture:




In addition, I re-wrapped all of the cables with new foam material to avoid future problems. You can use any sort of thin foam, I happened to have some high density packing material that I used.






Once that was done, everything goes back together in reverse order. Make sure to re-connect the lock cable before snapping the door panel back in place. It goes back on pretty easily, just use a firm hit with a closed fist on each clip location to re-seat them. These clips hold very firmly and are good quality, so I did not experience any breaking or issues. Once back together, the door feels as good as new.

All wrapped up:





Best part of all, NO MORE RATTLES! This made a huge difference in the comfort and my enjoyment of the car. Music sounds better and no more noises when going over bumps.

Hopefully this will be helpful to someone, and don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!

Originally Posted by BFG

I joined up specifically to say thank you for this thread

The rattle is exactly the cable described.

Originally Posted by Olympus

So... I've lost the little round plastic covers that hide the bolt behind the door handles.
Anyone know if there are replaccements for this or a part nr ??
Thnx

Originally Posted by Olympus

So... I've lost the little round plastic covers that hide the bolt behind the door handles.
Anyone know if there are replaccements for this or a part nr ??
Thnx