How to Reduce Wind Noise In Car

Unless you are cruising around in a convertible, I am 100% sure that your car has been designed to keep the wind out. It would be a pretty awful vehicle if you were bombing along at the speed limit and you had air blasting in your face, after all.

That being said, sooner or later, you may start to experience a wind noise in your car. It may be a small amount of noise at the start, but as you leave the problem unchecked, it is gradually going to get worse. This means that it is in your best interests to deal with the problem as soon as possible.

Now, most people would probably head along to their local mechanic and have the problem dealt with. However, outside a few issues, learning how to reduce wind noise in a car isn’t that tricky. In fact, most problems can be dealt with very little in the way of mechanical knowledge. Let me show you. 

Reduce Wind Noise In Car In 8 Steps

Unlike many issues that you will often have with your vehicle, there isn’t just one reason why you may be hearing a wind sound when you are driving. This means that there is no step-by-step solution for dealing with the problem, as such.

My aim here is to help you to identify what is causing that wind noise in your vehicle, and then I am going to provide you with a few solutions for each of the causes. So, at the very minimum, make sure that you read step one before you do anything else. That is important because I want to help you to identify the issue. Of course, this means that you will not need everything listed under the ‘supplies needed’ section. Well, I hope you won’t. If you do, then you have some pretty serious issues with your vehicle. 

I also suggest the following tools to make some of these jobs easier:

• A drill
• Electric sander
• Electric grinder
• Putty knives
• Sharp craft knife
• Paint sprayer

For the electric sander and grinder, a Dremel will work well. You do not want anything too bulky as you will be moving it around small holes.

1. Determining the Source of the Problem
2. Door Weatherstripping Repair
3. Replacing Weatherstripping
4. Wind Deflectors
5. Sealing the Fixed Windows
6. Dealing with Rust and Bodywork Holes
7. Cracked or Damaged Windshield Repair
8. Clearing Door Drainage Holes

Step 1: Determining the Source of the Problem

In order to deal with the wind sound, we need to know exactly where it is coming from. This means that you are going to need to drive your vehicle and listen.

It would be handy to have a couple of people helping you out here. They will be able to listen around the vehicle to identify the exact place where the wind is coming in or escaping your vehicle. In the vast majority of cases, it is going to be around a window, and it will probably be a pretty specific area of the window too. This problem is easy to deal with, and we will be able to deal with it between steps 2 and 5. 

If you really can’t work out where the wind is coming from, then this could indicate body damage on the vehicle. This means that step 6 is for you. However, I do still encourage you to follow the next few steps ‘just in case’, because it may just mean that the wind is so intense that it is tough to nail down the location, or you just have such a serious problem that multiple windows need to be repaired.

Step 2: Door Weatherstripping Repair

90% of the time, the sound of the wind in your vehicle is going to be caused by weatherstripping that has started to break down. Don’t know what weather stripping is? Well, it is that rubber seal around the side of your doors. If the weatherstripping is damaged, air can flow through it. It will only be a small amount of air, but if you are traveling at a fast speed, the sound can be pretty intense. 

There are three ways that your weatherstripping can be damaged:

• The weatherstripping has come loose in an area.
• The weatherstripping is torn or missing bits
• The weatherstripping is crushed.

To deal with the first one, all you need to do is crack out your weatherstripping adhesive and glue everything back into position. It is a repair job that is going to take mere minutes (plus drying time). Although, do bear in mind that weatherstripping that has started to come loose likely had poor quality adhesive on in it. If you constantly have to deal with this problem, then it may be worth completely replacing the weatherstripping. 

If your issue is caused by either of the other two issues, then a bit of adhesive won’t help. You will need the next step.

Step 3: Replacing Weatherstripping

Hopefully, it won’t come to this. However, if you have damaged weatherstripping and you really want to get rid of that wind noise in your vehicle, then that weatherstripping is going to need to be replaced. This is a job that you can do yourself. There is no need to head to a mechanic.

While you can purchase generic weatherstripping for your vehicle, I suggest trying to get weatherstripping designed specifically for your car. It is more expensive, but it tends to offer a far better seal. This means less chance of the wind getting in. 

Your first job will be to remove the old weatherstripping. This shouldn’t be too difficult. In many cases, you will just be able to cut it off. If the weatherstripping is damaged, then you can probably pull it off the vehicle. The adhesive probably isn’t going to be stronger than you. On rare occasions, there may be screws holding the weatherstripping in place. 

In an ideal world, when you pull off that old weatherstripping, all of the adhesive will come off too. However, we do not live in an ideal world. This means that you may need to use a bit of adhesive remover to get the last of it off. 

Once the adhesive is clear, give the area where the seal once sat a good clean down. You can use some soap and warm water for this. Before you apply the new weatherstripping you will need to ensure that it has completely dried off otherwise you will be dealing with mold around the window. 

While everything is drying, you will need to cut your new weatherstripping to size. I find the easiest way to do this is to hold your old weatherstripping up the new one and use that as a measurement tool. I suggest that you add an inch or two extra onto the new weatherstripping just to be sure that it will fit. It is better to cut too long than too short, after all. You can cut the weatherstripping with a sharp craft knife.

