Hi all,

 

I have noticed that our Fabia MK3 has started making a whirring noise and not entirely sure where it's coming from. It's more noticeable when driving at higher speeds, though if you take the pedal off the accelerator, the noise persists. 

 

My partner tried to capture the noise whilst I drove ( IMG_3637.m4a). In the audio clip I have not got the accelerator on and from around 7s I put the brake on. Has anyone got any ideas what it might be/what I should check?

 

Thanks in advanced.

To my untrained ears, it sounds a wee bit like a wheel bearing. I'd need a second opinion, however.

What age and mileage is our car also which engine and transmission?

Also you have not fitted directional winter tyres recently have you?

 

Edit:- I had a bit of that on Saturday, but there again I was driving my wife's 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI fitted with Alpin winter tyres that are directional, the noise only started when I started driving in South Ayrshire and vanished when I got back into Strathclyde area!

Edited 6 December, 20214 yr by rum4mo

1 minute ago, rum4mo said:

What age and mileage is our car also which engine and transmission?

Also you have not fitted directional winter tyres recently have you?

2015, coming up to 2018. Bought it from an approved used in Feb this year. Manual FABIA SE L TSI 1.2

Just now, Cotic said:

2015, coming up to 2018. Bought it from an approved used in Feb this year. Manual FABIA SE L TSI 1.2

Sorry meant 28000 miles

What brand of tyres are on it and roughly where do you live, ie to gauge outside temperature?

11 minutes ago, rum4mo said:

the noise only started when I started driving in South Ayrshire

 

Sorry about that.

1 minute ago, rum4mo said:

What brand of tyres are on it and roughly where do you live, ie to gauge outside temperature?

Will have to check tomorrow, but they’re not winter tyres. Scotland, so it’s pretty cold now, but it was making the notice a couple weeks back when it was warmer as well. I checked the pressures and they were fine, topped it up slightly but noise is still there.

2 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

 

Sorry about that.

Aye shocking, but not as bad as the dead end  diversions round about the Kingston Bridge at 23:00 on Saturday night!

2 minutes ago, Cotic said:

Will have to check tomorrow, but they’re not winter tyres. Scotland, so it’s pretty cold now, but it was making the notice a couple weeks back when it was warmer as well. I checked the pressures and they were fine, topped it up slightly but noise is still there.

 

Not Ayrshire type top surface then - or maybe?

2 minutes ago, rum4mo said:

Aye shocking, but not as bad as the dead end  diversions round about the Kingston Bridge at 23:00 on Saturday night!

 

I'll no take responsibility for that lot.

 

2 minutes ago, rum4mo said:

Not Ayrshire type top surface then - or maybe?

 

Ever been out by Dumfries House near Auchinleck. Yeah, I know that sentence makes no sense to anyone in Scotland just about.

 

Anyway, back on topic... I did think wheel bearing from the noise based on what I could hear, but that's my "mechanic's lug" kicking in probably.

Edited 6 December, 20214 yr by AnnoyingPentium

1 minute ago, rum4mo said:

Aye shocking, but not as bad as the dead end  diversions round about the Kingston Bridge at 23:00 on Saturday night!

 

Not Ayrshire type top surface then - or maybe?

Nah, Edinburgh/Borders

Just now, AnnoyingPentium said:

 

I'll no take responsibility for that lot.

 

Anyway, back on topic... I did think wheel bearing from the noise based on what I could hear, but that's my "mechanic's lug" kicking in probably.

I'm just trying to clear away some other reasons, seeing as I had the same thoughts while driving through Ayrshire on Sunday - maybe that road surface "brought out" bearing issues, for me time will tell!

1 minute ago, Cotic said:

Nah, Edinburgh/Borders

 

Fair enough, round about my way then, no noises from that Polo over "this" side - yet!

4 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

 

I'll no take responsibility for that lot.

 

 

Ever been out by Dumfries House near Auchinleck. Yeah, I know that sentence makes no sense to anyone in Scotland just about.

 

Anyway, back on topic... I did think wheel bearing from the noise based on what I could hear, but that's my "mechanic's lug" kicking in probably.

Oh yes my mate frequently goes there for a walk around, he tenda to mutter something about Arabs though, I'm sure that you will know why, maybe it is Saudis in particular.

That sounds similar to what we had driving on 1 mile of some very new tarmac smooth road surface.

 

In Northamptonshire and Leicestershire we had countless resurfacing with the chippings, started decades back, surface-dressing to save money, what a laugh it had to be done so often iron work and even kerb stones had to be raised as one layer went of top of another.  Then when it isn't attended to the holes get wider and deeper and multi-layered.

 

Having driven on the chippings for so long you get used to it - then we get on to this super smooth bit of new tarmac and its quiet until I notice the noise similar to your recording.  Once back on the chippings you realise how rough the surface is and the different noises from it, for a short while then it's as normal.

 

BTW Cotic if you add Fabia Mk3 1.2 TSI SE L (manual) (Year: 2015) to your details it'll save having to remember and help with answers.

 

Also 'summer tyres' (or tyres as they used to be called) start to lose efficiency at IIRC 10c (a summer's day in Scotland I believe) hence the Crossclimates and Winter tyres.

 

Edited 15 December, 20214 yr by nta16
spelling

What size tyres do you have?

