Noise from passenger side wheel, VW mechanics can't find it... Gearbox...??

[EdF]

At first it sounded like excessive road noise, and gradually got worse, varying with the road surface, sometimes with a 'rotational' whirring, as if there was a brake pad catching slightly. It gradually got worse and I was convinced the wheel bearing was wearing. It was even noticeable at 10mph. There was no play in anything, not the bearings, driveshaft etc. Booked it in to my local VAG dealer. They couldn't find anything either but acknowledged there was noise. They put the spare wheel on and diagnosed a possible problem with the tyre, which looks OK. Spare is still on but the noise is still there, although not as bad and different, just sounds like excessive road noise from the same side.. As it's a DSG it isn't possible to spin the wheel when jacked up, but one mechanic said there was a slight roughness in one spot when turning the wheel when jacked up and queried a diff problem but he wasn't sure.
I'm suspecting pothole damage and today I'm taking the original wheel in to be 'spun up' by the tyre retailer and maybe get the tyre off and inspect for internal damage, but that doesn't explain the noise still being there with the spare on. My only option seems to be to run it until whatever it is gets worse and is obvious. Is this a good time to panic? A gearbox fault has me worried re cost.. Any ideas, please?

[EdF]

Not often I am able to reply to my own thread. I took the front wheel to the tyre retailer, couldn't park on his forecourt so parked nearby and rolled the wheel over.. As I did so, I noticed something odd, one half of the tread was a slightly different diameter to the other half. It wasn't through wear, which was the same right across. The guy spun the wheel up and it wasn't buckled. The fitter believed it was a fault with the tyre, so I went to look at the other, which was exactly the same.. They were fitted last June as a front pair only and have done about 6,500 miles. The tyres are being returned to Goodyear as faulty for investigation and I have a new pair, problem solved, and the steering effort required at low speed is much improved. The VAG mechanic did say that when he put the spare on the nearside, the noise seemed to shift to the offside. Now I know why.

[EdF]

The front tyres were looked at by an independent tyre expert in Brum and the verdict was that the steering was out of alignment! I was very surprised as I've seen scrubbing at the edges before, but not a 'step' in the tread.. So, new tyres and a steering adjustment to pay for..

[Lukenkarl]

The front tyres were looked at by an independent tyre expert in Brum and the verdict was that the steering was out of alignment! I was very surprised as I've seen scrubbing at the edges before, but not a 'step' in the tread.. So, new tyres and a steering adjustment to pay for.. It sounds like the manufacturer is trying to get out of a warranty claim. Ask them to reconsider or at least a good will gesture.