Blue GT gearbox noise

[Mikeso51]

Only picked up the Blue GT last week, so still getting used to it. It’s November 2016 (2017 model year) with 22000 miles. Seems to be in very nice condition, and goes very well. Something I’ve just noticed however is that when stationary with the engine idling there is a faint whirring noise from the engine area. The noise stops when the clutch is depressed, so I assume it’s coming from the gearbox. Before I take it back to the dealer I’d be very interested to hear from any other Blue GT owners in case it’s a “normal” noise, rather than a gearbox bearing problem

TIA

Mike

[martyn_x_86]

Hi,

I've had my Blue GT since it had 750 miles on the clock, and have always had this slight noise you describe ( I've now done about 10K Miles now). I just assumed it was entirely normal.

Hope this helps ease your mind a little

[Mikeso51]

Thanks very much for your reply Martyn. Interesting that your car has an apparently similar noise, though obviously difficult to compare noise levels. I also have an Audi A3 with the same engine and gearbox set up, and that is much quieter than the Polo, which was why I was concerned.

I didn’t think anyone was going to respond to my message so I took the car back to the (main VW) dealer who sold it to me. Two of their technicians looked at the car and agreed there was a problem. The Master Technician said he thought it was either the clutch release bearing, which seemed very unlikely to me since the noise stops when the clutch is fully depressed, or the gearbox input shaft bearing. My money is on the input shaft bearing. Anyway the car is booked in for next week to have the gearbox taken out and the bearings examined. We shall see what the outcome is.

Mike

[Crohnnie]

Hi,

Your post caught my attention as I also have a BlueGT three years old and 20,000 miles. It has had the exact noise you describe since day one and it’s never got any worse. I think the noise is just the input shaft turning and gears that are not engaged rotating. If you depress the clutch the shaft stops rotating and noise goes away. Possibly on the Polo there is less noise insulation so it’s more noticeable.

Also though I can’t remember the name VW use the Blue GT has the larger gearbox rated for 350nm where as the same engine in a Golf (and possibly A3) has the lower rated 250nm box. It’s much same unit they use in the GolfGTI .

I’m certain that if it’s actually a fault then mine would have got worse over time but it hasn’t. Just the same light whirring from passenger footwell area that goes away when clutch down, Be interesting to hear what your garage come up with by my thought is it will be exactly the same when you get it back !

[Mikeso51]

Hi Crohnnie,

Thank you for your reply; which is very helpful and confirms Martyn's response. Your comments re. the gearbox type are also very interesting. The gearbox in my Audi A3 !.4tfsi is type NJU, but frustratingly i don't know what type is in the Polo. The space in the Polo Service Book where the gearbox type should be printed is blank, and I wouldn't know where to look on the gearbox itself.

I took the car into the main dealer last Wednesday, and before I left it with them they had a 3rd technician listen to the noise. He agreed with his 2 colleagues who looked at it before that there was a faulty bearing, and said the gearbox would need to come out to get to the bottom of it. His money was on the clutch release bearing, though that made no sense to me. Anyway, on Friday I had a call from the garage to say that they had now decided that the noise was definitely not coming from the clutch release bearing (I kept telling them that!), but that before stripping the gearbox they wanted to compare my car with a similar model to determine if the noise was just a "characteristic" of the car. They have another Blue GT in their bodyshop at the moment, so when it becomes available next week I am going over for the comparison. This seems reasonable: If the noise is the same I will stop worrying. If it's markedly different they will have to fix it. From what was said, if it needs attention they will probably change the gearbox. Either way the problem should be resolved.

[martyn_x_86]

Hi again,

Glad that I could at least help a little bit. As an additional piece of info for you, I did have them inspect the gearbox due to a very stiff shift into second gear not long after I bought it (< 2000 miles). They said there was nothing wrong with it, other than just being new, and I'm inclined to agree as it has remedied itself over the last year or so as more miles have been driven. I'd hope that they probably would have picked up anything wrong with the gearbox at that point, but maybe I'm being a little naive.

