Subaru Forester Excessive wind noise

sandyc3

Has anyone had trouble with excessive wind noise on the driver's or passenger's side windows? I have had trouble since purchase (5/07) with My 2007 XT (AT). Dealership has been great and "fixed" it four times - goes in next week to get "fixed" again.

Any simular problems or suggestions?

aatherton

I collected some info on it below. I don't have it on my 08 and plan to avoid it.

I think it may be caused by people pushing on the glass to open and close the door. Imagine the force this puts on what is holding the fully extended glass.
Pushing on the glass uses it as a lever to loosen how tightly it is gripped by the top inches of its track and by the few inches of the front gusset. The track and gusset spread, and no longer press the glass so tightly against the rubber weatherstripping, introducing two sources of wind noise. Because the glass is frameless without perimeter support, I keep my hands off of it.

I think cramming a rubber tube under the weatherstripping is addressing the symptom rather than the cause.

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Gussett change TSB
http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3701&highlight=gusset

The window gussets at the corners (the triangle that the side mirror is bolted to and that the glass rides into the channel).... These gussets get bent over time by shutting the door by the glass or with the windows up even.... and the cabin pressure does it...

Gussett Fix
http://web.mac.com/bikenomad/iWeb/Site/car/car.html

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Weatherstripping Seal Noise
PepBoys... LifeLine brand vinyl tubing... 5/32" vinyl tubing... OD of the tubing is just over 1/4". Say 5/16" It's sold in 6 foot lengths, and you'll need one package for each window. Start stuffing the tubing between the weather stripping and the interior trim panel. Run it all the way around the window. Then, go back and pull back on the stripping so that it fully encapsulates the vinyl tubing. This will push the weather stripping out a bit more, and help it seal against the window.

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txsubydrver

I drive a Subaru Forrestor 2004 XT and occasionally while driving at freeway speeds and on windy days, I will hear a loud alarm or tone go off for a couple of seconds or two. It seems to come from behind me and to the right somewhere. It only happens at highway speeds. I didn't notice any dashboard lights come on.
Any ideas?

Thank you

ateixeira

Those are all the police officers you are outrunning with that thing. Slow down.

Could it be an alarm for a door being open? Do any lights on the dash light up?

txsubydrver

No I didn't any thing light up on my console but then it only lasts for a second or two.

ateixeira

Any change if you open a window? Try that if you're able to get it to repeat itself.

txsubydrver

Ok thanks for the suggestion.
Out of curiosity, what would it tell me if opening the windows DID stop it?

ateixeira

I'm just thinking of the pressure created against the doors due to wind resistance. Opening them should release the pressures.

My van does that. I have power sliding doors, and if I drive off before I close them I hear beeps.

sandyc3

Thanks for the info. I checked some of these out before I posted. I will give the dealer another shot at it since it's under warranty and has been making the noise almost since day one. They have been good to me and are currently attempting to replace the entire door molding. After reading these posts, it doesn't seem like it will work but I will try what they suggest for now. I wanted to take some infor with me to the dealership; sometimes they don't believe me and I wanted to make sure I wasn't complaining without cause. It seems to be a more widespread problem than I imagined.

I will keep you "posted"

scarlet27

Did you notice this noise after having your windshield replaced? If so, it could be a loose piece of lower trim on the outside of the windshield

street4

I have an 07 Forester with the same issue.. only with strong crosswinds at hightway speeds I get a sudden LOUD howl ... like letting air slowly out of a balloon. Seems to be coming from the top of the windshield area. No effect with opening windows or sunroof. Duct tape around top windshield shield doesn't help either. This always happens with crosswinds

aatherton

Could be a gap between the windshield upper molding and the roof.

From:
http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/windscreen_noise_speed_during-t5358.html?t=5358- -

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"Windscreen noise at speed or during strong crosswinds."
It seems to be a pretty common problem among Forester owners. If you are driving at highway speeds+ some people hear a sound that I like to describe as a broken reed on a wind instrument. The speed this occurs varies from car to car. Some have it happen as low as 70 MPH (112 kph) and some not till upwards of 120+ MPH (193 kph). It seems to be consistently reproducible by those that are plagued by this problem. It may also happen during a strong cross wind driving at lower speeds or if a semi truck passes by from the other direction. When that happens to me the noise only happens for a second. At speed the noise is pretty constant. Hondaslayer from NASIOC has described a fix that I gave a try and seems to have fixed the issue.

What you will need:
Sealant - A type that is clear when dry and water washable when freshly applied, this is very important.
Non marring tool - To lift windscreen gasket - Plastic scraper, rubber squeegee or even your fingers will work.
Wet Paper Towel - To clean up and smooth out excess sealant from gasket after applied
Something to stand on - If you are short like me I needed a step stool to reach the center of the windscreen

This is a very simple to do, but first if you have a belt on either cover the buckle with something or remove it. You will be leaning over the paint and you don't want to scratch it. I use a shop apron when I work on my car but pulling your shirt out works too. It's best to do this when you can let the car sit overnight to dry.

Using your plastic tool get under the top center lip of the windscreen gasket. The gasket is very tight up in that area and not a lot of room for sealant. Don't apply a ton it will only squish out. Apply the sealant in the gap you have opened. (Don't panic if the sealant looks white when it comes out, it will dry clear). You can even open the gap, stick in the end of the tube and apply it that way. Pull a bead across as evenly as possible. Keep a slow steady speed. I only went as far as 9 inches from the center (where the rear view mirror attaches) out to the side on the left and right. After you apply the sealant across the top, get a very wet paper towel and gently remove any access sealant that oozes out. Get the rag good an wet and turn it often. After you get it off as best as you can use a dry towel to wipe the excess water. Try not to push on the rubber seal area very hard.

After the material dries you may see some smudges of sealant on the glass or paint. You can get it off the paint with some wax, it should rub off with no problems. Same for the glass just use a paper towel and some windex. If you still have the noise you may want to apply more sealant further out and see if that helps.

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