[xcentrk]

I thought I was an oddball when I first TD the Vento back in 2018. I complained it to the guy who came for TD and to my friends. And my friend, who owns Ecosport D said it is NOT THAT louder.

To give context, I own Xcent Petrol and drive many vehicles in my extended family like Xylo, Swift D, XUV, Cruze, Alto, Figo D, SX4 (P&D), Etios D, Etios P, Logan and Lodgy. I have driven all these vehicles back to back since we all stay closer.

Yeah, I feel the noise when I switch between Xcent to any Diesel cars but nothing has prepared me for Vento. Mind you, the Vento Petrol was still louder, but Diesel was simply crude. Yes, the motor pulls very well and has a good tractable nature. But the noise is something that puts me off. I am not the kind of person who drive with music on, especially in high volumes. At times, I listen to some speech and podcast. When I TD the Vento diesel, I tried to listen to the speech and I simply could not bear the noise. Is VW skimping of insulation or it is the same all around the world?

And that is how I simply looked past the Vento and Polo from my list. But other than that VW cars are one of the best in terms of driving pleasure.

[SaiSW]

I think we've moved from why exactly their diesels are noisy to, I think this diesel is more noisier than vw diesels, and how playing music at a good volume can drown out the noise, all that's perfectly reasonable am not saying shouldn't be discussed but can anyone post a comprehensive explanation of why their diesels ( the ones in vento/polo only their more expensive cars are very refined ) sound the way they do?

I am genuinely curious to know
Thanks in advance,

Sai

[The Flash]

I own a 2014 VW Polo 1.5LTDi. The engine was very noisy when using castrol engine oil. Later I decided to try Motul X-Clean on the first service and the NVH levels drastically dropped by 90%.

I'm now using Liqui-Moly toptec 4100 and very happy with it. Infact it is better than Motul.

Engine oils tried till date:
1) Castrol Magnatec - Very Bad
2) Motul X-Clean - Very very good but needs regular top up after 5000-6000kms.(Availability issues)
3) Motul X-Cess 8100 - Bad (Not recommended)
4) Liqui-Moly toptec 4100 - Very good (Easily available)

[Torque250]

Originally Posted by The Flash

Later I decided to try Motul X-Clean on the first service and the NVH levels drastically dropped by 90%.

Engine oils tried till date:
1) Castrol Magnatec - Very Bad
2) Motul X-Clean - Very very good but needs regular top up after 5000-6000kms.(Availability issues)
3) Motul X-Cess 8100 - Bad (Not recommended)
4) Liqui-Moly toptec 4100 - Very good (Easily available)

90 percent reduction in noise just left me in awe to be honest.

Did your service centre approve of using Motul X during your first service itself?

As oil changes are mandatory at every service, how did you dodge the castrol magnatec that the volkswagen recommends?

Have you faced any injector issues?

[viXit]

Originally Posted by The Flash

I own a 2014 VW Polo 1.5LTDi. The engine was very noisy when using castrol engine oil. Later I decided to try Motul X-Clean on the first service and the NVH levels drastically dropped by 90%.

I'm now using Liqui-Moly toptec 4100 and very happy with it. Infact it is better than Motul.

Engine oils tried till date:
1) Castrol Magnatec - Very Bad
2) Motul X-Clean - Very very good but needs regular top up after 5000-6000kms.(Availability issues)
3) Motul X-Cess 8100 - Bad (Not recommended)
4) Liqui-Moly toptec 4100 - Very good (Easily available)

Maybe this post can help us understand why they're noisy.
Could someone throw some light on what the Motul X-Clean does and how it might affect engine refinement, noise etc.

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by Torque250

90 percent reduction in noise just left me in awe to be honest.

Did your service centre approve of using Motul X during your first service itself?

As oil changes are mandatory at every service, how did you dodge the castrol magnatec that the volkswagen recommends?

Have you faced any injector issues?

You can go to an FNG once you're warranty is over! Researching and purchasing the right oil is one of the most satisfying parts of servicing a car outside the ASC!

I'm also using LiquiMoly TopTec 4100 and yes, the engine has certainly become quieter. But 90% sound reduction not sure. It definitely doesn't bother us like before and with good tires, it remains quiet even at highway speeds.

No, injectors haven't failed.

[viXit]

Originally Posted by The Flash

I own a 2014 VW Polo 1.5LTDi. The engine was very noisy when using castrol engine oil. Later I decided to try Motul X-Clean on the first service and the NVH levels drastically dropped by 90%.

I'm now using Liqui-Moly toptec 4100 and very happy with it. Infact it is better than Motul.
......
4) Liqui-Moly toptec 4100 - Very good (Easily available)

Originally Posted by Turbohead

I'm also using LiquiMoly TopTec 4100 and yes, the engine has certainly become quieter. But 90% sound reduction not sure. It definitely doesn't bother us like before and with good tires, it remains quiet even at highway speeds.

No, injectors haven't failed.

Finally some solid advice from actual VAG owners on the topic.

But could you identify what was actually causing the noise in the first place?
Lot of people on the internet are blaming cam lifters.

[gaurav.kokra]

Hi all,

I have a 2013 Vento TDI done 140000 KMs.

Touch wood, the engine sounds extremely smooth on startup.

But there's a catch. In the mornings, the idling will be smooth but as soon as you move (meaning just after cranking and immediately moving), the engine starts knocking. Not wildly, but bearable.

