"Basically, you're never going to get rid of all the noises in this car"

So my driver's side B-Pillar starting ticking again recently and it seems to come and go based on external temperature etc. I was by the VW Pasadena dealer today and had the day off, so I dropped by to see if they were busy. It was unusually slow and I talked to the service manager about it, since I'd already been in a month and a half ago for wind noise/rattle repair he remembered me, and a technician came out to take a ride with me. While I was waiting for him, the service manager says to me with a deadpan delivery: "you're never going to get rid of all the noises in this car. Period. If you wanted a totally silent interior you should have gotten a CC. It wouldnt be half as fun or engaging as the GTI, but it'd be quiet." He started talking about how the chassis has a lot of 'flex' in it and how a certain level of noise in these cars is par for the course. I thought this was interesting since when I first brought the car in for wind noise and door rattle (which they later fixed, replacing like 20 parts), he acted like I was the first GTI owner to ever have these problems. Like it was just amazing that I had wind noise and door rattles. This time around he was basically like "last time you were in, we fixed everything to factory corporate spec and beyond, so at this point, you're just fucking crazy."

It was ticking like crazy today and I had also noticed some flexing, creaking sounds coming from the driver's side door when going slow speeds over rough-ish terrain, so I had the tech drive to see if he noticed it. First off, Murphy's Law dictated that the B-Pillar tick totally vanished the second he started driving and did not return (and hasn't for the rest of the day). Secondly, he noted the 'flexing' sound on the drivers side etc. and said that is "totally normal" for the car and that it was inherent to the design. Said basically the same thing as the service manager, that these cars will always have some audible interior quirks and that the suspension + 18" wheels = excellent handling and performance but not the smoothest ride on rough roads. "Since the B-Pillar isn't ticking, you can leave it and we can try to drive it tomorrow after its cold to see if we hear it, but to me, everything seems fine right now".

I said screw it and took the car home. I'm over it. The GTI is the only car I have ever had with an occasional ticking B-Pillar but I'm tired of worrying about it. I guess for a car that has so many things going for it for the price, there is bound to be some small quirks and issues with it.

He finished the drive by saying that the 12k mile interior rattle warranty is a misinterpreted rumour/BS and that as long as I have the factory warranty (and in my case the extended) that they will fix rattles, seals, channels, wind noise etc. free of charge down the line.

Cool story bro?

My car makes the same noise from the b pillar depending on temp. they could never verify it o well i will just get louder exhaust...

with the flexing issue it would be interesting to see if the unibrace UB and XB would make any difference with the noises?

JP

Yeah, I wonder if the unibrace etc. would make a difference.. Anyone reading this thread had that flexing noise before you did the install?

The tech who drove the car said he's driven several Mk6s and that they 'all have this noise'.. Whatever

the b-pillar tick is the result of chassis flex?

that's a load of <expletive deleted>.

i get this tick on either side of the car, usually the side exposed to sunlight and experiencing some sort of temperature change as a result of that exposure and the fact that it's more audible when the car is STATIONARY like at a stop light tells me this is induced by some other factor(s). chassis flex? give me a break....

I get the tick too at random times. Sometimes when sitting still in my driveway........ Chassis flex my@&*!

I get the same ticking noise. Driving or at a stop light....it's just there. Every time i wanna take it in, it goes away.

yeah, well you can definitely here the chassis 'flexing' or rather the seams and panels rubbing together when going over large bumps etc. at low speeds, especially with windows up but i dont think it has anything in the world to do with what causes the b pillar tick. definitely temp related because i notice it most in the late morning when it starts to get warmer and i'm driving it for the first time that day. the best is when i said to the technician, "its a really common problem, the b pillar ticking, and I am sure you have encountered it. if you search it online or in the forums there are endless posts about it by people with the same problem" and the guy said "well, me personally, i've never fixed or dealt with that problem and ive been a certifed vw tech for 5 years."
that guy has got to be seriously bullshitting me. i mean come on man.

Lithium grease bro. Just buy some, spray it in the locker mechanism, and call it a day. Fuck the dealership, you'll be SO happy once you do this. I had rattles for ~19,000 miles, and the day I sprayed lithium grease into my locking mech. it was like I was reborn. Car is soo slient.

