Wind Noise

[SPDNUT]

I hoping someone out there will be able to help me figure out the wind noise I am having at 70mph+ I love everything about this car but the wind noise is driving me crazy- its even loud enough to hear over the stereo. Its not the sunroof I have already ruled that out. It sounds like its coming from the rear door but its hard to tell, the dealer is stumped and so am I......

 

[PMCErnie]

Be sure to drive similar cars at the dealer before hunting further.

 

[mikec]

Typical tests to locate wind noise... fairly cheap and DIY too:

1: Get blue painter's tape from your local Home Depot or hardware store. It sticks without leaving a gooey mess, removes easily, and won't "lift" house paint let alone much tougher car paint.

2: Tape over every gap around the doors, trunk lid, etc. Get in the car and have a helper tape your driver side door... or do it yourself and crawl through an open window NASCAR style.

3: Go for a drive. If the noise is still present, it's not a door leak. If the noise is gone, start removing tape in small chunks, about a foot or so at a time and retest. Eventually you'll find a strip that suddenly makes the noise worse; that'll tell you where to concentrate your eyeball search.

4: if it wasn't a door leak you can try tape around window openings, the windshield, fuel door, etc. Even the hood and trunk lid gaps to see if air is blasting through those seals into places it's not supposed to go.

I've also heard of folks using shop vacuums in reverse (hose plugged into air discharge port rather than suction port) to slowly scan along seams while somebody else sits inside the car. I think this would be harder to make work because a) shop vacs are often noisy themselves making it hard to hear anything else and b) the angle of the air hitting the car may have to be "just right" to actually cause the noise you hear.

mike c.

 

[BrazGenesis]

Great roadmap from mikec.
Adding my two cents: in some cases smoke (I think you can get canned smoke) may help.
Smoke tests are usual to test vacuum leaks.

 

[PMCErnie]

Great idea about the painters tape.

The point I was making to the OP is that it's always a good idea to drive similar cars at the dealership to be see if they any better than his car. The statement that he can hear the noise above the stereo is very subjective, obviously.

 

[SPDNUT]

Thanks MikeC and everyone- I am off to HD for painters tape and once the snow stops - let the taping begin. Such a simple but brilliant idea!

 

[mikec]

Another idea just came to mind:
Most cars have built-in water drain holes in the bodywork; I assume the Genesis is no different. Look at the bottom edge of the doors for example, you'll see small slots about half an inch long to let water drain out of the doors. Usually there are round cutouts in the floor of the vehicle (in the footwell areas since they're the lowest body points of the interior) and in the trunk floor. These should have rubber grommet plugs in them; the plugs are removed in the event the interior and/or trunk fills with water somehow. If any of those plugs are missing, the holes will allow noise entry into the vehicle... as well as allowing water splashes to reach the underside of the carpets. Use a flashlight to examine the underside of the footwells and trunk.

By the way:
once or twice a year, use a wire or some other skinny object to clean out those door drain holes. They often get plugged with bits of leaves and mud. That traps water in the bottom of the doors, promoting rust from the inside out. Nasty... and you can't see the rust damage forming until it's really too late. The Genesis sedan also has foam blocks between the front fender and interior bodywork (at the base of the "A" pillar which is the bodywork on either side of the windshield down to the floor pan). These blocks are visible when the door is open fully. Shine a flashlight past these blocks to see into the fender area... that's another common place for vehicles to trap leaves, twigs, and other junk that hold moisture leading to rusted fenders. A vacuum with a long skinny nozzle is a simple way to clean out that crud.

mike c.

 

[SPDNUT]

Thanks again - after a roll of painters tap and about 100 mile I found the problem. It was the Chrome B pillar piece on the rear door that divides the large and small window. Does anyone know if that was even OEM or only after market-?

 

[snork]

I'm pretty sure that chrome trim on the B-pillar was/is not available as an OEM piece. It's aftermarket, so you can peel it off and use some Goo Gone if it leaves any sticky gunk on the pillar. Hope that solves your problem!

 

[Mark_888]

Thanks again - after a roll of painters tap and about 100 mile I found the problem. It was the Chrome B pillar piece on the rear door that divides the large and small window. Does anyone know if that was even OEM or only after market-?

Does that mean you bought the car used? Also, always a good idea to specify the model year and trim level (base, premium, tech) especially since Genesis is now in 5th model year of production and they have made some changes.

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[SPDNUT]

Yes I bought the car used, its a 2010 premium with tech package 3.8 v6