Front door insulation

[mitchelln]

Does the noise killer kit include bitumen based pads?

I've found the PeaceMat has had the most effect. Panel vibration is the primary source of noise in a vehicle, so damping it out makes a big difference.

[Merlot man]

Does the noise killer kit include bitumen based pads?

I've found the PeaceMat has had the most effect. Panel vibration is the primary source of noise in a vehicle, so damping it out makes a big difference.

Note all that sure what it contains but I assume bitumen pads are part of it
As I understand all the components come precut to be fitted onto the engine cover , front foot well and transmission tunnel and inside their one doors, it also comes with a blanket that covers the top of the engine under the cover .
Really just looking to see if anybody has used it and what they thought of the noise deadening results
Brian

[mitchelln]

The kit looks similar to what I'm doing - less DIY involved of course The blanket looks interesting from the pictures I've found of it. Appears to be made of a heat proof material, but the method of fixing (tie wraps from what I can gather from the instructions) seems a little ad-hoc? I would be interested to hear if anyone has feedback about it.

The biggest single difference on mine was gained from the PeaceMat I fitted to the engine covers under the seats. It wasn't even 100% coverage. A week or so later I then carefully cut 10mm close cell foam based GlassMat to shape using the factory fit shield under the seat as templates and stuck it over the PeaceMat. I then re-fitted the factory shield over that. It didn't seem to make that much difference, which surprised me.

I found the existing factory applied bitumen in the footwells and back of the dog house is not very effective. I left these areas until last, but was pleasantly surprised at the difference when I finally applied PeaceMat XR over them. A noticeable difference. Footwell vibration in particular was obviously a significant source of noise.

[Bongolia]

Nice job.

[BigPanzer]

A very interesting and informative thread. My soundproofing is much more basic, with bitumen pads stuck in the doors & rear panels, but even that is well worth doing and I'm convinced the stereo sounds better. One problem is though, you get used to a quieter Bongo and after a couple of thousand miles it still sounds noisy to you.........UNTIL you, as I did recently, drive another Bongo and you think to yourself "J***s C****t, did mine sound like this?"

Peter

[mitchelln]

A chap at work has exactly the same model. I took him for a spin last Friday and he couldn't believe the difference. Open mouthed wonder!

Then went out in his to compare and as you say Peter, went "bl#*dy hell!" He wants me to do his van now

My wife no longer winces either going up steep hills

I'm hopefully going to tackle the seat belt bolts this week do I can get at the roof panels.

[mikeonb4c]

I've been following these sound insulating treads with great interest , it's a project I'm going to fo myself .
The work looks very comprehensive mitchlin !
I was wondering if anyone on here has used the kit from noise killer and what they thought of it in terms of noise reduction ?
The kit is £195 plus delivery
Thanks
Brian

Hmmmm. Looked at a couple of videos and had a couple of thoughts. Land Rovers seemed to pop up as an under-bonnet example of noise reduction. That won't be as valuable on a Bongo as they're mid engined. Another youtube video featured an unlined panel van that benefited from having noise reduction pads slapped on all the panels. But the Bongo is already acknowledged to be 'more like a car than a van' and I think this is in part due to it not being a panel van but a windowed, lined purpose built people carrier. So there might only be a limited amount to be gained (and more work) in removing the lining and putting stuff behind. Also of course issues of ventilation to allow metal and lining stuff to 'breathe' might need bearing in mind (this one has come up when people have considered filling the voids with insulating material). But the front doors clearly aren't sound deadened and there is space to do it. The engine bay covers are but provided the heat, need for cooling air to circulate, etc aren't impacted then more can perhaps be done. Floors are carpeted so benefit if adding extra padding will be a bit reduced by that. Tailgate might benefit from padding though ventilation need is an issue here and its a long way from the front seat passengers also. Etc etc, thems me thoughts!

P.S. Suspension is a Bongo area where I'd love to hear of improvements - driving over potholes/poor surfaces in mines is a bit primitive!

[mitchelln]

Hi.

For me it's primarily about panel damping as it's the primary cause of noise in vehicles. I was surprised how little damping the Bongo has. As you say, it started life as an MPV.

The main driver at the moment for giving the roof attention is acorns (no, I haven't taken leave of my senses ). We have loads of oaks round our way and the first time one dinged off the roof as we were going along I thought we had been shot at! Every one in the van jumped and say "What was that!". Amazingly loud. Even rain is pretty noisy, especially if you are parked under trees. So deadening should help a lot. Thermal insulation is also a goal.

The front section of the headlining has a dense foam layer forming it's structure, but that will not stop the roof panel vibrating as it barely touches it. The rear headlining (at least on mine) has no foam layer and has nothing but a single thin sheet of old school yellow upholstery foam literally just laying on top of it. If I move the headlining up and down it wafts about! There should be gains to be had by damping these panels. There will certainly be thermal advantage in insulating the back section of the roof with neoprene over the panel damping.

There is a small amount of factory fit bitumen applied to the foot wells and the back of the dog house, but I'm not sure how effective it is after 12 years of being baked. All the engine covers have is a thin sheet of fibreglass material hooked on. That certainly won't stop any panel vibration noise. You get major noise reduction damping this area.

The doors have no sound damping at all, but there is sufficient access and space to fit it. I've got 4 large sized PeaceMats fitted and 2 small with 3mm neoprene over the top. I recommend gloves though to prevent scrapes! I would agree that filling the void with loft insulation or wool would cause damp problems. Ditto with the side panels. Peacemat and neoprene seems to do the job and shouldn't cause moisture build up issues.

As to the floor, don't get me started The carpet was obviously removed when the conversion was done and the company who did it didn't bother putting down any sound proofing. So the majority of the noise I have left is from the exhaust system running under the floor. The floor also gets quite warm after a journey. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to take out the interior if I want to fit sound deadening to the floor

Anyway, this all keeps me occupied and I'm pleased with the results so far. Discovered a couple of surface rust patches on the inside of the roof panels in the process. Learning lots about how the vehicle is put together as well

There must be things you can do to the suspension. Adjustable shocks for example?

[mitchelln]

I've just helped a work colleague fit sound deadening to his Bongo front doors. This time I had the opportunity to take some pictures as I made sure he got covered in the mastic gunk instead of me

Top rear access point of door - consists of 2x large sheets of Peacemat at the top and two more below. You can't see the pieces stuck into the middle of the door skin. I stuck those on by feeding them into the access hole and carefully sticking down with my hand well in the panel (wear gloves to prevent cuts!). There is room to do this. You can also see the Peacemat on the internal framing:


Lower access point. You can see the bottom of the large Peacemat and the additional small Peacemat XS I stuck in the bottom. Again, there is a 2nd strip further into the door:


Front access point. Removing the speaker gave access to lower hinge area:


My colleague hasn't opted, as I did, to fit an additional layer of 3mm neoprene over the Peacemat and to replace the weather sheet. Mainly due to the fact he forgot to bring it He's going to do it later to give some thermal insulation.