Strange Sounds - Idiot Driver

[Buffalo Bob]

Charging at dark-thirty this morning. On the way home, my Pure AWD starts making this high pitched almost metallic sound when I'm north of 40 MPH. Loud, but strangely intermittent, and louder and softer as I speed up or slow down, but disappearing below 40 MPH. My first mechanical problem in 6,500 miles, but what is it? A motor issue should be constant, right? A shock or suspension issue should be more bump than speed dependent, right? Not brakes, as I'm on high regen mode. Don't want to leave Phoenix for Seattle with a problem, so I figure I'll drive five miles to my stellar Scottsdale Service Center and have them take a listen. The first time north of 40, the sound starts, and it comes and goes like Ruby Tuesday with speed changes. I suddenly hear the sound again, only louder, but it's not the car. It's the tech whistling, and he asks if that's the sound I'm hearing. Yup! He then reaches over and raises all the windows, and the passenger window goes up about 1/2 inch or so, to fully shut. It was just down enough to cause a fairly loud whistling sound at a certain speed. He disagreed when I told him that I was an idiot, but I think he was just being kind.

 

[coma24]

Oh dear. Any time I'm unsure about road-noise levels (our two cars have slightly different ambient noise levels for a given speed), the first think I reach for is the window switches for the front, then the back. Every now and then one of the kids leaves one of the back windows down, just a shade. As silly as you might have felt, it's the best possible outcome you could hope for!

 

[Buffalo Bob]

Oh dear. Any time I'm unsure about road-noise levels (our two cars have slightly different ambient noise levels for a given speed), the first think I reach for is the window switches for the front, then the back. Every now and then one of the kids leaves one of the back windows down, just a shade. As silly as you might have felt, it's the best possible outcome you could hope for!

Oh, yes! No doubt about it being the best possible outcome! In my (rather poor) defense, I would have waited, and gone more into diagnostic mode, if we were not getting ready to leave Phoenix for Seattle early tomorrow. Especially since we are taking the remote route through Flagstaff, around the Grand Canyon from the east, and then on up through Salt Lake City, I did not want to hit the road with an open question.

At least, at my age, people are not that surprised when I do stupid stuff. They of course don't know that I've been doing stupid stuff for years!

 

[Steveinarizona]

He disagreed when I told him that I was an idiot, but I think he was just being kind.

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone! I think we have mostly all done similarly stupid things.

Years ago when I was working at a position in Phoenix I had 100 employees working at our Tucson office. So about once a month or so my boss and I would carpool down there and meet with the staff. We lived in different directions so we would meet at a restaurant on the interstate in greater Phoenix on the way to Tucson. I got there early, got out, and when he arrived I jumped in his Suburban and off we want. Eight hours later we returned and I found my car still running. I also had to wait while I called for roadside assistance as I had left the key inside in the ignition.

It definitely made me the subject of derision from my staff (which is a good thing).

 

[Buffalo Bob]

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone! I think we have mostly all done similarly stupid things.

Years ago when I was working at a position in Phoenix I had 100 employees working at our Tucson office. So about once a month or so my boss and I would carpool down there and meet with the staff. We lived in different directions so we would meet at a restaurant on the interstate in greater Phoenix on the way to Tucson. I got there early, got out, and when he arrived I jumped in his Suburban and off we want. Eight hours later we returned and I found my car still running. I also had to wait while I called for roadside assistance as I had left the key inside in the ignition.

It definitely made me the subject of derision from my staff (which is a good thing).

At least it must have been in the cooler months. Either that, or your car had one great cooling system. Yes, I've done that too, but in my own driveway, so the problem only lasted until the kids came home from school. I still hear about that one!

 

[Steveinarizona]

At least it must have been in the cooler months. Either that, or your car had one great cooling system. Yes, I've done that too, but in my own driveway, so the problem only lasted until the kids came home from school. I still hear about that one!

Actually...it was a POC car (Dodge Dart). II did trade it in shortly afterwards.

 

[ColonelBadger]

My wife has continually questioned my purchase of an Air, given how OCD I am about sounds and weird behaviors. It's my first EV and I'm still getting used to all the weird noises and trying to confirm how many are normal. So far 95% seem normal.