Why do Vauxhall engines sounds awful?
Discussion
Girl at work has an 06 plate Astra 1.6, shes had it from new and it's only done 46k.
Never been cleaned inside and the exterior is the usual mess of a car that's not been looked after.
The engine on start up and drive off sounds awful though, really rattly and tinny.
Most VX petrol's i've heard lately all sound the same, just really rattly.
Why do they sound like that? No other car maker seems to make engines sound like Dalek's w
king in a washing machine so what causes it?
Never been cleaned inside and the exterior is the usual mess of a car that's not been looked after.
The engine on start up and drive off sounds awful though, really rattly and tinny.
Most VX petrol's i've heard lately all sound the same, just really rattly.
Why do they sound like that? No other car maker seems to make engines sound like Dalek's w
king in a washing machine so what causes it?supersingle said:
Redtop sounds alright. 
Okayish for a 4. However, some of the more recent mundane petrols have managed the feat of sounding worse than their rattler equivalents.Wasn't always the case - my 80's 1.6 sounded reasonably sprightly for a shopping trolley, went ok for what it was and was pretty reliable.
The Spruce goose said:
So an audi, bmw etc 1.6 engine sounds better. Come on it is an appliance engine.
Vx sound as st as the rest of the lower down spec cars.
Vx sound as s
t as the rest of the lower down spec cars.
The 318i Touring rental car I had in Germany earlier this year was horrible, and don't get me started on the Kia Cee'd I had back in January. Even at low revs it sounded awful. Jazoli said:
If you think the petrol engined Vauxhalls are bad you should try the diesels, the 1.3cdti in the wife's corsa is like a tractor, whilst most modern diesels are pretty quiet and smooth this one definitely isn't.
I was just about to say, if you think the petrols sound st, try the 1.3CDTi! It's fking disastrous. It sounds as bad as it drives. 
joewilliams said:
Lack of maintenance?
I'd say this. I have a 1.6 2006 Astra with only 40k on the clock and the engine isn't rattly in any way either at start up or when running. But mine is serviced regularly. Sounds like this owner just doesn't look after her car going by the OPs description.Sounds like the owners fault rather than Vauxhall on this occasion, but why let that in the way of another Vauxhall bashing thread....
Big tar brush deployed with the thread title...
Sub 2000cc 16v stuff never sounds 'good' even in decent condition... but that's subjective. Hardly going to be thundering induction road and a nice overrun burble on 1600 16v mass produced, budget engine and I don't think they'd ever try to either.
The ones that sound as if they're on their last breath usually are. 16v Corsas with that unmistakable death rattles from the chains - usually because they're stretched beyond the point of no return or the last oil change was in 1998 and thus the oil driven tensioner has given up. Tappets can rattle away if the oil is like treacle or there simply isn't any.
I can't actually think of any modern Vauxhall engine that sounds good to be fair. Guess these days the smission is to make them as quiet as humanly possible. Gone are the days of the Nova Sport or the Cavalier GSi2000 and it's unmistakable rasp and popping.
Sub 2000cc 16v stuff never sounds 'good' even in decent condition... but that's subjective. Hardly going to be thundering induction road and a nice overrun burble on 1600 16v mass produced, budget engine and I don't think they'd ever try to either.
The ones that sound as if they're on their last breath usually are. 16v Corsas with that unmistakable death rattles from the chains - usually because they're stretched beyond the point of no return or the last oil change was in 1998 and thus the oil driven tensioner has given up. Tappets can rattle away if the oil is like treacle or there simply isn't any.
I can't actually think of any modern Vauxhall engine that sounds good to be fair. Guess these days the smission is to make them as quiet as humanly possible. Gone are the days of the Nova Sport or the Cavalier GSi2000 and it's unmistakable rasp and popping.
It isn't just because they're little 4-pot engines, many are quieter or at least less unpleasant to listen to than Vauxhall's.
Rattly timing chains are the cause. Lots of manufacturers have used belts instead, or done a better job of designing the chain guides and tensionners so that there is never enough slack for the chain to slap about inside it's cover.
Because of extended servicing and the increasing complexity of engine bays, timing chains have been coming back in. Some manufacturers are managing to disguise this fact better than others!
Rattly timing chains are the cause. Lots of manufacturers have used belts instead, or done a better job of designing the chain guides and tensionners so that there is never enough slack for the chain to slap about inside it's cover.
