New CRD, how much air leak / wind noise is normal?

randy.pratt · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:06 pm **Posts:** 8

Hello All, this'll be my first post here;

I recently purchased an '06 Limited CRD. It seems to have an air leak or such near the top of the left side of the windshield. We didn't notice the leak on the test drive, but after living with it for a week I decided it just didn't seem to be right. It was in at the dealer for another week while they tried to find the source. Its intermittent, you can't feel any air moving, and it varies in volume so I don't blame the dealer for having a hard time finding the source of the 'sound'. The dealer ended up using some black silicone sealant in the area we suspected was leaking (sort of made a mess too) and the leak seems like it might be a little better, but its still there. Seems like it typically isn't noticeable until about 45 MPH, but can vary by wind speed & direction too.

Being new to the Jeep Liberty, I am just wondering if I am being too critical and wondering if anyone else has experienced this? Is there any inherent wind noise with the Liberty (wouldn't be too hard to believe as steep as the windshield angle is)? We are trying to decide if we should push the dealer to put in a new windshield or just live with it or let them try more sealer, etc.

Otherwise, we are enjoying the CRD and we'll be on the look-out on these forums for the issues that some have had the misfortune of hitting.

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:32 pm

Do you have crossbars on your roof rack?

markpb · **Posted:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 8:06 pm

We had a very high-pitched noise coming from the top driver's side of the windshield on the first CRD we had. It drove me nuts but only occurred at about 60-65 mph. My wife couldn't hear it from the passanger seat what with all the other noises

That rig had numerous other problems and we insisted on another one. The one we have now hasn't had the problem and neither did a service loaner we had for 4 days. If it's what we experienced, I'd push to get it fixed. Test drive a few others to compare if you can.

randy.pratt · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:06 pm **Posts:** 8

No cross bars on the roof rack, just the rails. But I am now suspiciously looking at the front mount of the roof rail and wondering if there could be a leak where that's attached. The sound could be in that area and I'd assume the headliner would muffle it and make it hard to find. May have to give that a look....

So far the dealer is working with us on it so hopefully we'll get it resolved. With the discontinuation of the CRD, I don't know if we could get another if we pushed for that or not. The dealer doesn't dispute that there seems to be an air leak, so I'm assuming its not normal, but when you are new to a vehicle you never know if you are being too picky or not.

DZL_LOU · **Posted:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 9:16 pm

randy.pratt wrote:

No cross bars on the roof rack, just the rails. But I am now suspiciously looking at the front mount of the roof rail and wondering if there could be a leak where that's attached. The sound could be in that area and I'd assume the headliner would muffle it and make it hard to find. May have to give that a look....

So far the dealer is working with us on it so hopefully we'll get it resolved. With the discontinuation of the CRD, I don't know if we could get another if we pushed for that or not. The dealer doesn't dispute that there seems to be an air leak, so I'm assuming its not normal, but when you are new to a vehicle you never know if you are being too picky or not.

It's pointing to the windshield not being properly installed and sealed at the factory. Don't settle for a caulk jockey with a caulk gun! The exterior trim needs to be removed and the rubber seal inspected around the windshield.
I would agree that if it is not resolved to your satisfaction, then demanding that the dealership locate another CRD and ship it to their dealership.

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:51 pm

Shortly after buying my CRD I moved my Yakima bars and ski racks in. NO PROBLEM! This Spring I took the ski racks off and suddenly I had wind noise, that is why I asked the question. There have been a couple of topics here about wind noise in CRD's. Do the follow-ups the others suggest.

cerich · **Posted:** Wed Jun 14, 2006 8:07 am

DZL_LOU wrote:

randy.pratt wrote:

No cross bars on the roof rack, just the rails. But I am now suspiciously looking at the front mount of the roof rail and wondering if there could be a leak where that's attached. The sound could be in that area and I'd assume the headliner would muffle it and make it hard to find. May have to give that a look....

So far the dealer is working with us on it so hopefully we'll get it resolved. With the discontinuation of the CRD, I don't know if we could get another if we pushed for that or not. The dealer doesn't dispute that there seems to be an air leak, so I'm assuming its not normal, but when you are new to a vehicle you never know if you are being too picky or not.

It's pointing to the windshield not being properly installed and sealed at the factory. Don't settle for a caulk jockey with a caulk gun! The exterior trim needs to be removed and the rubber seal inspected around the windshield.
I would agree that if it is not resolved to your satisfaction, then demanding that the dealership locate another CRD and ship it to their dealership.

yeah the chaulk gun is a crappy answer and not very professional at all. The sound should be easy to find using a ultrasonic leak detector, if the dealer doesn't have one (they cost a few hundred bucks) find one that does.

randy.pratt · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:06 pm **Posts:** 8

I was not familiar with a ultrasonic leak detector, but a quick Internet search reveals a lot of information and it sounds (no pun intended) like the exact tool for the job. I asked the service guy I'm dealing with today about it and he was at least open minded enough to understand what I was asking about and even commented that it would be nice to have and was going to check with the shop foreman to see if they had one though he didn't think they did.

