So many issues with Mach-E? A bit disappointed!

[CHeil402]

Yes there are differences in frequency sensitivity. However the elephant in the room is that I measured directly at the source. Sound drops off according to the inverse square law, so at 24" rather than 1" you're looking at 1/576. This is BTW why recording at the screen, even without amplification, won't tell you anything about the noise level in a normal seated position.

Was yours one that made noise that you could hear from the seated position?

I have "smart" light switches that make a similar noise but I have to have my ear pretty close or be kind of close in complete silence to hear it, so it doesn't bother me. But if I were seated in the car and the screen whine annoyed me, I wouldn't really care what the decibel meter said. While the values are good for statistical and engineering reasons, a report showing it's within spec (sound familiar to another certain car manufacturer) isn't going to alleviate an owner that is annoyed by it, which is what I believe the point is.

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[CHeil402]

...ultimately I was hoping that the MME was so quiet that "I could hear a rat pissing on cotton 15 miles away" (to quote my all-time favorite saying I ever heard a field tech use).

 

[ARK]

Yes there are differences in frequency sensitivity. However the elephant in the room is that I measured directly at the source. Sound drops off according to the inverse square law, so at 24" rather than 1" you're looking at 1/576. This is BTW why recording at the screen, even without amplification, won't tell you anything about the noise level in a normal seated position.

I think enough people have reported hearing the sound though that it cannot seriously be in doubt that at least some of the screens are generating this noise at an audible volume.

A big part of it is the persistence of it and the tone. Imagine if you will that something was wrong with the radio such that it could not be turned off, only reduced to the lowest possible volume. Maybe it's low enough that not everyone hears it at that level, maybe when you are moving at speed, you cannot perceive it because it is so low.

Now let's also say the station is not set to something you like to listen to, but a genre of music that really isn't your cup of tea.

Ready for the road trip?

 

[GoosePond08]

...ultimately I was hoping that the MME was so quiet that "I could hear a rat pissing on cotton 15 miles away" (to quote my all-time favorite saying I ever heard a field tech use).

Makes me think of this...lol

 

[prdude]

However, there's a big difference at different frequencies as the human ear doesn't respond to each equally, although it looks like your meter is dB(A-weighted). Also, the total power of the signal is based on the bandwidth of the signal as well as amplitude. 50 dB(A) of Gaussian white noise vs 50 dB(A) of a whining component at a specific impulse resonant frequency is quite different and thus a quiet whining screen can certainly be more "annoying" than a moderately loud library.

I do agree that it's subjective person to person and a phone recording isn't a fair comparison. Just have to wait and see what happens with it.

Would be interesting if someone who has the noise at an annoying level could use their phone to run it through an FFT analyzer app and tell us what the dominant frequencies are. Then, compare those frequencies to the a-weighting scale, which quasi-correlates to the frequency response of human hearing.

 

[ARK]

Would be interesting if someone who has the noise at an annoying level could use their phone to run it through an FFT analyzer app and tell us what the dominant frequencies are. Then, compare those frequencies to the a-weighting scale, which quasi-correlates to the frequency response of human hearing.

I'd be happy to try this and post the results - is there an iOS app you would recommend?

 

[DBC]

Was yours one that made noise that you could hear from the seated position?

I have "smart" light switches that make a similar noise but I have to have my ear pretty close or be kind of close in complete silence to hear it, so it doesn't bother me. But if I were seated in the car and the screen whine annoyed me, I wouldn't really care what the decibel meter said. While the values are good for statistical and engineering reasons, a report showing it's within spec (sound familiar to another certain car manufacturer) isn't going to alleviate an owner that is annoyed by it, which is what I believe the point is.

It's either measurable or not, and if you can't measure it then "within spec" really doesn't matter. My point is that a noise which doesn't measure 50 dB at the source isn't going to measure 50 dB 24X distance away, and isn't going to be heard when the ambient is 60 dB, which is lower than what you're going to find when driving.

