[ducatikid]

My car goes into all gears very easily, including reverse, the suspension is very quiet, the engine can rattle a bit when ticking over, but it seems to me to be typical, clutch pedal quiet, engine/clutch very smooth when driving off. No problems with the b pillars.

The only poor noise is a mid freqquency boom from the speakers in the front doors. I think the sound quality is poor, even with extra speakers.

 

[Upmeister]

WOW! What a list.

The problem with these situations is
1. Deciding what is normal and what is a problem
2. What is acceptable to one person may not be to another

I have done 5,000 miles (8,000kmh) in the past 8 weeks and hopefully have got to know most of my up!s 'characterful' noises.

The engine does rattle at idle, but not excessively and it soon quietens down on the move until you reach 4,000 rpm, when the 3 cylinder rumble sets in - a not unpleasant noise I might add.

The thing I still find at-odds with the rest of the car is the gearbox noise - whether mine is better or worse than average, I don't know, but what I initially put down to engine noise is, I am now pretty sure, the gearbox. The 'clattery' nature of the gearbox in 1-4th gear appears to be down to gear cluster rattle and gets worse as the car gets fully warm - and the gearbox oil warms through. IMHO it makes the car noisier and feel mechanically less refined in town than my daughter's 75,000 Aygo and is totally at odds with the nature of the rest of the car.

Once in 5th gear the 'rattle' disappears but is replaced with a quiet high-pitched whine from the final-drive.

All of these noises are, I believe, normal for the up! and are probably not helped by the high levels of refinement and lack of other noises in the car. I am investigating the availability of a engine bay sound-deadening kit to see might help to take the edge off some of the gearbox noises.

Having said all this, overall I think the up! is a brilliant car and I I am generally very happy with it - for a City car it is so good in so many areas that it deserves the praise it has received. Which is good as I spend at least 2 hours a day in 5 days a week!

 

[windyup]

I am investigating the availability of a engine bay sound-deadening kit to see might help to take the edge off some of the gearbox noises.

I'm going to do the same. Was looking in the engine bay the other day trying to figure out what to do. The problem is sticking something like dynamat to the bulkhead might get affected by the heat for the exhaust / pup cat.

I also have a stud welder that i could use for some more substantial fixing method (threaded boss & large washers + nut to hold some insulation & heat shielding to it. Maybe I could use rivnuts insteadbut I'm not sure what's behind the bulkhead that I might damage from drilling?

 

[PeterWestSussex]

....anybody else have the same problems?

Yet to get my up!, but I wonder whether some of these 'niggles' are part of the deal? On my Nissan Qashqai (had it from new) I had the following similar(identical?) problems:

1) crunching sound when put in reverse (clutch fully depressed) - On average I'd say I could not engage reverse gear 50% of the time at first attempt. Gearbox was perfect otherwise - once oil had warmed up I didn't even bother to mention it to Service dept. I knew the answer from previous cars - no synchromesh on reverse gear - I don't know whether some cars have it nowadays - and indeed, a quiick double-declutch (from the days of no-synchro on any gear gearboxes) always solved it.

2) rattling sounds from the b-pillar covers - Yes, very annoying but the sliding
device for adjusting belt height was a very loose fit, so it was not
surprising - but why only one side? On investigation, it looked like this was a common fitment for some other makes of cars too.

3) rattling sounds from the engine when idling - I had this 'chatter' on several previous cars - was told its something to do with 'idler' gear and is 'normal'. Certainly I never had any gearbox problems with any of those cars during their lifetime.




Edited by: PeterWestSussex

 

[Welham]

I have a gear box problem sounds like its chain driven gears rattle and clunk think it is the thrush bearing. Taken to vw dealer in Blackpool today and says its the norm refused to take car back so Ihave rang vw uk . It all started with in 24 hours of driving a brand new car should think it my have go ot court.

 

[Derkie54]

Hard to decide what is an unwelcome characteristic and what is an unacceptable fault.It would be useful if someone (who thinks they have a noisy/faulty gearbox) could record it and put it on you tube.
We may find that although it is unwelcomeit is a characteristic noise on most cars and at least you would have something to compare you car with.
Just a thought !!