Hi Panny owners, I drive a 2011 S model (6000 mi.) and I notice the AC compressor noise when running at slow speeds like in parking lots etc. With the cabin normally very quiet I think it is too loud and I am concerned there might be something going wrong with. As soon as I turn off the AC, the noise is gone. Before I take it to the dealer I thought I would ask the owners here if they have had any AC Compressor or Compressor Clutch issues.

In light of how good everything else is on the car I will be surprised if this is normal noise. Thanks for your input!

 

when I press the ac button, no sound appears. Not normal.

 

Any follow up to this? My car sounds the same too yesterday. Today...nothing

 

Hi 2thDoctor,

No, I haven't had it in to the dealer to listen to it. It's mainly noticeable in areas like a parking garage when it's in 2nd gear and basically idling slowly.

I'll be getting the oil changed in the next couple of months and plan to ask about it.

 

Mine is doing the exact same thing (at low speeds) and thought about asking about it on this forum also. I'm not sure if it's a problem but I didn't notice this noise before during the first summer I had the car.

I plan to ask the dealer as well but since I'm four hours away, it may be a couple of months too before I can take it in. I'm afraid the weather will have cooled down by then and I probably won't be able to show them.

 

Mine does the same just noticed it again tonight.

 

I have noticed that the compressor in my Panamera GTS 2013 makes noise only after I have driven 15 miles or so, The noise too is noticeable only at idle speeds or driving 25mph or less or driving around parking lots. It actually is louder than the engine. When I start in the morning, its does not make noise but again, it takes a while for it to be noticeable (more than the amount of time for the oil and water gauges to register normal temperatures).
Finally took it to my dealer, Champion in Pompano Beach, FL, who easily heard the noise by turning the A/C compressor on/off with the console button, but he said "Porsche doesn't replace A/C units because they make noise, only if they don't blow cold air".
It wouldn't bother me if it wasn't louder than the engine, but it is louder so it does. I now have 9000 miles on the car, but the noise didn't start until about 6,000 so I am wondering if it will get worse.
Any one have more experiences?
thanks

 

I have had the same noise for the 4+ years in my 2009 PT.

The first time I told the dealer about it, they told me its okay and they will not do anything about it unless the AC stops working. That's it.

The noise is always there whenever the AC is on (where I live it's switched off for at least 5 months a year)

Good luck!

 

Reviving this thread. I've owned my '13 PGTS for about 4 months now. About 2 months ago I started hearing this low-level whining/whirring noise at idle. It wasn't always there, but when it was it could get quite annoying. It took my awhile to realize it was associated with the climate control system...I could turn it off and the noise would disappear instantly.

I then discovered it took about 15 minutes of driving before the noise would appear. With the help of this forum (and this thread specifically) I figured out it was linked to the a/c. Turn off a/c, noise disappears. This explains why I didn't start hearing the noise until the weather warmed up a few month ago. Since the a/c system on my car seemed a bit anemic as well, I took it to the dealer last week. I had the service mgr sit in the car with me and verify the noise.

After 2 days of diagnostics and poking around the only thing they did was top off the refrigerant. Their theory on the noise was that it was a resonance with one of the cooling fans that makes its way into the cabin via the symphonizer (the diaphragm in the GTS that pipes in noise from the air intake). I don't quite believe this for 2 reasons: 1) the symphonizer has a valve that is controlled by the sport exhaust button but the noise sounds the same irrespective of the sport exhaust setting; 2) they say the resonance is correlated with a/c engagement because it increases the idle RPM, but I observe no difference in rpm.

Since getting the car back, I have fiddled with it more and I notice that the noise only occurs when the a/c system is under very light load, i.e. when the cabin is at the desired temp and it's not too hot or sunny. If you just lower the temp a degree or two to make the system work harder, the noise disappears. I am told that the compressor in the Panamera is a newfangled variable-strength design. So I wonder if there is some sort of resonance that occurs when the compressor is idling and that comes in through the air ducts.

The only way to test this would be to detach the symphonizer and see if that impacts the noise. Or change the compressor, but I doubt that's going to happen under warranty, especially on a guess. There has to be some way the sound is being preferentially directed into the cabin over the other noises in the engine bay. If you open the hood, you can hear the noise but it doesn't sound particularly loud compared to all the other stuff going on.

The one good thing about this situation is that since the noise is only when the a/c is at near-idle, I can simply turn the a/c off. Or I an turn down the temp but also lower the fan so as to keep the compressor working a little harder.

 

I had the same thing happening recently. Took it to the dealer and they changed it under cpo. Since I was the 8th car at their dealership with this noise they had a case set with Porsche of America. So they gave them authorization to change it. Foreman told me they couldn't change that previously but they had too many people with the same complaint so it made the case easy.
So if your dealer can't change that or says it's normal they are full of crap. I'm a proof of that. Don't let them BS you.

Oh yeah it has something to do with compressor clutch.

 

I am glad that this thread was revived. I have been listening to this noise as well for 3 years. Couldnt recreate at times with dealer. Now it is clear that turning the a/c off and on does recreate.
What do they replace?

 

Compressor and 2 o-rings

 

I am able to recreate the noise pretty reliably now. The engine needs to have been running for around ~15 minutes and the compressor has to be under light load. If the system is on "auto" this is usually when the fan is at 2 bars (I have my a/c air flow set to "Normal").

It's freaky the difference just a small tweak makes. If it's hot and sunny out, I drive around for hours with the a/c blowing and no noise at all. Then the clouds come out so the a/c works a little be less, and all of a sudden my car starts squealing at me at every red light.

 

Had compressor replaced - absolutely quiet now !

 

I just purchased a 2012 4S that has the noisy A/C compressor, as I discovered on the first hot day of the year. Oh, *and* the noisy-*** suspension (not so bad when it's not cold out, horribly noisy when it's cold).

I shelled out the cash for a Porsche Platinum extended warranty, so I'll keep everyone updated on how the dealership handles the issue(s). I previously had a 2007 Boxster S that experienced the dreaded IMS failure (and was completely paid-for by a 3rd-party warranty), and I don't plan on taking "no" for an answer.