[mark1181]

I noticed a weird whining/rubbing that occasionally comes on while I'm driving my car down the road. It seems to come on randomly at highway speed. Unfortunately I cannot record the specific sound and I have not found any similar recordings on the internet.

My vehicle has around 70k miles. I usually drive about 75-80 mph in ECO PRO mode. I first noticed this sound on my way home after driving on a gravel/dirt lot, but it's plausible that it had appeared sooner but I just didn't notice it.

I'm not sure what is causing the sound, but I have ruled out worn shocks and flat tires.

I read on here that it might be gravel between the rotor and the rotor shield, but I didn't see any gravel or grit in my rotors. Maybe there is and I just can't see it?

Thanks in advance!

[kingmonkey8]

How loud is the noise. If it's gravel between the brake disc and dust shield then it will be a loud screech.

I have a faint high pitch whistling type of sound from around my front passenger wheel.
Sounds a bit like the brake disc is rubbing. But it's very faint and I can't hear it at motorway speeds.
I've not jacked the car up to check yet so am not sure what's the cause.

[Bluebeasty]

I get a whining sound, but only happens when my girlfriend is in the passenger seat.......

[mark1181]

Originally Posted by Bluebeasty

I get a whining sound, but only happens when my girlfriend is in the passenger seat.......

This made my day!

[mark1181]

Originally Posted by kingmonkey8

How loud is the noise. If it's gravel between the brake disc and dust shield then it will be a loud screech.

I have a faint high pitch whistling type of sound from around my front passenger wheel.
Sounds a bit like the brake disc is rubbing. But it's very faint and I can't hear it at motorway speeds.
I've not jacked the car up to check yet so am not sure what's the cause.

The sound I'm hearing is a lower droning noise, kinda like a crying dog, but lower pitch. The steering feels less connected and the suspension feels a bit rougher when the sound is going on.

I noticed that the sound mainly happens when I'm in low revs, at around 55-65 mph. It starts around 55 and gets louder until 65 and as soon as I pass 1.5k rpms, the sound goes away.

There is no sound when I'm going 70-80 mph in the same rev range?

I'm praying it's not my transmission, power steering motors, or control arms

[cfm56d7b]

It's very difficult to provide remote diagnostics in this case. Whining and rubbing sounds emanate from very different sources. Whining can occur when gears of example wear out or run flat tires with less thread begin to generate whining sound. Rubbing can occur when there is friction between two parts.

Is there an independent shop you ca visit and ask the mechanic to join you for a ride? It will be most likely at no cost to you.

[kingmonkey8]

Originally Posted by mark1181

The sound I'm hearing is a lower droning noise, kinda like a crying dog, but lower pitch. The steering feels less connected and the suspension feels a bit rougher when the sound is going on.

I noticed that the sound mainly happens when I'm in low revs, at around 55-65 mph. It starts around 55 and gets louder until 65 and as soon as I pass 1.5k rpms, the sound goes away.

There is no sound when I'm going 70-80 mph in the same rev range?

I'm praying it's not my transmission, power steering motors, or control arms

Sounds like the engine is lugging as its in the wrong gear for the low revs.
Is it an auto? When I got my auto when accelerating from a low speed. I was getting a bit of a drone and vibration around 40-60mph. The gear box doesn't drop a gear. Seems to happen more in eco pro mode, if I let off the accelerator then there is no noise or vibration, so doesn't seem to be the drivetrain.
I put in some Redex to clean out the fuel line. Car feels abit more responsive, also using higher octane petrol. The car feels smoother and the lugging is less noticeable.

[mark1181]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

It's very difficult to provide remote diagnostics in this case. Whining and rubbing sounds emanate from very different sources. Whining can occur when gears of example wear out or run flat tires with less thread begin to generate whining sound. Rubbing can occur when there is friction between two parts.

Is there an independent shop you ca visit and ask the mechanic to join you for a ride? It will be most likely at no cost to you.

This might be difficult to do since the problem occurs in such limited situations for me.

[mark1181]

Originally Posted by kingmonkey8

Sounds like the engine is lugging as its in the wrong gear for the low revs.
Is it an auto? When I got my auto when accelerating from a low speed. I was getting a bit of a drone and vibration around 40-60mph. The gear box doesn't drop a gear. Seems to happen more in eco pro mode, if I let off the accelerator then there is no noise or vibration, so doesn't seem to be the drivetrain.
I put in some Redex to clean out the fuel line. Car feels abit more responsive, also using higher octane petrol. The car feels smoother and the lugging is less noticeable.

It is an auto. This might be the problem. However, I've driven in eco pro mode a lot and I didn't notice this noise until just recently. The noise seems to be coming from the rear of the car, a little toward the right side.

Mine's a diesel, so I don't know if Redex will work.

[Harleybuc]

My 18 440 6mt is in the shop now for a very similar noise. I managed to get the car to make the noise when I took it out with the mechanic this morning. The Tech did hear it, so it was left at the dealer and I hope they can trace it down. I will post an update when I get one.

[mark1181]

I still haven't found the cause of the sound, but I've noticed that it seems to happen when I'm on a specific stretch of road?? I take the same route every day and it hasn't made any noises until recently. The back end also feels more loose when the noise is happening.

I hope it's not something expensive...

[mark1181]

I will try to record the sound. It seems to be coming from the right rear of the car.

[markeys]

Originally Posted by mark1181

I will try to record the sound. It seems to be coming from the right rear of the car.

Based on your description of the noise, it sounds similar to what I experienced. I thought it was my right rear wheel bearing. I had that part replaced, but it turned out my rear differential was toast. Thankfully my CPO warranty covered those two parts (wheel bearing and rear diff).

Hopefully this isn't the case for you.

[mark1181]

I think I figured it out.

My rear tires are pretty worn and they're making a sound as they rub against the diamond grinding in the freeway. As soon as I go to a freeway without the diamond grinding, the noise goes away.