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Wind noise/Blow by

I have '00 and '02 Legacy/Outback wagons, and in both cars I'm getting a ton of wind noise passing through the front door windows. In the '00 the wind noise is coming from passenger door window in the lower front corner where the triangular plastic molding is. Wind passes through even at low speeds. At high speeds it is very loud and annoying. On the '02 the noise comes from the driver door window near where the front edge and top edge meet. I usually only hear it at high speeds.

Are these cars known for poor window seals? Any suggestions since the '00 is off warranty?

Reply to
Pete2000
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If the '00 has fold up mirrors you might try clear silicone caulk where the mirror head rotates on the base. The windows are adjustable for up travel if you remove the inner door panel. I have owned a lot of Subaru and everyone was very loud at highway speed even if they weren't leaking air. TG

Reply to
TG

Thanks. I do not believe this isn't a case of poor Subaru aerodynamics; this is a case in which air (and alot of it) is getting into the cabin. Sometimes, if I reseat the driver side window the air leak will go away for a while on the '02. But on the '00, I am sure it has to do with the molding in the front lower corner of the passenger door window. I can see that the triangular plastic piece isn't seated well, but I can not seem to reseat it. I am wondering if it is a design flaw that others may have noticed.

Reply to
Pete2000

I had the same problem with my '02 OBW...wind noise coming from the front drivers side (US) at high speeds. The dealer installed a new "gusset" and the noise went completely away. This is apparently a known problem. He said it was not wind coming in the car, but rather cabin air going out...in essence, a kind of venturi effect causing the problem. After this simple fix, the car was almost as quiet as my Lexus.

Reply to
romy

Took my '02 OBW to dealer this morning to fix autodim mirror and had them look into the wind problem. Indeed, they said it was the mirror gusset. They replaced it under warranty.

My '00 LW was also in the dealer this morning due to a check engine light. I asked about the mirror gusset, since on this car the noise was really loud. They offered to make a free adjustment inside the door. They said if that didn't work I would need a new mirror gusset. The adjustment apparently worked since it is as quiet as new.

Reply to
Pete2000

On my 2002 Canadian-Spec WRX I had severe whistling noise at 140-160 kph, extremely loud. If I tucked in my mirrors the noise would go away. My dealer knew nothing about it.

My current 2004 STi appears to have the exact same problem.

I'm of the opinion that it is a deliberate mechanism by which the dealership can find out what speeds you're hitting with the vehicle--sort of a call-home device.

Friendly WRX owners in my area have told me to cover over the crease where the mirror bends, although I haven't tried this yet. I have heard a similar noise in a maximum-speed test in a Japanese motoring TV-mag, although it was nowhere near as pronounced.

I'm a little annoyed at it, but since it's just airflow, it's easy to fix.

Reply to
k. ote.

Try pinching together the mirror gusset where the window goes up, this usually solves the problem.

"Pete2000" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@localhost.talkaboutautos.com:

Reply to
Jcee

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