2011 fiesta zetec - weird noise

[fiestaz]

Hi all,

went up the coast last weekend. all was well (averaged 5.7l/100kms ) came home parked up. 2 nights later i drove just up the road, and in this carpark at my local shops i could hear this sort of intermittent whooshing/sort of a grinding noise (really hard to describe it sorry) between 15-30km/h it is most noticeable and the faster i drive the faster it gets. my first thoughts were brakes were grabbing or pads rubbing on the disc.

took it too ford. on the way there i noticed that in a straight line it gets quieter as the car warms up, however when going around a tight round a bout or cul de sac you can really hear it still, warm or cold. fords technician heard it and said its not the brakes its the tires, something about an air gap between the alloy and tyre. this didnt really make sense to me as it really doesnt sound like a tyre noise. plus tyres and rims are original and nothing has changed with them apart from the odd tyre rotation and alignment. he pumped the front tyres up (not that they were at the wrong pressure but as a possible problem).

anyway took it home, its still doing it. no change. im going to take it back again next week, and tell them to check the brakes.

was just wondering if anyone has had anything similar or any ideas? we put a temp gun on the brakes after a test drive at home and the drivers side brake disc was 15 degrees hotter than the other side. but with all the Electronic brake force distrubution tech, perhaps this is normal?

any ideas or thoughts appreciated. cheers.

[Pursya]

Got a smartphone or tablet?
Get someone to video the problem as you drive and post it up.

[In Focus]

Longshot, but... do you have mudflaps by any chance? I once had one loosen and rub on my tyre making a noise that sounded like something dire had occurred. It only did it at lower speeds, particularly when braking, which was why I thought it was brake-related...

[fiestaz]

In Focus: no mudflaps, its bog standard zetec manual. done 31XXXkms. still in warranty. original brakes, tyres and everything else. have not had a single problem apart from the odd rattle until this.

have taken the car back to ford for a sleep over so they can hopefully analyse it more closely as the noise is so much more obvious at cold. in the meantime i did go out and film the noise while the car was cold. you can hear it straight up so turn your speakers up! doing about 20km/h and put it in neutral (it still makes the noise in gear, it just shuts the engine up) so see what you reckon.
http://s1030.photobucket.com/user/fi...30290.mp4.html

[fiestaz]

Another update. after its sleepover at ford, they have found nothing to be wrong, but reckon its the tyres flexing on the alloy (yeh whatever). they have rotated the tyres (annoyingly as they pinged me $30 to rotate them at the service in feb, and now the worst worn are at the front), and said its fine. ill see tomorrow when its all nice and cold.

any thoughts on the noise in the video??

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by fiestaz

Another update. after its sleepover at ford, they have found nothing to be wrong, but reckon its the tyres flexing on the alloy (yeh whatever). they have rotated the tyres (annoyingly as they pinged me $30 to rotate them at the service in feb, and now the worst worn are at the front), and said its fine. ill see tomorrow when its all nice and cold.

any thoughts on the noise in the video??

Ford charged you $30 to rotate tyres..... You have got to be kidding me...

As for the tyre noise... hmmm that's one I can't help you with. Berrings? It almost sounds like something 'flappy' is stuck on a tyre??

If you can be bothered, perhaps use the spare on each corner one by one to see if you can pin-point it better???

Next service, ask if the routine brake inspection is a 'wheel off' job. To act all professional they will say of course it is. Then you reply, Oh good, then it won't be a problem to swap the tyres over at the same time.....

Even that can be lost in translation..... they still tried to charge me after that once in 'Loyalty points' - ($58 worth) and made sure that they credited the points back.

$30 for a rotation.... honestly...

[fiestaz]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Ford charged you $30 to rotate tyres..... You have got to be kidding me...

As for the tyre noise... hmmm that's one I can't help you with. Berrings? It almost sounds like something 'flappy' is stuck on a tyre??

If you can be bothered, perhaps use the spare on each corner one by one to see if you can pin-point it better???

