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2004 - Windscreen noise at speed or during strong crosswinds!

('03-'05) 
46K views 67 replies 50 participants last post by  Leadguitar27 
#1 · (Edited)
It seems to be a pretty common problem among Forester owners. If you are driving at highway speeds+ some people hear a sound that I like to describe as a broken reed on a wind instrument. The speed this occurs varies from car to car. Some have it happen as low as 70 MPH (112 kph) and some not till upwards of 120+ MPH (193 kph). It seems to be consistently reproducible by those that are plagued by this problem. It may also happen during a strong cross wind driving at lower speeds or if a semi truck passes by from the other direction. When that happens to me the noise only happens for a second. At speed the noise is pretty constant. Hondaslayer from NASIOC has described a fix that I gave a try and seems to have fixed the issue.

What you will need:

Sealant - A type that is clear when dry and water washable when freshly applied, this is very important.

Non marring tool - To lift windscreen gasket - Plastic scraper, rubber squeegee or even your fingers will work.

Wet Paper Towel
- To clean up and smooth out excess sealant from gasket after applied

Something to stand on - If you are short like me I needed a step stool to reach the center of the windscreen :p

This is a very simple to do, but first if you have a belt on either cover the buckle with something or remove it. You will be leaning over the paint and you don't want to scratch it. I use a shop apron when I work on my car but pulling your shirt out works too.

It's best to do this when you can let the car sit overnight to dry.

Using your plastic tool get under the top center lip of the windscreen gasket. The gasket is very tight up in that area and not a lot of room for sealant. Don't apply a ton it will only squish out. Apply the sealant in the gap you have opened. (Don't panic if the sealant looks white when it comes out, it will dry clear). You can even open the gap, stick in the end of the tube and apply it that way. Pull a bead across as evenly as possible. Keep a slow steady speed. I only went as far as 9 inches from the center (where the rear view mirror attaches) out to the side on the left and right. After you apply the sealant across the top, get a very wet paper towel and gently remove any access sealant that oozes out. Get the rag good an wet and turn it often. After you get it off as best as you can use a dry towel to wipe the excess water. Try not to push on the rubber seal area very hard.

After the material dries you may see some smudges of sealant on the glass or paint. You can get it off the paint with some wax, it should rub off with no problems. Same for the glass just use a paper towel and some windex.

That's about it. It worked for me. If you still have the noise you may want to apply more sealant further out and see if that helps.

Here is a sound clip of what the noise sounds like at the very end of this short vid:

right click save as here for vid download or

pics here:

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5358
 
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#2 ·
Peaty,

I also sent that in to SOA as a possible fix.

Keep an eye on the tech T.I.P.S

Ya might see it in there as well.

Also, I have gotten SOA to step and cover them under warranty as well.

So if you are having this problem and are under 3/36 take it to your local dealer. (if you don't want to do it yourself at least)
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the info. guys. I recently experienced the "reed" noise while driving against 45 MPH head winds.

BTW, Peaty, nice 0-"reed" noise time in your video. :D

The effective wind speed for my situation was around 125 MPH head wind.
 
#4 ·
Might be an obvious addition, but the use of some low-tack masking tape along the top of the windshield would probably make for faster clean-up. I bought some of the sealant a couple of months ago, but have yet to do the fix.
 
#52 ·
I did this fix tonight and used Painter's Tape along the top of the windshield. Put the silicone on and then pulled off the tape, worked great! No messy cleanup.



Edit: Peaty I see you finally changed your title :lol:
 
#5 ·
Yup, I actually just had the dealer take care of this on my '05 FXT under warranty. They apparently sub'ed it out to a local glass place who allegedly sealed the thing all the way around. My dealer had definitely dealt with this issue before, although mine was apparently the first '05 he's heard of with the problem. According to the service manager, Subaru revised the windshield seal geometry for the '05 model year in an effort to kill the noise.
 
#6 ·
I had this one as well and couldn't nail down the source (thought at one point that the noise was coming from my dash someplace). Fixed it last weekend based on the info at ScoobyMods. As usual, this place and ScoobyMods rocks!!

cheers,
Scott
 
#9 ·
whining at speed..;>}

Had to have my windshield replaced (cracked from left to right just above defroster focus...), so now all I need is a chance to get the windspeed up to 85 mph or so...actually a problem here in Anchorage, but should be a chance this weekend when we run to Seward for the Polar Bear Plunge :shock: when the better half nods off for a bit... :lol:
-Quick
 
#10 ·
I was very happy to hear of the reedy windshield noise. I hadn't experienced it until my third windshield, and I just figured the installer hadn't sealed the new glass properly. I was planning to go back for the fix, which I may yet do rather than messing with it myself. Descriptions here are spot on: reedy, seemingly from right behind the rearview mirror, center top windshield area. No noise usually until 80 MPH, though I think I heard it around 75 once. Sometimes worse in a crosswind.
 
#12 ·
question on fixing wind sceetch noise.

