Crackling noise behind scuttle panel/cowl trim

mjt

mjt

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Here's a weird one.
My parents' Mk6 Golf GTI has developed a crackling noise behind the scuttle panel trim on the left.
If I disconnect the battery, the noise stops. If I connect it again, the crackling starts immediately.

This appears to be where the cable from the windscreen washer nozzles meets something else.

Any ideas? Is this a fire waiting to happen?

vZsIYGG.jpg

51MmZAi.png (courtesy of YouTube)
 

mjt

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Have you taken the plastic trim off to get in closer / poke around?

Could you do that and then get a video?
Unfortunately not. I’ve done my shoulder in and cant faff with that now. That’s what I would’ve done but i guess I’ll just take it to the local specialist.
 
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the noise is there when the keys are not in the ignition (or equivalent) ? .. it's not just a leaf injested in the blower system
 

mjt

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This! If there isn’t a pollen filter fitted correctly in the way, a piece of leaf stuck in the fan or even rustling in the airflow sounds just like sparking/arcing.
What airflow? The car is sitting in the garage with the key out of the ignition.

If I disconnect the battery, the noise stops. As soon as I connect the negative terminal, it starts again. I'll take it to the garage in a minute and they can deal with it.
 
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What airflow? The car is sitting in the garage with the key out of the ignition.

If I disconnect the battery, the noise stops. As soon as I connect the negative terminal, it starts again. I'll take it to the garage in a minute and they can deal with it.

If the passenger compartment cooling/heating fan is running, there’s airflow from outside the car > inside the car.
 
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The key isn't in the ignition, how is the blower going to run?
even though , he now clarified that key is not in the car, if the car make this noise when locked in the garage it seems surprsising battery is not run down,
since it isn't, some kind of timer on the (ventilation) fan that will run it , for a period, after an unlock or door opening event , does not sound impossible.
 
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Those synthetic engine sound generators are often behind the scuttle - don't know if that model of GTI had one

Goodness, I never knew they did that.

So modern cars are so soulless that it is necessary to put a box in to make them go "Brumm Brumm"

Oh Lordey!

:p
 

mjt

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Martens chewed through some cables on their BMW that was parked outside, but no mice inside!

Honestly, the sound went away when I reconnected the battery this afternoon. Dash lit up like a Christmas tree as well, throwing all sorts of errors but that cleared after a short drive.
I honestly had no idea about that Soundaktor. Explains a lot as I always thought it sounded a bit weird!
If it comes back, I'll have a look under the cowling. Thx @azibux1
 
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Martens chewed through some cables on their BMW that was parked outside, but no mice inside!

Honestly, the sound went away when I reconnected the battery this afternoon. Dash lit up like a Christmas tree as well, throwing all sorts of errors but that cleared after a short drive.
I honestly had no idea about that Soundaktor. Explains a lot as I always thought it sounded a bit weird!
If it comes back, I'll have a look under the cowling. Thx @azibux1
No worries!
 
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Honestly, the sound went away when I reconnected the battery this afternoon.
the noise wasn't the Soundaktor though ... unless its broken, or provides cooling down noises ? and presumably they had heard it multiple times.
 

mjt

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the noise wasn't the Soundaktor though ... unless its broken, or provides cooling down noises ? and presumably they had heard it multiple times.
The first time they heard it was the other night when they went into the garage for something. They hadn't heard it before, and it appears to have gone. Weird.
 
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The first time they heard it was the other night when they went into the garage for something. They hadn't heard it before, and it appears to have gone. Weird.
Apologies for the thread resurrection!

My daughter bought a 2011 Beetle yesterday and it's got this exact same symptom.

@mjt - did you ever get to the bottom of it please? I've disconnected the battery tonight as I'm worried it might burst into flames.
 
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