Gen 2 HVAC - Success Stories?

[RandomMcRandomFace]

Hello - I just traded my Gen 1 for a Gen 2 Tri. Love everything about it except the leaf blower that they seemed to have installed under my hood to handle HVAC. I am sitting in my living room about 25 feet away from the car in my driveway and I can hear the loud hum from here. Inside the car assuming it is in hum-mode, the dash rattles, sometimes so loud, I can’t hear the radio. I can fiddle with the settings to slow the fan or change the vents and sooner or later it calms down, but I am trying to figure out if anyone has had their Gen 2 serviced in such a way to remove or reduce the sound (significantly) and what magic words did you use and/or repair did you get so I can ask for the right thing. The service center is engaging with me, but my appointment isn’t for weeks (as of now).

Everything (well nearly) about this car is great, but I am pretty amazed that they engineered this with a heat pump that is so loud I used it (successfully) to find my car in an airport parking lot (which maybe is a feature?). People on the street kind of look at me like my car is going to explode now that the temps are so low.

Anyway, I know this is a widespread issue and I am not just raising it to complain - I just want to know if people have solved it. Thx!

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[bfilippo]

Have you owned a Tesla with a heat pump? I did before this and honestly when you live somewhere with freezing temps all winter, the heat pump is just really loud, especially if you leave it outside. Tesla’s is probably quieter by now, but they’ve been using them since 21 or 22’ and have been through several iterations, so, we’re probably just stuck with the noise.

The noise is appreciably lower if you keep your truck in a garage overnight and climate schedule.

 

[RandomMcRandomFace]

Yes, I did. For 3 years, through 3 New England winters. It was never this loud. Not remotely close. This isn’t some gentle hum. It literally sounds like a leaf blower (gas). I do not have a garage and that doesn’t really help me when I am leaving from somewhere other than my house. Nor does it help when the heat has to kick on - the cabin rattle is loud.

Not looking for justifications for the sound . . . If you are good with it, that’s fine. Looking for people who have successfully reduced the sound.

 

[captainjp]

You’ll habituate to it eventually. only when it’s super-cold out does it really ramp up.

 

[RandomMcRandomFace]

Yea. No. I will not. Again not looking for people who are good with this sound. I am not interested (like at all) with justifications for it. If you are happy or fine with it. That’s great but that’s not what this thread is for.

Simple question - did you have a service done to your car that reduced the HVAC sound.

 

[captainjp]

Yeah, no there’s no service for it. So don’t waste the service center’s time. They’re gonna tell you it’s normal. Either live with it or trade in your car.

 

[RandomMcRandomFace]

The only waste of time is my reading responses to the thread that do not answer my question. If you did not have a service appointment that reduced the sound, please, I beg you, do not respond. I don’t care about your views on HVAC (for purposes of this thread - I have read many other threads and I understand this is a common complaint. I also understand some people don’t care. Those are super views but not the question I have asked). If no one responds, then I will have my answer without having to read pointlessness.

 

[CarGuyCarl]

It is possible that some of the refrigerant lines are contacting parts of the body, especially if the sound changes with acceleration and deceleration. Or that the system is low or high on refrigerant and causing the hum and vibration as the pump isn't working optimally.

No guarantee this can be improved but it is worth a shot with a service ticket. They may tell you it is normal and it's hard to say without hearing in person myself.

In my experience the pump is quieter when set to an auto setting with a temperature rather than "HI" and manual fan speed if that makes sense.

 

[tbinmd]

My HAVC has been loud since day 1 on my 25 R1T. Have had the truck since May. It has sounded like a jet engine at times, really really loud. Well last week it the HVAC died, it's no longer loud. Have a service appointment on Monday so I will see this week what they say. Don't know if being overly loud is a sign of an impending failure or not, but the system did seem to be really loud over the last week before failing.

 

[elektrode]

The only waste of time is my reading responses to the thread that do not answer my question.

Hi. I hope this did not waste your precious time. You are a very important person.

 

[RandomMcRandomFace]

It is possible that some of the refrigerant lines are contacting parts of the body, especially if the sound changes with acceleration and deceleration. Or that the system is low or high on refrigerant and causing the hum and vibration as the pump isn't working optimally.

No guarantee this can be improved but it is worth a shot with a service ticket. They may tell you it is normal and it's hard to say without hearing in person myself.

In my experience the pump is quieter when set to an auto setting with a temperature rather than "HI" and manual fan speed if that makes sense.

Awesome - thanks so much. And @tbinmd good luck and any insight is much appreciated.

 

[RandomMcRandomFace]

Hi. I hope this did not waste your precious time. You are a very important person.

I am reluctant to bother responding to this, but just to clarify. First, I was playing off of the prior poster’s claim that I was wasting the service center’s time. Second, my fear (as evidenced by the first two respondents) was this would become yet another apologist-fest of “its normal” ”you’ll adjust” “it’s just like XYZ car”. These posts are pointless (to me). I am neither a Rivian apologist or alarmist. I just want as much concise info I can get to respond to the service center. Whether a particular person is good with the noise isn’t relevant.

I am not an important person, but I don’t think you have to be important to avoid posts that aren’t responsive to the thread - It is so easy to just not post. But you did make me chuckle, so for that, my thanks.

 

[Time2Roll]

I would have it checked. Or possibly join a Rivian group to experience first hand what is normal.

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