That said, Ford did a good job with the soundproofing in the MME so it's very quiet inside. I need to pull out my calibrated Reed meter. That goes down to 30 dB.

 

[CHeil402]

I'd be happy to try this and post the results - is there an iOS app you would recommend?

I only have Android personally, but you can search for any app that provides an "FFT Spectrum Analyzer". This one seems to be popular: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/audio-spectrum-analyzer-db-rta/id1281873790

For those experiencing this problem with Android phones, here's one that I was playing with that also includes a waterfall view to plot historical values as well: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.intoorbit.spectrum

 

[littlD]

@hybrid2bev said it best - you're seeing a disproportionate quantity of "issues" because they're concentrated here on this forum. How many people have their car with no complaints? The vast majority, and they're not posting anything here. Don't fall victim to confirmation bias.

So often the case for other EV owners as well on their forums, like:

https://teslaownersonline.com
https://www.i-paceforum.com
https://www.e-tronforum.com

and so on...

Sadly, I saw this coming for Mach-E enthusiasts and owners. Once cars started being delivered, there's always a bunch of "I thought it would" and "I bought this EV instead of that one because" expectations not met, no matter how good the car actually is.

 

[UW2]

So often the case for other EV owners as well on their forums, like:

https://teslaownersonline.com
https://www.i-paceforum.com
https://www.e-tronforum.com

and so on...

Sadly, I saw this coming for Mach-E enthusiasts and owners. Once cars started being delivered, there's always a bunch of "I thought it would" and "I bought this EV instead of that one because" expectations not met, no matter how good the car actually is.

As the owner of an FE, let me say that I have not had any problems so far: no noises, no issues with PAAK, nothing. I am in CA, and the car just works!

 

[JoeSmoeFromIDontKnow]

Would be interesting if someone who has the noise at an annoying level could use their phone to run it through an FFT analyzer app and tell us what the dominant frequencies are. Then, compare those frequencies to the a-weighting scale, which quasi-correlates to the frequency response of human hearing.

Good ol Fletcher Munson, eh? I thought about that, but it still won't be sufficient because our brain will apply an additional psychological interpretation of the sound. For example discordant notes will likely be more offending to us. While ocean waves on the beach can be blaring loud, but also soothing to many souls. Or, wait, maybe this clip can be the most annoying sound found in a car: ?

 

[JDRGolfer1]

As the owner of an FE, let me say that I have not had any problems so far: no noises, no issues with PAAK, nothing. I am in CA, and the car just works!

When was your build date?

 

[UW2]

When was your build date?

Build date was Nov 26th BUT some delay at the plant
Build completed Dec 14
Got to Kansas Dec 31 (I think)
Sat there till at least Jan 20
Arrived at dealer Feb 10
Arrived home Feb 14

 

[JDRGolfer1]

Build date was Nov 26th BUT some delay at the plant
Build completed Dec 14
Got to Kansas Dec 31 (I think)
Sat there till at least Jan 20
Arrived at dealer Feb 10
Arrived home Feb 14

Thanks, gives me some hope. I'm picking mine up in an hour in SoCal, build date 12/8, ship date 12/30. Also sat a little while in KC.

 

[jlauro]

This is a false equivalency for several reasons. One is that Tesla has been saying they'll get it fixed for ten years. Still hasn't happened. Two is that an issue with a 12v battery is not the same as water leaks , door handles falling off, and rocker arms failing.

Actually, I would say they are more the same than different, and possibly more serious for Ford because of so early failing to start on several vehicles already. Anything that leaves you stranded is serious and deserves to be lumped together for comparison between Ford and Tesla. All expectations is that Ford will resolve issues quicker than Tesla, and that is what matters... but that will not be proven either way for many years, especially for failures that don't show significant issues for many years like rocker arms.

Objectively, it's too soon to say. I am sure Tesla was very eager to resolve their 1st gen roadster customers, etc... Ford doesn't have that great of a record for some of their past vehicles, although generally it's been better than Tesla's.

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