[coolboy007]

I drove a Vento 1.6 Tdi for 70k kms and yes it was extremely loud. Even the vibrations inside cabin and on clutch pedal were way too much. I do not know the technicalities but this engine was very noisy whereas the VW 2.0 Tdi in Jetta/Superb was very refined.
The only saving grace was that it was so much fun to drive, 1.6 Tdi with the spot on gear ratios was superb to drive on highways and hills.

[Sebring]

Ferdinand Piech had ambitions for the diesel engine. He thought they had produced a masterpiece, but it's really a rattle monster. The cars look beautiful but are nowhere perfect. At the end all they managed to do was introduce some cheat software and hide shortcomings. VW, as a brand was propped up by the brilliant advertising from DDB and nothing more. Wonder why they have so much German pride, and for what reasons! All that sound/excessive clatter points to great friction inside, and if friction busters reduce the noise to a great level - those should be made mandatory. VW customers are used to fat maintenance bills anyways.

[dark.knight]

I've asked this question way before, and as shared by many of the members here, I used that exact word - tractor, because it sounds exactly like an agro tractor plouging a freshly watered field, the only thing missing is the pounds of billowing smoke from a front facing exhaust.

Ironically, the Americans have much the same to opine as well, and being the good ol' mechanically inclined people of ingenuity that they are, here's what they say :

1) It needs diesel with cetane rating of 49.

2) If cetane ratings are lower, one needs to add AMOCO cetane boosters in proportion to raise the cetane ratings.

3) Average fuel cetane ratings are 43 or 45, in winterization, it may go down to as low as 42 (adding kerosene).

4) Poor quality fuel injectors and/or hydraulic tappets.

5) Overall design of the engine, because VW has not focused on engine NVH in its drawing stages, to people who like noise its a dream come true and those who don't like noise, it's their worst nightmare.

Fuel additives/cetane boosters like AMOCO or Liqui Moly engine oil additives will help, but only until they either stay in the system or burn out. After that its back to tractordom.

I'm not very sure what the cetane levels are in India, maybe if one can confirm, we can work out a solution by mixing recipes, I'd be very interested in knowing the final result. Cetane of 49 and above reduces knocking and improves fuel distribution for sure.

[itwasntme]

My neighbour has a first-gen Innova which sounds worse than a tractor on start-up and idling. He also revs it like a moron on cold starts - detest the mechanical cacophony early in the morning.

The most refined diesels are Hyundai. In some cases, difficult to make out whether petrol or diesel!

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

I'm not very sure what the cetane levels are in India, maybe if one can confirm, we can work out a solution by mixing recipes, I'd be very interested in knowing the final result. Cetane of 49 and above reduces knocking and improves fuel distribution for sure.

51 for BS4 and BS6.

IOCL link.

OE technicians have cautioned against using any additives or special diesel. Besides cetane number is about how easily the fuel ignites and not the energy content in the diesel fuel itself. Adding boosters to good fuel will dilute it , less energy dense and subsequently less power.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by SKC-auto

One more thing which I have noticed is, Etios and Tempo traveller diesel engines have horrible smell, I instantly get migraine when I had to smell these exhaust gases, don't know why only these 2 vehicles I don't know.

Thought it was the same for all BS3/4 diesel vehicles.
Old carb petrols had petrol smell, MPFI petrols...well...nothing.

Old diesels had a sooty smell, but BS3 onwards diesels had a horribly bad smell. You really felt the smoke is out to kill you. First encountered in the old Innova, and our Etios too has this horrible smell.
Guess it is history with BS6.

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by punto_

I feel my Punto which has clocked over 126000 kms is loud. I just started hating diesel engines for their loud noise. I have seen some VAGs sound almost like a tractor! In that sense, Punto is better.

Hyundai diesels are an exception though.

I had a Linea MJD for about 5 years and sold it after 1.7L kms.
Noise was never an issue with my car, i always treated her with Mobil Delvac 1 5W40, every 7500 kms.

Are you sticking to 15K kms service interval for your Punto?

[saisailendra]

We have a Vento 2017 Tdi and a Jetta 2013 Tdi.

Both the cars do make a lot of noise on the outside and there's no denying in that. But I don't think it's reasonable to compare it with a Tractor.

