Driver side whistle

Graveyca

Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Location
Mississauga, ON
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI comfortline
Got my new Jetta and love it, the only issues I am really having, is with a whistle coming from the driver side mirror. It not such a big deal right now cause its cold out but come summer it will suck.
Is anyone else having an issue with this?

I took it to the dealership and they said it was to vw spec. I was like thats bullsh*t. The guy finally said that they haven't received a fix for it yet.

I this true or do I need to push the dealership harder to get something in the works.

Or is there a fix that I can do myself. I don't really want to cause it is still well within the warrenty.
 

madrukus

Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2010
Location
Toronto
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI Highline
I have the same thing, but wasn't sure where its coming from. Mine only happens at any speed over 120km/h

I am most likely going to take it in tomorrow and get them to fix it. I'll report back later.
 

doctorclark

Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2010
Location
San Diego
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI DSG Sedan
Ditto on mine: but I figured that I could only notice it bacuse of the otherwise very quiet interior. I haven't sat in the passenger seat during a drive, so I can't tell if it happens on that side as well.

Will be interested to hear of any fixes.
 

mo_focus

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2002
Location
stouffville, Ontario, canada
TDI
84 944
As others have mentioned, i have a similar issue, I have 10000kms on mine and couple of things i have noticed.

1- if you fold the mirror away while travelling at 118km/hr the noise will go away.
2- usually after carwashes the noise is gone, so i dont know what to think of it.

Since we've had snow and slush i have not noticed the noise as much so maybe its something to do with the seal somewhere.
 

madrukus

Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2010
Location
Toronto
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI Highline
Mine is apparent whether the car is clean or not. My wife heard it sitting in the passenger seat. (Driver side only).

If it changes when the mirror is folded away, its probably that little channel that allows the mirror to pivot back and forth. I'm gonna block it temporarily to see if the noise goes away. (I like being able to tell the dealership exactly where to problem is so they don't go tinkering around)
 

Graveyca

Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2011
Location
Mississauga, ON
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI comfortline
Its definitely coming from the mirror, it usually starts for me at around 80km/hr. If i roll down the window it sounds pretty ridiculous.

I have noticed that the seal near the pillar on the driverside door doesn't quite match up that well, and it might explain some wind noise that I hear, but the sound from the mirror is a whistle.
 

sydneycb

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2010
Location
Sydney, NS
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI Highline
I have been getting a whistle on mine as well but thought it was from the window. Haven't really investigated the source but never thought it was from the mirror. It sounds like everybody is getting it so it would be nice to find the exact source. I'm going to check it out on the weekend and will let you guys know what I find.
 

anotherTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Location
st pete FL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE DSG, 2014 JSW TDI DSG
i had the same two issues mentioned here which are the driver's side mirror whistling above 48mph and the wind buffeting noise from driver's side window.
have not dealt with the window noise yet, but have solved the mirror issue. if you compare (at least on my car) the driver side and passenger side mirrors, you can see that the passenger side mirror is snapped into its white housing completely whereas the diver side mirror insert clearly is not which leaves an air gap on the top inboard corner. the whistling is caused from the air blowing over this gap.
to fix it, i took some marine grade black caulk and filled the air gap. the caulk cleans up easily with paint thinner so you can wipe any excess away and have an undetectable fix.
i plan to check out a few cars on the dealers lot tomorrow to see if all of them are this way. try as i may, i could not get the driver's side insert to snap fully into place. i'll point out the discrepancy when i take it in for the first service.
 
Last edited:

TDI_Timmy

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2011
Location
Seattle
TDI
2012 JSW, DSG, Pano
Dealer is replacing the slot window. I thought it was coming from the mirror too. When they get the parts and get it repaired I'll let you know how that turned out.
 

anotherTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Location
st pete FL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE DSG, 2014 JSW TDI DSG
well, checked out the 6 new jettas on the lot at Bert Smith VW/Porche and every car had the same fit on the driver's side mirror. snug fit on all the passenger side. so i guess this is the best fit they can get and is "normal." the caulk thing definitely fixed the whistling, so i'm going to leave it at that.

as far as the wind buffeting sound coming from the driver's side window, i used some tape to isolate the location of the noise which turned out to be in the rear upper corner of the c channel rubber that cups the window. removed the tape and rolled the window down. then was able to use my hands to bend the c channel rubber inward. now it is a tighter fit around the outside edge of the window and i feel the noise has diminished noticeably and is quiet enough to not be an issue.

i consider my "new" car issues to now be resolved. even my wife's E350 Mercedes had a few minor issues when we took delivery, so i kind of expected something with the jetta. lol
 

sydneycb

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2010
Location
Sydney, NS
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI Highline
Can someone please post a pic of the spot on the mirror that is causing the whistle? I checked mine for the white housing that anotherTDI mentioned but I can't seem to see anything. I do have the whistle though.
As for the wind noise from the drivers side door, I had it to the dealer and they are going to replace the rubber molding.

