Wind noise/Blow by

[Pete2000]

I have '00 and '02 Legacy/Outback wagons, and in both cars I'm getting a
ton of wind noise passing through the front door windows. In the '00 the
wind noise is coming from passenger door window in the lower front corner
where the triangular plastic molding is. Wind passes through even at low
speeds. At high speeds it is very loud and annoying. On the '02 the noise
comes from the driver door window near where the front edge and top edge
meet. I usually only hear it at high speeds.

Are these cars known for poor window seals? Any suggestions since the '00
is off warranty?

 

[TG]

If the '00 has fold up mirrors you might try clear silicone caulk where the
mirror head rotates on the base. The windows are adjustable for up travel if
you remove the inner door panel. I have owned a lot of Subaru and everyone
was very loud at highway speed even if they weren't leaking air. TG

 

[Pete2000]

Thanks. I do not believe this isn't a case of poor Subaru aerodynamics;
this is a case in which air (and alot of it) is getting into the cabin.
Sometimes, if I reseat the driver side window the air leak will go away
for a while on the '02. But on the '00, I am sure it has to do with the
molding in the front lower corner of the passenger door window. I can see
that the triangular plastic piece isn't seated well, but I can not seem to
reseat it. I am wondering if it is a design flaw that others may have
noticed.

 

[romy]

I had the same problem with my '02 OBW...wind noise coming from the front
drivers side (US) at high speeds. The dealer installed a new "gusset" and
the noise went completely away. This is apparently a known problem. He
said it was not wind coming in the car, but rather cabin air going out...in
essence, a kind of venturi effect causing the problem. After this simple
fix, the car was almost as quiet as my Lexus.

 

[Pete2000]

Took my '02 OBW to dealer this morning to fix autodim mirror and had them
look into the wind problem. Indeed, they said it was the mirror gusset.
They replaced it under warranty.

My '00 LW was also in the dealer this morning due to a check engine light.
I asked about the mirror gusset, since on this car the noise was really
loud. They offered to make a free adjustment inside the door. They said
if that didn't work I would need a new mirror gusset. The adjustment
apparently worked since it is as quiet as new.

 

[k. ote.]

Thanks. I do not believe this isn't a case of poor Subaru aerodynamics;
this is a case in which air (and alot of it) is getting into the cabin.
Sometimes, if I reseat the driver side window the air leak will go away
for a while on the '02. But on the '00, I am sure it has to do with the
molding in the front lower corner of the passenger door window. I can see
that the triangular plastic piece isn't seated well, but I can not seem to
reseat it. I am wondering if it is a design flaw that others may have
noticed.

On my 2002 Canadian-Spec WRX I had severe whistling noise at 140-160 kph,
extremely loud. If I tucked in my mirrors the noise would go away. My
dealer knew nothing about it.

My current 2004 STi appears to have the exact same problem.

I'm of the opinion that it is a deliberate mechanism by which the
dealership can find out what speeds you're hitting with the vehicle--sort
of a call-home device.

Friendly WRX owners in my area have told me to cover over the crease where
the mirror bends, although I haven't tried this yet. I have heard a
similar noise in a maximum-speed test in a Japanese motoring TV-mag,
although it was nowhere near as pronounced.

I'm a little annoyed at it, but since it's just airflow, it's easy to fix.

 

[Jcee]

Try pinching together the mirror gusset where the window goes up, this
usually solves the problem.