You will now need to put the new weatherstripping on the door. Do not put any adhesive on it yet. You need to ensure that it is the right size. If it isn’t, and you should only be an inch at most off if you used my measurement method before, then cut it a little bit more. You want the ends of the weatherstripping to meet perfectly. There should be little to no gap, otherwise, the wind will get in again.

Once you are sure that everything is cut to size, you can apply your adhesive and stick it into place. It may take a few hours to dry. You may not be able to close the door in the meantime, but read the instructions for the adhesive that you bought ‘just to be sure’. 

Step 4: Wind Deflectors

There is a good chance that your vehicle will already have these. Wind deflectors are a small piece of plastic that sits above the windows. Their job will be to divert wind away from the window. If they are damaged or missing, they can’t do their job.

You will have to choose the right wind deflectors for your vehicle. There is no generic version here. Thankfully, they are easy to fit. In most cases, it will be a case of unscrewing the old ones and screwing the new ones in.

Step 5: Sealing the Fixed Windows

If you notice that the wind is somehow getting in around your windshield or any other fixed window in your car, then you won’t be able to just replace the weatherstripping. Instead, you will need to find some other way to seal it up. Your best option is to use a weatherproof silicone sealant.

This is a solution that will only work if the windows are not cracked or damaged in any way. If they are, then skip to step 7, alternatively head to your local car window repair company. This isn’t really a problem you can fix yourself.

This step is simple. Just apply the silicone sealant around the area where the wind seems to be getting in. It is a rather crude job, and it won’t look that good, but at least you won’t have the wind in your vehicle, right?

Step 6: Dealing with Rust and Bodywork Holes

If your car is a bit older, then rust holes may be the issue. This is going to be a trickier problem to deal with, particularly if the rust is quite extensive, but it is workable. If your car has a lot of rust holes on it, then it may be time to get a new vehicle. This means that the structure of the bodywork has been compromised. No matter how much body filler you use, the vehicle will still be in pretty bad shape. 

Dealing with small rust holes in your car should be easy. 

Mask off the area

Once you have located the rust holes, mask off the area. Use your masking tape for this.  Leave the rust hole and an inch or two around the rust hole exposed, but the bodywork for the next couple of inches beyond this should be masked over.

Sand off the paint

You will now need to sand off the exposed paint. An electric sander will work best for this, although you can also do it by hand using a 40-grit bit of sandpaper. It will just take a long time.

Make sure that you sand back to the raw metal.

Grind off the rust

You will need to get rid of all of the rust. If you leave rust behind, then that rust will continue to eat through the bodywork. This means that all of your hard work will be in vain.

Again, you can do this by hand, but I find that the best way to ensure you get everything is to use an electric grinder. It is far quicker too. 

Apply the rust primer

This isn’t something that you need to do, but I find it helps to keep the rust at bay for a little bit longer, particularly if you are dealing with a serious rust problem.

The rust primer is paint that effectively neutralizes any rust. It should be painted around the sides of the rust hole.

Apply the body filler

How you do this will be dependent on the body filler that you have purchased, so make sure that you read the instructions. However, they will all tend to have the same basic steps:

• Mix the body filler
• Cut a small piece of metal mesh to size and place it over the hole.
• Spread the body filler over this hole
• Let everything dry
• Sand it down

Paint the vehicle

All that is left to do now is paint your vehicle. I suggest using a paint sprayer here as it will leave an even coat, although you can use paintbrushes if you really, really want. Just make sure that you are using an actual car body paint.

You will need to apply a few layers of paint. It will normally be two or three. Let the previous layer dry before you add the next one.

Once you have added all the layers and they have dried, finish it off with a bit of clear coat. This will provide your vehicle with some extra protection.

Step 7: Cracked or Damaged Windshield Repair

If you have a cracked or damaged windshield, then I recommend that you get it replaced. In most cases, this should be covered under your insurance. If it isn’t, and you can’t afford to have the entire windshield replaced, you can use a windshield repair kit.

How these work will be dependent on the extent of the damage plus the windshield repair kit that you are using. This means that I cannot give you complete instructions. However, with all kits, you will likely need to drill a small hole in your window and inject some resin into that hole. This should seal up the area.

Using a windshield repair kit is only ever going to be a temporary solution. It is also not going to work with severely damaged windshields. I suggest that even if you do stop the wind flowing through, you should go and see a windshield specialist as soon as you can. You really do not want that windshield randomly breaking on you as you are driving.

Step 8: Clearing Door Drainage Holes

This is a step that I recommend that you carry out regularly anyway. 

Underneath the car doors will be drainage holes. The idea is that water seeps out rather than gets into your vehicle. The problem is that these drainage holes can become blocked over time. If this happens, it can cause a wind sound inside your vehicle. 

You will have to look underneath the vehicle for these holes. They will be somewhere around your door. Just clean them out with an old coathanger. It should take mere seconds.