What mantra I have adopted is I let the car idle for 3 mins till I setup my music and move my bike from my parking to make way for the car to move out.

After this, the car is smooth even after accelerating. But I maintain my calm for atleast 10 mins before going in hard.

I am regularly maintaining this mantra.

I feel that the injectors are also not harmed in this way and this increases their service life.

A friend of mine has the 2011 Vento TDI. His car has run around 170000 kms. He has been doing as above and the injectors are doing fine. Although his TDI is literally a tractor on startup. But when things get heated up, the car is a hoot to drive.

On the highways, you can hardly hear the engine with some light music and AC. You can surely hear the engine growl and turbo spool too on going in the pedal to metal mode, but other than that it's fine. Covered 800 kms in a single go without feeling extremely tired.

I would anyday go for this car even considering its drawbacks.

Attaching a pic post detailing session yesterday.

[haritabh7]

I used to own a Polo 1.5 TDI and had driven it for 1L kms across the country in all possible kind of situations. Sharing a couple of observations from my ownership experience-

1. Cold start had the most clater. The NVH significantly improved once the car is warmed up.
2. The NVH seemed to get better as the car clocked in more mileage. I used to change engine oils at 10k intervals instead of 15k. In fact, I feel it was the most silent before I just sold it.
3. Engine Oil made a BIG difference. Liqui Moly TopTec 4100 made the car buttery smooth and silent compared to the standard Castrol one.
4. Additives like Cetane-X (Cetane Booster) further helped with NVH and made the car noticeably sprightlier.
5. Running a cycle of System-D for 4-5 consecutive tankfulls once every 15-20k kms helps in keeping the fuel system clean and you can notice a 5-10% increase in fuel economy when using it.

On a side note, my car was running a Quantum Tuning remap for the last 70k kms and the car was about 10-15% smoother post the remap and emitted zero black smoke even under WOT. Dieselgate update was never done. EGR in the map was still ON.

[Cessna182]

I read the entire thread, but am still in the dark about what exactly causes the noise in these engines. If it is the design, what aspect of the design. How is Hyundai able to make a silent engine while VW cannot. I will be grateful if someone technically knowledgeable can answer this question. Thank you.

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by Cessna182

I read the entire thread, but am still in the dark about what exactly causes the noise in these engines. If it is the design, what aspect of the design. How is Hyundai able to make a silent engine while VW cannot. I will be grateful if someone technically knowledgeable can answer this question. Thank you.

Well, speaking for the older VW engines like the 1.9 PD (pump duse) - the very nature of PD engines is that they are noisier, but have better economy and performance because the injectors are able to atomise the fuel better. The other oft used technology is rail injection (CRDI/CDI/CR etc.) which offers better refinement and is cheaper to manufacture. It seems that while VAG has moved onto the CR for all diesels, they have somehow managed to retain their noisy clatter!


On a side note: Since I owned a 2006 Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDI for 4 years and 70,000 km, I am more than familiar with the "tractor" brickbats from friends, neighbours, and passerbys; however, that never bothered me because the insulation on the inside was so good that I couldn't hear much of the engine (and sometimes their comments ).
The 1.9 TDI is a gem of an engine though - great performance and economy, rev happy, and did sound decent at higher RPM too!

[hserus]

Originally Posted by haritabh7

3. Engine Oil made a BIG difference. Liqui Moly TopTec 4100 made the car buttery smooth and silent compared to the standard Castrol one.

Try this one then. Their ck4 oil made my Scorpio engine sound smooth and that takes effort I must say, so the oil they produce that’s rated for VW must also have similar effects.

https://www.amazon.in/AMSOIL-Europea.../dp/B07G5DJ7SJ

[low_rider]

I too have found Vento/Rapid diesels to be "extremely" noisy, especially if compared with Verna/Ciaz. But my shocking moment was when my neighbour got a 5 series few years back. The noise of the engine in that segment is totally unacceptable. And it was not even a "growling" sort of noise that you find ni sport cars and bikes, but a proper tractor type of noise.

On the contrary, I have noticed the Thar engines (current gen, not the new one) to be quite smooth even without the insulation.

[viXit]

Originally Posted by low_rider

my neighbour got a 5 series few years back. The noise of the engine in that segment is totally unacceptable. And it was not even a "growling" sort of noise that you find ni sport cars and bikes, but a proper tractor type of noise.

WHat??? How?
Which 5 series is this? is it a new car or was it pre owned

[German_clan]

Having 3 diesel cars in my garage right now, i would like to state otherwise

1. Bmw 530d f10: doesn’t even feel like i am driving a diesel even with the bonnet open there is only a little diesel clutter.(Km driven=1lakh+)

2. Skoda yeti 2.0 tdi: the 2.0 tdi is a wonderful engine and the nvh levels may not come close to the bmw but it takes the cake in that price bracket.(Km driven=80k)

3. Skoda laura 1.9 tdi: since this engine is almost two decades old it has not that refined as a 2.0 tdi but still it is still better than most diesel engines which come today. (Km driven=80k)

Saying that, you are absolutely correct the 1.6 tdi engines found in the vento and rapid are very loud indeed. Please try a Skoda Laura or anything with a VAG 2.0tdi in it you will be suprised to see the difference.(This is the same engine that does duty in most Audi’s).