Sounds exactly the same as my car and a couple friends’ GT4s/Spyders that I’ve heard in person inside, higher frequency whine and all. The belt and all accessories are right behind you in these cars, and there isn’t much sound deadening, so you hear it all.

 

Lets not make a bigger deal out of this until the dealer says "You've got a problem" and I don't mean saying OP is crazy.

To me these sound like normal noises, but it's recored with a phone that is hand held and the noises could be coming from movement. OP is saying that the sound is coming from the firewall between the seats... that's the front engine cover area as well as the Soundakator location.

Pull the carpet back from behind the passenger seat and stuff a towel in the soundaktor tube, take it for a drive and see if there's any change. If you notice a difference, my suggestion would be to pull the top engine cover and remove the soundaktor. There are many ways to do this, I chose to completely remove it and plug the firewall hole with sound deadening material.

My point is, putting a towel in the hole will take all of 30 seconds and could eliminate a trip to the dealer. Disclaimer, the towel may not 100% eliminate the noises. What we're looking for, is for the sounds to change which will eliminate or prove the soundaktor as the offender.

 

YEP, THIS!!!

The 1st GT4 I test drove, I was like WOW, that is a lot of noise, whining and all. It made me reconsider the GT4 initially because I was expecting Porsche luxury.

You have to recalibrate your brain as to what the GT range is within the Porsche brand. It is their track car and by their very nature track cars are loud. Full on race cars have A LOT more whine from the gears that enter the cabin.

Having said that , some are louder than others I believe. I test drove 2 other GT4's after that initial test drive and both seemed not as loud from a "belt/whine" perspective, but that also could have been me knowing what to expect, rather than going into it blind.

The GT4 is a raw sports car that drives and sounds like a race car. Even Randy Pobst has exited a drive in the GT4 and his first words were "wow, race car". The GT4, GT3, GT3RS are an "acquired taste" type of car, you have to be ok with losing some creature comforts and luxury for a more raw experience.

This is true with most MFG.'s "track focused" variants, ala... Z06, ZL1 1LE, GT3/4, AMG Black Series, Viper ACR, etc. I think Porsche's GTS range is the Goldilock models and blend both worlds of street and track.

 

TRZ06,

Well stated and my opinion also.
See my post below for those that haven't seen my 1st take on the 2021 GT4 W/PDK.
https://rennlist.com/forums/718-gts-...l#post17750425

I will say I think like TRZ06 says, one has to be willing to adapt to the GT4 ...............

Terry

 

Thank you all for your replies and suggestions!

Here is the one thing I cannot understand; how is a “normal sound” for a car, begin at 7,000 miles and not immediately? That doesn’t make sense to me..

-as of now the car has gone through a general inspection and I received the obligatory “it sounds normal” phone call. I asked to do a test drive with a tech, and will update you all afterwards.

I’m really getting bummed out though-because I know exactly what I was getting into with this vehicle and I love it. But it’s now starting to get annoying and has really changed; doesn’t seem reasonable to me IMHO.

I suppose we shall see.

 

I hear you! But I would continue to drive it for another couple thousand miles and see if it gets any better. In my case, it has improved a lot, to the point that now I tend not to notice it, especially with the top down (not an option for you in a GT4).

Hang in there!

JP

 

An update;
-the dealership told me they looked over a few things and all seems fine.
-I did a test drive with a technician, who would not say that they hear anything abnormal due to the fact that there “are a lot of weird noises already”.
-The dealership said they didn’t/wouldn’t check internals unless there was a warning light or the tech “heard” the issue.
-I told the dealership that was unacceptable; a new car might make noises that seem strange to people; but sounds that BEGIN at 6k+ miles usually means an issue. I left the car with them and explained very simply that I would not be taking the car home until they did a full inspection etc. OR got another gt4 that sounds exactly the same.

just thought I’d update all here. Honestly if this isnt addressed, then I’m done with it.. embarrassing noise for any car that has no rust and I’ll always think it’s broken if it isn’t inspected throughout and/or hear another similar. Unfortunately every other gt3/4 I have heard sounds different to me.

i am willing to accept that it may just be my ears; but, a car like this, meant for what it’s meant for, just doesn’t work if it sounds broken.

thanks again everyone.

