[AlanHo]

I had a noise insulation kit installed today in my 2012 i30 1.6 CRDi Style by a firm called Noise Killers. http://www.noisekiller.co.uk/.

They have done the work on numerous 2007 to 2011 i30's but my car is the first of the new 2012 models they had seen so they were on a learning curve and used it to make templates for future orders.

I went for a kit comprising under bonnet, front foot wells and inside sills, rear foot wells and inside sills, under the rear seat, rear wheel arches, spare wheel well, boot side panels, boot floor.  I did not have inside the doors done because it has already been insulated by Hyundai on my model and removing the door cards and dodging the internal wiring and window mechanism would take a long time - hence is too expensive.

The bonnet

My car is already fitted with a fabric insulation panel under the bonnet - but it is there to stop engine heat damaging the bonnet paintwork rather than for noise insulation. They removed this panel and attached heavy self adhesive insulation to the bonnet skin in-between the strengthening struts, then replaced the fabric panel on top of the noise insulation.

Front Foot Wells

It was found that my car had already got a thick layer of foam bonded to the floor up the bulhead and part way along the floor. The Noise Killer accoustics engineer said that the foam was not dense enough to kill much noise so they installed a layer of their insulation the full width of the well from the front seat and up the bulhead on top of the exisiting foam. They also removed the carpet where it climbs up the inside face of the sills to fit self adhesive insulation there and to the side panel to the front of the doors.

Rear Foot Wells

This proved to be a challenge because the rear carpet is a large moulding that runs up under the rear seat squab and seat back and is attached to the back of the rear seat back. Getting it out would have taken considerable time - and time is money. I therefore settled for insulation pads above this layer of carpet which are hidden by the rear seat and the footwell loose mats.

The Boot

Self adhesive insulation is fitted to the bottom and sides of the spare wheel well, the side cards were removed and the rear wheel arches and side panels insulated, as was the rear panel under the hatch. A large lead lined insulation panel is fitted under the removeable boot floor panel.

The work took 2 guys just over 3 hours for which they charged just under £100 for labour - so heaven knows how long it would have taken me.

I have just got back home after taking the car for a trip along the same roads which I used to check noise levels a few months ago.

Here are the comparative decibel meter readings.

                                        Readings before                    Readings After
                                        Insulation fitted                    Insulation Fitted

Tick-over stationary                  63                                        64

3000 rpm stationary                 68                                        64

Rough Tarmac @ 62 mph          76                                         74

Concrete @ 62 mph                  75                                         75

Low noise tarmac @ 62 mph      67                                         66


I must confess the car seems to be quieter than the figures suggest.  The radio and sat-nav audio now has possibly more clarity. 

However - once the carpets had been lifted and the boot examined it was clear that the car is already fitted by Hyundai with a lot of noise insulation as standard - so a huge change in noise levels was not anticipated.  I can only speak for the UK Style model

So was it worth the cost - not really - but I have hearing problems and I need all the help I can get.  I don't think that those with normal hearing would derive enough benefit to justify the cost.

However - I admit that I was hoping for (but not really expecting) a more significant result.

[eye30]

Thanks for the report.

I'd be interested in an update, say in a weeks time, once you have had the opportunity to drive the car around your usual haunts

[Shambles]

Sounds like you wasted your money, and time...

[asathorny]

Sounds like you wasted your money, and time...

I have to agree with Steve really...   bearing in mind the placebo effect (you've spent the money for the cure so it's damned well gonna work) I guess the numbers speak the truth.

However I am always grateful for you research Alan and have on several occasions had thoughts about doing something similar.  Obviously I wont bother now, so thank you 

[AlanHo]

ASA

It would have been so easy to keep schtum and not post this thread - because I anticipated the response.  It only reinforces my belief that I am one of life's victims sent here as an example to others.....

However - you will not be the only one to benefit from my "investment"...

[Phil №❶]

Don't feel bad Alan,   

My understanding is that noise reduction is achieved by 2 things 1 dense materials absorbing sound energy, which is happening a little and the elimination of drumming caused by vibration of flat panels.

This is achieved by fixing self adhesive, dense material to these areas, some of which was done to your car.
I think fixing their material over the existing foam just added another layer, but did little to reduce drumming.

Thanks for posting 

EDIT

6 hours work + materials for 100 pounds is great value anyhow IMO.

[asathorny]

ASA

It would have been so easy to keep schtum and not post this thread - because I anticipated the response.  It only reinforces my belief that I am one of life's victims sent here as an example to others.....

However - you will not be the only one to benefit from my "investment"...

and once more Alan, I thank you for all your research and for sharing....   

[Phil №❶]

 

[Doggie 1]

Despite my initials, I don't have a db meter but noise is one area that I will reporting on, purely from my ears' point of view (point of hearing?  ) once I get my new GD diesel.
I have mentioned before that on the brief road tests I have done I thought that the new car was noisier at idle than my old one, but it is in normal driving and on the coarse bitumen that is used on our highways where I am hoping for significant improvements.
Time will tell.

[Phil №❶]

My VP Berlina is quieter inside than our I30, apart from the SS cannon I have as a resonator, road and tyre noise are not an issue.