Thanks
 

anotherTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Location
st pete FL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE DSG, 2014 JSW TDI DSG
Can someone please post a pic of the spot on the mirror that is causing the whistle? I checked mine for the white housing that anotherTDI mentioned but I can't seem to see anything. I do have the whistle though.
As for the wind noise from the drivers side door, I had it to the dealer and they are going to replace the rubber molding.

Thanks
i'd be happy to take a pic. can you post pics on this site?
 

sydneycb

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2010
Location
Sydney, NS
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI Highline
i'd be happy to take a pic. can you post pics on this site?
Yes, you can post pics here. You have to upload your pics to the photo section (the tab is on the top of the page). Once you have them uploaded you can copy the link from that page and paste it here.
There are some better instructions on the site here if you do a search. It took me a few tries to get it right. Trial and error.
 

Fatboy8

Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2011
Location
NW FL
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI, Manual - with 5,500 miles I traded for a 2011 JSW DSG, aka, White Lightning
Off topic, sort of.

I can't view the pic, says I have to be a registered user. I thought I was already?
 

anotherTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Location
st pete FL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE DSG, 2014 JSW TDI DSG
hey.....thanks for the help.

the last pic is of the passenger side mirror (for comparison) which unlike the driver's side, fits snugly into the white housing and requires no modification..
 

BarrieCommuter

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2006
Location
Barrie, Ontario, Canada, eh!
TDI
2015 Jetta TDI Highline 6MT
i would expect this to be a molding issue from the factory. everyone should contact their dealer to inform VW of this. Maybe a revised part would come of this and changed only if you complain. sort of like the exchange for front quarter panels on the MKIV.
 

TDI_Timmy

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2011
Location
Seattle
TDI
2012 JSW, DSG, Pano
So I complained about the whistling to my dealer. They said it was a door seal and replaced it. My mirror looks the same in the picture and nothing has been done to it. So far, driving 45+mph I haven't heard the whistle.

I also did the test of putting my hand between the mirror and door frame and it stopped the whistle that's why I thought it was. Before caulking or moddig door seals I would call the dealer, get an appointment drive with the shop foreman, maybe have him/her also drive so their ear is closer and see what they can do.
 

anotherTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Location
st pete FL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE DSG, 2014 JSW TDI DSG
of course it is always an option to take your car to the dealer and say "fix it".

but if you want to mess with it yourself and try to isolate where wind noises are coming from it is easy enough to break out a roll of tape and have a little fun.

i guess you can tell that i enjoy troubleshooting issues like this. but admit when i am stumped or if the issue is serious/costly, off it goes to the dealer. lol
 

TDI_Timmy

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2011
Location
Seattle
TDI
2012 JSW, DSG, Pano
I completely understand that. I LOVE working on my cars. I also know that dealers like to cover things that are manufacturer defects. My only concern with tinkering with something is if it somehow worsens the issue and then it looks like user error. At which point dealer doesn't have an obligation to fix since it looks like the owner caused the issue.

When my vehicle is out of warranty and needs parts replaced I will be the one to do it.
 

1120JettaTDI

Active member
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Location
USA
TDI
2011 Jetta TDI
When I test drove a Jetta TDI it had the whistle too. If it is the outside mirror causing the problem, caulking is an easy fix. I haven't picked up my new car yet but if it whistles and the dealer can't fix it I might try the using clear silicone instead of black. It will be easier to clean up and any leftover residue will not be vivisble.
 

anotherTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Location
st pete FL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE DSG, 2014 JSW TDI DSG
When I test drove a Jetta TDI it had the whistle too. If it is the outside mirror causing the problem, caulking is an easy fix. I haven't picked up my new car yet but if it whistles and the dealer can't fix it I might try the using clear silicone instead of black. It will be easier to clean up and any leftover residue will not be vivisble.
before you do anything yourself just make sure you isolate the whistle to the mirror with some tape. seems the door seal has also been the culprit. my door seal is fine.
 

marc77777

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
Montreal, Canada
TDI
2012 Golf GTI black/black
Has anyone had the dealer actually correct the issue and if so what was the cause? I have the same issue as everyone else and would like to have as much info before calling the dealer to have a look at it. I thought it may have been caused by the people that tinted the windows but after reading how many people have the same issue I'm guessing there's a part defect or something.
 
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