2012 Passat road noise

[fluidpower11]

2012 road noise

Okay.... talked to my vw dealer today and he said that he has been getting complaints on the 2012 Passat road noise since the 1st day they brought out the test drive cars. They were hoping (as was I) that the production cars would be quieter but are very sad that they are not.

They said that they could not offer a tire upgrade and suggested that I call VW at 800-822-8489 (I think that's the correct #) to discuss the issue with them.

The operator politely told me that I was the 1st one that called about this problem (ha.....) and told me to read my Passat owner's manual. In it will be the 800 number to Hankook..."call them and ask them to do something about the tires".

I told the operator that a YouTube video will help explain to the world how loud this car is but I don't think she understood the impact that a video can have in exposing a problem with a new model car. I told her that I was unhappy with having purchased the highest priced model but VW put poor performing tires on it. She explained that "we don't make the tires and batteries". Duh. Way to take responsibility. I told her that VW engineered the WHOLE car and is responsible for the overall product's performance. (Remember the hit Ford took on the Bridgeport tire fiasco?)

Anyone else have any suggestions on how to get VW to step up and do something about this?

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I know you'd like VW to take some responsibility, but my suggestion is give it up, go buy some quieter tires. If it were me I'd go to 17s or 16s if they'll fit. VW isn't going to do anything about this. There have been 1.8T and 2.0T owners out there with cars using a liter of oil in 1000 miles that have received no satisfaction from VW, with the manufacturer saying that oil consumption was in the "normal range" for that engine.

I'm not thrilled with the road noise in the Golf, but it's quieter than my 'A5 was and I can certainly live with it. And it's certainly quieter than the Hankook-tired Passat we had on loan. I'm putting Koni FSDs in the car as soon as I'm able to help reduce the thumping on bumps. And I'm going to buy lighter wheels and good Summer tires in the Spring, which I think will also help. If I could find some decent 16s for the car I'd buy them in a heartbeat, but so far no luck, except perhaps for take-offs from another VW.

VW hasn't done anything about cam failures in PDs, balance shaft failures in Passats, DMF failures in DSGs, wiring loom failures in BRMs. You get the idea.

 

[unixb0y]

Downloaded this app http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/decibel-10/id448155923?mt=8 for the iPad. It was free but who knows what information apple gives them about you. My favorite passenger handle the ipad while I drove.

Anyway 2002 Golf 2.0 GLS 110KM/h 3150RPM with Nokian N-Tyres
on an ok road in manitoba
71-75DB
81DB Peak over seams

 

[D Thomas]

I recently drove my dealers demo 2012 passat tdi. The road noise was more than my 05 passat tdi but thought this was because the engine was quieter than my 05. Some other observations; I loved the room in the back seat, liked how the car shifted at a lower RPM than my 05, did not like the cheap feel of the steering wheel and the gearshift handle (my opinion), and the fuel economy seemed a bit better than my 05.

 

[ironpen]

Continental DWS

I posted a few weeks ago that I took my car and traded the Hankooks for these tires. I now have 2600 miles on them. I could not be happier. Just made a trip tonight around 100 miles rountrip....3 other guys riding with me. They all brought up the fact that the ride was "so quiet". There really is a big difference from the Hankooks. Handling has been excellent as well. Very glad my tire shop was willing to trade for me. I highly recommend these tires. BTW, I got 46.3 mpg while hauling the four of us at 74 mph on cruise control.

 

[rhpot1991]

Has anyone asked their dealer about the possibility of exchanging these tires and paying the difference for another set?

 

[Sharky]

Has anyone asked their dealer about the possibility of exchanging these tires and paying the difference for another set?

I might do that as I do not have mine yet.
The car I ordered is a Canadian TDI Trendline+ and comes with 16" San Jose rims.
What tire size does it come with ? 205/55R16 ... similar to the tire size for my '11 Golf TDI ?

 

[rhpot1991]

Asked my dealer about swapping the tires today, and they don't offer anything like that. Has anyone had any better luck?

