When driving around the town, this 2004 VW Golf 1.9 TDi was a nice, quiet drive. At higher speeds, a noise originating from the nearside front, was concerning the owner. He described it as a whirring type noise, but as I have heard so many different descriptions of different noises over the years, I knew the best way to diagnose the noise was to take the Golf out on a drive and have a listen for myself.

The road test wasn’t needed. A quick inspection before I got in the vehicle, showed that the plastic inner wing on the nearside front had broken up and was no longer properly supported. It was flapping about, and at speed, it was flapping against the road wheel.

For the age of the Golf, new plastic panels would have been quite expensive. I did manage to brace the important section of the panel, to ensure that the wind would no longer pull it into the path of the moving wheel.

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