Took the car out today for some miles and, not for the first time either, notice (hear) a faint - but noticeable - "mechanical" sound seemingly emanating from behind the drivers side. This occurs at very low speeds (and I tried both auto and sport to see if that made any difference; it did not) and is mildly annoying.

I will add that to the [short] list I will eventually bring to the attention of my dealer - the only other issue being I cannot manually engage the rear spoiler (which only engages at speed) - but wondering if anyone else has experienced this minor "whirl"? By the way, it is intermittent and not a constant. Again, only at VERY slow speeds.

Oh, radio is off and it is more of a very faint "hum" rather than a "whirl".

Thanks!

RJ52

 

On the coupe, the manual spoiler button is disabled while driving and only works when parked. This is by design and different from the convertible. It is documented in the owners manual.

 

It's normal. Mine does it. I seem to remember someone here posted what it actually was, but there's nothing out of the ordinary with your car.

 

Ah, TADTS - the acronym with which all Lotus owners are familiar: "They all do that, sir."

 

LMAO, as a former Lotus owner, that is so true on a number of levels. They all did!

 

Mine makes the sound as well. It seems like it is associated with being under load, almost like a CV joint.

 

It's the vacuum pump used to close the active exhaust valves. Not an issue.

 

Thanks for these replies. Just so I'm clear here...

So while I'm driving my whisper-quiet F-Type (I bet those two words have never been used in describing our F-Types before!) at very slow speeds - I'm probably talking 5-10 MPH - hearing a faint, but noticeable, intermitent hum appearing to come from behind the drivers sides is normal?

Just seems a tiny bit odd if you ask me...then again, I asked you.

Best regards and thanks,
Jay

P.S. Getting "wrapped" today. Wish me luck.

 

Yep, that's the noise, and I believe RDB is right about the source.

 

I get the same thing in my car. I always assumed it was a pump or valve as you mentioned and not a major problem. It only lasts a short time and it is nice to know this appears to be normal.

 

Good luck!

 

So they replaced my exhaust valves per JTB00365NAS1 and it made no difference. Took it back in and ends up my driveshaft was bad. Replaced and no noise at all anymore. Odd that it needed a new driveshaft at 5000 miles - that said, I do drive it like it was intended to be driven.