Which production model and body had most rattles

[delt1c]

Ok wondering what model chassis and body had the most rattles making for an uncomfortable journey. Not looking at individual vehicles or garage allocations. For me had to be the LT DMS, regardless of Park Royal or MCW, everything rattled even window frames and made worse by the AFC ( usually unused ) equipment. Anything over 10 mins was unbearable

 

[randyrippley]

ECW bodied LH by far

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Ok wondering what model chassis and body had the most rattles making for an uncomfortable journey. Not looking at individual vehicles or garage allocations. For me had to be the LT DMS, regardless of Park Royal or MCW, everything rattled even window frames and made worse by the AFC ( usually unused ) equipment. Anything over 10 mins was unbearable

My bete noir for that was the Plaxton Prestige on a Daf SB220LF chassis - Arriva had a few though Go Ahead also had them. From the day they entered service, they were terrible. My worst ever journey was on one of those - a run from Chilton to Darlington on the old 723. 40 mins of constant banging and clattering. Second worst was a Scania Omnicity of First Potteries last year - thought I was going to lose my fillings but I know that was just a very bad example of the type.

In terms of Streetlites (which will undoubtedly get a mention at some point), the ride quality is iffy but the design flaw of the emergency door handle is a constant annoyance. They're cheap to buy and I don't think anyone can make out they're brilliant but some are better than others which would point to individual operator set up as a factor.

As for @randyrippley, I spent much of my youth on those machines. Basic and raucous, definitely, and rather spartan internally but they weren't so bad for rattles IMHO>

 

[fgwrich]

Oddly, both my choices from from Alexander. First up is the pre MMC The Enviro 200. The earlier the vehicle, the utter worse they are. There seemed to be something around 2006 where the quality dropped on the late build Darts, and didn't pick up in the early Enviro 200s. My local currently has a 54 plate Dart (a perfect, smooth and very reliable machine), a 56 plate dart (vibrates a lot when idle, radiator stuck on permanently) and some of Stagecoach's 07, 58 & 61 plate Enviro 200s. They rattle like mad, shake a lot, often some of the least reliable vehicles around. My heart sinks when I see one of those turn up on my local route, or find their way to a long distance route like Basingstoke > Andover / Newbury / Alton & Liphook.

My second choice is the ALX 200. Basingstoke seemed to end up with the runt of the batch, mostly ex London examples which had their centre doors removed. They rattled like mad, often leaked, and for some reason a number seemed to have something akin to ballbearings rattling around In the roof which made every journey even more irritating. Unfortunately for the good people of East Devon, a number ended up down in Exeter / Exmouth for several years later - which made me laugh seeing Line 5 branding 'North Hants Hospital * West Popley * Oakridge * South View * Town Centre * Buckskin * Hatch Warren' turning up on the 57!

 

[JD2168]

Streetlite, the rattles on some of these at new particularly on ones with the Daimler engine is quite appalling for it’s age. The emergency exit handle rattle is awful as well. It makes you wonder how long these will last before withdrawal.

Streetdeck, on some of these the rattles at brand new feels like poor build quality, B9TL’s of an older age have very little rattles.
E200’

 

[AndrewE]

Had - or has most rattles? I have recently had some appallingly noisy journeys on the First Potteries route 3 which runs from Crewe to Hanley.
You need to make sure you are nowhere near the emergency exit door on the driver's side about 2/3 of the way back.

 

[Eyersey468]

My choices are anything MCV bodied. Our 14 plate B7RLEs aren't too bad but the windows in the B8RLEs flex that much it seems like they will fall out and the build quality of the Evosetis we have is terrible, the 66 plates aren't too bad but the 67 plates in particular feel like they were thrown together at 6pm on a Friday night. I drive one when it was a fortnight old and there were that many rattles, bangs and squeaks I honestly thought the bus would fall apart, the Optare Excel which was so unreliable and poorly built I am told bits were falling off them before they even entered service, and the Plaxton Primo.

 

[WY Bus Spotter]

Volvo Hybrid B5LHs at First Leeds are unbearable when it comes to rattling.

The Streetlite emergency doors are infamously loud.

 

[rcro]

I found First’s Volvo B6/Wright Crusaders pretty unpleasant to be on when stationary. Not sure if it’s standard or just the way they were in Bath but quickly learned to avoid them (and the ex-Sheffield SPDs). I guess it’s a sort of positive that my list is fairly short.
(though my lifetime experience of Streetlites is limited just to a single trip on the 8 up Park Street in Bristol and I bailed out at the first stop deciding I would rather walk!)

 

[Bus Lightyear]

Alexander AL bodied Leyland Altanteans with panoramic windows were bad for rattles and they were not helped by their lack of body pillars although Edinburgh Corporation's seemed more robust than Greater Glasgow PTEs as they had the centre exit.

In the modern day, just about everything from Wright.

 

[The exile]

Alexander AL bodied Leyland Altanteans with panoramic windows were bad for rattles and they were not helped by their lack of body pillars although Edinburgh Corporation's seemed more robust than Greater Glasgow PTEs as they had the centre exit.

The grab poles on Edinburgh’s Atlanteans used to rattle something rotten when the engines were idling. Quite headache inducing at times!

 

[Nammer]

Daimler engined Streetlites by far the worst vehicle for rattles I've ever travelled on. The emergency door handle on these rattling when the bus is idling. Grrr

 

[Geeves]

Carlyle and Northern Counties bodied Dennis Darts have to be some of the most rattily buses ever, they had a weird kind of echo due to the sheer amount of plastic that seemed to make them even worse, waiting at the lights on the Carlyle ones was almost unbearable! Especially at the back over the engine.

GM/First Manchester B6 Alexander bodied buses were very bad too.