Hi all.

I picked up a new Superb 1.5Tsi e-tec MHEV SE Technology last week.
3 or 4 times since then, I've heard like a motor, whirring noise. It sounds like it's coming from the driver's B-pillar area. It lasts for about 2-4 seconds then stops. I can't be 100% sure of any pattern yet but when it's happened, it seems to be just after you pull away.

Google AI says it might be the seat belt mechanism setting up and taking up any slack, although I can't say I felt any movement on the belt.

Anyone have any ideas? Hopefully I'm worrying about nothing 😁

It probably is the automatic tensioner of the seatbelt. However i do notice my seat belt actually tightening a bit when it is done and never heard a sound. Always happens when you just started the car and drive away.

10 hours ago, QuinFin said:

It probably is the automatic tensioner of the seatbelt. However i do notice my seat belt actually tightening a bit when it is done and never heard a sound. Always happens when you just started the car and drive away.

Thanks. I'll pay a bit more attention and see if I can see a pattern.

Hi,

My Mk3 superb had a noise similar to what you describe when sat on the motorway at about 65 - 70, like a buzzing noise I could swear was coming from the B pillar right next to the drivers right ear. After I stripped the B Pillar down thinkning it was something in the seatbelt etc I learnt that these noises can travel a long way through the car and it might not be coming from where you think.

My issue was a fuel pipe which passes through a box section under the drivers side floor and resonates at certain speeds, VW have a service bulletin for it as it affected the Golfs as well SB-10069579-2280. There fix looks like basically rubber isolators stuffed into the box sections so the pipe doesn't touch the sides of the box section. I would presume this has been resolved on the MK4 but I'll mention it just in case it helps. If the fuel pipe isn't secured in the box section it can touch the sides.

My fix was to pass cable ties in through the holes in the box section at a few intervals and hook around the fuel pipe so they tie it the bottom of the box section so it can't resonate and rattle around, it's been fine since 2022 now.

SB-10069579-2280 Fuel Pipe TB.pdf

Hope this helps.