Next service, ask if the routine brake inspection is a 'wheel off' job. To act all professional they will say of course it is. Then you reply, Oh good, then it won't be a problem to swap the tyres over at the same time.....

Even that can be lost in translation..... they still tried to charge me after that once in 'Loyalty points' - ($58 worth) and made sure that they credited the points back.

$30 for a rotation.... honestly...

yep they sure did. wasnt impressed, still dont know why i agreed for them to do it, as normally i just do it myself, which ill be doing again to put the better tyres on the front... again!

Tyres to me look fine, i havent taken them off to look though, but will be.

they told me everything is completely fine. bearings, brakes, joints etc etc. cant fault anything mechanically.

thankfully they did not charge me for the two times i have been there and had them look at it. on a positive, they washed it and vacuumed it.

[ebv8]

i have aftermarket cheap thai tyres on 17in rims and mine makes a noise on tight turns and its the tread block gripping and letting go on the far outside edge of the tyre, but the stock continental tyres shouldn't make this noise. are the tyres feathered on the outside/inside edge? if you know someone with same car different brand tyres swap for a day and see if its still there.

[fiestaz]

Hi guys, what i did the other day was use brake cleaner on the pads and discs. i believe this has made a difference as the noise no longer appears when i drive in a straight line at cold. still does it around corners though. i believe its the brakes as they have been ever so slightly warped since about 15000kms (car has 32Kkms on it now) and i believe its a bit worse now. im going to a track day next month, so i will be getting new tyres and have the brakes lightly machined and this should fix the problem.

Ford are sure its the tyres, but this sort of thing doesnt come from tyres overnight. brakes, yes maybe from moisture or dirt etc.

will see how it goes for now and after the track day (wakefield). i dont want to get the brakes machined now then go to wakefield as i think it will just be a waste.

[a pirate]

my cars front disks were warped at 39500 (fixed today) and when you apply the brake you get a pulse through the pedal and a slight shake in the steering with a but of a squeek when cold.....but big tell tale is the shake and pulse when braking.

[Russ]

I had a similar noise in a VW Golf I had and it turned out to be a small piece of gravel caught in the slots on the outer edge of the rotor, this was touching on the inner edge of the caliper, it would no doubt have eventually worn down but as the noise was really bugging me I searched for it and eventually found it after removing the wheel and turning it by hand and listening for the sound

[fiestaz]

Originally Posted by Russ

I had a similar noise in a VW Golf I had and it turned out to be a small piece of gravel caught in the slots on the outer edge of the rotor, this was touching on the inner edge of the caliper, it would no doubt have eventually worn down but as the noise was really bugging me I searched for it and eventually found it after removing the wheel and turning it by hand and listening for the sound

Thats definately a point. i had the best look i could and my mechanical knowledge. Didnt pull anything apart though. might have to do that.

[fiestaz]

So the noise is still there... i am yet to do anything about it, just been too busy. Radio up has been the temporary fix. im still committed that it is the brakes. as they are starting to feel just that tiny bit warped.

on a side note, i am starting to get this knocking noise from the steering rack when parking. has anyone else experienced this?

there is another problem potentially rising but i'll wait to see what it does....

[In Focus]

Originally Posted by fiestaz

So the noise is still there... i am yet to do anything about it, just been too busy. Radio up has been the temporary fix. im still committed that it is the brakes. as they are starting to feel just that tiny bit warped.

on a side note, i am starting to get this knocking noise from the steering rack when parking. has anyone else experienced this?

there is another problem potentially rising but i'll wait to see what it does....

Is it a creaky sort of noise and a slight shudder in the steering wheel when turning it? If so, then yes. Someone mentioned steering shafts a while back, said it might be a weak spot in current model Fiestas. I wonder if your issue (and mine) is connected to that issue.

[Fez WQ]

Hi All

What you need to do is get your front suspesion oiled /greased up. Espesially the steering rack. It will fix the problem

[Pursya]

WT fiestas have a steering shaft problem.
Still under warranty so get it to a Ford dealer and tell them you know it's an issue.

