The noisy people’s car…

[Sootchucker]

Funny you should mention the A1. My wife's car is a 2016 VW Polo Blue GT DSG with lots of options. It was paid for cash at the time but is obviously now over 4 years old (albeit with only 14k miles on it !)

I mentioned to the wife about getting something newer but the only thing she liked was the new A1. Luckily it's available with the same 1.5 TSI 150ps engine as per Polo with ACT technology and the 7 speed DSG. When we specc'd a new A1 with that engine, DSG, metallic paint and just one option (to give her the auto lights, wipers, heated seats etc that she has on the Polo), the price was £29.5k

Bloody hell, when did a Polo size car break the £30k barrier (with a few more toys to exactly at least match here Polo, it ended up at £32,750. Gulp). She's decided to keep the Polo 

[DaveA]

Some interesting thoughts coming off the original thread, many of which I wholeheartedly agree with…

The “cost” of these vehicles certainly seems to have increased significantly over the last three or four years or so… An M135i would now cost broadly what my 340i M Sport did in 2016…  and not simply the list prices, but the interest rates, GFV’s applied etc etc…

Let’s face it, the Golf market sector now is perhaps now more crowded than it ever has been… with, frankly, lots of alternatives and lots of different ways of slicing up your budget… Just about all the manufacturers have an offering at this size, together with the rise of brands like Kia, Hyundai and Mazda who also have different approaches to the offerings, but both offering lots of kit on their product at attractive prices…

There is no doubt in my mind, having driven both, that the M135 is more refined than my GTI… and that extra refinement does not detract from the driving experience…

I hear what some are saying about the “hot hatch” nature of a car but, well, to be honest, I never associated VW a lacking in refinement, nor would I expect it… If I wanted a stripped out noisy racer to zoom about in, I’d buy an old normally aspirated 2 litre rally car…  I bought a VW because I wanted some of that “go” with refinement and day-to-day ability… and I always thought of the GTI as the sophisticated choice in the heated up hatchback market...

[fredgroves]

There are quite a few articles out there about how UK new car prices have crept up.

Partly its to do with worsening Sterling exchange rates, partly its to do with increasing demand in other parts of the world meaning that strong UK demand not being a primary target for OEM's.

The market is changing, the idea that an Audi A3 is cheaper to pay each month for than a Vauxhall Astra is going away (probably even gone).

[DaveA]

There are quite a few articles out there about how UK new car prices have crept up.

Partly its to do with worsening Sterling exchange rates, partly its to do with increasing demand in other parts of the world meaning that strong UK demand not being a primary target for OEM's.

The market is changing, the idea that an Audi A3 is cheaper to pay each month for than a Vauxhall Astra is going away (probably even gone).

Yes, I feel it is reverting to something more like we used to have in those sorts of respects... Where the "premium" manufacturers feel they don't need to move so much product here (and it is interesting as I was reading how EU business has already replaced the volume of the UK market with other markets now - not just cars, in most things)... and where you feel grateful for £500 off your Gol/?A3/1 series etc... That's if they don't ignore you in the dealership first...

[Npr]

I traded my 2016 320i just before lockdown for a 2 year old 230 bhp gti mk7.5. Thankfully I don't have the rattles you are experiencing Dave's but s some others have commented, I find the booming droning resonance from the rear of the car unacceptable.

There is a thread I started about how to make it quieter below and a further link from golfdave that may be of intersst to some reading this thread as a number have fitted a sub rear frame harmonic damper. Some have fitted and have found a 50% improvement. I had it fitted and it made a slight improvement. I will now attempt to fit some Sound deadening to make it more bearable.
I do regret getting rid of my bmw. As you say it was better at having the sounds you wanted - engine and exhaust.
There are aspects of the Golf that I find better than my base 320, lights, front pdc, seats, - but do wish it was much quieter

 https://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=286456.0

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/how-to-retro-fit-the-rear-subframe-harmonic-damper-from-the-audi-a3-saloon-2013.369369/page-8

[DaveA]

I traded my 2016 320i just before lockdown for a 2 year old 230 bhp gti mk7.5. Thankfully I don't have the rattles you are experiencing Dave's but s some others have commented, I find the booming droning resonance from the rear of the car unacceptable.

