Sound insulation?

[hkpierce]

I was walking by a parked Sprinter Roadtrek in downtown Bethesda, when one of the crew (a band-hauling Roadtrek) came out the side door and closed it. From the sound, the door had not been sound-deadened. Given the relative ease of this task (compared to the conversion effort) and the contribution towards driving comfort, I was surprised by the oversight.

[BaywoodBill]

Interesting note. Aside from pulling off the inside panel to see, I don't know if our door is insulated. My wife hates to close it in campgrounds for fear she will wake the dead.

[hkpierce]

If it sounds tinny when either knocking with your knuckles or closing it, then it is not likely sound deadened. If the door thumps, then it is likely sound deadened. Mine closes with a thump, not a drum.

[Ray]

You talked about sound-deadenenig the side door... How do I go about do it? Is there a kit?

[hkpierce]

Originally Posted by Ray

You talked about sound-deadenenig the side door... How do I go about do it? Is there a kit?

If you purchased your Sprinter with the insulation option, there is allegedly a kit - 1 1/2 inches of light gray open-cell stuff glued on and very skimpy (some people report that Sprinter's insulation kit is OK - maybe in later years, mine is a 2002). But mine has it, and it is useless. The side door panel comes off easily (take the handle off, then carefully pop the plugs out). Then, start with a dense sound deadener similar to Dynmat (find something cheaper) and hit the door's impact areas. Then go after the empty space with your choice of bulky insulation. Pull out the crash barrier on the bottom of the door and deaden around that area and replace. But be careful not to get insulation in the very bottom of the door - the weep holes have to stay open. If you have your stuff at hand, should take no more than 20 minutes - and you don't need to take the door off (seats out of the way is nice).

[twistyroad]

This is an '08 144" passenger model, with the sliding door stripped...

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...and with sound-deadening mat installed...

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...and then with thermal insulation...

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...and reassembled...

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...yes, I removed (and left out) the speakers... I had bigger, better plans for the sound system...