Whirring noise is transmission

[Nanginator22]

*Update*
Subaru have just called me and they can’t find anything wrong with the transmission. Their senior technician (30+ years at Subaru) said the tyres are ‘feathered’ which could cause the sound.
They are not charging me anything (which is a massive relief) but they asked me to get new tyres and they will reassess. I admit, when I bought the car the tyres in them were super cheap and was planning on getting 19’s and better tyres anyway.

 

[Guvna]

*Update*
Subaru have just called me and they can’t find anything wrong with the transmission. Their senior technician (30+ years at Subaru) said the tyres are ‘feathered’ which could cause the sound.
They are not charging me anything (which is a massive relief) but they asked me to get new tyres and they will reassess. I admit, when I bought the car the tyres in them were super cheap and was planning on getting 19’s and better tyres anyway.

Woohoo
Awesome mate.
Unless you wan spent heaps on tyres for pure performance, I can recommend Falken Azenis, they beat the Dunlop’s in all aspects and are really good in the wet, wear better and are a lot cheaper
I went one size wider with same profile, being 235/45 R18 (stock was 225/45 R18)
Gives 4mm more side wall which helps a bit with the bumps our cars hate, plus the extra width looks better, that’s as wide as you can go on the stock width rims.
I also bought a second hand Tyre for the spare which brought it up to almost the same rolling diameter as the main wheels, no more 80kmph crawling
Glad it’s not your gearbox buddy, for tou AND the rest of us
PS I definitely wouldn’t go for 19s unless or until tou get yosef some coilovers, not sure if you’ve done them yet?
Awesome relief man, there was no way they could charge you like I said earlier, but until they say that when they give it back I get the anxiety

 

[Nanginator22]

So glad it's not the gearbox . They aren't charging me for the work they did either which is a huge relief.

Thanks for the recommendation. I didn't think going wider on the tyre was a good idea but I think i'll take your advice on that.

I'm looking at:

Falken Azenis
Bridgestone Potenza s007
Pirelli Dragon sport

All are very similarly priced so I guess it will come down to price and availability and if the dealer can do a discount on the wheel alignment. My last car (Commodore) had bridgestones which i liked but i'm open to try something new.

As for the 19's I don't think I will. I want coilovers (going with Neomax S) but the missus wants to finish the reno's on the house so I think 19's and coilovers will come later. I guess I can upgrade the stock 18 inch wheels to something else the same size later on, I don't like the stock ones at all.

I'm still waiting to hear back about the leather wearing on the steering wheel and the drivers seat. It was a cheeky request but I don't think they'll do it under warranty but we'll see. I feel its not 'normal wear and tear' because of the low Km. My partners Forester leather looks virtually new and it's an 11 year old car and she definitely doesn't clean hers as often as I do mine.

@Guvna thank you for all your knowledge and support, it's been really appreciated and you've help me a lot! I owe you a couple of beers for sure

 

[Guvna]

So glad it's not the gearbox . They aren't charging me for the work they did either which is a huge relief.

Thanks for the recommendation. I didn't think going wider on the tyre was a good idea but I think i'll take your advice on that.

I'm looking at:

Falken Azenis
Bridgestone Potenza s007
Pirelli Dragon sport

All are very similarly priced so I guess it will come down to price and availability and if the dealer can do a discount on the wheel alignment. My last car (Commodore) had bridgestones which i liked but i'm open to try something new.

As for the 19's I don't think I will. I want coilovers (going with Neomax S) but the missus wants to finish the reno's on the house so I think 19's and coilovers will come later. I guess I can upgrade the stock 18 inch wheels to something else the same size later on, I don't like the stock ones at all.

I'm still waiting to hear back about the leather wearing on the steering wheel and the drivers seat. It was a cheeky request but I don't think they'll do it under warranty but we'll see. I feel its not 'normal wear and tear' because of the low Km. My partners Forester leather looks virtually new and it's an 11 year old car and she definitely doesn't clean hers as often as I do mine.

@Guvna thank you for all your knowledge and support, it's been really appreciated and you've help me a lot! I owe you a couple of beers for sure

Hey I’m Australian...I’ll never knock back a beer or two
But seriously you owe me nothing mate, it was my pleasure to assist and I’m glad it helped you.
Just for reference I got my new tyres Falken Azenis FK510 at End May 2020 and paid $816 for all 4 fitted and balanced and aligned, use that as a price guide

 

[Nanginator22]

You’re a bloody legend!

Tyrepower near me quotes $1200 lol! I’ve gone with Pirelli, they were $920 fitted with a wheel alignment. Also threw in a $200 voucher for a service. Probably use that for the forester.
Get them fitted Thursday.

 

[Guvna]

Sup Nan
How's the new wheels n tyres going?
Have they solved the noise you had that made Subaru think your trans had crapped itself?

 

[Nanginator22]

Sup Nan
How's the new wheels n tyres going?
Have they solved the noise you had that made Subaru think your trans had crapped itself?

