moaning, groaning, whineing...

jac in a box · Apr 13, 2006

...No, not my nearest and dearest! Something iffy going on with the car. NoTiced a slight whining that wasn't present a few weeks ago. Noise has got progressively louder but I can't pinpoint where it's coming from.

Didn't usually didin't hear it until 50'ish now it's louder and present from around 10mph Noise seems to be related to road speed.
Suspected wheel bearing but I can't feel any play or detect any roughness when rotating the wheels with car on a jack.

Starting to think it might be gearbox / diff related (Tip box) - noise changes pitch depending on whether engine is under load - not on load. Had it been wheel bearing I'd have expected no change in pitch.

Local OPC thinks it's a tyre problem. They're at correct pressure and still have a reasonable amount of tread. I've also swapped wheels with a spare set and noise is still evident.
Nothing caught in brakes/discs/backplates etc.

Obviously an OPC visit is on the cards and the warranty will hopefully cover the repairs (wheel bearings covered under extended warranty?)...anyone any other thoughts?

Thanks, Dave [FONT=verdana,geneva"]

Mark_Bennett · Apr 13, 2006

I had a wheel bearing changed last year when my car was serviced (at 4 years old) - I was previously unaware of any problem with it except for once when I heard a squeak whilst leaving the PCGB campsite at Le Mans! (It's always somewhere public...[&:])

I was told that wheelbearings were NOT covered under my extended warranty, but that Porsche would do it under "goodwill" as I had kept to the service schedule and bought the warranty...

I've no idea what your problem is Dave - Sorry [&o]

JCB.. · Apr 13, 2006

ORIGINAL: jac in a box

...No, not my nearest and dearest! Something iffy going on with the car. NoTiced a slight whining that wasn't present a few weeks ago. Noise has got progressively louder but I can't pinpoint where it's coming from.

Didn't usually didin't hear it until 50'ish now it's louder and present from around 10mph Noise seems to be related to road speed.
Suspected wheel bearing but I can't feel any play or detect any roughness when rotating the wheels with car on a jack.

Starting to think it might be gearbox / diff related (Tip box) - noise changes pitch depending on whether engine is under load - not on load. Had it been wheel bearing I'd have expected no change in pitch.

Local OPC thinks it's a tyre problem. They're at correct pressure and still have a reasonable amount of tread. I've also swapped wheels with a spare set and noise is still evident.
Nothing caught in brakes/discs/backplates etc.

Obviously an OPC visit is on the cards and the warranty will hopefully cover the repairs (wheel bearings covered under extended warranty?)...anyone any other thoughts?

Thanks, Dave

My whining noise was caused by a tyre repair where the fitter had left the rubber insert sticking up in the tread.

However as your noise varies under load I think your OPC is barking up the wrong tree.

These types of problems are very difficult to solve without actually hearing them for yourself.

Best of luck but I would imagine that anything that will dent a wallet is covered by the warranty.

JCB..

danofesher · Apr 13, 2006

Sounds like a gearbox bearing to me.

jac in a box · Apr 13, 2006

ORIGINAL: danofesher

Sounds like a gearbox bearing to me.

That's the opinion of Edinburgh OPC, they have have suggested the car is not driven...Porsche Assist will transport the car for further investigation.

Car hasn't reached 25k miles. So far 1 engine, possible new transmission...by the time the car reaches 30k it should have been entirely rebuilt!

Dave

jac in a box · Apr 18, 2006

After being taken away ignominiously on a recovery vehicle this morning the verdict is a duff rear wheel bearing.

Not covered under the warranty and will cost £385.00! Edinburgh have offered to reduce the cost to £290.00 as part of their "over 5 year old scheme" (not that the car has reached it's fifth birthday yet - but I'm not going to argue)

Seems that wheel bearings are "wear and tear" items. However, I'm not prepared to accept that the bearings on a 25k mile car should be "worn and torn" at such a lowly mileage.
Been talking to Porsche Customer Service to seek some goodwill, young lady sound very appeasing and promised to look into it. Anyone any advice on how to sweet talk them into taking pity on me? I've declined the offer of a hire car for the period of the repair, guess someone has to pick up the bill for that, perhaps I can argue that I've tried to mitigate costs?

Can't get over that at a low mile count that the failure can be considered wear and tear - sniff sniff

Dave

Rodney Naghar · Apr 18, 2006

Get an indi to do it for you.They will charge about 1.5-2 hours labour and the bearing itself costs around £30 from www.eurocarparts.com

Guest · Apr 19, 2006

On cheap cars the wheel bearings last the life of the car. There is no way that a failed wheel bearing is wear and tear. It is an engineering application problem or in short - design.

jac in a box · Apr 20, 2006

Too late for an "indi" - the job is done and dusted.

Interesting conversation with Porsche customer service...no goodwill, the wheel bearings are "wear and tear". After CS and the repairing OPC had a natter, CS has concluded that the cause is wear and tear and not mechanical failure. If it had been mechanical failure goodwill may have been forthcoming.
"Wheel bearings go round and round and will wear" I'm told...well, so do engines, gearboxes, drive shafts etc. The engine only lasted 12k miles so there must be some truth in what I'm told and I should be grateful that I got an extra 13k miles out the w/bearings! Perhaps as a precaution I should ask for the remainder to be changed at £300-400 a corner

I guess then the old wheel bearing has had some sort of analysis carried out to reach this conclusion (joke) and that Porsche should really add to the service schedule that wheel bearings should be changed every 25k miles because they ain't going to last.

Can't fault Edinburgh, they've been great, I only wish some of the other marques I owned had a similar level of service. But my percieved level of reliability of this car is severely dented.
Seem to be driving the car concious of its apparent "fragility" and listening out for every little noise and wondering if that'll be something else on the way out - hardly what owning a Porsche is about.

Dave