Nice weather today in the UK my AC is making a similar noise
I think we can safely say it's not a normal noise. To me, it has two levels (fan hitting the side of something) In my original video above (Time stamp 0.04 - temp set to low - fan speed set to 2), the fan hitting noise is fast. At time stamp 0.14 in the video and temp set to 25 and fan level set to 2, you hear what I will call a fan hitting noise at a lower speed. My speculation at this time is that the fan is either a mil too big or a gasket is not big enough. My air con was replaced as the MG mechanic and I both agreed this was the fault when we looked at it together (I was a mechanic in the 80's). However, if MG China are sending the same air con units out to fix, a new one would have the same problem. So even though my air con was replaced, it may still be air con / fan related. Also, I was told that no / few spare parts are being built / available at the moment, as they are keen to simply get the cars out (Without spares), so I would not rule out my replacement air con coming off a car that had the fault to begin with. This remains more speculation from my side.
The sales manager at my MG dealership did say he has let MG China know and I said I would touch base again around 4 to 6 months later and am hopeful that a recall of some type will eventually be carried out. My MG dealer was also happy to keep the car; provide me a replacement (With the same fault) and fix. However, I was not comfortable with leaving my car their for an extended period of time and being the guinea pig for the fix. The noise you hear on a mobile phone, fortunately, makes it sound louder than it is. For me though and in some way unfortunate, I live in a quiet area and am now tuned into the noise, so hear it several feet away and when stationary inside the car if the air con is on. The video I have take shows the actual air con unit the noise seems to be coming from.
I intend to send this forum post to my sales manager in around a month or two and chase up what MG China may have to say about it and am hopeful other people are starting to raise the noise issue with their MG dealerships. Please do not be told it's not a fault though. it is and in the 80's, this would have had a factory recall made (At great expenses to the manufacturer, so they won't be in a rush to fix. However, the fix may simply be a thicker gasket perhaps! Without seeing a parts diagram and how many fans are being used and where they are, it is also difficult to review further. Also, I assume fixing yourself may invalidate warranty)
It may not be fan related at all. It just sounds like it to me and mechanics I have spoke with and my sales manager and other people!
Looking forward to identifying what the problem will actually be and a recall. It's worth reporting it to your MG dealer, so that it's on record and gets repaired under warranty once a fix is found.
My Trophy makes the same noise but not as pronounced due to not opening the bonnet and placing the recording device there. Our Leaf makes quite the noise as well when heat pump runs and has done for 8 years without issue.
The chirping noise is the aircon compressor, it starts off running fast and then if you stay there and listen it slows down until running slowly giving the chirping sound. I don’t hear it in the car at all, only when outside.
It doesn’t bother me but there may be some cars where there is an issue I guess. If all of the cars tested make the noise and multiple are the same when supplied over different batches and manufacturer dates then maybe, just maybe there is no fault…..in the majority of cases.
The only fans that run will be radiator at the front of the car and the interior fan. The motor for the compressor is internal with only power cabling exiting the system so no seals to leak on the input shaft like ICE cars.
It would be good to see a parts diagram and all the fans used and where they are and also detailed specification on gaskets and sizes used (Although I am not an engineer, I have a little experience in this area). The air con firing up (Similar to a house fridge / freezer noise), is something I would say would be normal in most or all cars. What I can only assume at this stage, to be a fan hitting something noise, is not something I would expect to hear continuously and from several feet away in my case, so I remain hopeful in this getting identified as a fault and fixed hopefully in the future and under warranty and or as a MG recall. On a positive note, when we are behind people (in slow speed areas, when people are walking in the centre of a slim road with no footpath) that do not know a car is behind them, as soon as they hear our fan noise, I can only assume that they seem to wonder what the noise is and turn around and realise that there is a car behind them and move out of the way.
Note on seals. We were told that our MG4 EV has seals that need to be replaced with an air con unit swap out. When we got our air con replaced, we were nearly without our MG4 EV for several months. The replacement air con unit did not come with seals and were on back order. Our MG dealership managed to sourced replica (seals) parts to get us back on the road. So if anyone gets the air con replaced, please discuss this with the dealership first.
I have an MG4 X (as far as I can tell broadly the same as the Trophy marketed in the UK) and on leaving the car the fan noise is very noticable until it's locked, sounding a bit the same as your recording. Inside the car, the aircon sound is limited to the rushing noise the air makes as it leaves the vents and at level five and below is almost inaudible. When it starts at level 10, it's very noisy and powerful enough to send hats and toupees flying into the rear seats, so dialing it down to 4 or 5 is always the first thing I do after following the car's welcome message "Remember to turn off LKA"
When you lock the car, the air con automatically switched off. Hence no noise. In some ways, from a positive point of view, although loud for some of us and annoying and you do not know what damage is being done in this area, it's a nice security feature knowing that if you can hear a loud noise coming from the car when walking away, you know you have not locked it : -)
It sounds very much like a fan noise to me as well. It is perfectly possible that the aircon unit has its own fan in addition to the heating fan. I would also assume that the electric motor driving the aircon pump has a fan.
I collect my car on Tuesday. I will be interested in if it makes a similar noise. If so, I will be sorely tempted to investigate further myself. As an engineer and former car restorer I feel perfectly qualified to track the noise down. I would also consider taking the matter up with the manufacturer of the aircon unit and pump rather than MG.
Hi Val33 - How did you get on when picking up your MG4 EV. Are you able to hear the noise and if you do, have you any thoughts in this area yourself? All the best.........
