Interior cabin reverberatiion when rear window open

[CADman]

Currently driving 118 tsi tiguan for just over a couple of months, and have noticed a really annoying thing. Whenever my wife and I have passangers at the back of the car and they decide to wind down the window, as we drive, there is a horrible low frequency reverberation. I suspect its air entering the rear window, rolling around at the rear hatch and up over the ceiling and into the front passengers ear. I say reverberation because the rear passengers cant hear it, and as you drive faster is gets worse. Ive tried opening the other side rear window to equalize it, it does help a little, but still there. Its unbearable and we end up asking the passenger to close the window and turning on the air conditioner.
Has anyone else experienced the same, and is this a interior cabin design fault by VW????? Would like to hear other point of view. By the way the boot space is completely empty, parcel tray is as it should be, nothing out of the ordinary that would redirect this reverberation up into the ceiling.

[team_v]

This happens on every car ever made basically.
If you open one side window you need to open the other side window to let the air pressure even out and stop buffeting.

VW Design the cars to be aerodynamic and supposedly you should be using your aircon to cool down rather than winding the windows down.

[Transporter]

Definitelly not a fault in design. Every car that has aerodynamicaly designed body will do that. Even my T5 and I had to buy he window deflectors to be able to use the windows.

[NZTiguan]

New cars are designed to have the windows SHUT when driving, that's why the ventilation systems are as good as they are.

[hippyhippy]

actually i notice this problem is very apparent in the tiguan, its very loud flutter noise when the back window is open.

I dont experience this noise in other cars.

[team_v]

actually i notice this problem is very apparent in the tiguan, its very loud flutter noise when the back window is open.

I dont experience this noise in other cars.

I have experienced it in every other car i have ever been in.
The easy way to stop it is to just open the opposite window a little.

[TobyJ82]

May not help, but perhaps installing those weather shields on the front windows may help to deflect the wind past the back windows and at least reduce this effect.

[Lindsay]

I find if I open say the rear right hand window, and the front left hand (even just a crack) it sort of "cancels out" the effect

[Captain Bungers]

My LJ Torana, my mate's EH, my dad's Bora and my Astina all did this. Even SAAB's have the problem:

With back windows down, Reverberation! [Archive] - SaabCentral Forums

[philsan]

Hi CADman
Had the same problem in my Tig on the way home from the dealers.Almost to the point that the drumming/buffeting hurts your ears.[some may disagree,but I find the Tig is very susceptible to this problem] I prefer to drive most of the time with my front window down.
I cured the problem by fitting the genuine VW window shields.Only fitted them on the front windows but it works for me.No more wind noise or buffeting.
Phil

[aussietig]

If you have the sunroof, then tilting that does cancel most or if not all of it.

But if not, then maybe tick the sunroof next time.

[hippyhippy]

Hi CADman
Had the same problem in my Tig on the way home from the dealers.Almost to the point that the drumming/buffeting hurts your ears.[some may disagree,but I find the Tig is very susceptible to this problem] I prefer to drive most of the time with my front window down.
I cured the problem by fitting the genuine VW window shields.Only fitted them on the front windows but it works for me.No more wind noise or buffeting.
Phil

is it alot of work to fit these?

i have found that i've never had this kind of problem on my previous cars, i've had mazda 3, vs commodore, r33 skyline (dont have back windows though), diahatsu charade, nissan micra and none of these had this flutter noise which is very loud in the tig, hence its very rare i put down the back windows.

[team_v]

I believe you just use 3m double sided tape.

[CADman]

Ive also driven a variety of cars in my time, and come to think of it, there has been time wheres there was that fluttering noise, but theyve been so unnoticeable that I struggle to remember which car it was. The tiguans is certainly very severe.
I suppose this is the downside to having the very clean, sexy and aerodynamical curves of the tiguan.

[philsan]

No it's not a lot of work to fit the window shields but to get it rite is a bit fiddly.Just have to take your time and follow the instructions from Vw[that's if you get the genuine ones.They are a bit pricey but i am sure you can source them from oriental parts or from online U.S. suppliers.They only come in a pack of 4,2 fronts and 2 rears.I didnt fit the rears on as they look a bit daggy.The front ones alone will fix the buffeting etc.
Phil