I need to disclose here that it's my company that makes the Loc8 Table System, so I know them really well. I'm also acutely aware that there is no advertising or product 'pushing' on this forum and rightly so. I hope I'm not breaking any rules with the following post and if I am, I apologise and assume it will be taken down. But as I know them well and possibly even screwed on the table legs myself, I feel my input may be helpful. So here goes.....
I have coped below a detailed email response to someone who had an issue with rattles back in May 2024.
I hope it helps.
Hi Lisa,
Rattles......
Without actually seeing the van, it's really hard to work out a cure, as campers have often been previously modified and this can alter something in an unforeseen way.
This said, there is one cause of rattles that is relatively common; please check that all 4 of the adjustable feet are screwed in fully. If they are slightly unscrewed they can rattle in a really irritating way. We have discussed doing away with the screw-in feet, but people see them as being a good feature, even though in reality they are not really used.
If the feet are fine, then daft as it sounds, please try putting the table into the trim the other way up. The shock chords have slightly different tension between the top section and the bottom and sometimes a leg just needs a little more or less tension against it to solve the issue.
After trying that, my final thoughts are written below listing every other cause of rattles/solutions we have so far come across in the hope that they will help.
1 Doors that have previously had plywood panels screwed to them (as most second hand vans have). If the area around the (now removed) self-tapping screws has been pulled slightly out of shape where the loc8 panel rests, this can cause the panel to be slightly deformed and it then vibrates against the door skin or causes the table legs to rattle against the panel/table. Sometimes this cause of a rattle/vibration will be more or less apparent with the table removed from the trim.
2 A cable rattling against the trim panel from behind (there is a black control cable running directly behind the area near the black door handle and this can be disturbed when fitting, or perhaps move over time). When I fit a Loc8 System I insulate the door at the same time using earth wool and in the upper section I make sure the plastic cable sits in the middle of the insulation surrounded by material, rather than just resting against the trim panel. This rattle tends to be the same whether the table is fitted into the trim or not.
3 Clips that have previously been stretched if the old panel that has been removed was carpeted or sometimes when ply lined, the extra thickness can have stretched the clips. This can make the Loc8 panel (which is original thickness) a loose fit and cause a vibration. The same problem can be caused by non genuine VW clips being used, as is sometimes the case where panels have been carpeted. The solution here is to replace the clips with unstretched original VW ones.
4 Insulation behind the panel pushing it out of shape, causing the legs to rattle against the plastic, or the panel to rattle against the door.
5 The table top changing shape slightly in extreme heat/cold or humidity or dryness (the table top is made of wood so it can alter shape slightly due to atmospheric conditions). Although this tends to create a rattle only sometimes in specific environmental conditions.
We spent ages trying to design a system that was rattle free, yet it sometimes happens that a table rattles in one van but not in another, with no obvious reason. However we have always managed to solve every rattle we have been presented with and if you are ever nearby us, we will gladly take a look at yours to ensure you leave us rattle free.
