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Buick Rendezvous road noise
I have a 06 RDV. I love this vehicle. The only problem is that it makes a lot of road noise. Or I think that's what it is. I've also thought it could be wind noise. My sister owns a Trailblazer and says hers does the same thing so I'm thinking that maybe it's the open interior. I took it in and they said it was incorrect tire pressure. After fixing that it still made the noise. It is a low, base sound that comes from the back of the vehicle. The sound is louder if there is weight in the back. Going over bridges is the loudest. It just seems to echo inside it. The dealer said the RDV shouldn't make noise. They say they are going to spray insulation in it to try to reduce the noise. I am taking it to another dealer and getting their take on it. I think I've stumped them and they are blowing me off. Has anyone else experienced this problem?
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Also, does the pitch vary with speed? You seemed to rule out tires so it could be a universal joint or differential.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
- Wheel bearings starting to let go. If a "humming" type sound, then it could be wheel bearings. Yes, even new vehicles can have "fluke" wheel bearing problems.
- Too Knobby Tires. If you have aggressive tread tires, they will make a humming noise as well. That's why snow tires design treads hum much more then seasonal tread design tires.
- AC clutch is worn or fan belt idler tensioner bearings are going. These things can make a humming noise but most of the time, they also have a high squeek noise (between the humming up/downs).
- Leaky exhaust pipe. Especially if the sound is from under the RDV, then echos back at you, from the side of bridge walls. Man, talk about sourround sound. LOL!!!
- Front Wheel drive transmissions make higher humming noise when compared to RWD / mid mounted transmissions. The reason is, their natural humming sound is being pushed from the front, into the cabin area. Compared to a mid-mount tranny and it sound is being pushed to the back of the vehicle (behind the driver). Especially when traveling high speeds. This is why rear passengers hear your vehicle differently compared to someone sitting in the front seat.
- Front wheel drive CV Joints have higher humming sounds as well. FWD CV Joints tend to hum more - compared to RWD CV Joints in their single drive shaft. Again, sound is behind the driver compared to front CV Joint sound that is pushed into the firewall, then echos onto the driver.
As a suggestion, do focus on the wheel bearings (especially the front wheel bearings), front CV Joints and wheel rubber tread aggesiveness. This items usually create 95% too much noise. Especially one's tire rubber design at high ground speed.
If wondering, I have a '03 RDV (my wife's run-about vehicle) and at high ground speed, its front wheels, CV Joints or something in the front hums much louder compared to other FWD mini-SUVs of simular design. Took a different '03 RDV for a test spin and it made the same level of sound. Thus, I figure these RDVs have more front end noise - when compared to others. Perhaps your '05 RDV has "too much" natural noise as well? You might want to take other '05 RDVs for a test spin - to compare its sound against your '05 RDV sounds. Who knows, perhaps your '05 is normal. (sort of speaking)
Hope this helps...
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tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
JP
Thanks,
I drilled 2 holes, one on each side and at opposite ends of the problem driveshaft tube. With the holes drilled to match the size of the straw on a can of expanding spray foam, I emptied the contents of 2 large cans into the tube. When the foam had mostly stopped oozing out of the holes and began to set-up, I covered the holes with ductape and drove the vehicles at highway speeds for 20 to 30 miles, to let the foam evenly distribute and self-balance itself inside the tube. So far, it's worked every time.