Okay, this is a weird one. I was going to search, but had no idea what to search for. I always drive with my rear seats down - mostly because I don't have a need to put them up. Anyway, with them down I'm able to hear more noise, which doesn't bother me - I can hear the exhaust better too

So, the weird thing is when I turn on my heat I can hear more of a whooshing/road noise sound definitely coming from the rear of the car. When I turn off the heat the noise goes away. Turn it on, it comes back! The sound is kind of like what you hear when your tires are driving on a wet road - it's a louder whooshing than when driving on a dry road. But this noise comes and goes in the wet or on dry roads. It's not air coming out of the vents either. It sounds like it's coming from underneath the car.

When you turn on the automatic climate control, the A/C button lights up. I've tried it without the A/C and still get the whooshing from the rear of the car.

I know I'm not crazy. My wife thinks I am, but she has a sensory block for anything automotive. What could this be? It may not be an "issue", but just something that I wonder about every time I turn on the auto climate control.

Has anyone else experienced this? It's easy enough to replicate. If you try it and hear what I'm talking about, please let me know.

 

ive found that sounds really bounce around in these cars. have you tried letting the wife drive, and you crawl around the car like a squirrel to find the noise? i still need to do this myself, as i hear this whistle at 45+ mph that drives me insane! and, wherever i turn my head, the originating location of the sound changes! gaaaah!

 

LOL. I would, but she's almost violently opposed to learning how to drive a manual transmission! I'll have to find someone else to drive.

 

Check the vents at the rear of the car. All cars have these to allow air to escape when you close the doors. I believe they are behind the bumper on the minis.

 

Thanks. I'll take a look. If they open when the climate control is engaged, then that would allow more road noise to enter the cabin at that end of the car. Maybe the positive air pressure causes them to open?

 

I agree with the rear vent explanation. I dont have MINI anymore but I do know that when I have the roof vented on the GTI and I switch from recirculate to non for some reason the wind noise gets louder.