Last week my car began making a high pitch noise when I take my foot of the accelerator while travelling above 40km/h. Inside the passenger cabin it's not very loud, but if I spend over an hour in the car it does leave me with ringing ears. I've managed to record the sound onto a pocket size video recorder that I positioned inside the engine bay. It sounds like a jet engine! I've uploaded the 40sec video file to my gallery. If someone could help identify the noise, I would be most grateful.

never heard anything like that, First suggestion has to be turbo related. Don't put petrol in a diesel. They don't run well.

It certainly sounds gubbed. I have had quieter takeoffs and landings

Boxer, where would one look for the turbo under the bonnet, to check the hoses?

I can't hear it on my comp, but a loud whining that sounds like a jet engine isn't a leak, it's a knackered turbo.

I'd stop using it until you can get it checked by a mechanic, if there's a problem it'll soon disintegrate itself, and send a lot of metal back through your engine, and thats very expensive! Mine: 2012 Golf GTI Edition 35
Family's: 2009 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Auto, Stornoway

Yorkshire - God's County

After hearing the entire recording, I believe, in proportion of 80-90%, that it's about a bearing inside the gearbox or the transfer case.
Still, tomorrow I will ask my friend to listen to it and I will come back with his impressions too.

Yep, I've parked it for now, Big Dave.
Thanks, Alex. I appreciate it.
Booked at the service centre mid of next week.

My friend says that in his opinion it's a bearing or a pinion problem inside the transfer case or inside the front differential.
Anyway the problem should be investigated further and left on the warranty people...

Thanks very much, Alex. It's booked in for Wednesday. I'll keep you posted.

The dealer thinks it's the gearbox. Apparently this is the first time they have seen one like this. The weird thing is there are no other "symptoms" in terms of gearchanges etc that would make me suspect the gearbox. The gearbox is very smooth!

Depending on what it is there may not be other symptoms other than the noise until it lets go. Is it under warranty? Mine: 2012 Golf GTI Edition 35
Family's: 2009 Freelander 2 HSE TD4 Auto, Stornoway

Yorkshire - God's County

Yes, it's still under warranty.

Well, apologies for the late update. It has taken the dealer over four months to replace the gearbox. The noise is gone!

Good that it's sorted, were you still driving it around up until it was fixed,what took them so long ?

Well done Alex for a 9-10000 mile diagnosis

The whole experience was unreal. First they were going to replace it. But after having the gearbox on order for 5 weeks they realised that there was no stock in the UK. Then they decided to repair it. I had to wait another month before the courtesy vehicle was available. When the day came they had trouble assigning the courtesy vehicle to me for that long (4 weeks), and on the day told me that a brand new gearbox was now in stock in the UK. From that point it took another 5 weeks to get it fitted. - This is the shortened outline of the events, of course. During this time I was told that I could continue to drive it as it was unlikely to break further. But in the next breath they told me not to go out of town too far, just in case.....