Whining Noise at low speed

[mrb608]

Hi all,

I'm a relatively new owner of a 2019 Macan, currently creeping up on 1500 miles, however ever since new I've notice a whining noise coming from the front of the car when it is at low speed (<20mph). It's not particularly loud but as soon as you notice it you can't stop hearing it. I originally thought it might be the discs/pads rubbing together, however I also noticed it when the car was coasting to a stop with no brakes. I've since started noticing it when the engine starts up from 'start/stop' mode.

It's been back to the OCP, who after having checked the car over, advised they couldn't find anything wrong with it. They reckon it is just a Macan characteristic, as they claim to have checked another new Macan and heard the same thing.

Now I've previously driven four other Macans and not noticed this whining noise, and I'm just on the verge of going back to the OCP as I'm now convinced more than ever that there is something wrong with it, however before I go back to the OCP, I thought I'd ask the question of other Macan owners on this forum to see if any one else was aware or had experienced this problem, and if so what it was and how was it fixed.

[fabmacan]

I have noticed this "whining" noise at low speeds especially with no throttle input and slowing down for say a turn without use of the brakes, this is on a 2019 Macan S model.

Coming from an Audi SQ5 I find the Porsche all wheel drive system somewhat primitive compared to the Audi quattro system which was seamless in all conditions, I have noticed the Porsche to get unsettled at high speeds driving on long curves with less than smooth roads, also when making a sharp right or left turn from a junction the rear of the car seems to be trying to catch up with what the front end is doing, none of these characteristics were evident upon the Audi.

[Semerka]

I have noticed this "whining" noise at low speeds especially with no throttle input and slowing down for say a turn without use of the brakes, this is on a 2019 Macan S model.

Coming from an Audi SQ5 I find the Porsche all wheel drive system somewhat primitive compared to the Audi quattro system which was seamless in all conditions, I have noticed the Porsche to get unsettled at high speeds driving on long curves with less than smooth roads, also when making a sharp right or left turn from a junction the rear of the car seems to be trying to catch up with what the front end is doing, none of these characteristics were evident upon the Audi.

But the Macan is not a 100% all wheel / 4-wheel drive. It is predominantly rear wheel drive and all wheel drive comes into action only if called for in certain conditions. You can watch the split between rear and front wheels in the Multi Function Display.

[ultrabelse]

Could the whirring noise be related to the coasting function?

[fabmacan]

I have noticed this "whining" noise at low speeds especially with no throttle input and slowing down for say a turn without use of the brakes, this is on a 2019 Macan S model.

Coming from an Audi SQ5 I find the Porsche all wheel drive system somewhat primitive compared to the Audi quattro system which was seamless in all conditions, I have noticed the Porsche to get unsettled at high speeds driving on long curves with less than smooth roads, also when making a sharp right or left turn from a junction the rear of the car seems to be trying to catch up with what the front end is doing, none of these characteristics were evident upon the Audi.

But the Macan is not a 100% all wheel / 4-wheel drive. It is predominantly rear wheel drive and all wheel drive comes into action only if called for in certain conditions. You can watch the split between rear and front wheels in the Multi Function Display.

Both Porsche and Audi utilise the same system to distribute power to front and back wheels as required, IMHO , the audi system is a little more refined, probably due to years more experience!

[Paul]

I have noticed this "whining" noise at low speeds especially with no throttle input and slowing down for say a turn without use of the brakes, this is on a 2019 Macan S model.

Coming from an Audi SQ5 I find the Porsche all wheel drive system somewhat primitive compared to the Audi quattro system which was seamless in all conditions, I have noticed the Porsche to get unsettled at high speeds driving on long curves with less than smooth roads, also when making a sharp right or left turn from a junction the rear of the car seems to be trying to catch up with what the front end is doing, none of these characteristics were evident upon the Audi.

But the Macan is not a 100% all wheel / 4-wheel drive. It is predominantly rear wheel drive and all wheel drive comes into action only if called for in certain conditions. You can watch the split between rear and front wheels in the Multi Function Display.

Both Porsche and Audi utilise the same system to distribute power to front and back wheels as required, IMHO , the audi system is a little more refined, probably due to years more experience!

^^

Audi always push much more power to the front wheels whereas Porsche favour the rear.
That’s why the Audi feels “safer”

[fabmacan]

But the Macan is not a 100% all wheel / 4-wheel drive. It is predominantly rear wheel drive and all wheel drive comes into action only if called for in certain conditions. You can watch the split between rear and front wheels in the Multi Function Display.

Both Porsche and Audi utilise the same system to distribute power to front and back wheels as required, IMHO , the audi system is a little more refined, probably due to years more experience!

^^

Audi always push much more power to the front wheels whereas Porsche favour the rear.
That’s why the Audi feels “safer”

Agreed, I have owned seven Audi quattro's in my past motoring life, my current Macan S is my first Porsche SUV, living/driving in NE Scotland the Audi feels a lot safer than the Porsche in the wet/damp conditions we experience most of the year, yes on a dry road the Porsche has the edge but I don't get enough dry days to justify the Porsche, only the residuals lean me towards the Porsche, not the handling!

[RAA]

When my previous car (Mazda CX-5) was 5 years old, I started to hear a whining sound from somewhere under the bonnet. It turned out to be that some of the ball bearings in the auto-gearbox had started to disintegrate, send ing shards of metal all around the gearbox. Total cost to me was £3,200 for replacing a part of the gearbox casing with 2 new circular clips of ball bearings (mostly labour costs, having to remove engine & gearbox) + over £500 for 4 weeks' car hire. Two months later - more whining - that was the front near-side wheel bearings had started to disintegrate ! Apart from that, it was a good car ! I doubt that would be the problem in this case.

[Col M]

Generally the whining is coming from the me in slow traffic

[pmg]

Both Porsche and Audi utilise the same system to distribute power to front and back wheels as required, IMHO , the audi system is a little more refined, probably due to years more experience!

^^

Audi always push much more power to the front wheels whereas Porsche favour the rear.
That’s why the Audi feels “safer”

Agreed, I have owned seven Audi quattro's in my past motoring life, my current Macan S is my first Porsche SUV, living/driving in NE Scotland the Audi feels a lot safer than the Porsche in the wet/damp conditions we experience most of the year, yes on a dry road the Porsche has the edge but I don't get enough dry days to justify the Porsche, only the residuals lean me towards the Porsche, not the handling!

If that is a concern, you could always put the Macan into Off-road mode which gives a more neutral power distribution between front and rear