Possibly buying a jimny tomorrow.

Hi guys,

Possibly buying a 2019 Jimny tomorrow depending on the verdict...
It's an auto. I took it for a test drive today and everything about it was excellent except theres a whine. I've attached a video link.
It whines under acceleration and also deceleration (although quieter). It's not too different in 4H but in 4L it whined really quite loud. Is this the norm for these cars? I live in the countryside in Iceland and am wanting to buy a smaller more economical 4x4 to reliably get me to and from work. The Jimny seems perfect. It's just this whine that's making me question this particular one. I tried a manual and there was also a whine, but a bit quieter.



 

All I could hear there was a fair bit of low frequency noise - but - one of the first things I noticed about my Jimny (I have a 2021, about six weeks or so now), is the audible transmission whine, coming from a GV, it is a little alarming, but I believe it is normal, and you could probably quiet it down some by adding sound absorbing material under the carper around the transmission, transfer case area.

How many miles has it done?
l've heard others mentioning the transmission whine although our 2020 manual doesn't do it.

The Jimny comes with a three year warranty, so if there's excessive transmission noise you can take it to a dealer for them to have a look at.

The transmission oil is normally replaced at the first service and you could check that this was done, if you can identify who did the service.

It’s done 57,000km so ~ 35,000 miles.

Is it normal for them to whine very loudly in 4L? I’ve owned 4x4’s before but nothing that has crawler gears so have no idea if that’s normal.

I’ve never owned a car this new so have never had the luxury of a warranty. If I purchased, took it there and they found an issue, it’d be a free fix right?

l can tell you that my Land Rover Defender transfer box whines when in low ratio, particularly at speeds over 20mph.

l've not tested the Jimny but will drive at speed in low ratio and let you know, however ours has only done around 4,000 miles from new.

l bet that Jimny you are looking at has never had the transmission oil changed. lt's often forgotten in Defenders because transmission oil is rarely if ever changed on normal vehicles these days.

The gearbox oil change interval on my Ford van was 60,000 miles.
 

Blacksails wrote: It’s done 57,000km so ~ 35,000 miles.

Is it normal for them to whine very loudly in 4L? I’ve owned 4x4’s before but nothing that has crawler gears so have no idea if that’s normal.

I’ve never owned a car this new so have never had the luxury of a warranty. If I purchased, took it there and they found an issue, it’d be a free fix right?

The noise is normal.

Lambert wrote: Also as has been said they are cheap and lightweight so are not massively sound deadened from the factory.

This is what I think is the actual issue - I don't hear the transmission whine on my GV from the driver's seat unless I'm driving alongside a surface that it can reflect from - I'm planning to put sound absorbent material in the Jimny, around the transmission tunnel, under the carpet, but I'm not going to do it until after the first or maybe second service.

I have what I believe is the "graunch" in first gear mentioned in the Q-A6G-004 TSB and I want the dealer to be able to hear it clearly - I suspect it is the transfer case chain "vibrating" under the tension or torque load of a medium/hard launch, in the same way as a guitar string would

So, I tested another four cars. It probably doesn’t come through very well on my video but all four of the other vehicles were much, much quieter in the whine department. Still looking for the one.

l checked yesterday and our 4,000 mile Jimny is quite a loud whine in low range.
But in high range it's fine.
Pretty much the same as the Land Rover.

That video you posted above, l can hear the whine on that, if that's in high range 2wd ours doesn't whine like that.

Note you shouldn't drive in 4H or 4L on the road, unless it's ice or snow, as there's no centre differential on the Jimny and you risk damage to the transmission.

lightning wrote: l checked yesterday and our 4,000 mile Jimny is quite a loud whine in low range.
But in high range it's fine.
Pretty much the same as the Land Rover.

That video you posted above, l can hear the whine on that, if that's in high range 2wd ours doesn't whine like that.

Note you shouldn't drive in 4H or 4L on the road, unless it's ice or snow, as there's no centre differential on the Jimny and you risk damage to the transmission.

Nope, that video was in 2H. Tested 4L on a patch of ice and the whine was louder than the radio at a comfortable speaking volume. Its a lot louder in real life than comes across on the video. I've dropped the idea of buying that one now.

I just asked Viv the basic question, "which is quieter, the Audi Q3 or the Jimny". She thought for a few seconds and then said, "probably the Audi but there is very little in it". Then I substituted the LandCruiser for the Jimny and she laughed and said straight away "no comparison, the Audi is a lot quieter".

The Jimny is fitted with a sound deadening kit and it does make a considerable difference. I bought the kit from Noise Killer Acoustics.

Roger