I had noticed the knocking, but didn't think to much of it. But the local Ford dealer told me about it after they drove it for a completely unrelated issue.
They had to order a new one in so it took a week to have it fixed. Painless.

[fiestaz]

I had heard there was a problem with the steering racks/shafts. Hadn't thought much of it. I notice this slight knock sometimes, when parking. it feels as if the steering is a bit loose or something? maybe a slight shudder? no problems at higher speeds as far as i can tell.

[vhcbm]

Yea I get the slight knock sometimes and always have. It never got worse.

[Pursya]

Originally Posted by fiestaz

I had heard there was a problem with the steering racks/shafts. Hadn't thought much of it. I notice this slight knock sometimes, when parking. it feels as if the steering is a bit loose or something? maybe a slight shudder? no problems at higher speeds as far as i can tell.

Exact symptoms of mine.
Get it to Ford.

[fiestaz]

Originally Posted by Pursya

Exact symptoms of mine.
Get it to Ford.

I think i will have to... again...

[fiestaz]

UPDATE!
Finally pulled my finger out and took the car to a mate at jaxx tyres. I took him out and immediately said definitely not tyres. The tyres are perfect not a problem. Put it on the hoist and found the LHR brake was grabbing. Took it to ford who RELUCTANTLY booked it in. He tried to argue that they do make noise when moving, but gave up pretty quickly.
Far from impressed with being stuffed around by ford. Tyres? Are you for real? Jaxx found the problem in 2 minutes. Ford couldn't do that with the car overnight.

Anyway its booked in for Monday. Lets see if they put it in the too hard pile again.

On another note im getting them to check out the steering rack. Its making a knocking noise at parking speed. I am very much expecting them to blame the tyres again for that... no joke.

Thanks for reading my rant.

[Pursya]

If you want, tell them to call Daryl Twitt motors in Shepparton to confirm that the steering rack is a common issue.

[fiestaz]

Originally Posted by Pursya

If you want, tell them to call Daryl Twitt motors in Shepparton to confirm that the steering rack is a common issue.

I have heard its a common issue. They just better not blame tyres again... How many times can you blame the factory rubber for problems with the car?

[GoesLikeAZetec]

Take the tyre dude with you to the Ford dealer lol

[fiestaz]

Originally Posted by GoesLikeAZetec

Take the tyre dude with you to the Ford dealer lol

Lol geez i hope it doesn't come to that. It doesn't take a braniac to work out what sort of noises tyres make.

[fiestaz]

Rightooo.... new update as of today...

Got the car back from ford yesterday who said they looked at the rear brake drums, cleaned them out and cant hear anything. not impressed with this i drove it home, heard the noise straight away. like normal. they did however find the steering knock and lubed the rack up. steering is beautiful now, smooth, quiet. alot better.

car went back to the tyre guy who checked it over with his team (4-5 guys including the big boss), drove it twice with as many people as we could fit in the car (everyone heard it clear as day), put it on the hoist 3 times... their best recommendation is drive shafts. But did leave it to ford to look into further, which is a fair call. i wasn't expecting them to pull the thing apart.
They did however find both rear shocks were leaking, right hand side a little bit, left hand side quite badly. they were surprised ford did not notice this. (i looked and it was quite bad)

Anyway took the car back to ford. grabbed the service guy and said we are going for a drive. took him to a quiet cul der sac and said listen. the noise was very noticeable and he now knows the deal after 3 trips of them saying tyres or no noise.

so where to from here. the left hand side rear shock is getting replaced(right hand side not bad enough yet). one is on order as soon as that arrives, they will replace it and go for the noise and see what they find., which i think is in the front. i am not a mechanic though. it is definitely not a noise that is normal. i think i finally got this through to the service guy. which is a start.

i felt i got much better service from the tyre guys then ford. as much as ford were trying to help always got the feeling they were trying to shuffle me off and thought i was full of it. they even helped out as to what to say to ford.

will update as soon as i know more. hopefully this will be over soon. i truly love my car. and as im taking it to brisbane in november, i want it healthy as possible.

