coloneldolomite

I picked my car up tonight following the bearing replacement and was amazed at the difference. So much quieter now. I hope the bearing replacement sorts your problem. My independent garage were able to test which one it was and it turned out to be nearside rather than offside that was noisy to my surprise. It can be difficult to detect from inside.

I struggled to get Skoda to replace the front wheelbearings on my Octavia - very similar sound at exactly the same speeds you refer. They too advised tyres - replaced = still the sound persisted. In the end out of frustration, I got an independant to replace both fronts - even they were not convinced after the aggressive turns test too, however the noise had gone. That was at 40,000 miles - now at 85,000 the noise is back and funnily enough it is in today to have the o/s front bearing replaced again! A well known issue and if you have tried everything else it may be worth a go. Best of luck.

I had very similar problems with my car. As mentioned, uneven tyre wear can cause this - my rear tyres had gone out of shape on the inner edge - 'sawtoothing'. This gave a droning noise from the rear. However, I have also had issues with the frontwheelbearings - again very common. I had both front bearings replaced (around 50,000 miles) and this sorted the problem at the front. I don't know how old your car is, but I had a bit of a job convincing the main dealer that the bearings were the source of the noise. They were convinced it was the front tyres, but even after a new set the noise continued, so I could prove this wasn't the case. It was quite a costly fault finding activity! Good luck with it though. Keep us posted.

I've had similar issues with mine and paid out for new front tyres just to try and illiminate them from the noise...they didn't so I went straight into the dealer and got the front bearings changed. That was at around 50,000 miles and it solved the problem. At 65,000 I am starting to hear the noise return on the OSF, so may be returning for yet another bearing. They are certainly a poor quality, but with the sawtoothing issue also very commion it can be difficult to identify.

How about: http://www.jmillinandson.co.uk/ I have family and friends who use them and I have also used them regularly for my wife's car. Excellent again and they are not as expensive as GG.

Grey Gables Garage just outside Witney - Main Skoda dealer for over 25 years, now independant but fully equiped. Always received excellent service.

I had similar issues with my car. I had the alignment all checked (fine) and rear tyres replaced (sawtoothing), but the noise remained so I had both front wheelbearings replaced as I couldn't stand it any longer! That was at 50,000 miles and it transformed the car. Now at 65,000 and I am starting to hear the noises again, this time from the OSF wheel, so I suspect another replacement in due course. The bearings are really not that durable on VAG cars.

I was thinking of removing the inner wing liners and applying some silentcoat to the inner arch area behind the roadwheels - any thoughts?

Hi wellsy1. I can't remember in the details if it deadens the sound or absorbs it? Either way, I remember the chap telling me it somehow converts the energy from sound into heat energy. The Sound Deadening shop were very helpful. I didn't do the wheelarches to be honest, mainly due to not wanting to strip out the carpet and trim too much, however you could probably tuck a sheet or two between quite easily without moving too much trim. I don't think it is a massive job, something I may do another time. I just removed the spare wheel and applied a few sheets here along with around the floor area which is body colour. As I say, it isn't lifechanging, just a slight improvement on overall refinement. Good luck with the project.

Gents. I spent about an hour this week lining 70% of my boot well area and a little under the rear seat base with this: https://www.deadening.co.uk/products/silent-coat-2mm-mat-volume-pack I also have a rubber carpet protector in the boot. I am really pleased with the improvement. It isn't a transformation as such, but well worth the money and a doddle to fit. I have a few sheets left, so may try and fit a couple at the front somewhere around the bulkhead.

Gents. I spent about an hour this week lining 70% of my boot well area and a little under the rear seat base with this: https://www.deadening.co.uk/products/silent-coat-2mm-mat-volume-pack I also have a rubber carpet protector in the boot. I am really pleased with the improvement. It isn't a transformation as such, but well worth the money and a doddle to fit. I have a few sheets left, so may try and fit a couple at the front somewhere around the bulkhead.

There are 20 sheets in a pack and I think I used around 12. I didn't cover every inch of the boot, probably around 60% of the area that is visible when you remove the carpet mat. Only 2 sheets were placed under the seat base. I also have a rubber Skoda boot protector, so this probably helps a little too!

Very good Wellsy1. This thread got me tempted to also make some improvements to the sound dampening of my car. I live quite near these guys: https://www.deadening.co.uk/ So popped in earlier on in the week and purchased a pack of these: https://www.deadening.co.uk/products/silent-coat-2mm-deadening-mat It was a doddle to fit. Like Car Rock, I placed the mats around the spare wheel well, and on the base of the well. I also placed a few mats around the area in general and also under the rear seat base. There is certainly a marked improvement in overall refinement, so I am very pleased. I am due a set of new tyres on the front soon, so while the wheels are off I may remove the inner wing liners and place some matting on the inner wings. Certainly worth a go! While chatting to the chap in the office, he said that he had sold many kits to VW group car owners, who were disappointed with the refinement levels of their newer purchase in comparison to some of the older versions previously owned (Golf's especially). Many Octavia owners (myself included) preferred the MK1/MK2 in this respect.

