TRIPOWER Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 Hi All I checked all the old postings for wind noise and couldn't find anything that sounds like my problem, maybe someone can give me some ideas. I had the car back to the dealer today, a 2005 Forester with 1300 miles because I was hearing a faint "clunking" (lack of a better description) noise from the passengers side only at highway speeds. The sound doesn't follow engine rpm and doesn't increase with speed, nor does it change when turning. There is no noise at lower speeds, it starts around 45 mph up to 65 mph and is not constant. The service technician took a ride and confirmed that the noise isn't mechanical but wind passing over the mirror/window. The window gussets and gaskets don't seem to be a problem. If this is a design issue why is the noise only on the passengers side? The wind doesn't just blow on that side, shouldn't both sides of the car be the same? Has anyone come across this or have any suggestions I could try. The noise isn't too loud but it doesn't seem right to have this on a brand new car. Thanks and sorry for the long post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 Ask them to replace the passenger side gusset as a start. I was amazed at how much noise had been from this area on my 2000 Legacy once they were replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRIPOWER Posted November 16, 2004 Author Share Posted November 16, 2004 Thank, I will ask the next time I have the car up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzam Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 I'm not sure if the Forester is the same, but our 2001 Outback had the gusset gaskets replaced twice on the driver's side. After the last failure (the noise returned) I found a way to stop the annoyance. With the window down, gently squeeze the outer and inner sides of the triangle that the outside mirror is attached to. The idea being that this makes the opening between the gaskets less and the glass gets better contact, reducing the noise considerably, when it sides up between them. Most of the reports for the Outbacks that I read here seem to be the ones with the tweeter kits that are mounted there. For some reason they are prone to the noise than the ones without them. BTW- I think, but can't prove, that the dealer did what I describe above to cure it the second time. I've done it once and it's lasted over 10 months now. Before it lasted abot 6 months when the dealer worked on it before the noise was back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Just a thought: If the wind noise comes from the triangular gap between the mirror and the mirror-mount, then why not try sealing this gap? Could you try using duct-tape, or even scotch-tape around this gap, as a temporary fix, to see if the noise lessens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Suzam is correct. I just returned from dealer installing passenger side gusset (did driver's side last week). I asked about the cause of the problem and he pointed out that if you lean against the glass from the inside while getting into the car in a tight space or if you open the door by pulling on the glass, it springs the metal over time and allows for the air gap and noise. He described lowering the window and pinching the metal at the top of the triangular corner to tighten the contact as Suzam describes. He thought that the new pieces he installed might have been re-engineered but who knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subyroo Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 The wind noise on my MY03 XS Forester comes from the area marked by the arrows in the pic below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shantam Posted March 27, 2005 Share Posted March 27, 2005 Hello, I am on this site searching for info on wind noise as well. This is my second Subaru Outback Wagon and both have had wind noise problems. My current problem seems to be because of the mirror gusset seal. I had my old car "fixed" at the dealer but it never really went away. On my old car, it was on the driver side, this time it is the passenger so my sense is that it is a faulty gusset/seal design. If you find a fix, please let me know. I taped the outer seal of the gusset with electrical tape to see if it made a difference and it does seem to, but hasn't completely fixed it or I would consider filling in the crack with silicone. Hi AllI checked all the old postings for wind noise and couldn't find anything that sounds like my problem, maybe someone can give me some ideas. I had the car back to the dealer today, a 2005 Forester with 1300 miles because I was hearing a faint "clunking" (lack of a better description) noise from the passengers side only at highway speeds. The sound doesn't follow engine rpm and doesn't increase with speed, nor does it change when turning. There is no noise at lower speeds, it starts around 45 mph up to 65 mph and is not constant. The service technician took a ride and confirmed that the noise isn't mechanical but wind passing over the mirror/window. The window gussets and gaskets don't seem to be a problem. If this is a design issue why is the noise only on the passengers side? The wind doesn't just blow on that side, shouldn't both sides of the car be the same? Has anyone come across this or have any suggestions I could try. The noise isn't too loud but it doesn't seem right to have this on a brand new car. Thanks and sorry for the long post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted March 27, 2005 Share Posted March 27, 2005 Replace gussets if under warranty or pinch as described above. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balr14 Posted March 27, 2005 Share Posted March 27, 2005 Those gray smoked plastic wind deflectors work quite well if you can find room to mount them with no door frame. Had worse wind noise problems with my daughter's Neon (also no door frames) and they eliminated it. I had to do some trimming because they take away some clearance getting in the Neon, but a Forester is a lot taller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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