Hopefully they will be able to confirm that there is nothing wrong with your car so you can enjoy it without being concerned about the noise.

[Crohnnie]

Hi, good that they are going to compare it with another car. Better that than take your gear box apart unless it definitely has a fault.

It does just seems to be a characteristic of this model and nothing to worry about. I find it a noisy gearbox in general, mine has a slight gear whine in 4th at exactly 30mph. Again it’s been like that since day 1 and 3 years later exactly the same. Would also agree that the gear change was notchy when new but has definitely freed off with miles.

None of that changes my opinion that it is one of the best cars I have owned. Touch wood mine (unusual noises aside) has been faultless and is always a pleasure to drive. Surprisingly quick too and yet still returns 50mpg on a run. Can’t argue with that !

[Mikeso51]

Latest update on my gearbox noise:

Took the car in this morning to be compared with a similar age/mileage Blue GT. The comparison car had been standing in sub-zero temperatures overnight, and when started was much quieter than my own car (which had just been driven 20 miles). However, the master technician and I went for a drive round the block to warm things up, and when we got back the gearbox whirr was only slightly less than my car. It was also a bit noisy in 1st gear, just like my own car. I had a long discussion with the very helpful master tech, who apologised for any alarm caused by the 3 lesser technicians who had diagnosed a failed bearing. He assured me that the noise was normal for this gearbox, and that replacing bearings would be unlikely to give any improvement. He told me that on my last visit he had checked the condition of the gearbox oil and its level, and everything there was fine. He confirmed what Crohnnie said about the gearbox being an uprated version in the Blue GT, and especially strong though rather noisy. Also said he had never seen a problem with these ‘boxes. He did not expect the noise to get any worse over time, but since the “problem” had been logged it would be covered by warranty in the unlikely event that things deteriorated.

So I will relax for now and see if the noise changes over the next few months.

Thanks again Martyn and Crohnnie. Looks like you were both right!

[giannis159]

Guys this problem is a bearing inside the gearbox. This can happen in a lot of vws. Ι bought new polo and i have this noice sometimes when push the clutch stops. I will fix it tomorrow with the local dealer.you can hear it in cold engine or after many kms when gearbox is warmer..

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[Mikeso51]

Giannis159,

Please keep us updated on how you get on, particularly if your dealer is able to fix the noise.

[giannis159]

Its very common issue my dealer check with my vin and vw said that they have to open the gearbox and check with hand a bearing inside if they observe something wrong they replace it. They will replace it for sure because dismantling gearbox its a lot of work and i don't need any risks of same noice again. I know People with vws with same noice and it was the same reason. Tomorrow i will let my car to dealer for 2-3 days then i will post.sorry for my English i am Greek..

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[giannis159]

Hello guys, i took my car back and i am driving it two days now the sound seems has stopped. The dealer change the bearing and all the clutch system too.

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[Mikeso51]

Hi Giannis159

Good that you got your gearbox noise problem fixed so easily. However, I’ve just noticed that your car is a 2019 AW 1.0, so I wonder if the noise you were getting is relevant to 6C Blue GTs. I now know of 4 Blue GTs, all around 3 years old, which all have a minor whirring noise from the gearbox when idling in neutral. The noise is more noticeable when the engine/gearbox is warm. According to my dealer this is a “characteristic” of the car and related to the heavy duty MQ350 gearbox which is apparently not fitted to any other Polos. Two forum members have reported that they have had the noise since their cars were new, and it has not got worse or changed over time.

It would be useful to know which gearbox type is fitted to your car, and whether your gearbox was noisy from new or if the noise developed over time?

[giannis159]

Hello my friend my dealer said that this idle sound happens in many models of vag. In my case the sound was here from day one. It was happening on cold start and when the gearbox was warm for example drive in the highway. They told me that the done everything they could and if the noise come again it will probably characteristic of the car.

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[Dazza]

Hi everyone I have recently purchased a gt 2016 and I'm having a very similar sound what was the outcome is it just a noisy gearbox or something to be concerned about I will link a video to mine any help much appreciated https://photos.app.goo.gl/uWXU61gpw645vmjHA