My wife's taking it in tomorrow and the service manager is supposed to decide what the next move is. Our stance at the moment is re-install the wind shield (I suppose its a new windshield, I doubt you can remove a windshield and put it back in can you?).

Thanks for the information and comments!

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:32 pm

My last new car was a '96 Taurus that got vandalized in the dealers lot before it was delivered to me. The windshield was part of the damage done and it was replaced. The result was not wind noise but massiive water leakage. It took about 4 trips to the dealer before they decided to replace the thing. I believe today they pretty much glue in and as a fresult they can't really be removed and re-installed so they break them out and replace them. Good luck with that.

Ripster · **Posted:** Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:36 pm

I have had several replaced on other cars, they use a wire between the outside and inside and it cuts the glue, have not
seen them break anything to get them out.

T^2 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 15, 2006 8:48 pm

Here is a repost of mine from a few months back. Perhaps it will lend some insight:

Quote:

I have my Liberty in right now. I had an air leak/wind noise on the driver's side front door. I called a little bit ago and was told that they (the dealer) had installed new weather stripping and adjusted the door. Supposedly the air leak/wind noise issue has been fixed. I'll know for sure when I pick it up.

My service writer told me that it's a common thing - it's not uncommon for a Liberty to come from the factory with this problem.

One thing to note - apparently my dealer has a guy that specializes in wind noise/air leak problems. He appears to only be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays (that's why I had to drop it off today). I don't know if he's a dealer employee or some dude that they hire to come in and deal with these problems.

Anyway, the dealer should be able to fix this problem easily. If your vehicle is still under warrantee then it should be done without hassle.

By the way, the repair work done by my dealer (or the dude/specialist they have come in and do the work) fixed the air leak and I haven't had a problem since.

Joe Romas · **Posted:** Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:22 pm

randy.pratt wrote:

I was not familiar with a ultrasonic leak detector, but a quick Internet search reveals a lot of information and it sounds (no pun intended) like the exact tool for the job. I asked the service guy I'm dealing with today about it and he was at least open minded enough to understand what I was asking about and even commented that it would be nice to have and was going to check with the shop foreman to see if they had one though he didn't think they did.

My wife's taking it in tomorrow and the service manager is supposed to decide what the next move is. Our stance at the moment is re-install the wind shield (I suppose its a new windshield, I doubt you can remove a windshield and put it back in can you?).

Thanks for the information and comments!

I suspect windshield leakage also. Several vans where I work had no sealant along the bottom of the glass. Only real way is to remove the windshield, yes it will crack, and install a new one. The down side is if they scratch the paint and don't touch it up it will rust on you. I had a windshield replaced at a small shop and the guy applied something to seal where the old one was. That was the only part of that truck that didn't rust :lol:

randy.pratt · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:06 pm **Posts:** 8

My wife took the CRD in to the dealer today. Had the service manager ride in it. It started whistling / chirping at about 60 MPH (had a pretty good head wind today that helped too...) So its staying overnight and they are re-installing the windshield tomorrow. We were left with the impression that in the unlikely event they got the present one out without hurting it, they'd re-use it, but most likely it was going to be a new one.

Just an FYI for anyone else reading this in the future, my wife called several local dealerships today, all of them acknowledged they have an ultrasonic leak detector and that it'd be the right tool for this job. I think they said it is a Chrysler service specialty tool / product. We ended up dealing with a smaller dealer that just happened to have a CRD the week we went looking. His shop either doesn't the leak detector or nobody knows they have it or etc. So far no real problems with the deal other than a weeks lost time with the CRD and a poor caulk repair that the service manager admitted wasn't well done when he saw it today.

Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow night with a success story and this'll be a done deal.

Again, thanks for the inputs and ideas. Getting an owners group together on the web like this certainly helps us newer owners out.

I'm reading a lot of things here every day, and must admit to getting a little spooked about EGR systems, turbo's leaking oil and transmission problems, but I'm hoping that is only happening to an unfortunate few.

vtdog · **Joined:** Fri Sep 30, 2005 11:27 am **Posts:** 640

Last year I had to have a windshield replaced due to rock damage. The glass installer was from a glass shop, not Jeep. He showed me that Jeep had not put in a rubber weather strip on the top of the window. He said that it was a common problem with the Liberty and would lead to sealant failure as the sun UV rays could get to the sealant which is not supposed to be exposed. In any event, he figured that DCX saved about 3 cents per car by not installing the gasket. His company always puts a gasket in when putting in new glass.

randy.pratt · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:06 pm **Posts:** 8

Ended up having to make a family emergency, 4500 mile, round trip from central Texas to far western Montana and back starting the same day we got the CRD back from the dealer.

The dealer took our CRD to a local glass shop. They pulled the windshield, re-glued / sealed it AND put a rubber gasket across the top of the window that it didn't have new from the factory. It seems like the air leak is gone. Lots of running at 75 MPH (or more) on the interstate highways up north (and putting up with the usual 35 MPH wind out of the north west). If it didn't leak on this trip its probably not going to.