Does the noise change when you turn left or right?

 

Thanks, AG Falco

3 hours ago, AGFalco said:

What size tyres do you have?

Does the noise change when you turn left or right?

 

Thanks, AG Falco

Would have to check the size (think they said R15 on the tyres when I last checked? - sorry not very good with cars). No the noise doesn't change when turning.

Cotic, the following link may help you - https://www.blackcircles.com/helpcentre/tyres/how-do-i-find-my-tyre-size

 

Also tyre date code as this can be very useful information that many drivers don't seem to know about.  A tyre can be old so perhaps hard through age and lack of use and still have lots of tread left on it so looking good but perhaps not.  Obviously yours wouldn't normally be older than 2014 but you never know with used vehicles. - https://www.bridgestone.com.sg/en/tyre-clinic/tyre-talk/tyre-date-code

 

21 hours ago, Cotic said:

No the noise doesn't change when turning.

A bad wheel bearing makes more noise when you put more load on it. ( cornering )

 

Where is the noise coming from, front or rear? Ask a passenger to sit in the front and then rear.

The noise might not be a wheel bearing.

 

Thanks, AG Falco

Thanks all. I’ve just taken it to the garage and based on our description they think it’s the wheel bearings as well. Does anyone know roughly how much replacement cost?

28 minutes ago, Cotic said:

Thanks all. I’ve just taken it to the garage and based on our description they think it’s the wheel bearings as well. Does anyone know roughly how much replacement cost?

 

Mine was £130 all in to get the one done, with £40 for the part and the rest labour IIRC. I'd need to look out the invoice, but that should be a rough approximation.

1 hour ago, Cotic said:

Thanks all. I’ve just taken it to the garage and based on our description they think it’s the wheel bearings as well. Does anyone know roughly how much replacement cost?

Sorry no idea of cost but I would be interested to know the results, if it is wheel bearing and if it's front or back or only one side or at one wheel, as my wife's car is the same age, but with 40+k-miles.

 

If you are taking it to a main Dealership I'm sure they won't take a chance and recommend changing the wheel bearing, or whatever else it might be, even if in reality the bearing might (obviously I've no real idea about this in your case) not need replacing straight away and have more serviceable life in it and just noisy and they might find other work that needs doing, if it does then it does but again the work might not need doing straight away and you could get more good serviceable life out of the part or component.  Again obviously I can't know if this is the case on your car.

 

I had this with a Czechoslovakia made Skoda back in the mid-80s but the Skoda Dealerships then weren't part of VW and were much smaller and much friendly and I was advised that the wheel bearing, on that car back then, though noisy could run for years like it and be fine, as it turned out it got noisier and had to be changed but it was still fine in its actual operation.

 

Let us know how you get on, good luck.

 

The noise of the wheel bearing on mine first occurred during the Summer there and was most prominent at 28mph and above, indicated speed as per speedometer. It was making a hell of a noise and it became rather daunting as it deteriorated quite quickly becoming noisier. My car is 15 years old and at the time was at 53,000 miles, now just scraping 57k.

 

I recommend seeking the help of an independent garage of some sort when it comes to work like this, but then again, I have a fair amount of underlying distaste against Ingram Skoda in Ayr.

Edited 14 December, 20214 yr by AnnoyingPentium

On 14/12/2021 at 08:24, Cotic said:

Thanks all. I’ve just taken it to the garage and based on our description they think it’s the wheel bearings as well. Does anyone know roughly how much replacement cost?

Are they telling you front or rear? Analysis on your description or actually driving?

On 14/12/2021 at 08:53, AnnoyingPentium said:

 

Mine was £130 all in to get the one done, with £40 for the part and the rest labour IIRC. 

Front or back? Having done both myself there will be a massive difference in cost depending which end!

On 14/12/2021 at 11:51, AnnoyingPentium said:

I recommend seeking the help of an independent garage of some sort when it comes to work like this

That have the tooling to change bearings if front, as specific tooling is required - cannot be just pressed to position.

 

There needs to be a few questions answered for a real analysis to take place:-

1/ You have had the car since Feb so assume you have driven on roads where you are noticing this, is the noise recent or has it always been there,

2/ Generally a wheel bearing would not be limited to road surface types - is the noise always there.

3/ Are the tyres as fitted when you bought the car, while wear may change any noise would not expect them to cause so much concern.

4/ If tyres are a concern have you considered swapping front to back.

5/ Generally wheel bearings give a whirring noise that increases with speed. Is this the case as sound clip not really clear.

6/ You mention applying brakes at 7 seconds - does sound change volume, tone etc  

Edited 15 December, 20214 yr by KeithCheetham
Garage competence

1 hour ago, KeithCheetham said:

Front or back? Having done both myself there will be a massive difference in cost depending which end!

 

Front right.

 

1 hour ago, KeithCheetham said:

That have the tooling to change bearings if front, as specific tooling is required - cannot be just pressed to position.

 

Very true.

On 14/12/2021 at 08:24, Cotic said:

Thanks all. I’ve just taken it to the garage and based on our description they think it’s the wheel bearings as well. Does anyone know roughly how much replacement cost?

 

Any update on this, was this a VW Group dealership or a VW Group Indie or general garage that you took it to, and what was the price to repair it?