Excessive Road Noise? Howling/humming sound

[Pandru]

Hmm, thats interesting. Seems like that wouldn't be hard for them to test out. If it does end up being the tires then they should replace them for us. I'm definitely not buying new ones already.

I spent a long time last night diving into this...I even messaged the guy who posted the YouTube video. He said it was due to tire cavity noise and that lots of Volvo V60 Polestar owners had the problem. After two model years Volvo ended up working with Michelin who designed special acoustic tires with foam inside and that cured the problem. Now what I can't figure out, why only a few of us have "Reported" this issue and it wasn't there when the cars were knew. I know the two of us are running the Michelin Primacy All Seasons, maybe those that get the summer tire option don't have the problem...

 

[DrKronwall]

that should be easy enough for them to test, just swap our wheels with wheels that have the summer tires on them and drive it.

 

[Pandru]

that should be easy enough for them to test, just swap our wheels with wheels that have the summer tires on them and drive it.

Yep, exactly. I still want to drive another stinger in their lot to test the validity of their claim that they all make the noise. I’m also going to try and find a used one locally to test.

 

[DrKronwall]

well this what they said to me today:
"At this point in time kia states it is a characteristic of the car. We have exhausted all of our resources, and we are unable to repair anything as we do not have approval from kia."
I feel like the only way this is going to be resolved at all is to try to lemon law the car. That is the most ridiculous response I have ever seen.

 

[Pandru]

well this what they said to me today:
"At this point in time kia states it is a characteristic of the car. We have exhausted all of our resources, and we are unable to repair anything as we do not have approval from kia."
I feel like the only way this is going to be resolved at all is to try to lemon law the car. That is the most ridiculous response I have ever seen.

Lame - will they at least let you try out a stinger or two on the lot to verify for yourself? I was also wondering this...in 2018 the GT AWD came with 18" wheels and all seasons, same wheels as ours but a square setup and one inch smaller. If they have GT Line model on the lot I wonder if they could swap those wheels on and see if the noise is still there? A smaller tire with more sidewall may greatly reduce the sound.

 

[DrKronwall]

I got some more info out of them. They swapped my cars wheels with a 2018 GT2 with advanta tires on it and it still makes the noise. They said I can test drive another one to hear the noise. So we will see what happens when I go pick it up later. I have already told them that if every stinger makes that noise then there a larger problem with that cars design. If they are refusing to look into it further then that is why we have a lemon law in MN. To protect us from this type of garbage, so that might be the only option if they blatantly refuse to find the cause of it

 

[Pandru]

I got some more info out of them. They swapped my cars wheels with a 2018 GT2 with advanta tires on it and it still makes the noise. They said I can test drive another one to hear the noise. So we will see what happens when I go pick it up later. I have already told them that if every stinger makes that noise then there a larger problem with that cars design. If they are refusing to look into it further then that is why we have a lemon law in MN. To protect us from this type of garbage, so that might be the only option if they blatantly refuse to find the cause of it

It looks like they have a GT Line model available, that has the 18" wheels and tires. If you have a chance please give that one a try too just to verify...

 

[MerlintheMad]

I have already told them that if every stinger makes that noise then there a larger problem with that cars design.

Without referring back to the previous posts, I think you said that you are hypersensitive to noises. Kia isn't going to design a "mid-priced" performance sedan catering to hypersensitivities. My Stinger does not make "cavitation noises". It could at some future point, as any car will change with tire wear, bearing failure, body parts loosening because of fasteners coming unstuck, etc. That doesn't mean the design has a problem. An early issue in a car's life is surely aggravating. But you could discover the cause, rectify it (probably for almost no cost), and be a happy camper for the rest of your relationship. Keep after the answer, and good luck!

 

[DrKronwall]

Without referring back to the previous posts, I think you said that you are hypersensitive to noises. Kia isn't going to design a "mid-priced" performance sedan catering to hypersensitivities. My Stinger does not make "cavitation noises". It could at some future point, as any car will change with tire wear, bearing failure, body parts loosening because of fasteners coming unstuck, etc. That doesn't mean the design has a problem. An early issue in a car's life is surely aggravating. But you could discover the cause, rectify it (probably for almost no cost), and be a happy camper for the rest of your relationship. Keep after the answer, and good luck!

Since they are refusing to look into it further I would have to pay a different shop to find the problem and fix it. For a company that supposedly has a really good warranty this situation is a little ridiculous. I should not have to do that with a car that has 1000 miles on it.

 

[DrKronwall]

It looks like they have a GT Line model available, that has the 18" wheels and tires. If you have a chance please give that one a try too just to verify...

I just talked to them, the tech is "certain" the noise isn't coming from the wheels/tires. I asked them if he's certain of that then where is it coming from? They responded by saying they aren't approved by kia to look into it any further. I'm not gonna deal with it anymore, I cant even describe how frustrating this process has been. I'm just gonna do what I need to do to get out of the car for a near full refund.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Since they are refusing to look into it further I would have to pay a different shop to find the problem and fix it. For a company that supposedly has a really good warranty this situation is a little ridiculous. I should not have to do that with a car that has 1000 miles on it.