My mate drives a KIA Cerato and having been a passenger in it, it is quieter than the I30. He's on holidays at the moment in the Gold Coast QLD. He rang to tell me that the I40 he's driving is noisy inside too. I wish Hy would get on top of this problem, once and for all. They make a fabulous car IMO, except for this 1 problem.   

[AlanHo]

6 hours work + materials for 100 pounds is great value anyhow IMO.

I should have made it clear that the labour cost was just under £100 - in fact £90 inc VAT. The materials were a separate cost and are expensive flexible accoustic panels that are quite heavy. Next summer I might do some cutting and carving to the carpets and foam so that I can attach the pads to the steel body. They left the adhesive cover plastic in place so that I can peel it off and expose the adhesive later on. I also have some pads for inside the doors - if I can pluck up the courage to remove the door cards and thread my way through the innards.

One of my friends converted a VW panel van with a sliding side door into a 5 seater last year, obtaining the extra seats and seat belts/mountings from a breakers. The cabin noise was truly dreadful. He bought the accoustic materials from Noise Killer and did the work himself. The result was very impressive. It was he who introduced me to Noise Killer. He was starting from the bottom of the noise reduction curve though - Hyundai had already moved my car well up the scale with factory fitted foam insulation in some key areas.

[2i30s]

but until you've tried a product out,you wont know if it's going to solve your problem Alan.    you obviously thought the noise levels would dramatically decrease, or you wouldn't have had the product fitted.  the company that supplied and fitted the sound deadening probably haven't even had a Gd i30 in for this until you came along, so you couldn't have known the noise level difference would be so small.  i wonder if the car will be warmer in winter and cooler in summer,well it is a form of insulation.   

[Doggie 1]

You probably don't want to go down that road, but certainly over here if a product doesn't deliver what it is supposed to deliver you are legally entitled to a refund.
And given that you are as organised as you are and have both before & after db readings as proof, it should be a walk-up-start.

The part(s) of the audible spectrum that was subdued might have had a greater subjective effect than the absolute amplitude of the noise. I would suspect this might be even more noticeable if your ears' response is also compromised in some way. In normal circumstances an 2.0db change would just be audible.

In my series one it sounds as though most of the road noise comes in through the boot area - definitely from behind me. I've been too lazy to chase it but if I ever do I'll start there. Engine noise is not intrusive at all - partly I imagine because it rarely tops 2000 revs.

[2i30s]

your right on the money about the hatch noise pip,try folding the rear seat down and go for a drive,its like having the hatch open in terms of noise. 

[AlanHo]

When I were a lad at tech - we were taught that a reduction of 50% in the power of the sound represents a 3 dB reduction.

Since my test shows that the car on rough tarmac has a sound level reduced by 2dB - this represents a considerable reduction in noise because the decibel scale is logarithmic and not linear. For sure the car is now much quieter on coarse surfaces but less so on smooth tarmac.

Since I am a bachelor this week with time on my hands, I had another fiddle this evening.  I removed the large (and heavy) accoustic pad from the boot floor and immediately noticed an increase in noise levels on a local road with coarse tarmac.  It was subjective because it was too dark for me to read a decibel meter.  I played some music from a memory stick and set the radio volume so that I could just about hear it when the pad was removed. I then replaced the pad - drove the same route - and found that I could hear the music quite clearly even though I could still hear road roar.

The real test will come after this week when my wife gets back home from holiday - she was away when I had the work done and does not know anything about it (Yet!!) I have decided not to mention it to see whether she notices any difference with cabin noise.

[2i30s]

that's a great idea Alan. 

When I were a lad at tech - we were taught that a reduction of 50% in the power of the sound represents a 3 dB reduction.

And when I were a lad at tech I was taught that a 100% change in power represented 3db and 100% change in pressure (acoustic or voltage) was represented by 6db.
 
Whatever, the db scale is logarithmic because it approximates the ear's response and subjectively it requires a 10db change to sound like a doubling or halving in loudness. 2db still is a barely noticeable change.

I could be wrong. It's a long time since we both were lads.

[Doggie 1]

The real test will come after this week when my wife gets back home from holiday - she was away when I had the work done and does not know anything about it (Yet!!) I have decided not to mention it to see whether she notices any difference with cabin noise.

It's a car and she's a female.
My guess is she won't notice unless prompted. 

[2i30s]

if your car is a she, like most males class their vehicles as being,she will never be silenced Alan. 

[Doggie 1]

   Good point.
Especially being a diesel - she'll never stop chattering. 

[2i30s]

    yes dear. 

[Phil №❶]

Replies 18-21, very funny and brave too. 

I feel another stare from kittikat coming on 

[Doggie 1]

She's a good sport. 

[2i30s]

i wonder if Alan's wife will notice any improvement in the noise levels in the car.     

[Shambles]

I just find it quite amusing that Alan infers that the cabin noise will probably increase when his wife returns from her holiday


Amen to that.

[2i30s]

i'll put money on it. 

[Dazzler]

Hey Alan,

I reckon you did the right thing.. I hate noisy cars (any reduction is a win in my books)

Very clever using the music to test the sound level 

[eye30]

Must say my new car is quite when compared to the old one.

I don't notice the drumming sound from the road which was there in the old car.

The engine is so quite that I think it has stalled when stopped.

[Dazzler]

So the engine is quite quiet then Lester?