There is a thread I started about how to make it quieter below and a further link from golfdave that may be of intersst to some reading this thread as a number have fitted a sub rear frame harmonic damper. Some have fitted and have found a 50% improvement. I had it fitted and it made a slight improvement. I will now attempt to fit some Sound deadening to make it more bearable.
I do regret getting rid of my bmw. As you say it was better at having the sounds you wanted - engine and exhaust.
There are aspects of the Golf that I find better than my base 320, lights, front pdc, seats, - but do wish it was much quieter

 https://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=286456.0

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/how-to-retro-fit-the-rear-subframe-harmonic-damper-from-the-audi-a3-saloon-2013.369369/page-8

Your impressions coming into the Golf from the BMW echo my thoughts about the unwanted elements of noise that come into the car… especially, I find, over coarser and rougher road surfaces (which, unfortunately, there are a lot of up here in the North York Moors) which tend to exacerbate any rattles and speaks and whatnot, making it a double-whammy… I find myself gritting my teeth and hoping for the next smoother section…

… and whilst I do certainly appreciate some folk do not find that a detraction, I do… It is certainly not something you have to accept as a trade off for a more sporting intent in a hot hatch…

Thanks for the links… I shall have a read through (my apologies for not having already done so, I was largely absent during lockdown..)…

One thing I am wary of doing is dropping tyre pressures as, well, rightly or wrongly, I always feel that the recommended pressures should be the ones you run too… But, hmmm, have to say, 40 psi for mine does seem high… don’t think I have ever run a car at that in the past….

[Mister G]

Sorry to hear about your woes. I own an 18 plate GTI PP MK7.5, on about 18K miles (owned it since 3K) and don't / haven't experienced any rattling / creaks etc. Saying that the only 2 things I'm not happy with are:

- Not having DCC (ride on 19'' Pirelli's can be a little jarring - doesn't bother me so much but as a passenger you notice it)
- Cabin noise on crap roads is starting to get on my nerves 

[Pretzel]

Made a trip to our local 'tidy tip' today to dispose of some garden rubbish.

A stark reminder of how much more noise there is with rear seats down and no parcel shelf in place.

[Npr]

Hi,

Regarding cabin noise on rough/course surfaces that has been mentioned in the post, I find the road noise unacceptable. I have been reading other threads and other Golf forums and I wonder whether I should change my tyres even though relatively new to make driving the car more bearable.

 I have Michelin Pilot Sport 4 on 18" wheels and find them noisy on rough surfaces - can't hear the sat nav lady giving directions, for example. What tyres do you have and do you consider the road noise acceptable? I realise this is very subjective and depends what you are used to previously. However, I'd be most interested to hear from those that consider the car quiet, particularly those who thought the cabin noisy previously and have subsequently changed tyres and have found them quieter.

As a matter of interest, I was reading a review on Parkers website of a Golf GTE on 18" and he moved to Michelin Cross Climate + and they improved road noise for him. Elsewhere, I've read they have a hum at motorway speeds....

'one unanimous complaint I keep hearing from people who drive my Golf GTE long termer is how noisy the cabin is, even when driving in all-electric mode.
The tyres are the culprit, transmitting a dull rumble into the car even at low speed. VW fits performance-focussed Bridgestone Potenza rubber to the GTE, which fits the hot hatch side of this car’s personality, rather than the quietly efficient plug-in hybrid character.
What are these tyres like? (Michelin Cross Climate +)
The rating sticker claims they are more efficient than the Bridgestones and quieter to the tune of three decibels. They’re also about £30 a corner more expensive, so that’s a consideration.
At the risk of sounding dramatic, the GTE has been transformed by the new rubber. It’s so much quieter on the move. So much so that you can now hear various chirps and whistles from the turbo, and the noise of the regenerative braking system, plus the slight whistle of wind noise rippling off the door mirrors.'

Do any of you run the Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 with 68dB rating or the Goodyear Efficient Grip with 69dB rating. I know these are external noise ratings hence why it is useful to know when fitted to this particular car.

Thanks

[fredgroves]

I'd be a bit careful...

The tyre test consists of a test car driving past a microphone 7.5meters away at 50mph.

Sounds reasonable doesn't it?

But the test is about environmental impact, not passenger and to get better results some tread patterns specifically direct the sound into the wheel arch.... and thus into the car. Probably the lowest noise rated ones are the ones most likely to be playing that game.

Definitely do not pick a tyre for quieter internal noise based on those sticker values.

Continental have a special ContiSilent technology -

https://www.continental-tyres.co.uk/car/tyres/continental-tyre-technologies/contisilent

The Sport Contact 5 has it. Its still 72db on the sticker though for a 225/40/R18. SC5's are a good performance tyre, but wear quicker than some of the others.

Narrower tyres make less noise as do less sporty ones but I'd suggest neither are for a performance Golf!

Have you thought about putting sound deadening under the floor and into the wheel arches? Dynamat and Noico make products you could use.