Agree. Roughly one in four Kia service/dealerships give unsatisfactory experiences, according to customers in a Consumer Reports piece I saw a couple of years ago. Meanwhile, the "dealership experience" thread on the forum (1) The Stinger Dealership Experience | Kia Stinger Forum currently shows a little better odds than that. It's time to find a good one.

(unless you're committed to bail, of course)

 

[Pandru]

I just talked to them, the tech is "certain" the noise isn't coming from the wheels/tires. I asked them if he's certain of that then where is it coming from? They responded by saying they aren't approved by kia to look into it any further. I'm not gonna deal with it anymore, I cant even describe how frustrating this process has been. I'm just gonna do what I need to do to get out of the car for a near full refund.

I agree with you here, It's downright depressing to be totally honest. To spend hard earned money on something that clearly has a problem but no fix. I'm always excited to get in the car and go for a drive only to hear that sound . I'd gladly return the vehicle for as close to a full refund as possible as well. I thought about buying another set of wheels and tires but at the same time - why spend extra money to try and solve a problem that should be taken care of via warranty free of charge...

 

[DrKronwall]

I agree with you here, It's downright depressing to be totally honest. To spend hard earned money on something that clearly has a problem but no fix. I'm always excited to get in the car and go for a drive only to hear that sound . I'd gladly return the vehicle for as close to a full refund as possible as well. I thought about buying another set of wheels and tires but at the same time - why spend extra money to try and solve a problem that should be taken care of via warranty free of charge...

I just called that customer service number again, and they told me that the kia engineers are still looking into it. Their current theory is that it is some sort of excessive resonance coming from the exhaust system. I dont know why the service department at the dealer is saying something different, but thats a seperate issue. If they can determine a fix for it they would have us bring our cars back in for the fix. In the meantime we are expected to live with it.
I'm debating what to do here. If they find a fix relatively soon I would gladly keep the car. I have no clue how long it will take them to find a fix, if they can find one at all. The longer I wait and the more miles I put on the car the less money I will recoup through the lemon law. I am fairly certain we will qualify for it though if they haven't found a solution within 30 days of the time they are made aware of the issue. Granted I would definitely consult a lawyer before submitting anything to kia on it though.

 

[Pandru]

I just called that customer service number again, and they told me that the kia engineers are still looking into it. Their current theory is that it is some sort of excessive resonance coming from the exhaust system. I dont know why the service department at the dealer is saying something different, but thats a seperate issue. If they can determine a fix for it they would have us bring our cars back in for the fix. In the meantime we are expected to live with it.
I'm debating what to do here. If they find a fix relatively soon I would gladly keep the car. I have no clue how long it will take them to find a fix, if they can find one at all. The longer I wait and the more miles I put on the car the less money I will recoup through the lemon law. I am fairly certain we will qualify for it though if they haven't found a solution within 30 days of the time they are made aware of the issue. Granted I would definitely consult a lawyer before submitting anything to kia on it though.

Yeah, I'm willing to give them a LITTLE time and we should keep checking in to make them aware that we are wanting a resolution sooner than later. Let me know when you get a chance to drive another car and see if you detect the issue or not. I'm going to try and get out there and drive a few to verify next week.

 

[DrKronwall]

I'm going to have a friend of mine who owns his own shop look at it. If he also thinks its part of the exhaust system I might just get an aftermarket exhaust and hope that fixes it. I was going to do that eventually anyways, before I started hearing the noise.

 

[Pandru]

I'm going to have a friend of mine who owns his own shop look at it. If he also thinks its part of the exhaust system I might just get an aftermarket exhaust and hope that fixes it. I was going to do that eventually anyways, before I started hearing the noise.

Funny you mention that, I've been looking at exhausts now too. Let me know what your buddy thinks when he looks at it

 

[stoopid]

My guess would have been the wheels. Mine howl a bit over certain surfaces, at various speeds. It's not that bad. It's a product of thin tires, there's not much absorption of road noise when you have such a small amount of rubber. I couldn't really make out the issue in your video, and the polestar video is no longer online.

 

[Pandru]

My guess would have been the wheels. Mine howl a bit over certain surfaces, at various speeds. It's not that bad. It's a product of thin tires, there's not much absorption of road noise when you have such a small amount of rubber. I couldn't really make out the issue in your video, and the polestar video is no longer online.

Click the link “watch this video on YouTube” its a private video so you’ll have to watch his video there, it can be imbedded on the forum I guess

 

[stoopid]

Click the link “watch this video on YouTube” its a private video so you’ll have to watch his video there, it can be imbedded on the forum I guess

Yup, that's similar (but more pronounced) to what I hear from time to time. I'm 99% certain it's the tires.

 

[Pandru]

Yup, that's similar (but more pronounced) to what I hear from time to time. I'm 99% certain it's the tires.

I'm thinking about getting a set of 18" wheels with 225/45/18 snow tires on them...the same size that some of the 2018 Stinger GT AWD came with. I wonder if the smaller wheel/tire with more sidewall will address the issue or at least cut it down significantly.