 

[meowguy]

I am taking delivery in Jan. I am just going to tell them to keep their tires and I will give them four winter tires to mount on the car. Then in April I will choose my summer tires.

 

[thezonevw]

Tires

I contacted VW directly today. The told me there is nothing they can do. I then told them how unsafe the tires are in the snow, and that this is a safety issue instead of a noise issue. They said they would send me a $200 service voucher? What good will that do? I put a call into the dealer today about swapping tires and using the $200 service voucher, but no one has gotten back to me as of yet..

 

[rhpot1991]

I contacted VW directly today. The told me there is nothing they can do. I then told them how unsafe the tires are in the snow, and that this is a safety issue instead of a noise issue. They said they would send me a $200 service voucher? What good will that do? I put a call into the dealer today about swapping tires and using the $200 service voucher, but no one has gotten back to me as of yet..

What number did you call?

I suspect the $200 may not even cover how much the dealer will be over priced. When I got new tires for my Subary Legacy the dealer couldn't get anywhere near the local tire shop.

 

[thezonevw]

What number did you call?

I suspect the $200 may not even cover how much the dealer will be over priced. When I got new tires for my Subary Legacy the dealer couldn't get anywhere near the local tire shop.

I called: 1-800-822-8987. They told me that they would lodge my complaint, and send me the $200 service voucher. Again, what can I do with a service voucher, as I leased the car for 36 months, and all maintenance is included for 36 months.. Kind of a joke really. The one dealer did get back to me, and they said that I can not use the voucher for tires, as they have to get the tires from a 3rd party source...

 

[pb88]

I traded in my Hankooks for a value of $70 each (i.e. $280 value) and got the Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires at a local Discount Tire. Try doing the same?

 

[rhpot1991]

I traded in my Hankooks for a value of $70 each (i.e. $280 value) and got the Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires at a local Discount Tire. Try doing the same?

We don't have Discount Tire around here. I called Jack Williams and they don't do any sort of trades.

 

[Kchorro]

What they will send you it's a US bank check...
They send me one too. It took 3 weeks to arrive after I talk to VW customer care..
My complaint was not about my tires (my TDI came with Bridgestone Turanza EL 400, very quiet and great tires) complaint was about rear view camera on the new Tiguan we lease for my wife. It's a 2012 SEL with Premiun Nav and it did not has the rear view camera so I called because on VW.com it shows it has that as standar feature..dealer said it was not install on factory due to camera manufacture was destroy during Japan earthquake and all VW 2012 will not have camera until VW finds another supplier... Dealer shows me a inside VW corporate letter confirming that.so I call customer care and they sent me a check too for $200 and regional Texas VW corporate told me that if any Tiguan arrive during 2012 with cameras it will have it installes on my.. so I have been checking on dealer web pages to see if I find a tiguan SEL with rear view camera to call back customer care as she told me to do so, but I have not found any yet on the entire US continent with camera at this moment...
Actually I have been told that also in the 50k plus Touareg lineup camera has been pull out too as features until this situation resolve... Touaegs owners are getting even more $$ if the complaint to customer care...

Check those independent tires company that may swap your existing for something better and put some cash to make it happens. I hope all this info is helpfull.

 

[waydeki]

I took my car (TDI SEL) straight to the tire shop and got a set of Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires put on and it made a tremendous difference in road noise. Cost me about $500 for the swap out, but it was worth it. I have no idea why such sorry tires would even be considered from the factory. There can't be that much difference in price to the manufacturer.

Huh. Put that $500 towards fuel savings and then see what other cars you could have had. Btw, they dropped the gas hood strut. So tire savings is definitely up for consideration. Its a teutonic camry folks!

 

[Santa2ya]

Huh. Put that $500 towards fuel savings and then see what other cars you could have had. Btw, they dropped the gas hood strut. So tire savings is definitely up for consideration. Its a teutonic camry folks!

I am fairly new to VW & TDI but I am pretty certain you WILL NOT find a non-hybrid ($8000 battery) vehicle in the same size / price range that can best the fuel economy of the 2012 Passat TDI. If you know of one, please share.

