Best Way to Soundproof Car Doors: Easy 4 Step Guide
If you’re looking for a way to soundproof your car doors, I’ve got just the article for you!
But I’ll let you in on a little secret before we start: you can’t actually soundproof a car door. To soundproof something basically means that you’re blocking ALL THE SOUND from coming in and out.
Cars are almost impossible to soundproof, so I’d rather talk about simple noise reduction. You can reduce the noise coming in and out of your vehicle cabin by adding density to the doors with the right noise insulation. I checked out most of the information available online and I asked a friend who reduced the noise in his Ford pick up truck with great success to share his opinion as well.
This resulted in an effective step-by- step guide for insulating car doors, without having to hire a professional. And here it is:
1. Choose the right insulation material
There are many insulating products you can use for car doors. They’re usually made from two materials: butyl rubber and foil. There are two reasons for that.
First of all, the butyl rubber is a flexible material that adheres easily to any surface. It also effectively blocks structure-borne noise (low frequency sound waves produced by vibrations) as well as airborne noise (regular traffic noise).
Because of its unique structure, it can be fairly thin and still be a good sound insulator (unlike foam panels for example). This makes it easy to install in tight places like car doors. The foil is used mainly because it’s a good thermal insulator and it increases the longevity of the product.
Overall, these three products are the best for soundproofing car doors, and they’re all available on Amazon:
They’re very similar. Second Skin is the one with the longest track record and great reputation. Noico however, has been getting excellent reviews and it’s the most affordable option. FatMat is the product my friend used in his pick-up truck, and he used it cover the engine compartment, the floor and the door panels with impressive results. Choose either one of these, and you’ll do good.
2. Remove the door panel
Here is a detailed guide for removing a door panel without breaking anything:
The tools this lady used to remove the door panel are:
- Flat Head Screw Driver
- Phillips Head Screw Driver
- Plastic Pry
- Masking Tape (to prevent scratching)
3. Add the insulation material
Once you’ve removed the door panel, it’s time to cover the inside of the door with the product of your choice. For the best results, cover the entire door, except for parts that serve a functional purpose.
This guy used Second Skin Damplifier Pro to soundproof his doors. You can use this same procedure with the other 2 products I mentioned as well:
Here is an alternative guide you can use:
The insulatio used in this video can be ordered from this website. I don’t really recommend it because it’s more expensive than the 3 products I mentioned above, and I don’t see any special reason why it would work any better. You can use the same tutorial with any of these products.
4. Attach the door panel
Once you’ve covered the door with the insulating material of your choice, attach the door panel back one the door. This is the final step of the project. Check out the first video to see how it’s done.
Once the door panel is back in place, try to open and close the door, and try to roll the windows up and down. If everything works fine, you’re done. If you can’t roll the windows or close/open the door, you’ve probably covered some functional part of the door with the material and it’s obstructing the movement of an inner mechanism. In that case, remove the panel and cut the part of the material that seems to be causing the problem.
Once you’ve done that, attach the panel once more, and try again. You’re done!
Conclusion
Inserting insulation material in a car door is really simple, as you could see from these tutorials. There’s no special tools or handyman talent required. I hope you’ll use this information and get the noise-reduction you’re looking for.
