[saintc1iff]

Hello all! First post here and new to the TDI family! I recently picked up a 2012 Touareg TDI with 160k miles on it and plan on keeping and taking care of it until it reaches double its current mileage.

One thing that has been coming up lately is a howling/whining noise when I’m at speed. It doesn’t seem to be the transmission because I switch gears and it was still making the same noise. I do have a clip missing from the intake cover so I don’t know if that could be causing it?

I know it’s hard to tell what a sound is without being able to diagnose it properly but just wanted to see if anybody had a similar thing come up in their Treg. Also some pointers on just general maintenance care would be great! Thank you in advance!

 

[rabitoblanco]

What kind of tires do you have, and post a picture of their tread levels.
The other obvious one is wheel bearings

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[saintc1iff]

What kind of tires do you have, and post a picture of their tread levels.
The other obvious one is wheel bearings

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No it’s not the tires, their pretty fresh A/S tires. It could be a wheel bearing, it happens when I let off the throttle and goes away when I put my foot back on. No sounds when I’m turning either

 

[Yeti]

Any shaking from the console area? If so check the center bearing on the drive shaft.

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[volkswagens-for-life]

Hello all! First post here and new to the TDI family! I recently picked up a 2012 Touareg TDI with 160k miles on it and plan on keeping and taking care of it until it reaches double its current mileage.

One thing that has been coming up lately is a howling/whining noise when I’m at speed. It doesn’t seem to be the transmission because I switch gears and it was still making the same noise. I do have a clip missing from the intake cover so I don’t know if that could be causing it?

I know it’s hard to tell what a sound is without being able to diagnose it properly but just wanted to see if anybody had a similar thing come up in their Treg. Also some pointers on just general maintenance care would be great! Thank you in advance!

Sounds like it could be poor tires

No it’s not the tires, their pretty fresh A/S tires. It could be a wheel bearing, it happens when I let off the throttle and goes away when I put my foot back on. No sounds when I’m turning either

if this is the case - can you take a video?

 

[capese21]

Hello all! First post here and new to the TDI family! I recently picked up a 2012 Touareg TDI with 160k miles on it and plan on keeping and taking care of it until it reaches double its current mileage.

One thing that has been coming up lately is a howling/whining noise when I’m at speed. It doesn’t seem to be the transmission because I switch gears and it was still making the same noise. I do have a clip missing from the intake cover so I don’t know if that could be causing it?

I know it’s hard to tell what a sound is without being able to diagnose it properly but just wanted to see if anybody had a similar thing come up in their Treg. Also some pointers on just general maintenance care would be great! Thank you in advance!

Any idea where the howling emanates from? If you let off the gas but still at speed does it vanish? What about in neutral at speed? Try and eliminate the engine and / or gearbox or the running gear.

By intake cover do you mean the large plastic cover over the engine? General maintenance would be regular oil changes for the engine and consider the gearbox fluid and the oil in the diffs and transfer box & brake fluid. Replace them all imho. Any service history?

 

[igor13]

Hi,

If such howling noise pitch (not intensity !!!) is vehicule speed related, then it is :

Tyres
or
Wheels bearings
or
Front and/or Rear differential bearings (either input bearing (high speed) or main bearings (low speed))

Diff bearings issue is well documented.

Differential bearing noise is typically related with throttle/load, means it appears on some phases (coasting only for instance) and changes when applying some throttle.

Good testing would be to run on a flat highway, on high gear, then listen noise when applying very gentle throttle then no throttle (coasting) then slight throttle etc...by sequences.

Normally a very little backroung whinning noise is the symptom of normally weared transmission, but if the noise is very present, it is the sign of differential suffering. Very expensive to be fixed.

Anyhow once again VW do not recommend any change of trans oil on these cars (like gearbox ATF) which is a non sense.

Trans oil (in diff) looses its propererties after about 5 years (due to time, atmosphere etc..) whatever mileage is, and then it has no longer corrosion protection feature, and even pH becomes acid.

Then it kills bearings.

Change transmission and ATF oil regularly (60000 km of every 4/5 years whichever comes first)