But in the inside it's a different story altogether. Jetta during its first few years of ownership, was noisy in the inside. But after that and now, it feels as calm as a petrol engine inside the cabin. No matter what way the car is driven. If it's driven cool, with a light foot, the engine noise is barely audible inside. With a good set of tires, it's extremely calm. If we push it hard, all we hear is a sweet whine from the turbo and absolutely no irritating diesel clatter.

For the Vento, in the inside, it is nowhere as calm as in the Jetta, both due to the inferior engine refinement and level of engineering that went into the NVH. But things got better this time, after I added the STP Diesel fuel additive (Blue color bottle). During cold idle & very low RPMs, the car does remind me that I'm driving a small 1.5 diesel. But once I get to running speeds at right gear (50 ~ 85 kmph in the 5th Gear), the cabin sounds amazingly calm w.r.t engine noise. If the accelerator is depressed a bit more, for example, to overtake someone, the engine noise again kicks into the cabin and settles once the foot is eased. The idle sound gets better once the engine reaches running temperatures.

At the end of the day, it's the noise inside the cabin that matters the most. I don't really mind people realising I'm driving a diesel by the sound of it.

[Sebring]

Also, Seltos and Sonet. When I gunned the engine, there was hardly any noise. This was just 'wow'

Originally Posted by itwasntme

The most refined diesels are Hyundai. In some cases, difficult to make out whether petrol or diesel!

[patron]

This has something to do with the "Dieselgate". When I purchased the Rapid, it was absolutely fine. Subsequently to fix the issue, the software was updated (without my approval) and then the racket started. It started sounding like a tractor. I couldn't stand the noise and eventually sold the vehicle with the promise to myself never to touch VAG vehicles.

[punto_]

Originally Posted by akshay4587

I had a Linea MJD for about 5 years and sold it after 1.7L kms.
Noise was never an issue with my car, i always treated her with Mobil Delvac 1 5W40, every 7500 kms.

Are you sticking to 15K kms service interval for your Punto?

Yes, service intervals are very regular as per schedule and I'm going with Selenia, this is the default suggested one right from Fiat? Engine noise seems a bit more from last 1 year. Or maybe I just got tired of the diesel clatter.

[RSR]

My uncle had a Vento 1.6 TDi and from day one, he and my aunt were both complaining about the unpleasant, tractor-like diesel clatter. I tried it, and yes, the clatter on a cold start was very unpleasant and loud. Surprisingly, the clatter smoothened out at higher revs, I don't understand why. They had to live with the clatter at lower revs for as long as they had the car. When they sold it, they bought a petrol car and have enjoyed the golden silence ever since.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

My neighbour has a first-gen Innova which sounds worse than a tractor on start-up and idling.

The Toyota 2.4l D-4D series found in the older Innova's do sound agricultural, especially during start up and idle. It is a little better with the 2.8l.

Small capacity VW diesels are noisy but in a different way. Noise intrusion is there right from idle but it has a refined note to it. It does not sound like its going to explode when you floor it too.

I've found varying noise levels with large capacity VW diesels. The 3l TDI sounds lovely on the outside. They've used so much insulation in a car like the A6 that you barely hear or feel it when you drive.

[dhanushs]

Dont know if this is relevant to this thread, but, I have owned two Vento's. Both with exact same engines (1.6Tdi). One was extremely noisy but, the second one is very quiet. Rats have chewed off the cladding on the bonnet, still the the engine is extremely quiet.

I'm kinda surprised and looking for a reason.

[ron178]

I have always found VAG diesels to be noisy but rather sweet-sounding. On revving, they sound more like a loud growl than a clatter. However, they have become quieter with time. The newer 2.0TDI on a friend's Tiguan was fairly quiet but the 2.0TDI on a friend's Jetta was significantly noisier. However, the noisiest VAG diesels I've heard are the 1.9TDI Pumpe-Düse on the 1st-gen Octavia and the 1.5 and 1.6 on the Vento. I can recognise when a Vento/Rapid diesel is passing by, even at reasonably high speeds, simply by the sound.

In my humble opinion, the diesels from Honda and Toyota are significantly more clattery than VAG diesels.