VE Door Seal Creak

[WreckWren]

G'day,
My VE has the most irritating creak in the driver's door. It sounds more like a "crack" than a creak.

I've replaced the main door seal, I've tried moving the striker plate, I've tried the tape on the striker, I've tried oiling and greasing the seals with everything from trim dressing to tire shine/silicone spray, I've tried re-fitting every component in the door trim and still this bloody stupid thing goes "crack" over every single damn bump or undulation in the road.
It has gone away for a maximum of 1 day after tire shine application.

Should I try pulling the inner fender off and adjusting the door? The panel gaps are consistent all round so it looks aligned.
I've seen reports here on JC that replacing the striker plates may help, not sure why that might be.

Or time to just sell the vehicle?
Any advice would be welcome.
Cheers.

 

[lout]

have you tried with window down one inch to rule out glass/regulator issue

 

[WreckWren]

have you tried with window down one inch to rule out glass/regulator issue

Yes, the sound occurs with the window at any position - also replaced window seals semi-recently as they were aged.
Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Fu Manchu]

Hinges relube
Check strap relube
Silicone grease seals.

 

[rambunctious]

Hinges relube
Check strap relube
Silicone grease seals.

+10 for strap relube
I used an oil can and squirted oil along the strap inside the door.
No more noise
Had to do this on more than one car in my life

 

[WreckWren]

Hinges relube
Check strap relube
Silicone grease seals.

I've done silicone lube on the seals but haven't lubed the hinges or strap as the noise occurs with the door closed and car moving only. Still, I'll give em a go, thanks for the suggestion.

+10 for strap relube
I used an oil can and squirted oil along the strap inside the door.
No more noise
Had to do this on more than one car in my life

Was this for noises with the door closed only? I'll give it a go and report back anyway.

 

[WreckWren]

Update: lubed the strap and hinges with motor oil and applied the Glym brand trim gel (since it's got lots of recommendations here on JC). No dice, noise persists.

Upon close inspection of the surrounding area, the trim above the door has got 2 broken clips which is letting it sag ever so slightly (~2mm).
Could this be the source of the issue?
There's a place not too far away that seems to have a stock of these clips, so I'll try to get some this week and give it a go. Will report back.
Cheers

 

[lmoengnr]

Does the pin on the body latch have the plastic coating?

 

[WreckWren]

Does the pin on the body latch have the plastic coating?

Yes, it is the revision with the little plastic section on it. I have tried the tape trick as well, just to be sure. A little bit of tape does make the door sound nicer when closing, though!

 

[WreckWren]

Update: replaced all the clips in the drip rail with brand new ones & reinstalled. Noise persists.
Also replaced all triangular clips in trim with brand new ones to be thorough.

Ordered new outer upper door seal. This is the only remaining seal on that corner of the car that hasn't been replaced.

Only thing I can think of past this is to remove the inner fender & adjust the door, but the door looks perfectly aligned already & the panel gap is identical to the passenger door all round (measured with calipers). The passenger door makes no noise, however it has marks from rubbing on the main seal.

The noise sounds like it's coming from the front of the door, near the mirror. The mirror itself is not the culprit though, as it has been removed, cleaned and refitted to be sure.
Perhaps the main seal is installed in an incorrect orientation? I installed the new one in the same way the previous one had been; with the seam near the front of the kick panel.
The passenger side has the factory seal, and the seam is near the back of the kick panel. The premade curves in the seal fit best with the seam where it is, but should they match perhaps?

Any ideas?