Hey mate,
Love the wheels and tyres! Even my partner noticed the difference and shes far from a car person. It's noticeably quieter with the sound gone from before and less road noise. I also think they're a softer tyre as its more settled on the road.

I had a wheel alignment done yesterday (at subaru's request) and I can say that I don't here the noise from before. There is a noise but I feel like that may be a normal sound. I really have nothing to compare it to

I just need to contact Subaru and get it back in to have a look at the steering rack. It feels lumpy at no or low speed and they thought it might be the tyres. It definitely isn't. I've read some people have had this issues and the rack was replaced under warranty. Still waiting to hear if they will replace the leather on the steering wheel and the seat but i'll ask them when I call them. I just haven't had the time to sort it this week

 

[Nanginator22]

Some good news, they replaced my steering wheel as it was shiny, worn and cracking. Looks and feels so much better and I'm actually surprised they honoured it but so happy they did. I need to call Subaru Australia and find out why they honoured the steering wheel replacement but not some wear on the driver's seat. I really don't mind the seat but the service department said they should approve the seat, especially if they did the steering wheel.

Some bad news, the sound from the transmission came back. Only this time it wasn't as bad as before. All they told me was 'Checked and found an internal fault within the transmission'. A request to get Subaru Australia for a replacement transmission has been sent. I guess im happy that its getting replaced under warranty and I can get it finally sorted.

 

[nicodache]

Well, the seat may be a hard one. I got a MY15 which I bought in summer of 2016. I have the same wear pattern (but on the other side because LHD), and mine is far from being as bad.

I can only assume you're wearing trousers with very sharp buttons on the rear pockets, or go in/out of your cars dozens of time/day. Neither are regular use of a seat IMHO

 

[Nanginator22]

Well, the seat may be a hard one. I got a MY15 which I bought in summer of 2016. I have the same wear pattern (but on the other side because LHD), and mine is far from being as bad.

I can only assume you're wearing trousers with very sharp buttons on the rear pockets, or go in/out of your cars dozens of time/day. Neither are regular use of a seat IMHO

Yeah, it's an interesting one. I've only owned the car since June last year so if what you say is true it was the previous owner. The Service manager and their warranty staff at my local Subaru both agreed if should be covered and suggested I call Subaru Australia and find out why.

I called Subaru Australia's warranty team, spoke to a gentleman and it was a weird phone call. I told him what the service department said and he abruptly replied 'they could have told you why the warranty was denied. If a warranty claim is denied, that's it'.

I said 'ok, but can you tell me why please?'. I gave him my rego and he quickly responded with 'I'm going to need to look into this and call you back.' I've not heard since. Very strange.

To be honest, if they say its not covered i'm ok with it. I pretty wrapped with the new steering wheel and a bloke down my way will fix the seat for $150.

 

[Guvna]

G'day Nan,
Thanks for the update, some good news in there, I guess like they say '2 out of 3 ain't bad' lol
I certainly keep following up the seat though, especially if that's what your dealer suggested.
Steering wheel and trans, and not in that order , are the big ones, so glad they got those sorted for you

 

[leftfield lenny]

Some good news, they replaced my steering wheel as it was shiny, worn and cracking. Looks and feels so much better and I'm actually surprised they honoured it but so happy they did. I need to call Subaru Australia and find out why they honoured the steering wheel replacement but not some wear on the driver's seat. I really don't mind the seat but the service department said they should approve the seat, especially if they did the steering wheel.

Some bad news, the sound from the transmission came back. Only this time it wasn't as bad as before. All they told me was 'Checked and found an internal fault within the transmission'. A request to get Subaru Australia for a replacement transmission has been sent. I guess im happy that its getting replaced under warranty and I can get it finally sorted.

Hi, I just saw your worn seat picture while reviewing all recent posts. I never bothered with my steering wheel, I put creams on my hands that may accelerate the wear on that. Ironically right on the edge of that fold stitching my drivers seat bore the same fraying, which my local Subaru dealer dismissed it as my clothing rubbing it away. I got seat covers and put them over the front seats to protect and keep them clean. My previous car to this Levorg was a brand new Honda HRV which also displayed the same bolster wear, that dealer also refused to repair the seat under warranty, advising instead to buy some seat covers instead, so I got it re upholstered for £90 before getting rid, poor performance and failing reliability compared to a Subaru anyway. This is the first car that I've bought with leather seats, so I'm disappointed that it's shown that kind of wear after such a short time of ownership. And I think that it's the quality of materials used in car interiors these days, because I've been buying cars since 1980 and I've never had that kind of bolster wear in such a short time.

