07 Vue wind noise

[mwhite]

Have noticed from day one more wind noise than I thought was normal.
Today whie driving,I put my finger between the door and seal strip and noticed whistling noise!! I think several people have had same problem and is it mainly a door alignment issue, more or different door seal needed,or do I just have to turn the radio up louder? Thinking about adding seal around door frames. We only have 2300 miles and love it, but this is a little annoying!!
07 Vue 3.5 17" alloys,chrome pkg,roof rails, stupid window etching and Saturn Guard(didn't order either,came with it) lojack
Any and all help appreciated from people who have had this annoyance!!

[DesignoSLK]

I'm not sure who it was, but someone suggested the "weather stripping" thing. I'm planning to do that. Yes, seems ridiculous for a $27,000 vehicle, but as you stated...I love it, too.

[bob shanks]

Has anyone solved their wind noise problem? I have wind noise on both front doors. Has anyone added a gasket or new weather stripping?
Thanks

[mellissam]

Have noticed from day one more wind noise than I thought was normal.
Today whie driving,I put my finger between the door and seal strip and noticed whistling noise!! I think several people have had same problem and is it mainly a door alignment issue, more or different door seal needed,or do I just have to turn the radio up louder? Thinking .....

You should not have turn up your radio!! Sounds like mis-aligned doors or poor door seal....There is a common complaint about the B pillar plastic molding that catches crosswinds and makes a noise (silicon sealant or WHY to fix). I'd take it back in and have them fix it...doesn't matter what the car costs, a poor seal is a manufacturer defect. If it helps at all, I have a very quiet ride, the door seals are tight...no complaints, except on very windy crosswind days when cruising at highway speeds I notice the B pillar noise - not very loud, but something I will get the dealer to fix..I think there is a TSB on it. Cheers.

[pdough]

I notice the problem and have plans to add some weather stripping as suggested on another post. It is unnoticeable during the summer but when its cold during the winter, and with cross winds, it is really annoying.

Another good reason for metal panels. This thread has now been hijacked and I feel a burst of annoying complaints coming! Bash away.

[bob shanks]

If anyone has added a seal to the door can you please show some pics?
Thank you.

[mellissam]

.....

Another good reason for metal panels. This thread has now been hijacked and I feel a burst of annoying complaints coming! Bash away.

ok.
What in the world does metal panels have that polymer panels don't?!
My friends marvel how quiet my ride is......acoustically, thin metal panel will refract (not talking reflect) more noise than thicker polymer panels (generally speaking)....Higher frequency noise may pass through polymer easier, but I find the ultimate test not to be what skin you have on, but whether there is good insulation behind the metal or polymer. They did that in 06, and I find my ride as quiet as can be.....
I know, because it is a pain trying to thread a wire threw the firewall...lots of insulation and good rubber grommets.
[/Bash]:)

[Counterfit]

I'd bet the vues with these problems were the ones coming off the line before 12am on monday mornings lol.

[peatsea]

Not to jack,

But, copy that, Mellisam. Trying to get the brake controller wires through the firewall was, em, interesting....

[bob shanks]

MELLISSAM,
Please let me know where you get your smokes from or quality ear plugs. My 07 vue is the loudest car i have ever owned. I also had an 03 & 05 vues that were much quieter.

[mellissam]

MELLISSAM,
Please let me know where you get your smokes from or quality ear plugs. My 07 vue is the loudest car i have ever owned. I also had an 03 & 05 vues that were much quieter.

Well, as you all must know, BC Bud is numero uno! You can thank our cheap hydroelectric dams for the abundance of light we have...
Believe or not, I don't smoke the stuff...stuff is too strong for little old me.
And I don't wear earplugs. I suspect two things are at play; your roads and tires, and your engine is different than mine.

We have smooth tar roads and my I4 has been broken in, and is very quiet (geared tall). So quiet, I noticed the new gauge I put in (Oil Trans Temp Gauge) makes a tinging noise when I go over bumps....cheap gauge...
Yeah, I hear folks whine about how noisy their ride is, makes me wonder what car I got....:|
By far, the quietest ride I have ever owned or driven (as passenger, rental etc.)....

[mellissam]

Not to jack,

But, copy that, Mellisam. Trying to get the brake controller wires through the firewall was, em, interesting....

No kidding! What's that expression, 'snugger than a ....'
I am pleased with the insulation on both sides of the firewall, huge rubber grommets which are nearly impossible to squeak anything by them, and so few places to breach the firewall, but I wish they made a space for DIYers to use...LOL...seriously, my fingers are all cut up from my latest effort (oil temp gauge).

