Quote:
Originally Posted by Leoshashi It was done in two stages. Stage I involved insulating the Doors, A Pillars and Roof. This was done last year, in August 2020 I guess. Stage II took care of Floor and Rear Quarter panels which was done in October 2021. |
Stage 2 Update: I decided to postpone it, only since the floors atleast had some kind of insulation, unlike doors and roof which were entirely naked. However a quick comparison with some well built Suzukis like Kizashi, or the Ciaz whose stock insulation feels superior to other Marutis revealed that XL6 had negligible damping on floor panels.
OEMs use Melt sheets(that black thick tar like stuff) for damping floor panels. Here is a comparison of different Marutis:
Kizashi:
Ciaz
Heck Ciaz has some damping on roof as well
Ertiga Petrol:
Ertiga Diesel:
XL6 in comparison, got even lesser silencer material on floor than Ertiga, due to different mounting holes at rear for captain seats:
Not only did XL6 get lesser damping than something say Kizashi, even sheet thickness was low. XL6 got 1.5mm sheets, while Kizashi got as high as 3mm at some locations.
Trouble areas: I specially wanted to cut noise from rear wheel arch which was very prominent on cemented roads like GT road. Also had planned to damp the entire floor section, but was absolutely unaware of what was waiting for me. Read on!
Sheets Used:
1. STP Black Silver series, 1.8mm. Sourced from AudioConcepts, 98713 32377
2. Dr Artex Lace Foam Sheets
Steps(Easier said than done):
1. Disconnect Main battery terminals. Both positive and negative.
2. Remove Front and Middle row seats. T40 socket will be needed.
3. Disconnect Auxiliary Power module:
4. Remove Boot tray and carpet and subsequently remove last row seats.
5. Remove Rear quarter panel pads.
6. Remove Center console
7. Install sheets and then Fit everything back
Thankfully I had Arjun by my side, and he had come at 6am to start early. We did it during the Dussehra Holidays so that we had ample time at hand. Thanks to his accurate and fast hands, we managed to complete the job by evening.
Process for each panel was a standard affair. Clean with IPA, Cut sheets as per size while being mindful of mounting holes, press and roll with the roller.
Time for pics:
The expensive Li Ion battery, costs north of 55k today:
Exposed terminals:
XL6 employs these thick thermocol bases to raise the platform effectively. They are almost 2 inches thick and well built:
Rear AC's pipes:
Thankfully, the stock carpet was pretty thick!
Parts lined outside:
Naked floor, notice the minimal stock damping:
Process begins:
We used this screwdriver to raise the dash panel damping:
IPA Wipedown:
Closer look at the complex Rear AC piping:
Front Floor done:
Supplies:
Mid floor done:
Another look:
Namesake insulation on tail panel:
Naked Quarter panel:
Rear floor and quarter panel damped:
Noise insulator applied on the plastic quarter panel trim:
Thermocol platform going back in:
"Headache" is back in, safely:
Aftermath: I was expecting a drastic decrease in road noise, and nothing much. In reality, road noise decreased a bit, specially the noise from rear was gone. But what shocked me was the difference in suspension behavior. All the vibrations which got transferred from suspension to front floor was completely gone. XL6 felt to be riding much plusher and in an elegant way. All the harshness and vibrations on sharper undulations was gone! Even the drone from engine decreased a bit, perhaps it was travelling down the undamped panel and this insulation eliminated it.
![Cheering](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/Cheering.gif)
Highly impressed.