Heat pump getting louder?

[schleppy]

Today in MA was very cold. I don't think it went above 20 degrees. I drove a fair bit today, and had the heat set to 70 degrees, fan on speed 2. The heat pump "motor" sound was substantially louder than it has been in temperatures above 30 degrees. So much so that at low speeds it was loud enough that I needed to turn the stereo up to drown it out. And no, it's not the pedestrian fake motor sound. Much louder.

I had the car at the dealer a week ago, and asked them if the "gurgling" A/C style noise that the heat pump makes is normal, and they said it was. Given that a heat pump is like an A/C in reverse, I stopped worrying about it. However, at the time the dealer looked at it, this new "motor" noise wasn't nearly the volume it was now.

As a test I slowly lowered the temp down into the 60s on the HVAC, and the noise got quieter and quieter as the car called for less heat. I also popped the hood while the heat was running and the noise is coming from the lower left area of the engine bay.

Has anyone else noticed this in very cold temperatures? Am I being too sensitive? The heat seems to work fine, it's just crazy loud compared to the heat pump Leaf I have driven.

Thanks!

 

[JoulesThief]

Today in MA was very cold. I don't think it went above 20 degrees. I drove a fair bit today, and had the heat set to 70 degrees, fan on speed 2. The heat pump "motor" sound was substantially louder than it has been in temperatures above 30 degrees. So much so that at low speeds it was loud enough that I needed to turn the stereo up to drown it out. And no, it's not the pedestrian fake motor sound. Much louder.

I had the car at the dealer a week ago, and asked them if the "gurgling" A/C style noise that the heat pump makes is normal, and they said it was. Given that a heat pump is like an A/C in reverse, I stopped worrying about it. However, at the time the dealer looked at it, this new "motor" noise wasn't nearly the volume it was now.

As a test I slowly lowered the temp down into the 60s on the HVAC, and the noise got quieter and quieter as the car called for less heat. I also popped the hood while the heat was running and the noise is coming from the lower left area of the engine bay.

Has anyone else noticed this in very cold temperatures? Am I being too sensitive? The heat seems to work fine, it's just crazy loud compared to the heat pump Leaf I have driven.

Thanks!

That's the power of German Engineering! it's letting you know it's working hard. Or a subliminal way of telling you to turn it off and just run the more efficient seat heater instead, and to dress seasonally when you operate an e-Golf in harsh climates

 

[mfennell]

There's no way know if you're experiencing a normal amount of noise but I can confirm three facts about my own car:

1) it makes some noise/vibration
2) it gets worse as it gets colder
3) when it's really cold (12F is the lowest I've experienced), it makes a surprising amount of noise

In my experience, it makes the most noise when it's plugged in and pre-heating, presumably at full output.

 

[schleppy]

Knowing my experience isn't unique makes me feel a bit better. I'm still going to have another dealer take a look next week.

Thank you!

There's no way know if you're experiencing a normal amount of noise but I can confirm three facts about my own car:

1) it makes some noise/vibration
2) it gets worse as it gets colder
3) when it's really cold (12F is the lowest I've experienced), it makes a surprising amount of noise

In my experience, it makes the most noise when it's plugged in and pre-heating, presumably at full output.

 

[REM]

As has already been said, without hearing it it's impossible to determine if it is normal; however, I will say that the heat pump does make a lot of noise when it is working hard in cold weather.

 

[schleppy]

I finally figured out what it sounded like. It was like an air compressor running at full speed. That is what the sound was like.

I just got back from Colonial VW in Medford MA. They had the car in there for a while, and I took the tech (who was very pro-EV!) for a ride and explained what I was hearing. Sadly it wasn't cold today, so I couldn't reproduce the full noise. He said they would take a look regardless. After a couple of hours and a ticket open with VW corporate, they are going to replace a part under warranty. I will give more details when I have them, but the part wasn't in stock so I will have to go back again for them to swap it.

I will keep this thread updated.

Thanks!

 

[slenten]

Same for us here in MN: it's very loud in cold weather and slowly subsides as the air in the cabin approaches the selected temp. Which part did they replace? Was it an effective repair?

 

[schleppy]

Same for us here in MN: it's very loud in cold weather and slowly subsides as the air in the cabin approaches the selected temp. Which part did they replace? Was it an effective repair?

In my case the noise never really subsided. I think the pump was working overtime to warm the car to even 68 degrees.

I will report back on exactly what is replaced and whether or not it was effective. I'm hoping the part(s) go in next week.

 

[Scottyfofo]

Any updates on what was replaced and did it fix the issue?

My Egolf also makes a loud noise somewhere in the depths of the dash. Seriously it gets annoying after awhile (RRRRRrrrrRRRrrrrrrRRRRRRRRR). I have not found a trigger point for the noise, it just starts in at times and stops when it wants to

 

[schleppy]

I brought it in last week, waited for 30+ minutes, and then was told that VW ordered the wrong part. Come on guys.

I'm hopeful that I will be called back in this week, we'll see.

Any updates on what was replaced and did it fix the issue?

My Egolf also makes a loud noise somewhere in the depths of the dash. Seriously it gets annoying after awhile (RRRRRrrrrRRRrrrrrrRRRRRRRRR). I have not found a trigger point for the noise, it just starts in at times and stops when it wants to

 

[RobKaulfuss]

2015 eGolf SEL: It seems like my heat pump has gotten louder each winter, although I could be imagining it. I can hear it inside the house when someone else pulls the car into the driveway in the winter. It really roars. I can get it to settle down by turning off the fan and the back on again, although it then gets loud after a while. For the last year, I have been driving my 2017 Volt which does not have a heat pump and there is no noise. It also heats up faster. With the eGolf, the heat pump usually worked fine, but sometimes would take 10 minutes or so to get any warmth and not just when super cold.

 

[JoulesThief]

it's new technology. Part of the problem with electric cars is that they are so quiet, that you hear everything else functioning, something masked by ICE cars with noisy motors. It's perfectly normal and considered a "feature" . Drive more and worry less.