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      10-02-2011, 12:53 AM   #1
sard
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Whistling noise with Sport Mode?!!

I usually have the radio playing while driving, but today I wanted to hear the car driving while the radio and fan was turned off.

I never even noticed the blow off valve until today.. is yours pretty audible also?

To the main issue at hand. When starting from a stop, when I get to about 20 mph I hear this god damn whistling sound with a hint of flutter in it. It goes away at about 30 mph. The noise does NOT happen if I slow down to a coast at 20 mph. It will only occur when I'm accelerating.

It only seems to happen when I have Sport Mode activated. More precisely, ONLY when Sport Mode is set to effect Drivetrain.

The whistle starts at around 20 mph, then gets fainter, then louder when the RPM needle drops during the next gear change, then gets fainter, then seems to get louder at the next RPM drop/gear change. It does it about 2-3 times, but once I go over about 30 mph it will not make that noise anymore.

I also just recently got my car back from the dealer repainting the paint defect in my front passenger door. The door looks perfect, but there is some minor overspray on this foam thing in the crack (only visible if door is open). Also you can tell there was some clear coat overspray in the nook and cranny due to the rougher texture of the paint (not visible, only by touch, only when door is open and you run your finger on the top of the rocker area towards the hinge).

Anyone know what the hell the whistle sound is? I'm starting to get P.O'd
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      10-02-2011, 06:53 PM   #2
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So only me with this problem =(
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      10-02-2011, 08:22 PM   #3
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Mine does not make the noise you are describing. Sounds like you have a unique X3 on your hands.....
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      10-02-2011, 08:27 PM   #4
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You have to have the radio turned off and have a quiet environment .. I'll probably wait to 1200 miles then ask the dealership about it, at least that way I wont have to worry about proper break in procedures from others driving the car...
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      10-02-2011, 09:17 PM   #5
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I believe I have a similar noise, I normally have my radio on, even when I'm on the phone. (obviously volume is low) However I was driving last week with the radio completely off and noticed a whistling noise only during acceleration, whenever I would let off the gas the noise would stop. I was just assuming it was something to do with the turbo. To be honest I'm not sure if it was in sport mode or not. Pretty annoying though.
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      10-02-2011, 09:30 PM   #6
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On the 35i it's possible to hear turbo "whine" at low revs when you accelerate moderately (maybe 1/3 to 1/2 throttle) and then let off as the transmission shifts up. The exhaust quiets as the throttle closes, but the turbo is still spinning pretty fast and the sound can be heard through the intake system. In Sport Mode, the engine shifts at higher revs, so the turbo is more likely to be spinning faster even at light throttle. The "twin scroll" turbocharger on the N55 engine is designed to "spin-up" at very low engine speeds (as low as 1200 rpm) to provide a very flat torque curve so "spins-up" sooner than almost any other single turbo engine. That make it audible because it's spinning at low (quieter) engine revs.

If the pitch of the sound changes (drops with every shift), it's probably turbo "whine". Turbo "whine" sounds like a fire truck siren at a great distance.

If you're hearing normal turbo "whine" it's music to the ears of anyone who loves turbocharged engines. At high revs and/or full throttle, all the other engine and exhaust noises drown out the turbo. I actually wish it was a little louder.

Last edited by Lotus7; 10-02-2011 at 09:50 PM..
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      10-02-2011, 10:45 PM   #7
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I have a high suspicion it is turbo related, although it's not that high pitched turbo whine. It's a lower note whistle with a hint of fluttering in it. The kicker seems that it's both speed and rpm dependent and only when 'Drivetrain' is on via Sport Mode. Only between 18-30 mph and each time the rpm hits about 2000 RPM (does it bout 2 times during the 18-30 mph range as the rpm drops back down through the gear changes.

Maybe at speeds faster than 30 mph ambient noise is too high to hear it..I'm not sure. I can reproduce the sound every time. I wish it was either rpm or speed related as it would help narrow down the causes. I believe the whistle actually will stop right during the shift change, and then increase in volume as the rpm is rising.

Oh well..I'm thinking it's the waste gate.
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      10-02-2011, 11:00 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sard View Post
I have a high suspicion it is turbo related, although it's not that high pitched turbo whine. It's a lower note whistle with a hint of fluttering in it. The kicker seems that it's both speed and rpm dependent and only when 'Drivetrain' is on via Sport Mode. Only between 18-30 mph and each time the rpm hits about 2000 RPM (does it bout 2 times during the 18-30 mph range as the rpm drops back down through the gear changes.

Maybe at speeds faster than 30 mph ambient noise is too high to hear it..I'm not sure. I can reproduce the sound every time. I wish it was either rpm or speed related as it would help narrow down the causes. I believe the whistle actually will stop right during the shift change, and then increase in volume as the rpm is rising.