 

Hope things get sorted out for you. Ask them if they ever thought about a Throwout Bearing problem? I know that it would be quite unusual in such a "new" car, but just never know.....heck never thought that there would be a Conrod bolt issue or oil pump issue on some of these cars too

 

Please don't take this as a jab at you, but I don't think the GT4/Spyder is the car for you. BMW and Mercedes both make cars that are high performance and offer all the quietness comfort I think you're looking for.

The attitude toward the dealer is only going to taint your experience (which I believe is already done). You've got to keep the service team on your side, they'll NEVER go to bat for you with Porsche if you're constantly telling them they're wrong/disrespectful. Not saying you're doing this, sometimes it needs said just in case.

 

Loose heat shield, injectors, or fuel pump are most likely the issue, but will most likely not be replaced/checked by the dealer. Maybe take it to an independent to narrow it down/find fault? Then take back to dealer for resolution?

 

Are you talking about the sounds at 5, 10, 23, 45, and 52 second marks in this video? It sounds like a squeegee or window wiper for a split second.

 

OP,

Super frustrating to feel this way. I'm with you on having a new sound develop thousands of miles in.

We had oil on the garage floor in the base 718 and I took it to the dealer. They said no issue found. Which meant their troubleshooting steps were limited because clearly I had a growing pool on the garage floor. Left it with them 24 hours and still no trouble found. Picked it up, went to an alternate dealer, problem identified and resolved same day.

Don't give up on the car. Try to find a dealer or Indy that is willing to troubleshoot versus read codes.

 

I’ll add that for any of us to hear what you are hearing over whatever device we’re using is not a really fair comparison to judge the noise.
I’ll also add that even so, my Spyder doesn’t make a whirring noise like your video #1
I haven’t detected that noise in any other GT4 or Spyder video either (Obsessed Garage being one to note, since it’s obvious he’s using a decent camera/mic setup).
I think your idea of comparing your car to another one “live” is your best bet to really see if it’s “just you”, or “your car”.
Just because there’s no code doesn’t mean that it’s not a solvable issue.
If you love the car otherwise, hopefully they’ll help you find another car in your neck of the woods.
Where in NY are you located?
Best of luck on this!

 

glap55,

The following is meant to be serious not some lame-*** useless comments so, please, take it as serious.

I do-not have a clue about how Porsche handles customer complaints with a Porsche vehicle in the service department.

But .............

I do know for a FACT that when I worked for a Chevrolet New-Car-Dealership the following.
If the Customer (Requested) to the Parts & Service Director (that's who I reported to) to have a G/M Tech Specialist come look at the issue.
They (Service-Manager or Parts & Service Director) simply placed a call for a Tech-Specialist to come by to look at in Person that Customer's Vehicle and the issue.

Maybe you could take the time yourself and make a few calls (Not your Porsche Dealership) to Porsche Customer Assistance and see if Porsche has that same sort of Option for a Customer-Concern ???
You haven't anything to lose but just maybe something to Gain !!!

And for what it's worth coming from me a guy that's been into this sort of thing for Plus 55-years.
If this is something that (You) simply cannot and Will-Not TOLERATE just get Rid of the GT4 and Never-Look-Back.
I've gotten Rid of a lot of vehicles over my 55-years for a wide-variety of reasons.

Lastly, don't Ever-ever let anyone on an internet site influence your Final-Decision do what makes you Happy it's your money buddy.

Good-Luck and Report back,
Terry

 

While your recordings sound just like my car, from the engine sound to the higher pitched whine to the sound of gravel thrown up by the tires, maybe you are hearing something that the recordings played back through various speakers don’t make very clear. Drive or ride in another GT4 or Spyder to hear what it should sound like, and to find out if the sound change is actually a change and not just your ears becoming more attentive for a sound you weren’t fixated on previously. If your car really does sound different from other GT4s (I don’t hear that in your recordings but maybe the sound is more noticeable in person), then try another dealer or contact Porsche corporate.

If the sound is normal but bothers you, trade it for a more refined car like a Mercedes or a non-GT Porsche.