GreenHawaii, I just updated the image showing where additional felt pads should be placed next to the guiding clips at the front end of the shift. I, for one, didn't need those additional dots. Please let us know if this will silence your console completely.

 

Another option for the felt pads are a sheet of Surface Gard Light Duty Felt Pads. It's a cardboard sheet with 46 pads on it:
16 - 3/8" pads
8 - 1/2" pads
10 - 5/8" pads
12 - 3/4" pads

I used 3 of the 3/4" pads in the original positions. You may be able to use some of the smaller pads in the other positions.

The sheet was $1.38 at Home Depot.

This is a similar set but in brown. Has the same assortment of pads.

 

Thanks for the info guys. I did the felt pad trick at lunch today and it has helped.

I can still produce the squeaking if I put my fingers in the bottom of the utility box (with the 12V outlet) between the shifter/cup holder and padded flip-up console door and press downward hard.

It seems the pads are treating the symptoms and not the disease.

The disease is the lack of structural support and rigidity of the console itself!

It's also amazing how easy the whole console shifts from side to side with very little pressure? I tried this with the wife's X5 BMW console and it is solid as a rock!

I probably notice it more because I am left handed and rest my right elbow on the padded console during driving.

 

I can still produce the squeaking if I put my fingers in the bottom of the utility box

Sorry, I just have to say this. Don't put your fingers in the bottom of the utility box anymore and you may have solved your problem.

PS, I know what you're getting at. Hopefully the next generation Camry will have a design change that can be cheaply retrofitted.

 

I hear you; from now on my solution is to crank the Stereo.

 

I'm pretty handy fixing things, but lovekills' instructions make this too easy! THANKS! This really a trivially easy operation given the excellent instructions. My TCH has the heater switches, too, but the switches and connecting wires do not get in the way. I had some old round felt pads in the drawer that look maybe half the thickness of the medium weight pads shown, but getting in is so easy, I will have no problem replacing these with thicker pads if needed. If you don't hear back from me on this thread, you can assume my center console squeaks are history!

-- Alan

 

You are hearing back from me, unfortunately. The pads did not stop the squeak. I added a second set of pads to the underside of the cover to effectively double the pad thickness, but it still squeaks! I agree with a previous poster that there is too little support under the plate that the console cover clips into. Grease may be a temporary fix, but I think I am going to put this one in the dealer's lap (at least once, if only to help raise Toyota's awareness of the issue).

-- Alan

 

Alan, is the squeak as loud as before? Can you make the console squeak if you push the sides? Did you place the felt dots just next to the yellow clips holes? Are the felt dots thick enough to support the cover plate? I don't know if many pads are better than just a few but in the proper place. I would remove the first set of pads and start with a thicker new set. After you put the first three, close it and see if you can still induce the noise by pushing on the sides or the cover. If yes, then continue with a couple more dots near remaining clip holes, then try again. I would not place any felt dots at the back end of the cover, there isn't enough room underneath the shift cover plate over there to close it.

One more thing you should try: when you remove the cover plate, set it aside and push the sides of the console and see if you can still hear the noise. If you do, then it may be something else in there that squeaks. It's all made of cheap plastic.

Agree with everybody here - Toyota has to improve the design of the console. Unfortunately, until then we are stuck with what we have. Mine is completely silent, at least for now - a couple of weeks or so later.

 

Yes the squeaks are as loud as before, but perhaps less likely to start. It takes some rough road to induce the squeak, and it is not caused by pushing in on the sides. Light pressure on the left front corner of the console cover, just behind the seat heater switches completely stops the squeaks.

I will leave it until my first oil change to let the dealer see it and get it registered as a warranty claim. If they do not fix it, I will work more on it myself. It is a nuisance, but a very minor one that is mostly covered up with the radio on, even at low volumes (or with a simple jab on the cover!).

-- Alan

 

The noise coming from my console was really loud and certainly not covered by the radio at low volumes. You could easily produce it with the lightest touch on the sides. Let us know how it works out for you.