Any updates on this one Wellsy1? A few days now since you got the car back...are you happy?

Great news Wellsy1. You must be very relieved about this. A photo would be interesting to see - may be something others will take up if it is a Skoda modification. You will now be able to enjoy the car and put this little blip behind you. Although they will never be the most refined car, I have certainly started to appreciate mine more as the miles have passed. The positives far outweigh the negatives in general and you can always play with it a little to improve things based on what people have recommended on this forum. Keep us posted!

Nice one Wellsy1. Good that they have found something at least. It will be interesting to see what the retro fit is on the b- pillar, not something that I have read before. I also had to fit a couple of new clips to my door card as it had obviously been off before - my car has had some paintwork in the past. If your cards have also been off, then it may have had some repair work at somepoint? Do the doors line up correctly? Fingers crossed for an improvement anyway!

I wonder what the level of refinement is on the new Karoq? If better, this may make a sensible option for some in the future.

I will be interested to see how you get on. I know how you feel though, my wife's little Hyundai i10 is far superior in refinement to the Octavia. This may be just psychological, but I often fill up with a tank of Optimax and I think it runs a bit quieter and smoother... others will disagree! Also, I have my car serviced at fixed intervals rather than variable, so about every 10 - 12k it gets a change of oil which always helps. I presume your car was serviced before purchase? Enjoy it though. It always takes a while to 'gel' with a car. As for pressure mine run at 2.2 bar (32 psi) as per handbook, if it has had tyres recently they may have been over inflated possibly?

Hello again Wellsy1. Yes, just over 2000rpm at 70MPH. I must admit not to finding it too obtrusive at this speed, in fact I do a fair bit of motorway mileage and find it pretty relaxed. If you can test drive another equivalent car I would. My car has always had an audible grinding noise at very low speed, say in traffic. To cut a long story short, it ended up having a new gearbox fitted, however this didn't make any difference at all. I have since tried another 1.6, nearly new and that made the same noise, as have Citigo and Fabia courtesy cars I have borrowed! At least it put my mind at rest though. I haven't had any problems as such with the box. I have a boot mat in mine which may help a bit. Also worth checking tyre pressures and adjusting accordingly. I think mine has loosened up quite well with the miles and this may have improved things.

I too have the same engine, although my car runs on 17 inch wheels, so 16 I would imagine would be much better in terms of refinement. It is well documented on this forum that refinement (or lack of) is an issue for some. After 2 years of ownership I am getting used to it, but soundproofing and comfort are certainly not as good as my previous mk2. It is a more enjoyable and easy drive though I feel. The economy is brilliant and I never find it to be lacking in performance. A 6th gear would be nice though. Tyre quality is important though. I have Dunlop on my front at the moment and would be happy to fit again. I have experienced 'Sawtoothing' on the rears which didn't help noise levels (Dunlop may be more susceptible than others possibly?) I have also had the front wheelbearings replaced recently due to 'droning', again this helped and is quite a common issue. My car is approaching 60,000 miles, although I have read others replacing them much sooner under warranty. As for wind noise, I can't say I have noticed it too much, so worth a trial with another to see if yours is particularly bad. All in all, my ownership has been a bit love/hate! So many positives in general, but a bit more finesse would be the icing on the cake. When I consider replacements though I always seem to migrate back to Octavia's!

Yes, seems very common on VAG group cars. My 1.6 Elegance has suffered from it and my Dad's Fabia has also just had the rears replaced for the same reason. They were both running on Dunlop tyres at the time. I have read that these may be more susceptible to 'sawtoothing' than other brands, but not so sure. I have tried to alternate my tyres back - front come service time to try and get a few more miles out of them before they become distorted. Glad you had good service from the main dealer though, good to know.

I can confirm the noise was the front wheel bearings. Two new front ones replaced and the noise has gone, so very pleased.

I am pleased to say that two new front wheel bearings have been fitted today and the noise I was experiencing has gone. 51,000 miles.

Just be aware that if the rears are going on the front they may have lots of tread left but may have been affected by 'sawtoothing' and gone out of shape. This may give you some additional noise from the front, often linked to a 'droning' noise. My car had covered around 30k too and the rear tyres were visibly out of shape, so replaced them instead of putting on front.

Hi Drew. There are quite a few posts related to wheel bearing noise on the forum which may be your problem too. My car has suffered with this recently, which I thought was the tyres, but has been confirmed by the dealer as wheelbearing drone. I am due replacement in a few weeks. If the swapping of tyres doesn't help, this may be the next port of call. I think the 'sawtoothing' tends to affect the rear tyres most.