[fiestaz]

Yet another update,

Just picked car up again. left hand rear shock replaced.

Now back to that noise. it is still there. This time they think it is a rubbing CV Joint Boot. (basically the rubber boot that protects the CV Joint/bearings (excuse my lack of mechanical knowledge). As far as i can tell, this sort of thing shouldn't be touching anything at all. The service guy said he would drive my car around Australia tomorrow as it is completely fine.

Please share any opinions you have on this, i have no patience left with this. im taking it to another Ford dealer tomorrow to see what they think.

After a bit of research im under the impression its a stuffed wheel bearing(s) or CV joint(s).

Absolutely no patience left. Sick of taking this car constantly to Ford. Sick of asking favours to be dropped off and picked up.

[Pursya]

**** them!
Tell them there is a WT defect known in the Ford system.
Tell them that consumer affairs would be interested in the run around you are getting.
Tell them that you are unhappy with the inconsistent diagnosis you are getting.
Basically, tell them to **** off, take your car to another Ford dealer, ( my seller is not my local dealer yet the local dealer have been wonderful ), tell them your symptoms, tell them straight up that your forum experience points you to the steering shaft and demand action.
Your dealer is playing the old " do lots of everything, without doing anything" routine to milk both you and Ford Australia.

Please tell your new dealer to check their Ford system under the Victorian registration "SHORTI" to confirm the steering shaft issue.

[fiestaz]

Originally Posted by Pursya

**** them!
Tell them there is a WT defect known in the Ford system.
Tell them that consumer affairs would be interested in the run around you are getting.
Tell them that you are unhappy with the inconsistent diagnosis you are getting.
Basically, tell them to **** off, take your car to another Ford dealer, ( my seller is not my local dealer yet the local dealer have been wonderful ), tell them your symptoms, tell them straight up that your forum experience points you to the steering shaft and demand action.
Your dealer is playing the old " do lots of everything, without doing anything" routine to milk both you and Ford Australia.

Please tell your new dealer to check their Ford system under the Victorian registration "SHORTI" to confirm the steering shaft issue.

thanks for your response

Im not sure its the steering shaft issue. (this is where the steering has a knock in it??) Even so it did have this, and dealer no.1 did relube the steering shaft and now its beautiful to steer the car. Absolutely awesome.

Funnily enough, i just dropped it off at Ford dealer number 2. Told them my exact experiences, my thoughts on what it could be. And that i don't see this car as fit to take me to Brisbane in November. They were understanding and booked it in straight away.

I took a mechanic out on a drive who heard the noise, believes its in the front left corner. But said he needs more time to dig around (fair enough). I asked him whether this is a normal noise, he said no its not. (previous dealer said this is a normal noise, its what they do, and i quote "i would be happy to drive this car around Australia".

Fingers, toes, nuts everything is crossed right now. Im so over constantly driving this car to the dealer and never enjoying it anymore.

So if dealer no.2 finds a fault tomorrow when they look at it (which im a bit more confident they will) dealer no.1 will be in trouble. I know the dealer principal and will ring him directly, i will go to Ford Aus for a formal complaint and look into going to consumer affairs. I do believe they saw it is as a case for the too hard pile. First diagnosis was tyres making the noise, now CV joint boot making the noise. Both items are rubber, since when do rubber components make a metal noise? and since when should a CV joint be touching anything?

Thankfully i've documented everything on here so i can re jog my memory for when the need comes to write complaints.

Thanks for your help. I like your idea of consumer affairs.

[fiestaz]

Update #100,000,000

Ford dealer no.2 just rang, (he was very good). They have been looking at the car, and believe they have located the noise to the brakes. At this stage he is not 100% sure on what it is in the brakes but asked if it was ok to keep the car as he wants to keep investigating it. they also drove 2 other fiestas of similar kms and they both did this noise.

He also mentioned it has absolutely nothing to do with the cv joint boots (as i suspected). So we will see how we go when he rings me back. Finally got some confidence we are gonna get rid of this noise, and got some confidence in a Ford dealer touching my car.

Thanks Will keep the thread posted.