 

[tdiatlast]

Are you guys always so sure, when recommending a particular brand over another, that your recommendation is valid from 16" to 17" to 18" tires? From H to V rated?

Tire construction has as many variables as most industries, and 16's that work on a 2005 Jetta won't necessarily mean a that tire in a 17" or 18" will work on a 2012 Passat.

Also, the regional differences in road surfaces make a HUGE difference. My Hankooks are NOT noisy in the DC region (almost all well-maintained asphalt), but i can imagine, the concrete around Dallas would make them sing! However, I suppose "snow is snow"...well, not really, but close. I'll limp along with these for the time being...

 

[panamax]

Thanks for this post. I too find my tires ridiculously noisy on concrete. The noise level is awful. It is acceptable on pavement. I did have one scary incident one wet day on my regular commute where on wet pavement the tires seemed to slip sideways for a moment. I never felt that in any other vehicle and have driven wet pavement in this location 1000s of times. Very strange. I will switch out for Michellins once these wear out.

 

[Niner]

My tires are noisy as hell on brushed concrete interstate, and silent as a lamb on cut, polished, lightly grooved and resurfaced concrete or fresh asphalt. Not much rain or snow here, though.

 

[emmkayJuan]

I have gone through 2 sets of Conti DWS' on my '02 Jetta. Excellent performing tire in the wet & dry! Roads don't drain here in FL, so when it rains traffic acts as it does when the midwest gets 3 inches of snow. 55,000 mile life is excellent and very suited for TDI drivers. Quiet compound on concrete and asphalt from what I experienced.

I plan to put DWS' on as soon as I take delivery.

 

[tdiatlast]

emmkayJuan: Please post when you've got the car/made the swap. It would be nice to hear that the ContiDWS do as well on the 2012 Passat TDI as they did on your '02 Jetta.
I wonder if the ContiDWS' you purchase today are even the same tires as the ones you purchased for the '02 Jetta? Rubber compounds/tread patterns change all the time.

 

[gergg]

Same around here, my Hankooks/car are quiet as a mouse on smooth pavement(no concrete here), but get some rough/grooved pavement and it sounds like I'm driving on cobblestones. Fortunately most of my roads are smooth here.

 

[skinnyb]

Same around here, my Hankooks/car are quiet as a mouse on smooth pavement(no concrete here), but get some rough/grooved pavement and it sounds like I'm driving on cobblestones. Fortunately most of my roads are smooth here.

X2. The pavement here they are great but the grooved concrete around here they are horrible. Not only that but they wander all over the place on the grooved concrete too... Seem to handle reasonably well in the wet I have seen so far...

 

[gergg]

Not only that but they wander all over the place on the grooved concrete too

I've noticed the wandering too on certain surfaces.

 

[MarkG]

Firestone Touranza

For what it is worth, I just picked up my Passat TDI a few weeks ago. They came with Firestone Touranza's which are supposed to be a quiet tire. I have had no issues and we have some rough pavement here in Texas.

When I asked the dealer he said they are now sourcing the tires from multiple sources. (Trying to see what works well ?)

 

[tdiatlast]

Firestone Touranza? Do they say that on the sidewell? I know Bridgestone/Firestone are one company now, but the Turanza was always a Bridegestone tire (sadly, always rated near the bottom by TireRack), and I've never seen a "Firestone Turanza".
...just curious...

 

[MarkG]

You are right Bridgestone. I have no idea how they wear or handle, but they are quieter then the tires I test drove in Sep.

 

[tdiatlast]

Could I trouble you to read which Turanza? Is it the 400 EL-2 that they put on the Jetta TDI? Those were terrible tires on the 07 Toyota Camry Hybrid I owned very briefly (even thinking about that car turns my stomach...floaty suspension made all of us carsick...)...but, they weren't all that bad on the 09 Jetta TDI Sedan, although rather noisy on all pavements.
Thanks in advance for checking.

 

[RoadRunnerTR21]

While I agree that the tire noise is bad on the Passat, it is not nearly as bad as my wife's 08 Accord. I have driven both vehicles on the same road surface (in Texas) and there is a big difference between the vehicles.