Because of extended servicing and the increasing complexity of engine bays, timing chains have been coming back in. Some manufacturers are managing to disguise this fact better than others!
A timing chained engine is superior to a belt driven engine, it costs a lot more to make . When buying used a timing chain is a big bonus.
There is however a big problem with the way some of them are implemented. One of the worst I have experience with is the old Skoda 1300 engine that was reused and bored out in the Fabia as the 1.4MPI
It has one of the shortest timing chains I have ever seen, there is no tensioner as there is no room. A lot of them rattle like hell at 60k miles. It doesn't affect the engine at all, in fact it's one of the most durable engines you can get. It does sound very bad though when the chain starts to rattle.
Vauxhalls don't make too bad a noise for me, what I hate is tappety Fords! They sound dog rough
There is however a big problem with the way some of them are implemented. One of the worst I have experience with is the old Skoda 1300 engine that was reused and bored out in the Fabia as the 1.4MPI
It has one of the shortest timing chains I have ever seen, there is no tensioner as there is no room. A lot of them rattle like hell at 60k miles. It doesn't affect the engine at all, in fact it's one of the most durable engines you can get. It does sound very bad though when the chain starts to rattle.
Vauxhalls don't make too bad a noise for me, what I hate is tappety Fords! They sound dog rough
Davie said:
Big tar brush deployed with the thread title...
Sub 2000cc 16v stuff never sounds 'good' even in decent condition... but that's subjective. Hardly going to be thundering induction road and a nice overrun burble on 1600 16v mass produced, budget engine and I don't think they'd ever try to either.
The ones that sound as if they're on their last breath usually are. 16v Corsas with that unmistakable death rattles from the chains - usually because they're stretched beyond the point of no return or the last oil change was in 1998 and thus the oil driven tensioner has given up. Tappets can rattle away if the oil is like treacle or there simply isn't any.
I can't actually think of any modern Vauxhall engine that sounds good to be fair. Guess these days the smission is to make them as quiet as humanly possible. Gone are the days of the Nova Sport or the Cavalier GSi2000 and it's unmistakable rasp and popping.
Not heard any modern VXR spec car?Sub 2000cc 16v stuff never sounds 'good' even in decent condition... but that's subjective. Hardly going to be thundering induction road and a nice overrun burble on 1600 16v mass produced, budget engine and I don't think they'd ever try to either.
The ones that sound as if they're on their last breath usually are. 16v Corsas with that unmistakable death rattles from the chains - usually because they're stretched beyond the point of no return or the last oil change was in 1998 and thus the oil driven tensioner has given up. Tappets can rattle away if the oil is like treacle or there simply isn't any.
I can't actually think of any modern Vauxhall engine that sounds good to be fair. Guess these days the smission is to make them as quiet as humanly possible. Gone are the days of the Nova Sport or the Cavalier GSi2000 and it's unmistakable rasp and popping.
Especially the Astra VXR Nurburgring with the Remus exhaust, they sound fantastic. I may be slightly biased with my Astra with its aftermarket exhaust too mind
Mostly because "budget" car brands spend an awful lot less time and money on NVH and the sonic engineering of their cars! Premium brands have departments full of thousands of engineers who ensure the product sounds "right"
Secondarily, modern cars sound "harsher" than old ones because they are designed and engineered to be much more fuel efficient. That means less mass in engine components like the block, so there is less "damping" in the system, and crucially, they all have a much faster rate of rise in cylinder pressure (more like a diesel) as direct injection has become common place and static compression ratios have climbed.
"old" engines ran rich, and burnt their fuel/air mixture slowly, which is bad for efficiency and power, but good for NVH!
In a modern engine, there is a direct link between efficiency and noise, which is why people often describe say BMW's diesel engine as being "less refined" than say a Mercedes diesel (BMW have simply opted to burn less fuel at the cost of a harsher sounding engine)
Secondarily, modern cars sound "harsher" than old ones because they are designed and engineered to be much more fuel efficient. That means less mass in engine components like the block, so there is less "damping" in the system, and crucially, they all have a much faster rate of rise in cylinder pressure (more like a diesel) as direct injection has become common place and static compression ratios have climbed.
"old" engines ran rich, and burnt their fuel/air mixture slowly, which is bad for efficiency and power, but good for NVH!
In a modern engine, there is a direct link between efficiency and noise, which is why people often describe say BMW's diesel engine as being "less refined" than say a Mercedes diesel (BMW have simply opted to burn less fuel at the cost of a harsher sounding engine)
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