I get the b-pillar rattles as well but my BIGGEST complaint is the wind/leaking noise I hear from the drivers door. Anytime I'm on the highway(every day, 100 mile round trip to work and back) you can pretty much hear everything outside via the leak. Its like the door isn't totally sealed and about halfway up the length of the door, you can hear the whistling/outside noise very clearly. Its annoying but I haven't had anytime to take the care in so it might wait till the 10k mile service. /shrug

whalesalad said:

Lithium grease bro. Just buy some, spray it in the locker mechanism, and call it a day. Fuck the dealership, you'll be SO happy once you do this. I had rattles for ~19,000 miles, and the day I sprayed lithium grease into my locking mech. it was like I was reborn. Car is soo slient.

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Yeah brah, I got hip to the lithium grease a while back and yes, it works, but Krytox which is essentially a higher quality lithium grease works better. Thats not what causes the 'flexing creaking' sound or the B Pillar tick.

Justinjor said:

I get the b-pillar rattles as well but my BIGGEST complaint is the wind/leaking noise I hear from the drivers door. Anytime I'm on the highway(every day, 100 mile round trip to work and back) you can pretty much hear everything outside via the leak. Its like the door isn't totally sealed and about halfway up the length of the door, you can hear the whistling/outside noise very clearly. Its annoying but I haven't had anytime to take the care in so it might wait till the 10k mile service. /shrug

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I had that very issue and contrary to the 'screw the dealer' advice of the previous poster, the dealer completely fixed my issue and lithium grease in latches and striker plate only goes so far. Had brutal wind noise on the passenger side as well as crazy rattling etc. The incident and repair as well as all the parts that were replaced (there were a lot) are detailed here in my previous thread. http://golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13488&highlight=wind+noise

Its totally worth going through the dealer if you have the patience and persistence. My car is totally free of wind noise and rattles now (except for the B Pillar crap and occasional 'flexing') after they replaced everything on the passenger side. They had my car for 5 days but it was worth it.

Regarding the ticking...I explained this to the dealer and they told me it just sounded like it was coming from the B pillar. They said it was coming from the gas tank. Started to go on about the noisy fuel pump. I only hear it just after starting the car up. I drive for about 5 or 6 blocks and then hear it loud as can be. It stops after a few blocks.

Does this car have a fuel pump near the gas tank? If so, it sounds like a reasonable explanation. If it does not, then I guess I need to look into this noise a bit further.

As for the flex, it is a hatchback and is prone to flex. That is what you sign up for when buying a hatch. I will say that in my experience, it has less flex than most. I have driven some that you can actually see the body start to deform when you jack up one end of the car.

McQueen77 said:

I had that very issue and contrary to the 'screw the dealer' advice of the previous poster, the dealer completely fixed my issue and lithium grease in latches and striker plate only goes so far. Had brutal wind noise on the passenger side as well as crazy rattling etc. The incident and repair as well as all the parts that were replaced (there were a lot) are detailed here in my previous thread. http://golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13488&highlight=wind+noise

Its totally worth going through the dealer if you have the patience and persistence. My car is totally free of wind noise and rattles now (except for the B Pillar crap and occasional 'flexing') after they replaced everything on the passenger side. They had my car for 5 days but it was worth it.

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Thank you for the link bud. I'll give that a good read and get the dealer involved.

I have to say I noticed the wind noise too. Had my first high way trip over the weekend and at speed you can definitely hear the "leak" that some are describing here. I kept playing with the window switch to see if its that, and tried pulling the door in and see if that did anything. In the end I just turn the stereo up and ignored it....

I am still at the stage of wonderful bliss since coming from a 13 years old car that has developed its various issue from worn bushing to squeaky doors to steering shake to 70mph steering wheel wobble.....this car is pretty much solid as a rock...Nothing so far is NEARLY as noticeable as the knack for the 18" Detroits to find every single ripple and cracks on the highway....then again, my old car(Camry) had 70 profile tire on float-o-matic suspension, you can probably run over a dead animal and feel nothing......

At the end of the day I guess this car is not going to be that terribly different from your average ecnobox, just this one has a German badge...hopefully mechanically this thing will hold up. I'd hate for my first VW experience to end up sour...

I'll just keep driving and see if it gets worse and bring it up to the service tech at my 90 days check up.