 

[Nanginator22]

Hi, I just saw your worn seat picture while reviewing all recent posts. I never bothered with my steering wheel, I put creams on my hands that may accelerate the wear on that. Ironically right on the edge of that fold stitching my drivers seat bore the same fraying, which my local Subaru dealer dismissed it as my clothing rubbing it away. I got seat covers and put them over the front seats to protect and keep them clean. My previous car to this Levorg was a brand new Honda HRV which also displayed the same bolster wear, that dealer also refused to repair the seat under warranty, advising instead to buy some seat covers instead, so I got it re upholstered for £90 before getting rid, poor performance and failing reliability compared to a Subaru anyway. This is the first car that I've bought with leather seats, so I'm disappointed that it's shown that kind of wear after such a short time of ownership. And I think that it's the quality of materials used in car interiors these days, because I've been buying cars since 1980 and I've never had that kind of bolster wear in such a short time.

Yeah I agree with you about the wear, I think it’s the material Subaru use on most of their modern cars. My parter has a 2011 Forester and there’s no wear on the seats (or steering wheel for that matter).
I’ve not heard back from Subaru Aus since calling them and I’ve tried calling back twice now. I’ll keep persisting until I find out why they won’t honour the seat wear when they did for the wheel

 

[Guvna]

Yeah I agree with you about the wear, I think it’s the material Subaru use on most of their modern cars. My parter has a 2011 Forester and there’s no wear on the seats (or steering wheel for that matter).
I’ve not heard back from Subaru Aus since calling them and I’ve tried calling back twice now. I’ll keep persisting until I find out why they won’t honour the seat wear when they did for the wheel

Great tip for you.....
Put it in writing!
I’d send them an old school letter (or email lol)
Saying everything, they honoured the steering wheel (which looks AWESOME by the way) and that your dealer instructed your to contact them as they believe the seat should be warranted too, and that you’ve tried calling but aren’t receiving a response, when there’s a paper trail (or digital trail) they can’t ignore tou for long
We as owners shouldn’t feel stingy about expecting things to last as they should, these vehicles aren’t cheap and they have warranties for this reason, I’d definitely percevere with it. You’d be surprised the difference putting it in writing often makes

 

[Nanginator22]

Great tip for you.....
Put it in writing!
I’d send them an old school letter (or email lol)
Saying everything, they honoured the steering wheel (which looks AWESOME by the way) and that your dealer instructed your to contact them as they believe the seat should be warranted too, and that you’ve tried calling but aren’t receiving a response, when there’s a paper trail (or digital trail) they can’t ignore tou for long
We as owners shouldn’t feel stingy about expecting things to last as they should, these vehicles aren’t cheap and they have warranties for this reason, I’d definitely percevere with it. You’d be surprised the difference putting it in writing often makes

Thanks Guvna! Yeah I work in government, we’ll versed in paper trials haha.

Turns out the bloke I spoke to Monday is investigating my disputed claim. Bloke I spoke to today was much better and way more helpful. I’m expecting a call soon with an outcome.

All I wanted to know was the “why”, I didn’t realise my call triggered a review. I guess that comes down to the customer service of the first bloke. We’ll see what happens

 

[Wolvo]

Looks good my steering wheel is shiny and has cracked also its a 2016 done 50000km out of warranty now though so contacted Subaru NZ and they said no to replacing it at there cost but would give me a discount on a new one fitted by an authorised dealer

Some good news, they replaced my steering wheel as it was shiny, worn and cracking. Looks and feels so much better and I'm actually surprised they honoured it but so happy they did. I need to call Subaru Australia and find out why they honoured the steering wheel replacement but not some wear on the driver's seat. I really don't mind the seat but the service department said they should approve the seat, especially if they did the steering wheel.

Some bad news, the sound from the transmission came back. Only this time it wasn't as bad as before. All they told me was 'Checked and found an internal fault within the transmission'. A request to get Subaru Australia for a replacement transmission has been sent. I guess im happy that its getting replaced under warranty and I can get it finally sorted.

 

[Nanginator22]

Looks good my steering wheel is shiny and has cracked also its a 2016 done 50000km out of warranty now though so contacted Subaru NZ and they said no to replacing it at there cost but would give me a discount on a new one fitted by an authorised dealer

Yeah that’s very similar to what mine looked like. Im so glad I negotiated a year of manufacturers warranty. The steering wheels aren’t cheap.
I think that’s a reasonable outcome, them offering a discount. The steering wheel is the thing you look at and touch the most and I think it would be well worth considering.

the new wheel has made my 2016 feel brand new!

 

[Guvna]

Looks good my steering wheel is shiny and has cracked also its a 2016 done 50000km out of warranty now though so contacted Subaru NZ and they said no to replacing it at there cost but would give me a discount on a new one fitted by an authorised dealer

Hard to tell with just a photo, so I'm not saying your wheel isn't cracked, but it looks like it could do with a good scrub clean, horsehair brush and soapy water, I've seen wheels that looked bad like yours come up awesome with a good clean, ones that looked cracked but actually weren't, amazing difference, give it a crack, pardon the pun

 

[Wolvo]

Cheers for the advice Guvna I'll give it a crack but were it is at the top of the steering wheel I think the sun has caused it

 

[Guvna]

Cheers for the advice Guvna I'll give it a crack but were it is at the top of the steering wheel I think the sun has caused it

Damn Mother Nature lol
If it makes a big difference post a pic