Not to further hijack this thread, but why did you need to go through the firewall with a brake controller? I could see exiting out back with it....(right rear side under milk storage bin there is an 'easy' grommet to poke wires through)
If you were looking for power, I would use the passenger footwell fuse panel...lots of spots to get power from....cheers.

[BobbyP]

Well, as you all must know, BC Bud is numero uno! You can thank our cheap hydroelectric dams for the abundance of light we have...
Believe or not, I don't smoke the stuff...stuff is too strong for little old me.
And I don't wear earplugs. I suspect two things are at play; your roads and tires, and your engine is different than mine.

We have smooth tar roads and my I4 has been broken in, and is very quiet (geared tall). So quiet, I noticed the new gauge I put in (Oil Trans Temp Gauge) makes a tinging noise when I go over bumps....cheap gauge...
Yeah, I hear folks whine about how noisy their ride is, makes me wonder what car I got....:|
By far, the quietest ride I have ever owned or driven (as passenger, rental etc.)....

I remember several Cadillac Fleetwoods, Olds Ninty-Eights, and Lincoln Town Cars that were earily quiet...

[mellissam]

I remember several Cadillac Fleetwoods, Olds Ninty-Eights, and Lincoln Town Cars that were earily quiet...

True, those are quiet cars, but the big v8s in them resonated throughout the cabin....I drove a rental Lincoln, and it was 'cabin' quiet, but if you hit the gas, the v8 rumbled...LOL...fun to drive though. Felt like I was in my living room driving my couch.
I am so adverse to noise now (casualty of living in a big city - downtown core no less), I usually drive without the radio on, and it is darn-right peaceful...as long as you don't floor the gas, the I4 is mute....its true the I4s sound like sewing machines, but if you keep your foot out of it, you can barely hear it....:)

[peatsea]

Still trying not to hijack,

We put in a 3 hots (1-15a to the powered lighting combiner, 1 -20a to the trailer battery and 1-30a (self resetting) for the brake controller) and a ground (to the battery neg). What was one little hole in a grommet (sealed with silicone). 6 wire connector at the the other end, and Viola, Pop up here we come.... Airlift and trans cooler next....

[pdough]

ok.
What in the world does metal panels have that polymer panels don't?!
My friends marvel how quiet my ride is......acoustically, thin metal panel will refract (not talking reflect) more noise than thicker polymer panels (generally speaking)....Higher frequency noise may pass through polymer easier, but I find the ultimate test not to be what skin you have on, but whether there is good insulation behind the metal or polymer. They did that in 06, and I find my ride as quiet as can be.....
I know, because it is a pain trying to thread a wire threw the firewall...lots of insulation and good rubber grommets.
[/Bash]:)

I dont think the original problem described was reffering to noise tranmitted through the panel but around the seal. Almost as if the window were opened a crack. I am not a materials expert but have heard that the polymer panels expand and contract more than metal. Reasons for larger body panel gaps etc. When its cold, the polymer contracts, causing the door to deform just enough that any low pressure caused by a cross wind causes the top of the door to be pulled away from its seal. I have not had the problem since it got above 50 degrees here.

It could also be caused by $hi77y engineering of the internal door structure. They are just flimsy. I can push on the top rear corner of the window with slight pressure and get the same effect. My guess is its a combination of both.

A metal panel would not contract as much, and might provide a little more solid structure to prevent the top of the door from flexing to begin with.

Pure guessing by the way...

[MarvC]

The sole reason I sold my 8-month-old 07 VUE was wind noise around the windshield area.
On a Saturday traveling down I-20W at 65 MPH a cold front was coming thru the Dallas area.
There was a quartering headwind of 30 mph, the fluttering was so violent and noisy we could hardly talk over it.
This is after several trips to two dealerships; it was that day I decided to get out if the VUE.
The salesperson as well as the service manager finally stated that that was just a trait of the large surface area of the VUE coupled with the Poly panels.
This was the second Poly panel car I have owned, the 07 Ion-2 did not do this, the larger surface area and the A pillars of the VUE were the culprit. The larger gaps where panels mate for expansion are frequently out of alignment as well as the Poly expanding and contracting with temperature variations.
All metal cars have tighter sealing gaps and much lower expansion due to temperature changes. I can live wit the slight noise of the Ion but not a 28K SUV.
We have an 07 Redline and a 07 Ion-2 in the family as well as the VUE’s replacement, which has no wind noise at highway speeds.
I just cannot handle a car with wind noise racket! We have amixed family now with the Saturns and Toyota.

The 07 VUE a nice ride but as the temperature lowered the noise began!
http://www.pbase.com/marvc/image/70667355/medium.jpg

[mellissam]

....
A metal panel would not contract as much, and might provide a little more solid structure to prevent the top of the door from flexing to begin with.