Bear with me, just joind my first forum! Love my of foresterX and have the noise you described. Question. when you say the windscreen do you mean the "windshield" seal on out side of car? My noise seemes to come from the right corner of windshield. strong cross wind or semi passing on freeway at about 70+ triggers it. Do i apply seal all around windshiled or just the right corner. Beyond warrenty.
any body know what dealr charges to fix?
 
#14 ·
Finally, I Know Whats Going On!!!!

I cannot believe it has taken this long for me to finally figure out what has been going on with my forester! That is so maddening! When I first purchased the car, after driving it off the lot and hitting highway speeds, my car started making a noise once I hit 65 mph. It was so irritating. The faster I would go, the noisier the sound would become. I took it into the shop about a week later, and they ran some tests on it and then they told me there was no noise...like I was lying or something. I believe I took my car back to the shop about three or four times after that, and still they told me they couldnt find a noise. I think now, they were pulling my leg and they just didnt want to fix the problem. Again, it is all just maddening! But after reading this post, I now have a better idea of whats going on and its so nice to know. Thank you, there is luck for my suby! I now cant wait to get rid of that irritating noise that makes me want to rip my hair out as i am driving down the road.
 
#18 ·
Have you tried squeezing the 2 rubber bits together with the window open? It seems to fix the problem for a little while. Also with the wind noise, I didn't get any unless there was high cross winds and I was going around 90, or above 115-120. 3 cracked windshields later and no more noises.
 
#17 ·
Thank God!

Thanks Peaty. The other link wasn't working on my Mac. The "save as" option wasn't coming up.
The vid is perfect. I am so glad to hear that it's the same noise. I'll have to give the fix a shot soon. It's just so cold now.:frown:
 
#19 ·
The repair totally fixed my windshield noise problem

Thanks to this Owners Forum I was able to easily repair my screeching windshield myself a few months ago using the instructions above. I had previously called two Subaru Dealer repair shops about the problem and both told me they never heard of this noise issue (and they never heard the noise either). When I mentioned I had read about similar issues on the web they both also said they were also not aware of this website or any other user sites (I wonder why?!) Thanks again.
 
#21 ·
Update*
Just came back from the dealer. I complained about the noise (and some other stuff. Hey, I still have a warranty) and they resealed the windshield. No more problems. Unfortunately, I have to wait until spring to test it at high speeds again. I have a roof box on now and it would be a bit careless to drive 120+ with it on.:eek:
 
#23 ·
The only noise I get on my 02 Forester is a howling sound like wind around the side of a building. This only occurs at speeds above 60mph and there is frost on the car. Does this happen to anyone else?
 
#24 ·
I had the same problem but the noise was from my crossbars. I removed the crossbars and never heard the "siren" again. BTW, it happened more in winter than summer and more when the car was on incline than flat.
 
#25 ·
Had my 43000 service today. Had told the dealer about the high pitch "reed noise" from the windshield. The Service manager said the only TSB about noise he had was for the mirror gussets. He was going to replace them today (no charge) when he came to me and said they were really tight against the side windows andprobably were not making any noise.

I logged into the forum and went to the You Tube video, and told him this is exactly the sound I was hearing -- almost never when the wind was still, but would get it occasionally when wind speed was about 20 mph (cross wind) & I was doing about 65 mph. He looked at the rubber seal and noticed that in both top corners the seal was starting loosen and did not lay as flat as those on new Foresters. He also noted that the part of the seal that was starting to lift was also more pliable. He had his "glass guy" make the repair just as Peaty described.

Now, I'm just waiting for a windy day to see if the sound is gone.
 
#26 ·
Had my 43000 service today. Had told the dealer about the high pitch "reed noise" from the windshield. The Service manager said the only TSB about noise he had was for the mirror gussets. He was going to replace them today (no charge) when he came to me and said they were really tight against the side windows andprobably were not making any noise.
Yeah, I get that stupid reed noise starting from 65mph(from crosswind) all the way into the triple digits. It drives me crazy. I will do the fix when it gets warmer out.

As far as that TSB for the mirror gussets, does anyone have a copy or know the TSB#? My mirrors create tons of wind noise at highway speeds up to ludicrous speeds...I would like to have a more quiet ride and have a box of RAAMmat that should help a little but won't correct the mirror gusset noise and window trim howl. Let me know. Thanks.
 
#27 ·
Sir:

I didn't see the TSB but the Service Manager was aware of it and he had done a few of them. Your service manager should be able to get the number. One thing my guy said was a lot of people close the door by gripping the window. That puts added stress on the gusset and helps to enlarge the opening for the glass. When we first picked up the car, I did not like how the front windows seem to have no "visible means of support." We've always closed the doors by pushing on the rubber trim below the window on the outside of the door. Maybe that's why I didn't have a gusset problem. Sorry I didn't have the TSB reference number.
 
#29 ·
The "noise"

I thought I was nuts and I certainly did not want anyone from the dealership driving the Subie at 80+. Imagine my relief when the first blog I read has the answer. I read it all the way through but I didnt see what the type of sealant is. Is there a Subaru part number. if you want to claim it under warranty is there a bulletin number?
 
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