I suppose I could start a whole new topic on fuel economy, mountain driveability, etc. Averaging about 400+ miles a day for almost 2 weeks, you get to know a vehicle perhaps more than you want to. Uphill and against the wind all the way to Montana, averaged 24 MPG. Downhill, with the wind most of the way back, averaged 26.5 MPG. I think it downshifted maybe once going up an 8% grade in Montana. Otherwise, just hummed along more or less effortlessly. Saw several CRDs on the road in Colorado, but otherwise the CRD is a rather rare sighting. Virtually every stop for fuel resulted in a "I didn't know Jeep had a diesel" comment. One attendant exclaimed "Dude! Did you know you put diesel in your Jeep?" :shock:

. Yes I meant too...

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 02, 2006 11:32 pm

Quote:

One attendant exclaimed "Dude! Did you know you put diesel in your Jeep?" . Yes I meant too...

That's priceless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol:

randy.pratt · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:06 pm **Posts:** 8

A well placed rock chip and a fast growing crack led us to replacing the windshield in our CRD today. I've not owned the CRD 2 months yet. This will be the second windshield and if you count the factory, the 3rd windshield installation on this particular vehicle.

This windshield again has a rubber gasket across the top that the factory installation did not have.

Talking with the technicians at the glass shop, they are seeing/hearing of a few Liberty's with windshield air leaks. But they swear virtually EVERY new Commander has an windshield air leak problem. And they report dealers being reluctant to fix it, so the customer ends up at an independent glass shop paying for a new windshield install out of their own pocket.

The advice I'd offer to any potential Jeep buyer, make sure you get up to speed into the wind and be sure you're happy with the sounds you hear during the test drive because its not much fun getting the issue taken care of after you own it.

I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with the cost to replace the windshield, just under $200 at the local shop. For that price I'm not sure why the dealer didn't just fix it quick and right the first time when we reported the initial air leak.

I still really, really like our Liberty, but it looks like along with some of the diesel engine issues that too many are suffering, looks like Jeep might be having an windshield air leak issue that you need to be careful of as well.

DZL_LOU · **Posted:** Wed Jul 12, 2006 12:32 pm

randy.pratt wrote:

A well placed rock chip and a fast growing crack led us to replacing the windshield in our CRD today. I've not owned the CRD 2 months yet. This will be the second windshield and if you count the factory, the 3rd windshield installation on this particular vehicle.

Randy,
I'm not sure why, but the Liberty windshield is more susceptible to cracking when a road pebble hits towards one of the four edges rather than towards the center.
At least that's the explaination the glass shop gave me.
As for the $200 you paid to the glass shop, the dealer gets rated on types of warranty service repairs that are reimbursed by DCX. Depending on where in the service warranty rating scale this dealer was sitting at, they may not have been willing to "correctly fix the windshield", but instead as your previous post noted they sent out a "caulk jockey" at no cost to them.
BTW, the "caulk jockey" is probably the same person doing the washing, chauffering and gofering for the dealership. As far as we know, he may have caulked the headliner shut to the roof! :lol:

cerich · **Posted:** Wed Jul 12, 2006 3:55 pm

randy.pratt wrote:

A well placed rock chip and a fast growing crack led us to replacing the windshield in our CRD today. I've not owned the CRD 2 months yet. This will be the second windshield and if you count the factory, the 3rd windshield installation on this particular vehicle.

This windshield again has a rubber gasket across the top that the factory installation did not have.

Talking with the technicians at the glass shop, they are seeing/hearing of a few Liberty's with windshield air leaks. But they swear virtually EVERY new Commander has an windshield air leak problem. And they report dealers being reluctant to fix it, so the customer ends up at an independent glass shop paying for a new windshield install out of their own pocket.

The advice I'd offer to any potential Jeep buyer, make sure you get up to speed into the wind and be sure you're happy with the sounds you hear during the test drive because its not much fun getting the issue taken care of after you own it.

I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with the cost to replace the windshield, just under $200 at the local shop. For that price I'm not sure why the dealer didn't just fix it quick and right the first time when we reported the initial air leak.

I still really, really like our Liberty, but it looks like along with some of the diesel engine issues that too many are suffering, looks like Jeep might be having an windshield air leak issue that you need to be careful of as well.

You are not alone, my co worker who I talked into getting the CRD as well also is on windshield three in three months.... e are regional sales managers so do ~50K a year.

rs4mtnitro · **Posted:** Mon Jul 17, 2006 10:59 am

randy.pratt wrote:

Virtually every stop for fuel resulted in a "I didn't know Jeep had a diesel" comment. One attendant exclaimed "Dude! Did you know you put diesel in your Jeep?" :shock:

. Yes I meant too...

That's why I had a "yeah! it's got a diesel" Sticker made

New CRD, how much air leak / wind noise is normal?

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