Pure guessing by the way...

I was thinking pure door mis-alignment, as the door seal is attached to the metal frame of the door opening (body of Vue). Yeah, if you push hard enough, you can get a gap in top corner of the door, but I have been able to do that with several other cars (oops, keys left inside). Is it easier with the Vue? I don't know. But, I do believe the door has to be aligned perfectly, especially with the VUE only having one continuous seal (i'm guessing cars with two complete seals fare better). There is a second top seal (on door), and on 'B' pillar which should help contain the noise in that area. The flexing (how much?) of the polymer panel shouldn't torque the metal frame of the door, one would think. I think folks should fix the 'B' pillar plastic cover first, and see how it fares in x-winds....

[bob shanks]

My wind noise comes from the top of the window. When a semi passes me i can feel the air comming in as if the window was open. The door just doesn't seal properly. Someone had added weather stripping to the door frame and it helped. If only i had some pics of that it would help.

[pdough]

I was thinking pure door mis-alignment, as the door seal is attached to the metal frame of the door opening (body of Vue). Yeah, if you push hard enough, you can get a gap in top corner of the door, but I have been able to do that with several other cars (oops, keys left inside). Is it easier with the Vue? I don't know. But, I do believe the door has to be aligned perfectly, especially with the VUE only having one continuous seal (i'm guessing cars with two complete seals fare better). There is a second top seal (on door), and on 'B' pillar which should help contain the noise in that area. The flexing (how much?) of the polymer panel shouldn't torque the metal frame of the door, one would think. I think folks should fix the 'B' pillar plastic cover first, and see how it fares in x-winds....

The plastic B pillar cover on mine is not the cause of the noise. It is, as has been stated, that the seal on the door is opening during cross winds. For me this occurs only in cold weather, and like others have stated, you can feel a cold rush of air. If the noise were the plastic cover, no air should be making its way into the car.

As for polymer not bending the frame of the door as it contracts, I disagree. It may not be the only cause, and is probably not, but it is in my opinion part of the culprit since I only have the issue during the winter months. I agree that door misalignment is also a factor and mine is probably close enough for summer but not winter.

[mellissam]

....

As for polymer not bending the frame of the door as it contracts, I disagree. It may not be the only cause, and is probably not, but it is in my opinion part of the culprit since I only have the issue during the winter months. I agree that door misalignment is also a factor and mine is probably close enough for summer but not winter.

You got me thinking abut this polymer thing, and any gap at the top of the door is poor alignment or poor seal, not the polymer, because there is no polymer up there. I noticed, strangely, that one of my door seals (right rear) looks faded and slightly cracked, like it came from a different batch or something....I do believe I will be getting a new door seal before the warranty is up. :yes:

I will have to really examine this door seal problem to see what the issue really is....but I don't have it. Lucky me.
For those with the problem, is winding the window up and down difficult (does the motor labour?) when the gap is present?

[Ritz]

You got me thinking abut this polymer thing, and any gap at the top of the door is poor alignment or poor seal, not the polymer, because there is no polymer up there. I noticed, strangely, that one of my door seals (right rear) looks faded and slightly cracked, like it came from a different batch or something....I do believe I will be getting a new door seal before the warranty is up. :yes:

I will have to really examine this door seal problem to see what the issue really is....but I don't have it. Lucky me.
For those with the problem, is winding the window up and down difficult (does the motor labour?) when the gap is present?

The seals just aren't designed well. Also, door alignment plays a role. The doors in our VUE are not properly aligned and you can tell the seal is compressed (and barely compressed) to very different degrees as a result. It just hasn't bothered me enough to have the dealer "fix" it.

Another one of those "little things" that GM flubs. But all those little things added together creates the perception of poor quality.

Best,

[pdough]

You got me thinking abut this polymer thing, and any gap at the top of the door is poor alignment or poor seal, not the polymer, because there is no polymer up there. I noticed, strangely, that one of my door seals (right rear) looks faded and slightly cracked, like it came from a different batch or something....I do believe I will be getting a new door seal before the warranty is up. :yes:

I will have to really examine this door seal problem to see what the issue really is....but I don't have it. Lucky me.
For those with the problem, is winding the window up and down difficult (does the motor labour?) when the gap is present?

Door alignment is only part of the problem. If it were only door alignment then I would have the problem all year round. The top of the door is a attached to presumably some sort of thin steel frame inside the bottom portion of the door which is encased on one side by a "C" shaped polymer panel. If that C shape is shrinking more than the steel under it, the steel will deform and pull the top of the door away.

I do not have any issues with window motors. In fact they are almost too fast...

[peatsea]

My "B" pilar makes noise in a cross wind. What is the fix?