aprikh2

I have has my 06 RL for about a year, and so far I have managed to remove and fix almost all of the little annoyances with the car. I say almost, because the only thing I have not managed to rectify is a wind noise problem on driver’s side. This noise sounds like an air leak, and can only be heard above 70 mph with radio off.

In my attempts to troubleshoot, I have made sure that all of the shipping grommets were installed, the dealer replaced weather seals on the door, and I have made sure that all of the plastic pieces under the car were properly attached. Nothing seems to help. Has anyone been able to get this problem fixed? I have spent countless hours searching on the forum, and did not see a solution to this problem.

I was also thinking that installing window visors/ shades might be a potential fix. I am not a big fan of the esthetics, but if this addresses my problem it will be worth it. Can anyone with window visors comment on the noise issue?

Thanks in advance!

dwboston

As far as I know, there was no definitive answer for the driver's side wind noise issue. It was really noticeable in my old 05 RL - I spent several hours trying out potential fixes, but never got anywhere. It's not an issue at all in my 06 RL - I drive a lot of the time with the radio off and the wind noise isn't there.

lland

Thanks! I never noticed any particular driver's side wind noise but I'm sure I will on the drive home from the airport tomorrow.

LL

aprikh2

Ha ha for your sake I sure hope you do not. Talk about an annoying problem! It’s just frustrating when something so minor can make a car experience fairly unpleasant.

lland

Actually, I'm the type that hears EVERYTHING. My wife hears nothing. She's happier.

LL

JPSMAN

its seems like a minor fix, but I have had good luck using silicon lubricant on all of the seals. In addition to protecting them, it keeps the seal soft and just might make a bigger difference than would be expected.

myronf

Do NOT put the window visors on! I had them and the were quiet when it was not windy out. When the wind was perpendicular to the car, they were quite noisy. Removing the visors solved the problem.

bmerton

Same thing, here. I *induced* wind noise by installing the visors.

The visors make a lot of sense on my old Isuzu Rodeo as I drive it in the rain with the windows cracked and drive it that way, too. Unrefined...unsophisticated...and the visors work on it.

My RL is waaaay too nice to abuse that way, so the visors were an unnecessary addition, in my case.

aprikh2

Bummer.

I thought that this could be the potential fix. Is there anyone in Washington DC, NoVA, MD areas with an 06 RL (without the wind noise issue) that would be willing to let me examine the undercarriage of their car? I would be willing to provide the ramps to get your car in the air safely. I think it would be great for the RL community if we could finally develop a fix for this issue.

Thanks

2007-RL-Tech

I had the windshield replaced (by Acura with the real Acura glass) and I now have wind noise. They pulled it out and redid the job and it is a little better, not gone. I think I am going to just give in.

Rob144

I think the OP could be referring to the fluttering sound sometimes heard on the driver's side at higher speeds. I've found that the symptoms are heavily based on wind direction perpendicular to the car. I can't help but wonder if it is just some form of turbulence based on pressure differentials. I also wonder if there's something fluttering inside the driver's door between the inner panel and the sheet metal.

I hardly have an opportunity to drive above about 28mph (according to my MID), so I don't hear it so much anymore. When it happens, it is too subtle to interfere with the radio, and I guess I've gotten a little bit used to it.

2007AcuraRL

I hear the noise on my '07 RL. I think it might be from around the door handle.

Chas2

Just get a 5zigen exhaust, then you won't notice any wind noise!

aprikh2

My current plan is to wait until it warms-up a bit in the DC area, and armed with duct tape and cloth start masking certain areas of the front bumper, windshield wiper recess, and gaps along the driver side window. This will be an attempt to identify the element that is the cause of the air turbulence.

My hypothesis is that this has something to do with either the windshield or the front bumper. I say this because at speed, I have noticed my driver side windshield wiper nozzle spray gets pushed down by oncoming air, which reduces its efficiency. When stopped this is not an issue. So something is pushing air on the driver’s side down more than on the passenger side. Also, 2007-RL-Tech mentioned that he started experiencing the problem when his windshield was replaced, which further adds to my suspicions.

RL owners that have modified front bumpers (A-Spec or other body kits) can you comment on whether you are susceptible to the wind noise issue?

Thanks!

CowboyRL

I had a similar issue. I had both the door and body seal on the front passenger side replaced which didn't help. In the end, the side mirror (held on by 3 screws) was the issue. The frontmost screw was loose, and the air passing over mirror lifted the mirror enough to cause the wind noise. I hope this helps.

rtr

you need to stop slaming the door!! because it is made of aluminum it is very light and can bend slightly. You can tweek it back and reajust the door stop. Should fix it!!

rtr

and i hope everybody knows that you can adjust the window sprayers for better coverage

bmerton

I, for one, do NOT slam the door...and often chide others for slamming my doors when they ride with me. Normally, I show them how the door actually closes itself quite nicely and comment about the engineering that must be involved in order for this to happen. I also comment about how it's the little things that make this car head and shoulders above low-end sedans they can purchase for less than $20K.

BTW, I'm not sure the door panels are made of aluminum...and the door hinges probably are not, either. I seem to remember the promotional literature for my '06 touting how the hood and trunk lid were aluminum...but I believe it the entire body of the car was aluminum, they would have said that. I think we may be looking at sheet metal and plastic everywhere else.

TampaRLX-SH

The RL doors are steel. The front doors in particular are one of the stiffest, solid and heavy of most any car out there. I did not find the MB doors as rigid or heavy in my door slamming tests last auto show. You would be surprised how many car doors quiver when opened.

The RL hood, front fenders, trunklid and trunk frame are aluminum, along with various under skin components.


*Greetings: At sea bound for Buenos Aires*

aprikh2

To resurrect this thread from the dead…

I had the driver side handle replaced due to a malfunctioning sensor. In a stroke of luck, this fixed my wind noise issues completely!!! For those of you with wind noise issues, check your driver side handle seals.

Cheers

vinhnguyen69

I have strange wind noise on my 2007 Acura RL, but it is the right back door. Seems like it is coming from the top corner by the small window. Acura dealership was not able to pin point the problem and don't know how to fix it. They say that all Acura 2007 RL have this wind noise??? I don't think so because all the other doors are fine.

merlin the wrench

good lord - much ado about nothing. Take it out with a friend on a sunday or holiday morning when few are about. Take a piece of fuel hose along. Let them listen to one end while you drive down the freeway and move the other end of the hose around until you find the spots. On my 1992 and 1995 Legend it was the bolt holes that held the side mirrors. A little RTV under them solved it. You can listen to the point where the glass goes into the door if you think the noise is other than the seals etc. When you get close to the source of the noise it really gets loud. You can't miss it. When they find it they can hold the other end to your ear and you can confirm it for yourself.

Imperial

An old thread but useful! Today while driving on the freeway, I heard the front wind noise as if it was coming from the front/windshield area. Your theory might be correct and I would agree. Lets say I am going 65MPH and hear that wind noise, then when I change one lane to the right, wind noise may disappear. So I was going towards the south and there was no wind noise expect for the usual stuff. When I exited towards east and after the ramp when I picked up the speed, noise came back. So it seems that if there would be an issue such as some holes due to the windshield alignment or the lack of seal, then noise would be pretty much there most/all of the time. I have personally checked everything I could from outside to inside the car. The only thing I have noticed is the right and left panels on the outside of the windshield. These plastic pieces have rubber moldings on the edges which contact the glass. When pressed, these make a plastic like squeak sound but not any wind like noise.