Oh well..I'm thinking it's the waste gate.
Can you capture the sound on video? Might help if we could hear it.
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      10-02-2011, 11:03 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Want the thrill View Post
Can you capture the sound on video? Might help if we could hear it.
I can try, but it's so faint I think it'll be tough. All I have is an iphone also. I'll try next time I go out (probably in 2 days since I work tomorrow).
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      10-03-2011, 03:13 PM   #10
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Ok here's an iPhone attempt at capturing the sound. It's more noticeable in real life when you're listening for it of course. You have to crank your volume up high. I have included a prompt at the bottom of the video when it's playing.

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Last edited by sard; 10-03-2011 at 03:29 PM..
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      10-03-2011, 03:25 PM   #11
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That is messed up. And only in sport mode? It seems to start with an upshift, but not sure.
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      10-03-2011, 03:30 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skier219 View Post
That is messed up. And only in sport mode? It seems to start with an upshift, but not sure.
Yes, only when sport mode is set to affect the engine/drivetrain.
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      10-03-2011, 04:35 PM   #13
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I don't here that on thew "Loaner" I have at the moment, yours is having a problem I think.
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      10-03-2011, 05:07 PM   #14
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That doesn't sound right at all. Mine def. does not do that!!
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      10-03-2011, 05:45 PM   #15
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I'll wait to 1200 miles then bring it in since I know it'll be properly broken in by then. Sad, now I have to look forward to techs tearing up the engine trying to find out the problem or have the good ol' "it's normal".
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      10-03-2011, 06:11 PM   #16
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sounds like a loose heat shield vibrating at certain rpms. let us know what they find.
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      10-03-2011, 06:38 PM   #17
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You know, I wouldn't call that a whistle -- it's more like a squeal.
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      10-11-2011, 06:08 PM   #18
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Hey Sard,

I have the exact same symptoms in the exact same conditions as you mention. This is a very weird noise indeed and just enough to make you say: "WTF?" when it happens.

I have the X3 35i with Sport Package and Variable Suspension. My X3 as now just a bit more than 5,000km (3,100mi).

Doesn't explain the noise but happy to read that I am not the only one.

Cheers.

Last edited by stealth70mde; 10-11-2011 at 06:13 PM..
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      10-11-2011, 06:44 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stealth70mde View Post
Hey Sard,

I have the exact same symptoms in the exact same conditions as you mention. This is a very weird noise indeed and just enough to make you say: "WTF?" when it happens.

I have the X3 35i with Sport Package and Variable Suspension. My X3 as now just a bit more than 5,000km (3,100mi).

Doesn't explain the noise but happy to read that I am not the only one.

Cheers.
Well very glad you have it to (of course not that you actually have it, but the fact I'm not alone). My guess is the waste gate. I'm going to wait until 1200+ miles then I'll take the car in for them to look at it.. Let me know if you find anything and I'll post my findings here too.

Good luck =) My feeling is many people have it and aren't actually hearing it due to not paying close enough attention / ambient road/wind noise / not driving with sport>engine mode on.
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      10-11-2011, 07:32 PM   #20
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It is the whistles of astonished onlookers as you cruise past them in Sport mode... very similar to the "gee, I didn't expect that much cleavage" whistle.
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      10-11-2011, 08:44 PM   #21
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Hmm you guys don't drive much. I got my car about 5 weeks ago and I am at almost 4000 km or 2400 miles.

Mine do make that whining noise and I started to notice it when my radio was off. Not sure about S vs D but it can be because the rpm is higher that you get that noise more frequently. I don't think it's a bad thing. Seems like the turbo is doing it's thing at low rpm.

With that said my previous 2001 Audi S4 seem to give more of the back pressed to the seat feel when accelerating. My old 2010 WRX was a little less abrupt. The X3 accelerating seem more gradual/linear. May be I need to drive it harder.
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      10-11-2011, 10:17 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XB101 View Post
Hmm you guys don't drive much. I got my car about 5 weeks ago and I am at almost 4000 km or 2400 miles.

Mine do make that whining noise and I started to notice it when my radio was off. Not sure about S vs D but it can be because the rpm is higher that you get that noise more frequently. I don't think it's a bad thing. Seems like the turbo is doing it's thing at low rpm.

With that said my previous 2001 Audi S4 seem to give more of the back pressed to the seat feel when accelerating. My old 2010 WRX was a little less abrupt. The X3 accelerating seem more gradual/linear. May be I need to drive it harder.
It's definitely not the normal turbo whine/hiss that people commonly refer to..you can hear it in my video posted above..
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